Our faculty teach while continuing to work in the industry, earning international recognition and awards. Faculty connect their classrooms at George Mason University to their work on set, sharing knowledge and skills with students who apprentice as they learn.
Professor Jusu on set of her film Nanny. The film screened at this year's Sundance Film Festival and won the U.S. Grand Jury prize.
Producing Professor Lisa Thrasher directs behind-the-scenes filming on set of the Mason Film Lab.
Our instructors are directors, cinematographers, editors, and producers, working throughout our industry from independent productions to studios in Los Angeles. Their films are exhibited worldwide at juried festivals, on television, and streaming services. Our faculty are also published scholars with essays published in popular film magazines, journals and edited books.
“I take it as sacred…My sense of energy is going to impact the way the actors or subjects are captured. As Director of Photography, I am responsible for everything you see through the lens – the mood, the tone, the lighting, and the composition.”
Recent Faculty Accomplishments and Highlights
Visiting Filmmakers Series
Since 1995, the Visiting Filmmakers Series, curated by Professor and Interim Director Cynthia Fuchs, has brought a variety of films and guests to George Mason University. The Series is committed to supporting social justice, diverse and inclusive filmmaking, and innovative artists. Film at Mason students have the opportunity to meet with guest artists through masterclasses, film screenings, Q&As, luncheons, and more.
“It's been an incredible educational experience for me, sharing films, conversations, and dinners with our many guests and the George Mason community members who have participated in our events. The series is in part a function of my own interests, of course, and my commitment to bringing together students, faculty, staff, and artists, as well as to supporting innovative, creative, and politically engaged artists.”
International Filmmaking
Professors Benjamin Steger and Lisa Thrasher traveled to Asia with four students to film episodes for Vibrations. Produced and directed by Benjamin Steger and produced by Lisa Thrasher, Vibrations is a documentary series profiling contemporary singer-songwriters and practitioners of traditional musical forms in regional music scenes around the world. The project was awarded a Summer Impact Grant and received additional support from the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Global Education Office. The four Film and Video Studies majors on the crew were Blaire Collingwood, Zeyn Faddoul, Brittney Flores, and Sanders Evans. They traveled over 22,700 miles in 25 days to 3 countries and 7 cities. While abroad, they recorded interviews and live performances with musicians in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia to create a character driven series designed to emphasize the power of music to create positive individual and social change and examine the impacts of globalization on local music cultures around the world.
Production Coordinator Zeyn Faddoul and Cinematographer Blaire Collingwood enjoying their time abroad.
Professors Steger and Thrasher with students filming the Phare Circus in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Professors Steger and Thrasher with the Cambodia Film Commission.