The Higher Education Review

With higher education changing drastically over the years, students as well as parents are willing to experiment with new courses and explore different academic options. Fine visual and performing arts is one area that has attracted a lot of students over the last couple of decades. The OC Film School which is a part of Olympic College, Washington State, US is one of the pioneering higher education institutions offering world-class education in fine visual and performing arts.

The OC Film School is a professional-technical program that aligns its classes and outcomes with the requirements of the industry. The classes the institute offers emphasize hands-on training integrated with film theory which helps the students to realize their true potential. Olympic College is just 17 miles from Seattle by ferry, the cultural center of Washington state and its Office of International Education & Study Abroad Works closely with students around the world to ensure a smooth transition into Olympic College.

This has helped the institute to develop into one of the most preferred international higher education destinations in the world. On top of that, its commitment to never compromise on the quality of its education has helped the institute to scale unprecedented heights in the American higher education realm.

Achieving Academic Excellence
Ever since its establishment, The OC Film School has been able to offer innovative programs that challenge its students to develop their critical thinking capabilities which in turn helps them to grow into passionate learners. Adding more about the unique teaching methodologies followed at the institute, OC Film School Professor Amy Hesketh says, “Our program is unique in that we provide an integration of artistic practice with hands-on technical training in filmmaking. We address the needs of long and short-form content making. We provide a high level of education, offering access to state-of-the-art film equipment and world-class instructors at a low cost to the student.

Also, our program has a limited number of students in each class, making sure that we remain

student-centric and are able to provide individualized instruction”. To ensure regular industry interaction, the institute constantly schedules extra-curricular events and screenings with guest speakers working in the industry.

Some of the past guest speakers include Craig Perry (Final Destination, Cats and Dogs), Kevin Berhardt (Cliffs of Freedom, Medieval), Anne Marie Gillen (Fried Green Tomatoes, Under Suspicion), Kimberley Roper (Arkansas, The Courier), and Evan Glodell (Bellflower, Movies and Machines), to name a few.

Students at The OC Film School learn the craft and techniques of narrative storytelling while acquiring the technical skills and artistic sensibilities necessary to compete in the new emerging frontier of digital filmmaking. The institute takes great pride in itself for being an innovative higher education institution and the course curriculum of its programs are constantly updated to align with the ever-changing requirements of the industry.

This helps its students to gain a competitive edge in the job market and get a head-start in their careers. Furthermore, The OC Film School’s curriculum integrates concentrated classroom study of all the major filmmaking disciplines with major emphasis given on student film projects. The digital filmmaking classes provided by the institute allow the learners to gain valuable hands-on training in cinematography, sound, and editing through short film projects as well.

In this day and age, where the cost of higher education is constantly on the rise, Olympic College prioritizes on offering world class higher education to students from all walks of life and the Olympic College Foundation offers more than $400,000 in scholarships annually exclusively to its students. While some of these scholarships are merit based, there are plethora of need-based ones as well. These scholarships have allowed many students to realize their career aspirations without having to worry about the financial aspect of higher education.

Top-Notch Faculty & World-Class Infrastructure
The OC Film School acknowledges the importance of having experienced faculty members to impart topnotch education and mentoring to its students. The institute’s world-class faculty are regularly involved in artistic practice as filmmakers in the creation of featurelength narrative and documentary films that win

awards and receive international distribution.

Adding more about the faculty of The OC Film School, Hesketh says, “Our faculty belong to organizations such as The PGA (Producers Guild of America), WGA (Writers Guild of America, UFVA (University Film and Video Association), WIF (Women in Film), including others. We also have an advisory board comprised of local and national members working in the industry”.

"Students at the oc film School learn the craft & Techniques of narrative Storytelling while acquiring The technical skills and artistic Sensibilities necessary to Compete in the new emerging Frontier of digital filmmaking"

The institute also has a state-of-the-art soundstage with Hollywood flats and furnishings, a VR makerspace with green screen studio, acting studio, wood/scene shop, wardrobe room, editing labs, DaVinci Resolve Advanced Color Panel studio, and ADR/looping recording room, as well as dedicated filmmaking resources in its library. The OC Film School consistently keep its filmmaking equipment inventory and computers equal to those currently used in the industry so that its students are better prepared for the industry. Evolving with the changing times, the institute has high hopes for the future and aspires to continue its quest to achieve academic excellence and train more students who can make a name for themselves in the industry.

Amy Hesketh, The OC Film School Faculty & Program Coordinator, The OC Film School
Amy Hesketh is the coordinator of the OC Film School as well as tenured, full-time faculty, teaching film production, directing, and post-production to students. Prior to joining Olympic College, Amy founded a film production company in Bolivia, where zie produced over 11 feature films and directed five feature films, including Pygmalion which premieres in March 2023.

In 2015, after 10 years of living and working in Bolivia, the government of Bolivia honored Amy with the prestigious award of ‘Valuable Contributions to Bolivian Culture’ for pioneering the New Wave of Bolivian cinema. Zir most recent, and sixth, feature film, RUCKER (2022) was shot in Bremerton, WA and made in collaboration with The OC Film School student crew and actors. Amy holds a BA in Fine Arts from Goddard College and an MFA in Film from Vermont College of Fine Arts.