ON THE COVER /

Preparing for final checks before rolling film during class, Department Film & Media Arts student Bailey Peterson looks through the viewfinder of the ARRI 35 III while Yevhenii Bahrii checks the monitor. The course, FILM 6945: 35mm Filmmaking, provides an in-depth exploration of 35mm filmmaking, focusing on the technical, historical, and creative aspects of celluloid-based film production. Students gain hands-on experience with professional 35mm MOS cameras, film stock, and accessories while exploring the broader artistic and technological contexts of analog cinema. Through a combination of lectures, workshops, screenings, and practical exercises, students develop technical expertise and creative confidence in working with film as a medium.

The artists at the University of Utah are made of tenacious grit in addition to talent, determination, and vision. So often, what we share with the world are our finished works. Complete. Polished. Powerful. 

 What we appreciate about this publication, however, is that it gives a glimpse into the making, the behind-the-scenes, the love and care that goes into creating something out of nothing — whether a finished work or knowledge to be shared. We pull back the veil on our studios and classrooms to show how our spaces combined with our specialties and spirit become sway. 

 Because that — the manifesting and sharing of something new — is an act of courage, and one that can be mysterious to those of who don’t regularly engage in those processes. 

See, facing a blank canvas, an empty theatre, a quiet concert hall, a room full of eager learners, or sheet music with lines but no notes are not endeavors for the faint of heart. They’re for the visionaries, the problem-solvers, the recorders of history, and the creators of culture. 

 Getting work ready for the world can be messy and challenging, but it’s the heart and soul of our work that takes us from inspiration to presentation. It’s where and when the magic happens. And it’s our gift to you to share these vulnerable moments of generating and sharing the knowledge that makes the University of Utah College of Fine Arts a rich incubator of excellence and influence. 

 We hope you enjoy.