PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 15, 2020) – After teaching her first virtual film and television production class amid COVID-19 restrictions, Terésa Dowell-Vest knew she needed to get creative in planning out the remainder of the semester.
“The nature of what I teach keeps me on-the-go, interacting with equipment, and engaging in real time with people,” said Dowell-Vest, director of film and television production in the Department of Languages and Communication at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). “I was concerned that students weren’t going to be fulfilled, or have the ability to work with equipment, to shoot their projects, or get that practical experience of filmmaking.”
Where some saw challenges, Dowell-Vest saw opportunity. After turning to social media platforms and seeing that her friends and former colleagues were all at home too, the film and television industry veteran began reaching out to her connections to see who was interested in guest lecturing her class.
“I first contacted a friend of mine who writes for children’s television, and he was so excited to break up the monotony and do something special that I realized I had access to a captive audience that was looking for ways to contribute to the world,” Dowell-Vest said. “I reached out to more people and quickly scheduled the rest of the semester with dynamic talks that would inspire students.”
Dowell-Vest’s Film & TV Guest Lecture Series via Zoom featured 19 prominent speakers from the industry, including Justin Simien, the writer, producer, and director of “Dear White People”; and Pete Chatmon, who directs episodes for “Blackish,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “Silicon Valley.”
The first part of each virtual class was reserved for Dowell-Vest and her class to check in. Then, the class moved to another Zoom link for the guest lecture portion, which followed an introduction, lecture, and Q&A format. While Dowell-Vest asked lecturers to speak freely for 30 or so minutes, nearly every lecture doubled the allotted time.
“Every guest was so gracious with their time,” Dowell-Vest said. “I’d start each class by asking lecturers to ‘teach us a thing,’ and they all gave enthusiastic, unique presentations.”
Dowell-Vest orchestrated another way for guests and students to interact by creating a page on PVAMUTV.org, in which students could upload a photo and a link to their portfolio or social channel for the guest lecturers to explore.
The series was also livestreamed via YouTube, which allowed people outside of the classroom to engage and watch the series. After reaching out to other historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) programs, students from Dillard University in Louisiana and Lawson State Community College in Alabama joined the Zoom series, too.
Terésa Dowell-Vest
“The series ended up reaching well beyond PVAMU, and helped us deeply connect during this kindred experience of enduring a pandemic,” Dowell-Vest said.
Dowell-Vest is creating a PDF textbook that will summarize takeaways from each of the speakers and serve as a digital syllabus of the series.
Next, Dowell-Vest is looking forward to launching a series through her production company, Diva Blue Productions, which will center around her fanfiction book, “The Death of Cliff Huxtable.” The series will include panelists and cast members from all over the country, including PVAMU faculty and students.
“This has truly been a dynamic experience, and I’ve learned so much about broadcasting live using multiple platforms,” she said. “It may be something that I try to incorporate into my teaching in the fall. This forum is today’s entertainment. It’s today’s television. I don’t think at-home mini studios are going anywhere.”
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By Kendall Hebert