from classroom to screening room

He may have never taught a communications class in his career, but Associate Professor of Political Science Bill Ball writes, shoots, and edits his own short films.  His latest film, Almost Forgotten, will be featured at the Trenton Film Festival this month, after successful showings at the New Jersey State Film Festival at Cape May and the Delaware Valley Film Festival last November.

Prior to 2003, Ball’s only filmmaking experience was simple home movies.  Film production “started as a hobby/interest,” he said, and with the advent of digital technology, it was a “natural progression” to more sophisticated films.

“Part of the attraction was to do something that’s a non-written communication,” said Ball.  He explained that so much of the work he does in his “day job,” teaching classes like the Politics of Community Change and Tutorial of Deliberative Democracy, relies heavily on the written word.  In his films, rather, “none of it’s literal,” he said.

With his demanding career as a professor and an academic, how does Ball find the time to pursue his passion?  “It’s good for everyone to have a hobby,” he laughed.

He found that he can devote the most time to his projects in the late spring, as the school year is finishing and just prior to the beginning of summer sessions.  He works on preproduction aspects at night and on weekends.

During the production process, “I always like to involve students when I can,” Ball said. He explained that he feels better about working on his films when his students and fellow faculty members are included, making filmmaking feel like “something I should be doing.”  Professors Susan Ryan, Katrina Bledsoe, Deborah Knox, and Janet Gray are just a few of the faculty members who have made appearances in a Bill Ball production.

Ball also said that a lot of what goes into his films carries over to his “day job,” especially the essentials of the editing process, the golden rule of whish is "the shorter the better.”  An editor needs to “cut down and be ruthless,” he said, leading him to greater efficiency as a professor and an academic. 

As for his personal film favorites, Ball is a fan of the work of the late Robert Altman.  He said he respects the "independent spirit of Robert Rodriguez,” but does not particularly care for his movies.  “I’m not a big fan of major Hollywood sort of inside projects,” Ball said.

Aspiring screenwriters, take note!  Though Ball is responsible for all production and technical aspects of his films, he said he would like to find “someone else to write them.”

For more information on Ball’s filmmaking ventures and to view clips of his movies, please visit http://ball.tcnj.edu/movies/Index.htm.