Major in Film
Become a filmmaker • Use the latest technology • Graduate industry-ready
John Brown University
2000 W. University St.,
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
479-524-9500
jbuinfo@jbu.edu
What are you looking for?
Become a filmmaker • Use the latest technology • Graduate industry-ready
Because of its capacity to merge visual, intellectual and aural experiences together, we depend on film to interpret events in our lives and the world. At JBU, you'll gain the foundational skills and the sensitivity to use those skills to make films that are both entertaining and purposeful. You will graduate both as a technician and as a storyteller.
Start your applicationWe prepare students to work with digital and conventional photographic, video and motion picture applications. Courses include photography, editing, cinematography, film theory, film production, lighting, screenwriting and an internship.
Beginning their first semester, film students work with upperclassmen to create short films in various key roles informed by their progressive studies. This culminates in producing a two-semester senior film project that becomes the centerpiece of a professional portfolio.
Besides a best-in-class filmmaking education, you will also receive a foundation in traditional illustration techniques, graphic design fundamentals and practical mass media skills that prepare you for the convergence of technology, art and electronic media.
Film students learn the techniques to create industry-standard films that prepare them for their senior capstone project and the film industry after graduation.
Film gadgets are cool, and the JBU film program has many of them: RED Komodo and Helium cameras, BlackMagic Design 4.6K URSA Mini Pro cameras as well as Canon C300 and C100 MKII cameras, XEEN and Rokinon Prime Lenses, Tilta Matte Boxes and Wireless Follow-Focus, SteadiCam Scout, DJI Ronin, EZ Jib, Dolly and Track, ARRI Tungsten, Kino Flo Fluorescent & LED, Litepanel Astra LED, K5600 Joker HMI lighting instruments, Sound Devices Mixers, Sennheiser Booms Mics and Wireless Lavs, and grip carts complete with stands, flags and rigging equipment.
Our three visual art buildings include two three-story facilities featuring classrooms, a theater, two galleries, photo and cinema studios, MAC labs, color grading suites, a ProTools Post-Production/ADR studio and printmaking workshop. We also have a Soundstage facility for VFX process shots and custom sets. And the Studio & Project Barn includes additional large spaces for a state-of-the-art photo studio, drawing and painting classrooms, woodshop, ceramics studio and individual artist stations.
See photosSummer studies trips provide opportunities for students to visit world-famous art collections in Europe, make documentaries in Belfast, write screenplays in Berlin, and study the Business of Cinema while exploring amazing film locations in places like Iceland, Copenhagen, Northern Ireland and London.
JBU’s film program has allowed me to work with industry-standard software and equipment from RED cameras to ARRI light fixtures. I’ve had the opportunity to work on multiple senior film sets in multiple positions, including writing and directing my own short film. I learn something new on each set! I’ve worked alongside and become friends with so many talented and creative individuals! I am so grateful to the professors for cultivating my love for film while also teaching me valuable skills for the industry.
Mary Bonds '24
Film Major
We help students gain fundamental skills and the sensitivity to use these skills to make entertaining and purposeful films. We want to produce both technicians and storytellers.
Below are selected student film productions from JBU representing several courses, including non-fiction film production, narrative film production and senior film project.
More student workMr. Steve Snediker has always loved motion pictures. From his early forays into 8mm neighborhood movies and numerous social commentary film projects for school, to his work in HiDef directing corporate and commercial videos for companies like Saatchi & Saatchi X, Procter & Gamble, and Wal-Mart, Steve Snediker has developed a reputation as a visual storyteller. He fields many of the skills required to be a one-man movie studio, yet he has also discovered the greater power of collaboration and building teams.
Mr. Snediker has a B.S. in Communications (Broadcasting) from JBU and an M.F.A. in Digital Cinema from National University. Besides his award-winning narrative film “Carlisle’s Secret”, he has recently completed a documentary entitled “Amazin’Grace: Standing Room Only” and an experimental film entitled “LEVI: A Day – A Lifetime.”
Mr. Snediker is married with three grown children and makes his home in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. He works as Associate Professor of Visual Arts - Cinema at JBU and continues to be a contributor to regional independent film.
Professor of Visual Arts, Film
Mr. Kirk Demarais is a graduate of JBU and served as an adjunct professor in the Visual Arts department since 2006. He previously worked for DaySpring cards as a member of the Web and New Media team for ten years before establishing himself as a freelance designer, artist, and writer.
Mr. Demarais's fascination with vintage toys, novelties, and 20th century pop culture has inspired two published works, "Life of the Party," a visual history book of the S.S. Adams Prank and Magic company (for whom he was employed as a package and catalog designer), and "Mail-Order Mysteries" which offers a rare look at mail-order products from vintage comic books. The latter appeared on annual best-of lists in USA Today and the Boston Globe, and placed on the Wall Street Journal Bestsellers list.
His enthusiasm for retro-culture has also manifested in an award-winning short film called "Flip" as well as "Foot," an animated film he co-created which was distributed by the toy company FunKo.
His pop-surrealist artwork is regularly shown and sold in Los Angeles and New York City galleries, and has received international attention, as well as support among the Hollywood community.
Mr. Demarais's writing has been seen in The LA Times, BoingBoing.net, and magazines including Comic Art, Make, and Reminisce. His body of work has been featured or cited in Wired, Rolling Stone, Huffington Post, Slashfilm, FastCompany, Print Magazine, Flavorwire, New York Post and many more.
Assistant Professor of Visual Arts
Mr. S. Neal Holland began his career at John Brown University in 1998 as the first full-time instructor in Digital Media Art.
Mr. Holland received his B.A. in Telecommunication from Ouachita Baptist University. Soon after graduating, he moved to the Dallas metro area to pursue educational opportunities from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While studying there, he earned an M.A. in Communication and taught courses in video and photography as the SWBTS Presidential Teaching Fellow recipient. Soon after earning his masters degree, Mr. Holland returned to Southwestern to teach as an adjunct instructor until leaving the Dallas area.
An amazing opportunity helped to propel Mr. Holland into digital media in 1993. He was offered a job by a ground level digital boutique (RISE International) servicing the Dallas area. This small boutique grew from a start-up business to a major digital media provider for national and international fortune 500 clients like Coca-Cola, Reebok, Nike, and General Motors.
Mr. Holland left RISE International for JBU in 1998 - That first year welcomed him with six returning students (returning from the inaugural year of the degree program) and six new freshmen. The program grew from there to be the largest major in the university, before eventually dividing resources and combining with what is now the Art Department. Mr. Holland has served department head for both the communication and art departments. He completed an M. F. A. in digital cinema with National University in 2006.
Mr. Holland has been a champion of non-traditional programs and study-abroad partnerships, and he continues to head a series of programs to promote off-campus study. His work with the start-up Fields and Frames promotes that desire and helps photography students get international experience while encouraging the responsibility for Christians to engage with social justice issues.
The Holland’s (Neal and Shannon) have one son, Taylor. Mr. Holland spends his free-time fly fishing, firing handguns, printing in the darkroom or print lab, and attempting to capture illusive images that might change the world.
Professor of Visual Arts: Department Chair and Peer Endowed Chair, Visual Arts
Equip yourself for a successful career and a life of purpose.
JBU does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, military status, or age in the administration of its educational policies, admissions, financial aid, employment, educational programs, or activities.
John Brown University is a leading private Christian university, training students to honor God and serve others since 1919. Arkansas’ top-ranked university (The Wall Street Journal) and top-ranked regional university (U.S. News), JBU enrolls more than 2,200 students from 37 states and 42 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online and concurrent education programs. JBU offers more than 50 undergraduate majors, with top programs including nursing, psychology, construction management, graphic design, family and human services, and engineering. Eighteen graduate degrees are available in business, counseling, cybersecurity, and education.