Digital Video, Film History
Growing up on a farm in southern Minnesota, Amanda developed two passions: astronomy and movies; she has been a science fiction geek since she was six. As an undergrad, she studied physics and astronomy, but was also involved in theater, mainly as a lighting designer. After graduating, she spent a year in a science documentary filmmaking program in Montana, where she learned about HD video production, field recording and post-production.
Amanda transferred into a visual effects program in Minneapolis, focusing on digital compositing and 3D modeling. While in Minneapolis, she was involved in two independent films as a visual effects artist and production manager. After graduation, Amanda spent three years at a local company, where she worked with audio-video production and audience response technologies for corporate meetings across the country.
Amanda returned to graduate school to focus on film theory and history, completing her Master’s in film studies with an emphasis on film technology and animation. Currently, Amanda teaches classes in video production, film history, and computer science. She is an Avid Media Composer certified instructor, but she is also familiar with Apple Final Cut Pro and Adobe’s Creative Suite. For the last two years, Amanda has been a freelance video artist as well, producing videos for local non-profit organizations and music videos for local musicians. In her free time, Amanda likes to play ultimate frisbee and broomball, home brew, and knit.
Education
- MA in film studies, University of Iowa
- BS in visual effects and motion graphics, Art Institute International
- BA in physics, Carleton College