A Million Dreams – Alex Boye
Made by DSU Films
Behind the Scenes: The Making of “A Million Dreams” – Alex Boye
DSU Films was designated as a public/private partnership by the Utah State Legislature in 2012. As such it functions as an integral part of the Digital Film Degree at Dixie State University, supplementing the program’s academic offerings.
Our students benefit from DSU Film’s outreach to the commercial production world, working professionally with clients, our faculty and staff to further develop skills that they learn in the classroom. In addition, the compensation received for this work is vital to the growth of the Digital Film Degree. All profits are used to purchase equipment and facility improvement to prepare our students for the technological advancements of current Digital Film production.
DSU Film’s mission is to provide students with real-world experience in their chosen field and add financial stability to a program which is growing toward Film School status; the future Dixie State University College of Cinematic Arts.
Our Team
We have big ideas
Phil Tuckett
Phil Tuckett worked at NFL Films for 35 years, served as V.P. of Special Projects and won 30 Emmy Awards for cinematography, writing, editing and directing. Phil’s ventures outside the world of football include music videos for such musicians as Santana, Metallica, Def Leppard, B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughn, along with national commercial spots for Sprint and Reebok and documentary films for the TNT and History Channel networks.
Ben Braten
Ben Braten has been working behind the camera for the past 12 years, directing and lensing commercials, documentaries, short films and the occasional narrative. He satisfies his obsessive compulsive urges by locking himself away in dark edit suites for days at a time and running post on everything he shoots. He is well versed in a variety of NLE systems as well as sound finishing and color correction processes.
He teaches production and post-production courses at Dixie State University and, in his spare time, is pursuing an MFA in photography.
Christina Merrill
Christina Merrill brings sanity and order to all the projects DSU Films tackles, and is integral to keeping things on track and under budget. Christina is critical to balancing the logistics and rigors of our business and academic obligations.
Tisa Zito
Tisa Zito has been experimenting with a camera since she was a child. Her education began at Hofstra University as a photojournalist. She graduated with a Visual Communications degree at Monroe Community then studied film at Maryland Institute college of the Arts in Baltimore, MD. She obtained her Bachelors of Film and Animation with an emphasis in Documentary production at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY. She has worked for KEZI channel 9 News in Oregon and runs her own company Old Soul Productions working with companies such as The Boy Scouts of America, Project Lean Nation, and MDVIP. She has a deep passion for documentary film, character and story development. Tisa divides her time between shooting and editing and dabbles in writing. She is a NOLS graduate and lover of the outdoors and travel.
Sam Perez
Sam Perez has spent the last 5 years working as a freelancer in the world of film and television production. He started as a PA and has worked just about every job on set from small indie films to big budget films to national commercials and live events. He currently specializes in Grip and electric, teaching courses at DSU and still freelances in the film industry because one can never learn enough.
Judea Runs Through
Judea Runs Through fills in the gaps. While she manages DSU’s arsenal of equipment, she can also be found operating cameras, running sound, logging and editing footage, assisting on student shoots, and taking behind the scene photos. Judea has worked on a variety of professional shoots both through DSU Films and in the film industry. Her favorite task is that of AC (assistant camera) and she stresses the organization needed for a successful production. That being said, Judea thrives on the excitement of not knowing what her job will be from day-to-day. She can go from hiking to find the perfect spot, scouring brush for just the right divining rod, to filming time-lapsed sunsets all within the same week.