Unlikely Filmmakers

As I was reading in the Battalion today in between classes, filmmaking, another form of art that is lacking in the culture of A&M, was brought to my attention. The article titled “Filmmaking Aggies “ is a bit of an oxymoron as the first paragraph of the entry suggests, “Aggie" and "filmmaker" are two words that are rarely seen combined within the same breath. At a college where engineering and business reign supreme, it's no surprise that A&M's contributions to the film canon have been minimal at best…”

I would expand on this statement to include many other artistic professions that are uncommon for Aggie grads. The author is touching on the main issue that I keep going back to. The popular fields of study at Texas A&M are centered on business and veterinary, engineering and biomedical sciences. These programs attract less creative individuals who in turn effects not only the amount of artistic expression being relevant on campus but also the degree to which students welcome creative endeavors. Many people are at A&M strictly to get that business degree or have that 4.0 and do not see value in producing, enjoying, or attending events related to art. Those things are probably viewed more as distractions from their ultimate goal as opposed to beneficial additions enhancing their college experience. Often the organizations and time commitments that are deemed more worthy are social organizations such as fraternities and sororities, academic groups for fields of study, and leadership clubs. The popularity of these groups as opposed to artsy ones also reflect the main things that society prioritizes as being the most helpful in pursuit of our education and career.

However, there seems to always be those exceptions. The ones who manage to break a trend and jump over the hurdle of going to school in an environment that is not particularly geared towards your passion. The battalion article talks about two graduates from the class of ’98 who are entering into the film industry by making movies falling under the same category as titles like the Blindside and Fireproof.