The OCCC Digital Cinema Production program – repeatedly recognized as one of the best film programs in the United States – has partnered with Oklahoma City University’s acting program to help students from both institutions gain real-world experience in film production.

The collaboration began when Derek Parker, an on-camera acting professor at OCU and professional actor from Los Angeles, approached OCCC’s DCP program with the goal of giving students hands-on experience working on actual film sets.

Through this partnership, OCU acting students audition with Parker, and the DCP program casts them in various film projects. These include OCCC capstone films and several Cinematography II projects, such as a “walk and talk” scene, a one-take film and a re-creation of a scene from “Baby Driver.”

Students also collaborate on a music video project that requires off-campus filming, giving both film and acting students the opportunity to create professional-quality work. Acting students benefit by expanding their demo reels and building industry connections, while DCP students gain valuable experience working with trained actors, thus enhancing the overall quality of their projects.

Sean Lynch – one of the lead professors in OCCC’s DCP program, responsible for teaching such courses as Cinematography I and II, Film Business and Production Design – said, “The goal is to keep making it better and better and increasing both sides of it.”

The partnership is already showing results, with OCU actors participating in multiple DCP projects. Both colleges anticipate that the collaboration will continue to raise the quality of student productions and strengthen professional opportunities for aspiring filmmakers and actors alike.