Terra State Community College Grad Becomes Award-Winning Movie Director

A horror movie trailer was the trigger for Brandon Beining. The young man really didn’t know what he wanted to do in life upon graduating from Arcadia High School, located just east of his current residence Fostoria in northwest Ohio, in 2010. Beining decided to try web design, so he enrolled at Terra State Community College the fall of 2011 and began taking classes. Through those classes, Beining met Associate Professor of Digital Media Technology Mark Grine, who was teaching video editing classes. It was one of Grine’s assignments the changed Beining’s life and led him on a different path to making movies.

“I was taking a web design class from Mr. Grine and that is how I met him,” recalls Beining. “This led me to taking more video editing courses with him and that is what kindled everything. There was a project where we had to make a horror movie trailer and it was the most fun I ever had.” Beining made the trailer at his home with his parents and eventually led him to pursuing a career in film.

Upon graduating from Terra State in Fall 2014 with dual degrees in Digital Arts and Media Design/3D Animation and Digital Arts and Media Design/Web Design, Beining turned his sights to Bowling Green State University’s Film Production program where his skills became apparent. The budding filmmaker turned a class assignment into an award-winning production. The five-minute movie is entitled “Grief.”  “It’s my first film and a class project,” Beining describes. “It was my first time working with film and working on a project this large. It was a gamble, but I really wanted to shoot for the stars.”

Grief is about a man dealing with the loss of his wife. Beining did not base the work on any personal experience. “My family owns a trailer on the Maumee River and I was there cleaning it to get ready for the summer. I took a break and noticed the silence and began to think how awful it would be there all alone, in the silence.” Mark Grine served as Executive Producer and Terra State alumni Samantha Valkenhaus appears in the film and Nicholas Bechtel is the Assistant Director.

• 
  DegreeInteractive Media Technology
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  Average Length of Study

  2 years, Full time

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  Average Cost

  $12,462

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  Current Employer

  Student

 

The accolades for the film began when Beining entered it into the BG Film Festival. The festival invites Bowling Green State University students and alumni to enter the contest that is judged by industry professionals. Forty films were entered. The movie garnered two awards: Best Editing and Best Cinematography.

Beining does not plan to stop with the BG Film Fest. “I am planning on entering Grief in more festivals. It is already entered into the Maumee Film Festival that is happening this fall and it will be showing there. I am hoping to send this out to some larger scale festivals, like the bigger named ones. Cannes, Toronto and hopefully Sundance. It doesn’t mean that it will be accepted, but it’s just trying and getting exposure.”

The success of Beining comes as no surprise to Grine. “The work he turned in was always three levels above everyone else. He always hung around after class and worked on projects giving 120% all of the time. You just knew he was a cut above because he has the passion and drive.”

Another side of Beining that Grine likes to point out is how he helps others. “He is always willing to help other students. It doesn’t matter what it is. I believe it has helped him with his craft.” It has helped Beining so much that he actually edited the BG Film Fest Best In Show winner The Fall of Murkport.

Beining does not plan slowing down his passionate pursuit of filmmaking. This summer he will be going to Los Angeles to intern at a movie studio. “Brandon is always looking for ways to get better,” Grine continues. “He will take any opportunity and get everything he can out of it.”

It is very possible that one day you will see Beining working with his favorite actor Leonardo DiCaprio or hearing his name mentioned in the same breath as his favorite director Christopher Nolan. Rest assured, it is clear that he will not give up on the pursuit.

By the way, Beining did get an A on Grief.

Editor’s note: Grief can be viewed on vimeo.com. Registration is required.