Jerry Hartman, professor of communication, will give the annual WWU Distinguished Faculty Lecture on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. in the Melvin K. West Fine Arts Center Auditorium. Hartman’s lecture, “Media Literacy: When the Unreal is so Real,” will focus on virtual production methods and their impact on media literacy.

Hartman has a passion for staying current with the latest visual technology trends and its influence on storytelling. In virtual production, game engine design software allows filmmakers to create backgrounds and special effects in real time. “This is one of the biggest changes to film since the beginning of the film medium,” says Hartman. “Even with the switch to digital, the basic workflow hasn’t changed as drastically as it has now.”

In this lecture, Hartman will explore the real versus the unreal in visual content creation tools. He will present media literacy as a good practice to evaluate visual content. Along the way he will share some powerful examples of how films can change us and change the world.

Hartman began teaching at Walla Walla University in 2003. He is the 2013 recipient of the WWU Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, and his films have been screened around the world garnering multiple awards and recognitions. 

The lecture is free and open to the public. The Fine Arts Center Auditorium is located at 200 S. College Ave., College Place. The event will also be livestreamed at wallawalla.edu/dfl. 

Posted Nov. 3, 2022.