Jess Wiegandt
Bio
Jess Wiegandt is a filmmaker and experiential educator who grew up in the southeast. From a young age, her parents instilled a love for nature and getting outside, so she attended Brevard College in Western North Carolina, where she received her BA in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education (WLEE) and Journalism. Driven to tell stories about conservation and passion in the outdoors, she is now an award-winning filmmaker pursuing her MFA at American University in environmental and social impact filmmaking. Her current projects focus on the health of rivers, including her thesis film featuring the James River, and a film currently in production for Maryland Public Television featuring the Patuxent River. More about Jess and her projects can be found at jesswiegandt.com.
Year of Graduation
December 2021
Thesis
Film A River Called Home
Website
jesswiegandt.com
Quote
"It's important to be adaptable and creative as we live through the challenges we as a society and world face, especially seen in these past couple years. Life, and nature, goes on, and we as communicators have to capture that in a visually and emotionally compelling way to inspire new care for this planet."
Grace Eggleston
Bio
Grace Eggleston is a cinematographer, editor, and wildlife enthusiast from Michigan. She earned her MFA from the Center for Environmental Filmmaking and is inspired by conservationists, artists, and scientists who get up close and personal with their subjects. She is particularly passionate about social, environmental, and freshwater issues in the Midwest region.
Year of Graduation
2020
Films/Projects
The Waters That Heal Us. The Erie Situation. 50 Years of Earth Day. After the storm: Pollution in the Potomac.
Website
www.graceeggleston.com
Quote
"For weatherproof housing, I used a hole saw to drill a window into a pelican case and carefully glued a lens filter into the hole… you need at least two flashes for nighttime photography set up on tripods next to the housing… I also recommend manual focus; you never know where exactly the animal will be!” -- On building a DSLR camera trap (CEF April 2020 Newsletter)."
Robert Boyd
Bio
Robert Boyd is an alumnus of CEF who worked on his thesis for the MFA program, which involved a partnership with the National Parks Service. His project focused on the science history behind Everglades National Park and Indiana Dunes National Park. Both short films feature influential experiments that were conducted within the parks and the role of the wild spaces in scientific research.
Year of Graduation
2020
Films/Projects
Published in Partnership with the National Geographic Archives and American University
In Plain Sight
Published in Partnership with Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and American University
Crossing Paths
Published in Partnership with the National Park Service and American University National Parks in the History of Science: Island Biogeography
Website
https://www.boydrb.com
Quote
"At the beginning of each day, I went over all my gear... [and] I would meet up with Tim Watkins, my partner at the National Park Service… over breakfast we would go over what subjects we’d film that day... We were filming off the docks in Everglades National Park when a manatee swam up to me. Who knew something could be both ugly and cute at the same time?” (CEF March 2020 Newsletter) “I am drawn to nature’s aesthetic diversity, from the butterfly’s iridescent wings to the heron’s spear sharp beak. My goal is to capture this natural beauty, through my photography and film. I am fascinated with all forms of wildlife, and I have a specific interest in highlighting the microscopic world. My goal is to record the activity of nature's minute animalcules, from copepods to cyanobacteria, in their natural habitats across the globe." boydrd.com