When senior, and psychology major, Joshua Burnett came to Hillsdale, he knew he wanted to explore film production but wasn’t sure where to start.
“I wanted to make cool stuff,” he said.
Burnett has now created and produced four films through Hillsdale’s Film and Production Club. He worked with Michael Lynn Animation Studios and Copernican Media and freelanced in Texas as the second director and producer coordinator on a feature film, “The Blood of Bulls,” shot with sophomore Caleb Diener, and Hillsdale alumni Jane O’Connor ’21 and Chandler Ryd ’18.
“Film is a meeting place for so many different artistic media,” Burnett said. “You can bring in painters, musicians, actors, architects, almost every single animator. In some ways, my favorite thing about film and the reason I want to work in it is because it’s a collaboration between so many different artists.”
Burnett had been interested in exploring film and film production in high school. After taking a documentary class his freshman year at Hillsdale in 2020, he joined the Film and Production Club as a video production assistant. The club allows students of different artistic backgrounds to act, direct, and produce their own short films.
At Hillsdale, Burnett has helped produce “Act-shun,” and “A Peculiar Set of Stairs.” A project he produced was released in the spring, “Shall We?” depicts a complicated romance between a Catholic and Protestant college student.
His first film that he directed with Hillsdale College, “Forced Perspective,” stars Fiona Mulley and Rachel Dunphey, with an original score by Ethan Graham. It follows the tension between two sisters’ ambitious pursuits which ultimately lead them apart. It is in post production and will be released late October to early November.
Senior Yaozhu Cheng, President of the Film and Production club, said Burnett is a central figure in the film club.
“He always makes sure everything is taken care of,” Cheng said. “When working on a project with him, he’s always a good communicator and executor. He’s the type of person you definitely want on your team.”
When COVID hit, Burnett decided to take a gap year. During this time he worked with Iraqi refugees in San Diego, where he became interested in Middle Eastern cultures and learned to speak Arabic.
The multicultural experience informed his perspective and the way he wants to tell stories, he said.
“It’s a beautiful language and a great culture, great people, amazing food,” Burnett said. “It’s something that I think has also impacted my storytelling. I definitely have been wanting to work on a couple of Arabic language projects or multilingual projects.”
In order to incorporate psychological and multi-cultural dynamics in his art, he hopes to one day create a short animated film on the fall of Baghdad and destruction of the “Bayt al-Hikmah.” It is also known as the House of Wisdom, the prevalent library in Baghdad which was sacked and destroyed by the Mongolians in 1258 A.D.
Burnett said his background in psychology has helped him in his screenplay writing, directing and even collaborating with other film artists. He considers film to be a great way to understand the human experience without actually fully experiencing it.
“Film is, at the heart of it, very human,” Burnett said.
Burnett said he believes the art of film is about, not only the audience and the audiences’ emotions and interpretation, but the development and understanding of the characters’ souls, the artists who make the film possible, the time and dedication required to produce, and the joy of the final gift that keeps on giving which is the film itself.
Joseph Johnson, vice president of Hillsdale’s Film and Production Club and director of “A Peculiar Set of Stairs,” worked with Burnett as his producer.
“Josh has been largely one of the key revitalizers of the film club these past couple of years,” Joseph said. “He was able to really take over the vital role of producing the club’s films. His ability to handle any task, big or small, has given most of our films the life they needed. He truly knows what it takes to get a film off the ground, even a small project, and he does it with incredible dedication.”
He wishes to pursue a career in narrative film, and sees himself producing more film features, TV shows, and animation. Some of Burnett’s favorite films are “Princess Mononoke,” “Memento,” “Grizzly Man,” “Persepolis,” “Waltz with Bashir,” “Inception,” and “La, La, Land.” He recommends these films because they expand our understanding of film.
Burnett always wanted to convey a good story, producing films with Hillsdale college gave him that opportunity.
“There’s one shared artistic vision, there’s one story you’re telling, but you need so many different artists who are incredibly talented in their medium and in their craft to be able to tell that story at the highest level.”
