The Independent Film Project at the University of Oklahoma is an instructional innovation of the School of Art seeking to bridge the gap between the university and the working world by using nontraditional and cross-disciplinary approaches promoting interaction between students and professionals in the film and video areas through seminars, symposia, workshops, independent film maker series, and special projects.
The Professional Production Unit of the Independent Film Project/OU has produced numerous video presentations for a wide variety of clients. These include the Thunderbird Clubhouse (a local United Way agency), the Oklahoma Youth Center in Norman, and of course, the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. In 2005, the PPU produced Inside the Treasure Box, a short feature which welcomes guests to the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History. The video was commissioned by OU President David Boren, and is shown throughout the day at the museum, welcoming visitors and providing guests with a “behind the scenes” preview of their experience at the renowned facility.
Most recently, the Professional Production Unit completed a video production of Henry Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas, a joint production of the Schools of Art, Music and Dance in the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. The opera was performed in March 2006 for live audiences, and photographed throughout the following week for this dramatic television production. Like its predecessor, Carmina Burana, this production has already won major awards and is expected to continue to bring national attention to the talented students and faculty of the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts. Dido and Aeneas is expected to begin airing in both local and national PBS markets in the spring of 2007.