Collegiate Times

?He?s hilarious. He?s so funny,? said A.J. Broadbent, a junior communication major. ?And he was a total rebel too. He was kicked out of the United States because during the whole Communism scare he wouldn?t answer if he were a Communist or not. Everybody wanted to know why he was not a citizen and had lived here for so long so they kicked him out. He?s got balls. I?m usually the only one laughing, though, since he?s all physical comedy.?

Broadbent isn?t talking about Dave Chappelle or even Blacksburg?s local comedian Pat Miller at the Hokie House. Far from the current comedians most college students invest hours chuckling along with, Broadbent has spent his time watching who some may refer to as the father of slapstick comedy, none other than Charlie Chaplin.

Broadbent is not just interested in Chaplin?s humor but also his contributions to film, which is a keen interest in Broadbent?s life today. After taking several classes in film, Broadbent discovered his passion for filmmaking by watching classic films in communication professor Stephen Prince?s class.

Unlike most students of Virginia Tech who bury their heads in engineering equations, Broadbent?s passion lies in a field that few gaze towards investing a career in while at Tech. Unlike the usual Hokie fan, though, Broadbent not only gazes, but fills his life with film. Without a large communications department within the school and hardly an accredited film school in the industry, Broadbent capitalizes on the classes and resources that are available. As professors, colleagues, and friends take note, his dedication sets him apart and sets him up for a promising future career.

Dressed in faded urbanite blue jeans and a hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with artistic graphics, his dark roughly spiked hair marks him as possessing a slightly more groovy flair. Once he smiles, his friendly demeanor captivates those around him. His philandering conversations yield his diverse, sometimes zany personality and what else, but his passion.

His passion did not materialize completely, though, until he took film production with Jerry Scheeler who as Broadbent said, ?is the coolest guy ever. He?s amazing.?

His admiration for Scheeler is not just one sided. Scheeler takes great pride in Broadbent as a student, and more importantly, as a filmmaker.

?With my students, I am happy if they just get the camera in focus,? Scheeler said. ?It?s a beginning class so when something like A.J.?s film comes along, it?s really impressive. I could tell he took a lot of time and effort setting up shots and thinking about lighting and positioning.?

Working with film for more than year, Broadbent has explored different aspects of production by experimenting with black and white 8 mm film, a rarity in the technological age of digital cameras according to Scheeler.

?Most people today are only on the technical side,? said Scheeler. ?A.J. is not only very good at that, but really is an artist. He is a purist. You don?t see as much playing with the 8 mm film, today even though in the industry, it?s the type of film still being used.? Broadbent has also delved into music videos, tested different editing techniques and different genres. One of his first videos, ?Revolution,? displays his political opinions through a montage of riots in front of the White House protesting the Iraq War and other images relating to the War. Broadbent?s perspective is quite clear as he crosses boundaries that most film producers dare not trample past, and proves his capabilities in delivering a powerful visual message.

?A.J. is certainly not afraid to take risks in his work,? said Charles Merritt, a junior communication major at the University of North Carolina. Merritt, a former student of Virginia Tech, helped Broadbent on Revolution and has worked with him on other projects.

?I certainly think that it is important to take risks in films,? Merritt said. ?A.J.?s not worrying about what is proper and not proper to show on film. People were very upset he burns a flag in the video. The film is very anti-war sentiment. It?s been done before, but as a student that was pretty gutsy.?

Looking back on his short film protesting the war, Broadbent himself admits, ?That movie is pretty intense. It?s just something I had to do at the time but don?t think I would do anything that over the top again. I?ve done it and I have gotten it out of me.?

Intense is a good descriptor for more than the film ?Revolution,? but also the enthusiasm Broadbent puts into his work. Even while speaking to him, his excitement for things bubbles over. While discussing his next venture (a narrative dialogue that concentrates on a boy who is coming of age) Broadbent laughs when I mistake the title ?Switch Mikey,? for ?Swiss Mikey,? but runs with the idea.

?Swiss, it should be Swiss Mikey,? Broadbent chuckles, ?and he should be Swiss! What a cool idea! That would be so funny!?

Jumping from one idea to the next, it?s apparent his creative juices are in no lackadaisical state of mind. Katelyn Petroka, a classmate in his field production class and a senior communication major, picked up on Broadbent?s creativity quickly.

?He has natural talent at what he does,? Petroka said. ?In directing, producing, and in his ideas; they are creative, and he is aggressive enough to voice them. He has ideas that none of us thought of and puts it together in ways that we wouldn?t think of taking. He?ll take initiatives to write storyboards, and decide on camera shots that no one else has heard of, things you don?t see in films already or learn in class.?

Taking a more leadership role in class projects, Broadbent is the obvious person to turn to when asking about what camera shot to use, changes in the script, and overall directing. At ease with the process, he tells one person to set up an extra light in the corner, tells another person to put more emphasis in his lines, and all the while fiddles with the set-up of his tri-pod camera which he repeatedly acknowledges to himself, ?is the worst tri-pod. I hate tri-pods.?

On set he portrays a sense of humor throughout his direction. Working on a project, the filter placed over the lighting began smoking. While others in the crew were, ?freaking out,? said Petroka, ?A.J. was not fazed. He just made some funny comment on how his house might burn down, and kept going at it. He always has a way of bringing humor into his work.?

And while his light humor sets a friendly tone on his set, one cannot help, but notice the down-to-business attitude he takes with his work. Working long hours to edit work or staying up until dawn for a shot of the sunrise (which will be used only for one small frame) is normal practice to Broadbent, according to Petroka.

?He will stay up all night editing something that he really did not have to stay up for, or at least no normal person would,? Petroka said. ?Most would just go to bed. But to him, it?s not just schoolwork. It?s art. I really respect him.?

Known to not pick up his phone, even if it is sitting right beside him, Merritt knows well Broadbent?s tendencies to ?work for long periods of time. He?ll work for 24 hours then not work on it for a week.?

Easily flopping from one project to another, Broadbent plunges into his latest and greatest idea, and often returns to previous works later. Of late, Broadbent has expanded his footage by beginning work on his longest feature thus far, ?Switch Mikey.? The feature film also establishes his newly formed production company, Uni5ied.

Read more about Broadbent's next project, and his production company in the next issue of Collegiate Times.