\u201cWright State has helped me way more with the theory aspect of things,\u201d said Larkin. \u201cI think WDTN has been a good companion, teaching me all the production aspects.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larkin, who wants to become a documentary filmmaker, says he will probably initially have to fund his own film projects following graduation and try to get noticed by producers and studios.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll have to work my way up and that\u2019s what I\u2019m doing right now,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully I can accomplish my dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larkin grew up loving movies and art.<\/p>\n
\u201cFilm is the most important medium of art in my opinion,\u201d he said. \u201cFilm\u2019s always been there for me so I feel the least I can do is contribute to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larkin got his first taste of media work at Springboro High School, where he was in the graphic design program.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely tried negotiating with my teacher to do film and videos because that\u2019s what I was interested in,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
One reason Larkin was drawn to Wright State was because his mother, who works in the financial aid department at Sinclair Community College, graduated from Wright State in 2010 with a degree in organizational leadership. But he also knew the university had a good film program.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/files\/2021\/02\/Joey-Larkin-2-508x358.jpg\")
<\/a>Through the Wright State Motion Pictures Program and a job on “Living Dayton,” Joey Larkin is training to become a documentary filmmaker. (Video by Kris Sproles)<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201cA big part of why I joined Wright State was because of the Tom Hanks program and the attention that it gets,\u201d he said. \u201cAnytime I talk to people about Wright State and the film program, everyone says \u2018Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2016, Hanks visited Wright State to dedicate the Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures, saying he hopes the center inspires students to do the hard work necessary to launch film careers.<\/p>\n
Larkin said Wright State has been great in teaching film theory and enabling him to understand the motivation and why movies are made. During Fall Semester, he directed three short documentary films on various themes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the best experience I\u2019ve gotten in school so far,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to show those to future employers or people I want to work with in the future. I\u2019m very proud of them. I spent a lot of time on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
This semester, Larkin has checked out cameras and other equipment at Wright State to go out and shoot video.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think I\u2019m going to make some good stuff this semester,\u201d he said. \u201cRight now, it\u2019s just satisfying to make something from nothing. I have a camera, I have a script, and in a few months I have a movie made.\u201d<\/p>\n
While at Wright State, Larkin has weathered a faculty strike and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. He believes those challenges have made him a stronger student.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrowing all of those obstacles at me, I actually ended up doing way better than I probably ever could have given normal circumstances,\u201d he said. \u201cI think the danger of losing schooling \u2014 the danger of all that \u2014 made me want to work harder and put things in perspective like jobs I needed to get.\u201d<\/p>\n
On “Living Dayton,” Larkin is a jack-of-all-trades, shooting packages as well as segments for clients and editing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWDTN ‘Living Dayton’ has taught me so much of the production aspect that I don\u2019t think any school would be able to do because it\u2019s throwing me out in the real world,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m working with real people in the industry. I\u2019m meeting tons of people. I\u2019m getting tons of connections. I\u2019m learning how to live broadcast.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larkin has also learned how to work under deadline pressure at WDTN.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt school, I\u2019m working very quickly because I have that imaginary deadline in my head from ‘Living Dayton,’\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Larkin was at the Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures in 2020 when Julia Reichert, professor emeritus, and Steve Bognar, a former motion pictures faculty member and alumnus, visited with students after winning the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for \u201cAmerican Factory.\u201d Larkin, who got to hold the Oscar, called the experience educational and surreal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought these are two normal people who live right down the road from us and they are at the point where I want to be someday,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have this legendary award that I want someday and it’s all right in front of me. It made me realize it\u2019s all attainable.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Through the Wright State Motion Pictures Program and a job on “Living Dayton,” Joey Larkin is training to become a documentary filmmaker. Continue reading