Search form

Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts Receives $2.5 million Gift

The anonymous contribution will provide students with the newest industry tools to help better prepare graduates for the continual evolution of technology and content creation.

Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts has received an anonymous gift of $2.5 million. A public phase of the school’s fund-raising campaign, “Inspire: The Campaign for Chapman University,” launched in February, and according to its dean, Stephen Galloway, has raised more than $325 million of its 2028 goal of $500 million.

This latest gift targets innovation as Dodge “develops student filmmakers, writers, and entertainment artists to impact society through the most transformative medium of communication in the world,” said Galloway. “By providing students with extensive access to the best equipment and trade tools in the industry, we’re committed to ensuring our graduates are prepared not just for today but for the future."

"Chapman is all about innovation, and we are so grateful for this incredible gift that will equip our students in Dodge College with the latest technology for the future of filmmaking,” added campaign co-chair Jim Mazzo.

In 2021, Dodge College became the first film school to install an LED virtual production wall for teaching and student film production in the Digital Media Arts Center on campus. The technology allows students to blend the live-action and digital filmmaking worlds – a hybrid form pioneered by Disney’s The Mandalorian.

"There are a few moments in history when technology can reshape an art form, and this is one of those moments,” noted Galloway. “With AI and virtual production, we’re seeing a technological leap that will completely change how the content we watch gets created."

Source: Chapman University

Debbie Diamond Sarto's picture

Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.