Lights, Camera, Purpose: Joe Brown on Teaching Film That Matters

For Joe Brown, associate professor in the Department of Media, Film & Journalism Studies (MFJS) at the University of Denver (DU), film is powerful because of its impact on people. 

“Film can access multiple senses within the audience,” Brown says, “and that’s why it is quite powerful.” 

In his classrooms within the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS), this perspective of film is foundational in his teaching. While Brown's students gain extensive hands-on experience with cameras, editing, and production, he also encourages them to think more deeply about what they create and why. 

“We’re not just professors who are trying to teach students to make the next Marvel movie,” Brown says. “There’s nothing wrong with a Marvel movie. We all need entertainment, but I push my students to pursue deeper storytelling than superheroes and fight scenes.” 

The MFJS Mission 

That “deeper work” is rooted in MFJS’s broader mission. Brown describes the department as one that prioritizes the theoretical, the technical, and social awareness, encouraging students to apply what they learn in ways that extend beyond commercial success. 

Part of what makes MFJS so unique, in Brown’s eyes, is that “the skills you’re learning could be applied to storytelling for the public good,” he says. 

Brown emphasizes experiential learning as a cornerstone of his courses. Many MFJS classes are practical, allowing students to build portfolio-ready work that prepares them for careers after graduation and helps them discover their passions along the way. 

The Technology Treadmill 

In life and in teaching, Brown consistently ponders one question: How do we balance history and the future? 

Balancing the elements commonly found in MFJS courses — practice, theory, and rapidly evolving tools — means keeping pace with what Brown calls the “technology treadmill.” As innovations continue to reshape the media industry, the challenge this creates is part of what makes teaching meaningful for Brown. 

He emphasizes to his students that the ethics of filmmaking are more relevant than ever, considering the rise of AI, and urges them to consider the following: “When technology takes over and becomes the thing we’re most interested in, we can lose track of the ethics of filmmaking. Are new technologies making better stories? Or are they simply making things more entertaining?” 

The Lightbulb Moment  

Like many faculty members, Brown teaches around five courses each year, often adding summer classes as well. “It doesn’t sound like a lot,” he says, “but it is a ton of work.” 

However, for Brown, the most meaningful moments aren’t measured by workload or output, but by the growth he sees in his students.  

“You don’t always know what impact you have on students,” he says, “but when I’m teaching and I see the ‘lightbulb’ go off for a student, that’s when I see my influence the most. When students come to me to chat about the social or political issues in a documentary film, I know I’m making an impact.”  

It’s in those very moments, when technical skill meets personal discovery, that Brown sees the true purpose of teaching: to help his students create meaningful media, and, more importantly, understand the impact their work can have on the world. 

On Truly Independent Filmmaking 

Brown feels privileged to be what he calls an “academic filmmaker.” Working at a university allows for a certain independence, or freedom, from the need to make money for a film studio or investors. 

“The academic freedom you have at a university, especially as a tenured professor, allows you to pursue topics that the market may not be ready for,” Brown says. "Look at my work; I’ve done films on environmental issues, including a film about someone labeled an ‘eco-terrorist,’ and I’m currently in pre-production on a film that focuses on war tax resistance.”

Brown cites that these are not topics that you easily find money for, but when you’re based at a university, you have a little more leeway to experiment and engage with stories that might be politically unpopular.