Zane Barber, actor, director, and producer, graduates with an impressive body of work. As filmmaking is learned by doing, his dedication to the process has allowed him to rise to the top of his class. He is a leader who collaborates with and challenges his peers. Barber’s passionate pursuit of filmmaking has led him to success within and outside of his coursework and he graduates having prepared for success.

Caitlin Bassolino is a talented artist with a keen eye for design. Her work as a Production Designer on the thesis project, "Bryar County," stands out amongst her peers. Her design includes a level of detail that aesthetically contributes to storytelling. Bassolino’s strong voice as a female filmmaker is reflected her understanding of character development and nuance. She is mature student who represents Film & Television as a thoughtful, skilled filmmaker.

View the project here.

Professor Michelle Bauer Carpenter, Visual Arts Chair, is a relentless creative. As a filmmaker, she receives international acclaim for her varied documentary work which tackles complex stories about the human experience. Her most recent film, Enough White Teacups, draws upon the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and explores how art, design, and story can be leveraged towards inventing a better future. As a professor of Digital Design, Carpenter, fosters creativity, visual storytelling, imagination, collaboration, and empathy among her students and their work, equipping the next generation to make the world a better place.  

Enough White Teacups may viewed on Vimeo and YouTube.

Instructor Stephen Schaff is innovative creative with a passion for interactive design (IxD) and design mentorship. With a successful career in the private sector, Schaff shares all aspects of the creative process including design research, conceptualization, creative development and user experience strategies with students.  He thrives when mentoring the creative process and takes deep pleasure when cultivating in others their most innovative thinking.

Sean Koto is the visual arts section administrator in the College of Arts & Media’s Visual Arts Department. He’s known by his peers as a professional employee who is deeply dedicated to diversity and inclusion, and to the safety and success of students. During the remote learning period at CU Denver, Koto worked with the Visual Arts Department and Digital Animation Center lab manager to create a robust system to allow students to use equipment and advanced technology from home and off-campus. After CU Denver employees started on-campus work in greater numbers this summer, Koto immediately returned to provide a stable in-person presence in the Visual Arts Department. As a member of the CAM Safe Return Planning Team, he played a critical role in the safe return of his department.

The story follows a wayward young woman named Mari at the end of her rope. Fortunately, fate puts her in the office of Dr.Salubrious: an eccentric and unorthodox psychiatrist. He takes Mari on a journey into her subconscious, to find the sources of her emotional struggles and past traumas, and ultimately heal from her past. This film will be visually immersive, relatable, and engaging. We hope to portray an honest  representation of the human experience, in an otherworldly setting. This film showcases some of the quirky and beautiful places around our state with the goal of contributing to our community and revitalizing the struggling art industry by drawing more filmmakers and artists to our school and to Colorado at large.

Watch the trailer here.

Lynx Creative Collection's mission is to bring together the creative forces that span across the college with the goal of producing a high-quality print and digital publication, while fostering an engaged community established on inclusivity and diversity. The publication serves  the college as a way to showcase all students’ work under one entity while aligning with the greater CU Denver’s initiatives. Within the publication, you’ll find 50+ interviews showcasing works such as digital art, illustration, animation, 3D rendering, film, music, advocacy and among others.

View the work of the Lynx Creative Collective here.

Space Whales utilizes Unreal Engine 4, realtime render engine that utilizes cutting edge technology, to tell an immersive and interactive story. The story is that of a young woman researching a cure for a deadly illness that plagues the entire universe. It takes place on a planet where “aquatic” creatures “swim” through “seas” of fog below. Technology allowed the team to work on their art in iterations, which was a pivotal process in the team’s success.

Learn more about Space Whales here.

“What are you?” is a question that most people aren’t usually asked in a normal day-to-day conversation. Most people can be put off or confused by such a question, which is understandable in all cases, but being biracial, it is most times the first question asked right after “What is your name?” Being biracial is the definition of a “gray area”, because you are considered a minority, but you also have “white privilege” which results in the lack of affirmation from either side. You are everyone yet no one all at the same time.

“Checkbox: Other” sheds light on biracial cousins, Paisley and Maddy. While they are alike in almost every way -- being biracial, age, gender, and both are artists -- they learn about how each other's lives have been drastically different solely because of their ethnicities and appearance.

Watch the trailer here.