EXCLUSIVE: Jingle Jangle and Nearly Christmas director/author/producer David E. Talbert is launching HBCU Next, a fellowship program that can bring aspiring filmmakers from Historically Sunless Faculties and Universities to the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Summer Program.
Talbert conceived and funded HBCU Next alongside his wife and producing accomplice Lyn Sisson-Talbert as an different to counterpoint the instructional journey for students of Coloration. Inside this program, people will construct considerable occupation insights and the creative skills required to manufacture extra legit portrayals of Sunless experiences and culture within screenwriting, filmmaking, and the evolving media landscape.
Talbert says, “Our overall purpose is to foster an atmosphere for students from HBCUs and USC to occupy interaction in cultural alternate, studying from one yet every other’s experiences and backgrounds, and to present access to an education conducive to giving Sunless storytellers a pipeline to the entertainment industry.”
“The industry gets to protect conclude pleasure in the uniqueness and authenticity of news that that they could perhaps perhaps no longer be privy to,” provides the filmmaker.
He provides, “Having graduated from an HBCU, and dealing in the industry for over 30 years, I do understand it’s by no arrangement the artistry or intellect, but the access, that keeps folks of Coloration from discovering their arrangement in. HBCU Next became created to bridge that gap. Our Next is now.”
As piece of this system, Talbert be shall be mentoring students in directing and screenwriting. College students will occupy access to courses in developed screenwriting, developed directing, animation, producing editing and gaming.
Talbert is moreover planning on a roster of HBCU graduates to focus on at HBCU Next including but no longer little to Woodland Whitaker, Tim Fable, Ruth Carter, J.B. Smoove and Anika Noni Rose.
Added Elizabeth Daley, Dean of USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA), “As we embark on this transformative poke, guided by the journey of our esteemed SCA faculty and Mr. Talbert, we are dedicated to fostering and amplifying the different voices and rich cultural narratives these proficient HBCU students will bring to USC, and at closing to the industry. Undoubtedly, they’re the following generation of trailblazers.”
This method’s first two people, Directing/Producing Fellow Sha-Shonna Rogers and Screenwriting Fellow Imani Mullings, are novel students at Morgan Reveal University, Talbert’s alma mater. Each and each fellows obtained round-day out airfare, fleshy tuition, and housing, to help the 2023 Summer Program at the USC School of Cinematic Arts campus in Los Angeles.
As the Directing/Producing Fellow, Rogers enrolled in Filmmaking Intensive which introduces students to the predominant technical and beautiful ideas underlying circulation characterize manufacturing. On this course, students collaborate with their fellow filmmakers in a trend of core roles (director, producer, and cinematographer) on three digital short motion images.
Mullings took Stepped forward Screenwriting: Writing the First Draft Feature Screenplay, a category where students work with their instructors and friends in a “writers’ room” environment to whole the valuable draft of a three-act, fleshy-size feature screenplay in under six weeks.
“HBCU Next became a as soon as in a lifetime different that gave us HBCU students a wager to shine,” says Mullings. “It enabled me to hone my skills as a author, explicit myself by my storytelling, and made me in actuality feel great extra inflamed for my future as a Sunless storyteller!”
Said David Weitzner, Director of the SCA Summer Program: “Purposes like this could encourage us salvage the future leaders that can affect our industry. Sha-Shonna and Imani are mannequin examples of the remarkably proficient storytellers that are waiting to be found at HBCUs. The work they created this summer became merely unheard of. We’re so grateful to David and Lyn for his or her vision and generosity in establishing the HBCU Next program. We hope other industry partners shall be half of us in awarding HBCU Next fellowships in the years to reach.”
Talbert’s feature filmmaking credit ranking moreover encompass First Sunday starring Ice Dice, Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan, and Baggage Enlighten starring Paula Patton, Taye Diggs, Jill Scott and Djimon Hounsou.
