Duke might not be the first name in film schools but it has come a long way since 1973. Just ask Ted Bogosian.
After graduating from Duke at a time when the film/video/digital program did not exist, Bogosian, Trinity '73, made his way into the film industry. Now, he is back at the University as the inaugural visiting professor in FVD's filmmaker-in-residency program. Earlier in the semester, American Psycho director Mary Harron visited for a week as a part of the same program.
Bogosian's visit lasts for the entire semester. He is teaching the Visiting Filmmaker's Master Course, a seminar with 15 students. FVD director David Paletz said the course combines two aspects central to the FVD curriculum.
"There's two kinds of courses. There's what we call studies. and production," Paletz said. "Duke is not USC and it's not UCLA. It's important [that] students have some notion of how a film is made."
Though Bogosian's class does not specifically send students out with cameras, it focuses more on the production end of the curriculum. The course highlights the process of taking a script and transferring it to the screen.
"I try to make it as faithful as possible to the process," he said.
Paletz invited Bogosian to Duke as a part of reforms he set out to make during the beginning of tenure as FVD chair.
"It seemed to me that, when I took over FVD that. it could cater more to undergraduates," Paletz said. "It's an undergraduate program. It's not a graduate program. So I thought, 'How could we do that?'"
Paletz's changes have come in multiple forms. Paletz said he is constantly looking to bring professional filmmakers to Duke, especially those that are Duke alum. Through various forms, notably Durham's Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Paletz became came aware of Bogosian, which led to the extension of an invitation to teach. Bogosian's alumni status only sweetened the deal for Paletz.
"Ted, of course, is a Dukie. What could be better?" Paletz said.
The filmmaker-turned-professor's path to film was unlikely. Bogosian attended Harvard's Kennedy School of Government after graduating from Duke. While in Cambridge, he took a job at WGBH, Boston's public television branch. What started as programming research turned into a job at NOVA.
Initially working in documentary pictures, his resume also includes dramas, notably work on Homicide: Life on the Streets and HBO's prison drama Oz. Bogosian also holds a membership with the Directors Guild of America and was elected as an alternate board member.
So far, Bogosian has enjoyed his tenure as a professor.
Bogosian's role as a professor is not quite as easy as some might think. Splitting most of his time between Boston and New York City, he flies down every week to teach the Monday class. Bogosian said that he likes to stay the night so he can be more involved with his students and the Duke film scene, even if this means just watching a film in Griffith Theatre. In spite of his constant trips through airport security, Bogosian said he is enjoying his time at Duke.
"It's a wonderful experience," he said. "It's certainly changed a lot since I was there. I'm really impressed with how bright and motivated the students are."
For the students, many of whom hope to go into directing, Bogosian has been able to provide an inside look into the inner workings of the film and television industry.
"He's got a lot of insight," said junior Eric Holljes, one of Bogosian's students. "He seems very involved in the television/film indsutry. He seems like he brings a lot of experience to the table so you know you'll get a great, experienced answer."
Additionally, Bogosian said he is impressed with the current state of FVD and hopes to remain a part of the program, something Paletz said he would like to see happen. With Bogosian's role as a board member at the Full Frame Film Festival, it seems inevitable he will continue his ties with the program and help it grow.
"I think it's all there for people who want to take advantage of [it].. I only wish we had that available to me when I was there, but things turned out well for me," he said. "I just want to make sure things turn out well for [the students]."
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