Don Casper Headshot

Don Casper

Professor of Practice

School of Film and Animation
College of Art and Design

Office Location

Don Casper

Professor of Practice

School of Film and Animation
College of Art and Design

Bio

A four-time New York Emmy® award-winning filmmaker and owner of EPIC10 Films, Casper has directed and edited hundreds of corporate videos and TV commercials. He has worked on multiple independent films, serving in a variety of roles, including director, editor, colorist and producer. Casper is drawn to independent projects that shine a light on trailblazing and inspirational figures who embody compassion and inclusion.

He served as editor on The Last Dalai Lama?, a feature documentary directed by Mickey Lemle released theatrically across North America in 2017. He created, produced and directed the feature documentary Signs of the Time, which investigates the links baseball hand signals have to deaf culture and earned the NY Emmy® Award for Outstanding Documentary. Casper also captured NY Emmy® awards for his work on Turn The Page (co-producer), Don’t Define Me (director) and Women and the Vote (co-producer and editor). 

His most recent film, Appalachia Heart, travels with visual artist Charmaine Wheatley on a year-long project to paint portraits of people affected by the opioid crisis in rural Eastern Kentucky. The film will be released nationwide through public television beginning in fall 2023.

Currently Teaching

SOFA-214
3 Credits
This course introduces students to the approaches editors use to make aesthetic choices within a variety of genres. Students will review and analyze the work of master editors, and deconstruct editors’ choices that “leave the script behind” and honor the essence of a story through innovative editing. Aspects of editing to be studied include continuity editing, associational editing, dialogue editing, building a character’s point of view, pacing, performance, building montage, and storytelling. Students will examine editing theories and styles in a workshop environment, developing the ability to start and manage an edit in current software. Students will demonstrate technical understanding of importing, organizing, and managing media for complex projects; visual and time-based effects; sound processing; track building; multi-camera editing; and graphics.
SOFA-523
3 Credits
This course will focus on the professional workflow of editing digital film and video files, and study the technical craft as well as the aesthetic choices that editors make. Students will practice the editing of all genres by editing short fiction, documentary, and experimental projects. Exploration of advanced software will facilitate editing short projects and tutorials. Areas of study include learning a cinema file database, media management, color correction, visual and time-based effects, sound processing and track building, multi-camera editing, and titling and graphics.
SOFA-567
3 Credits
This course offers project-based, hands-on color correction with both Da Vinci Resolve and Adobe. Introduction to basic color correction techniques and common tools in the industry will be provided. The course will progress from technical equipment setups and calibration to simple primary color correction to advanced secondary and color separation methods. Through assigned projects, students will be taught how to use tone and color to augment theatrical storytelling and add a dimension of professional finish to their films.
SOFA-599
1 - 6 Credits
SOFA Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, should propose a course of study or project with clearly defined deliverables. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. Student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to apply.
SOFA-683
3 Credits
This course is designed to teach students the professional workflow of editing digital film and video files. Students learn the technical craft as well as the aesthetic choices that editors make. Students practice the editing of all genres by editing short fiction, documentary, and experimental projects. Students will explore and learn advanced tools in editing software while cutting together short projects and tutorials. Areas of study include learning a cinema file database, media management, color correction, visual and time-based effects, sound processing and track building, multi-camera editing, and titling and graphics.

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