Story by Alex Tamura, Class of '20

Hi, everyone! My name is Alex Tamura, and I am currently a junior at the University of Oregon pursuing a double major in Cinema Studies and Journalism: Media Studies. I will be graduating in the spring of 2020. I decided to major in Cinema Studies because, in high school, I spent so much time binge-watching TV shows on Netflix—so much so that my family thought something was wrong with me. Soon enough, I became a walking encyclopedia of TV trivia. When it came time to choose what I wanted to study in college, I figured that I should turn my hobby into my career. I was not so much interested in the production side of film and television, rather I was fascinated with the writing and history aspects. I love that the Cinema Studies major at the UO is a mix of film history, film industry, and film production—a really well-rounded curriculum that is unlike most other film programs at other universities. I am able to learn about the industry and gain production experience at the same time.

One of my favorite Cinema Studies courses thus far has been “Introduction to Narrative Cinema Production,” taught by Cinema Studies and Department of Art Instructor Mike Bray. In that class, I gained experience working in a small group with other Cinema Studies students, writing my own short script, and editing a narrative in Adobe Premiere. I also became interested in set design after I transformed my bedroom into a set in order to film the scene that I wrote. Although this was my first time producing my own scene, I’d like to believe that it turned out alright because, thanks to my team and my instructor, I was able to throw myself into my work and really try my hardest to make something of which I could be proud. I think that the skills and confidence that I gained from this course will be useful later in my career in the film industry.

At the moment, I am working toward double-majoring in Cinema Studies and Journalism: Media Studies. These two majors are intertwined, which is great because I can use the skills and knowledge that I gain from classes for one major toward classes for the other. As the Social Media Student Assistant for the Department of Cinema Studies, I am able to apply my Media Studies as well as my Cinema Studies knowledge toward my job. I conduct myself as a journalist who specializes in social media by managing the UO Cinema Studies Connect Facebook group and writing articles about students and alumni for the department. Having this job makes me realize that using social media to connect with people and writing articles with a film perspective is exactly what I aspire to do as a career.

After I graduate, I plan to find an internship or job using social media to market film/television studios or media companies. My dream is to someday work at Netflix as a social media manager/coordinator for their Originals department. But until then, I will keep working hard at earning my two degrees and enjoying my time at the University of Oregon.