Film professionals to share expertise at Fandana Film Festival

Dawn Ford

Steve Leeper

HUNTINGTON, Ind. From the sound expertise of Indiana Jones to the animation of VeggieTales, these two film professionals will inform and entertain at this year's Fandana Film Festival on Aug. 10-11 at Huntington University.

From their vast experience, Dawn Ford and Steve Leeper will provide their insight into the film industry.

Dawn Ford is an independent producer/director who is joining the Huntington University faculty this fall as an associate professor of digital media arts. Her career spans from broadcast recording engineer on NPR's "All Things Considered" to in sound post-production at Lucasfilm on Return of the Jedi," "Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom," "The Right Stuff" and "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock." She also created the national PBS lifestyle/ documentary television series "Smart Gardening" which aired for three seasons.

Ford will lecture on "The Power of Sound: Listening to Great Films." Through her talk, find out how filmmakers use sound to surprise, bring out strong emotions and convey the scene. Through various film clips and stories from her time at Lucasfilm, Ford will invite you to "look" at movies through your ears as well as your eyes.

Steve Leeper, associate professor of digital media arts at HU, studied animation, painting and drawing in Boston. He has worked as a stop-motion animator, model maker and 3D layout supervisor on the successful VeggieTales video series and the feature film "Jonah." Leeper earned a Master of Fine Arts at the Art Institute of Boston/Lesley in 2005 and is working on the stop-motion animated film, "The Temptation of Brother Thomas."

Leeper will speak about "Imagining the Sacred: Spiritual Themes in Children's Media." Using his vast experience in animation and his passion for sharing stories with children and their families, Leeper will bring insight to how children's media has affected his life and art form.

Tickets for the Fandana Festival for $48 for adults and $10 for children ages 6-10 for the full event or single day passes are $29. Children 5 and younger are free. Tickets are on sale now at fandanafestival.com. Discounts are available for groups and youth groups.

Fandana Festival is the annual music, film and art festival at Huntington University. Featuring more than 50 bands, the festival takes place on the HU campus. Come out to see headliners like Chris Tomlin, Family Force 5, Over the Rhine and more along with kid friendly activities, a Partner and Play competition and the first ever Fandana Film Festival. Learn more at fandanafestival.com.