May 11 , 2006
Silver of Waco, to receive degree from Clark University and head to Hollywood
Student creates DVD for Clark and becomes the first alum to attend American Film Institute
Worcester, Mass. - When Clark University senior Scott C. Silver picks up his diploma on Sunday, May 21, he will leave his alma mater with a useful marketing tool for the future and make history by attending the American Film Institute in Hollywood, Calif., this fall.
The senior from Waco, Texas, is the first Clark alumnus to attend the prestigious film school.
Silver will bring to AFI the eight minute DVD he produced as part of his senior honors thesis in Screen Studies. "Clark University: Beyond the Tour" was recently unveiled to the Clark Community at Academic Spree Day on April 26, and is currently being distributed by Clark's Admissions Office to thousands of prospective students.
Silver was eager to work with members of the administration at Clark on a DVD that would capture social life at the school.
"When students look at Clark, they already know all the facts about its academic excellence," he said. "When you come to campus, you get a feel for the buildings and the scenery but not truly for the school."
Silver set out to create a DVD to capture the essence of Clark when his brother started receiving DVDs from other colleges. Silver thought a DVD would be more effective than a printed brochure, and would work better to highlight the social benefits Clark has to offer.
Silver, who has produced corporate videos, party DVDs and a video for his high school, Vanguard College Prep School in Waco, said his latest project took up a lot more time than he anticipated. Although he spent 500 hours filming and editing footage, he still claimed he "loved every second of it."
Silver's goal: to showcase a sampling of the 80 student clubs and organizations on campus and to highlight the benefits of friendships and daily contact with students from all over the world.
"I found it very easy to create this video because of my views of the school," said Silver.
Timothy Shary, associate professor of Screen Studies, advised the project and called Silver's DVD "highly dynamic and very creative," stating it "celebrates Clark students and their active roles on campus and in the community."
Shary was excited to hear that Scott was accepted into AFI, the most competitive film school in the country.
"We are extremely proud of Scott, who is our sixth Screen Studies student in the past four years to go on to a prominent graduate film program," said Shary. "I have no doubt that Scott will further develop his impressive talents at the AFI, especially in his area of expertise, editing."
Silver will be presented with a Bachelor of Arts degree at Clark's Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 21. He was one of 14 students to enroll at Clark in the fall of 2002 with a Making a Difference (MAD) scholarship, a special scholarship offered to students with outstanding commitment to, and leadership in, community service activities. He is a 2002 graduate of Vanguard College Prep School and is the son of Susan and Abbye Silver of Waco.
For more information about Clark's Making a Difference Scholarship Program, visit http://www.clarku.edu/community/volunteer/mad.cfm .
AFI is a national institute providing leadership in screen education and the recognition and celebration of excellence in the art of film, television and digital media.