Faculty Shout-out by Professor Justus Neiland:
“Nick was an essential member of the 2022 Film in Britain program, and Pete Johnston and I very much enjoyed his passion, intelligence, and adventuresome spirit on that trip. His cinephilia is contagious, too. (Paul Schrader forever!). I was delighted to coax Nick into taking Contemporary Film and Media Theory last spring. He proved himself to be deeply intellectually curious, and willing to encounter new and challenging concepts. I’m excited to see what the future holds for him!”
How would you describe your time as an English or Film Studies major at MSU?
Joining the Film Studies program is the best decision I have made in my academic career second only to applying to MSU. I initially wanted to study film because I just liked watching and talking about movies, but the more I began to actually study the art form the more I realized that I knew so little and wanted to learn more. Some of my most memorable experiences as a student are thanks to the Film Studies program because I’ve been given so many opportunities to earnestly engage with film on such an intimate technical and artistic level.
Which classes, instructors, or experiences particularly stand out for you and why? How did they prepare you for the next phase of your life?
The single most important experience I had in the film studies program was the 2022 Film in Britain study abroad program. The chance to submerge myself in a film culture as rich as the one in London is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it was only enhanced by the spectacular instructors and curriculum. Justus Nieland and Pete Johnston could not have been more enthusiastic and engaging in how they ran the program. The experience showed me that despite all the structure and rigor of academia, we can still sometimes just step back and wonder at art.
What advice would you give future English or Film Studies majors, based on your experiences in the department?
If you’re interested in Film Studies, I hope you like reading about movies as much as you like watching them. There are so many chances to watch a film from different perspectives just based on whatever reading it accompanies. When I enrolled in my first Film Studies class, I would not have believed you if you told me I would one day write an academic essay about Speed Racer as it relates to the thinking of Adorno and Horkheimer.
What coursework-related projects were/are you working on this year, and what interests or excites you about them? (capstone courses, honors thesis, independent studies, etc.)
This year I was lucky enough to work with some of my best friends on a documentary about the culture of drinking in college, University Buzz. We started shooting in September and wrapped just a couple weeks ago. It is without a doubt the hardest I have worked on a project and is certainly the most proud I am of anything I have worked on in my four years at MSU.
What are your hopes and aspirations, post-graduation?
My passion for Film Studies is somewhat deceptive as my major is actually Journalism. My hopes after graduation are to move back to California (yeah I’m from there, no big deal) and fuse my two academic disciplines and cover news in the film industry as a journalist. Maybe I’ll end up as just another dude with a podcast, who’s to say?