Lunchtime Speaker: "How Do You Grab the Viewers' Attention "

Craig Detweiler is Associate Professor and Chair of Mass Communications at Biola University in La Mirada, California. He is also a screenwriter and the author of the book, A Matrix of Meanings.

Craig is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College and earned an M.F.A. from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema/TV. He also graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity and is working towards a Ph.D. in Theology and Culture.

Films he has written include The Duke for Buena Vista (Royalty goes to the dogs!) and the high energy teen road trip, Extreme Days for Providence Entertainment. His documentary, Williams Syndrome: A Highly Musical Species won a Cine Golden Eagle and the Crystal Heart Award at the Heartland Film Festival.

His recent projects include Hammerhocked, an extreme sports themed feature to be shot in Chile, Geezer, a high concept comedy co-written with Steve Tompkins (co-creator of The PJs and writer for The Simpsons and The Bernie Mac Show), and a production rewrite for Meet Me in Miami, a romantic comedy starring Latino pop idols, Carlos Ponce and Eduardo Verastegui.

Craig serves as executive producer of the City of the Angels Film Festival and on the advisory boards for Reel Spirituality and the Heartland Film Festival. He is a contributing editor for The Mars Hill Review.

His first book, co-written with Barry Taylor, was honored as one of five finalists for the 2004 Gold Medallion Book Award. A Matrix of Meanings: Finding God in Pop Culture covers topics ranging from music, movies, and TV to advertising, fashion and celebrity.

Craig and his wife, Caroline, live in Culver City, California, just South of Sony Studios with their children, Zoe and Theo.

Session Description

We're especially pleased to have Craig cover a session on "How do you grab viewers' attention".The session will cover his thoughts and advice on getting an audience involved in your story. As a screenwriter, Craig Detweiler will also discuss the key concepts realed in on Boorstin's book, MAKING MOVIES WORK: Thinking Like a Filmmaker.

"MAKING MOVIES WORK is a fascinating and accessible guide for both filmmakers and serious film fans. It is about how filmmakers think about film. "Through thoughtful examination of the filmmaker's art, Jon Boorstin enhances our sense of enjoyment and appreciation of the results." --Robert Redford

This session that Craig covers has had rave reviews from students and professionals.

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