2008 Woodie Awards
Webbies production class canceled
By: Amanda King
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: News
A year after the student-produced "Lethal Webbies" film embroiled the annual School of Communications awards show in controversy, film students are grumbling again. This past summer the SOC canceled the Webbies production class, which is normally responsible for the entertainment segments of the show.
Instead, the duties of producing the awards ceremony will fall under the control of the public relations' special events course - a separate class that, in the past, worked with the production course to put on the Webbies. The awards show is put on by the SOC to recognize work submitted by communications students.
Some film students said the change is part of a series of moves in the wrong direction for the Webbies.
"It's moving further and further away from being a student-produced awards show," said senior film production major Jeff Daniels.
Daniels was head editor of "Lethal Webbies," the entertainment segment produced by the class for last year's awards show. Students chose not to show the film in response to faculty concerns.
This year's show will not include the entertainment segment for which "Lethal Webbies" was designed. Instead, short vignettes and interviews with entrants will be shown throughout the awards ceremony on April 7, said Webster University Special Events Coordinator Nancy Higgins.
Dean of the SOC Debra Carpenter said the class' cancellation was unrelated to the "Lethal Webbies" controversy and added that the special events PR class is open to film students.
"For 19 years, (the Webbies have) been different every year, so this might feel like a big change, but it's been changing every year," Carpenter said.
However, Gary Ford, assistant professor in the communications and journalism department, said the student film did affect the SOC's decision to cancel the class.
"It became evident to us that the Webbies had become more about entertainment than students," Ford said.
Electronic and photographic media faculty member James Harrison said that the production end of the Webbies had grown due to classes trying to out-do each other from year to year.
Instead, the duties of producing the awards ceremony will fall under the control of the public relations' special events course - a separate class that, in the past, worked with the production course to put on the Webbies. The awards show is put on by the SOC to recognize work submitted by communications students.
Some film students said the change is part of a series of moves in the wrong direction for the Webbies.
"It's moving further and further away from being a student-produced awards show," said senior film production major Jeff Daniels.
Daniels was head editor of "Lethal Webbies," the entertainment segment produced by the class for last year's awards show. Students chose not to show the film in response to faculty concerns.
This year's show will not include the entertainment segment for which "Lethal Webbies" was designed. Instead, short vignettes and interviews with entrants will be shown throughout the awards ceremony on April 7, said Webster University Special Events Coordinator Nancy Higgins.
Dean of the SOC Debra Carpenter said the class' cancellation was unrelated to the "Lethal Webbies" controversy and added that the special events PR class is open to film students.
"For 19 years, (the Webbies have) been different every year, so this might feel like a big change, but it's been changing every year," Carpenter said.
However, Gary Ford, assistant professor in the communications and journalism department, said the student film did affect the SOC's decision to cancel the class.
"It became evident to us that the Webbies had become more about entertainment than students," Ford said.
Electronic and photographic media faculty member James Harrison said that the production end of the Webbies had grown due to classes trying to out-do each other from year to year.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Christopher Maue
posted 3/17/08 @ 12:14 AM CST
As much as I love Larry Baden, and although I have heard many good things about Bernie Hayes, choosing them as the hosts leaves me somewhat perplexed - I mean, when Gary Ford used the official school of communications email list to send out a message marked "Very Important News About Your Work," and told us all that the Webbies ceremony was to be hosted by a "Surprise Celebrity," my media law teacher was the last person that came to mind. (Continued…)
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