March 28, 2024

dameronOn Apr. 1 at 4 p.m. in Founders Pub, the cinema studies program will host Morgan Dameron, a rising filmmaker, independent producer and a current employee at Bad Robot Productions, where she has produced films like “Star Trek Into Darkness” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Currently a resident of Los Angeles, Dameron most recently wrote and directed a trio of short romantic comedy stories that are in post-production.
Dameron got her start with the camera at age eight, when she first found her parents’ VHS camera. “It plugged directly into the VCR to record, which only allowed you to move a few feet, but I wasn’t deterred and staged elaborate scenes in our living room, forcing my parents, siblings and pets to be actors,” Dameron said.
“I liked that feeling of making things happen just the way you want them to,” Dameron said. “I also love how movies and television bring people together and allow us to experience things we rarely would encounter in our daily lives, both in the making of a movie and in the watching of one,” she added.
Dameron first started doing internships in her hometown of Kansas City, Mo., for the Independent Filmmaker’s Coalition, “a relatively small group of independent filmmakers who met on Wednesdays at a local coffee house,” Dameron said.
“It was my only real window into the filmmaking world, and I started religiously attending their meetings when I was 12,” she added.
Upon graduation, Dameron attended the University of Southern California, where she “tried to have a paid internship every summer so that I could afford to stay in Los Angeles, and found them through a myriad of ways . . . I was hungry for any experience,” Dameron said.
She went on to work for the TV Academy with an internship in live TV directing, landing her at the Creative Arts Emmys. Her favorite internship, however, was at Bad Robot, where she ended up with the job she currently has today.
“My position entails many different aspects, and it changes every day,” Dameron said. “In addition to scheduling, managing the phones and coordinating between departments, the day may entail traveling to China for publicity on a movie, reviewing dailies on a new TV show or helping to orchestrate an early-morning donut and coffee delivery for fans who waited in line overnight for an event. It’s always changing, and that’s what makes each project and every day so exciting.”
For Wittenberg students interested in becoming filmmakers, “my biggest advice is to get out there and do it. The best way to learn, I’ve found, is by doing it yourself. Make movies with your friends on the weekends. See if you can make a documentary as a class project. Experiment and try new things. You have to make your own opportunities,” Dameron said.
Dameron is the sister of Wittenberg senior Mallory Dameron, whom Morgan is thrilled to see. “She’s had such an inspiring, nurturing time at Wittenberg, and I’m really looking forward to meeting her peers,” Dameron said. “I am excited to share my experiences, failures and accomplishments during my visit,” she added.
For more information on the event, email communications professor Matthew Smith at msmith@wittenberg.edu.

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