Craig Smith is chair of the Department of Film and Electronic Arts and has served nearly six years in this position. Since arriving to Cal State Long Beach in 1988, he has chaired for several other departments and is also a professor of Communication Studies.
In 1988, you were offered the choice to go to a University of California to do research, but you chose to come to Cal State Long Beach instead. You were quoted as describing the Cal State system as more "pragmatic." Could you elaborate on that?
I think we give more attention to undergraduate students than the UC system. We help students acquire skills that they can use, whereas the UC is more theoretical. All of the business surveys that have been conducted in California indicate a preference of Cal State students to UC students.
Your achievements and experiences have been working with the news media and politics. Describe the change of pace from being a full-time speechwriter for President Gerald Ford to a faculty and chair member here.
When I was working for President Ford, I was on call 24/7. If there was an emergency, I had to rush into the White House. Normally, a working day was from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and sometimes, we would stay overnight in our offices if there was a crisis. Here, I’m running the shop instead of being part of the shop and there is a slower rhythm. Sure, there were slow days in the White House, but it was always exciting in Washington, D.C.
Having been very active as the director of the CSULB Center for First Amendment Studies and president of the Freedom of Expression Foundation, you seem very passionate about this. It affects journalism, but to what extent does it affect film?
The first amendment affects having the right to even make a film. Up until the 1930s, the government censored any film that might demoralize Americans about the war. We’ve overcome that government censorship. However, the film industry now censors itself, which I don’t approve of because it infringes upon the filmmakers ability to make a film how they want. They now have to take into account film ratings because it will affect the market. X is bad. PG is good.
You've worked at CBS news and as a communication consultant. You've also chaired the journalism and communications department. Describe your experience with film.
First of all, I’ve always loved film growing up. I’ve written about how it tries to change our minds and can persuade an audience. I did a piece on Casablanca, which was made in 1941 during World War II, describing how it subliminally endorsed the formation of the United Nations. Some other pieces have been on “Bonnie and Clyde” and how Hollywood does Shakespeare.
How did you come to chair the film department?
There was no one in the film department who could or wanted to chair so the dean asked if I was interested. I met with the faculty, they unanimously drafted me and I am now finishing my sixth year as chair of this department.
Do you teach any of the film classes?
I taught a rhetorical theory class for the film department’s Master of Fine Arts program. However, because I am on the Board of Trustees, which is a full-time job, I’m not supposed to teach. Between chairing the department and being on the Board, I don’t have much time to teach.
With your experience in coverage of elections, what do you think was an interesting distinction with this latest election and those before it?
The first thing is that we’ve elected a black president and that is a major breakthrough for minorities. Secondly, this election had the highest turnout since 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon. If the Democratic Party had not chosen Obama, we would’ve nominated a woman for the first time because Hilary Clinton would’ve been that nominee.
There is this perception that college students, especially art students, are very liberal. What has been the reaction of this election within the film department and its students?
I think you’d be surprised. There tends to be a higher number of conservative students in the Cal State system than the UC system. With the exception of business schools where students tend to be more conservative, the UC schools have younger students who tend to be more theoretical and thus, more liberal. There is a majority of the students here who are liberal Democrats, but there is a healthy Republican component. It is the same with the faculty. There are a number of Republicans, including myself. I would be speculating, but I would say the ratio is 60 percent Democrat to 40 percent Republican.
Have the students been actively voicing their opinions? Has there been any films made concerning Obama vs. McCain?
I can’t think of any films that are directly specific to the campaigns, but there has been some on environmental issues, date rape and other social issues that everyone is concerned about. One of the student documentaries that won an award at the CSU Media Arts Festival looked at the Los Angeles River and how it could be navigable and saved.
Last question. Any last word on what many call this “Obama hype”?
He has to be careful because expectations are so high now that I’m not sure he can meet them. There was the “Obama hype” during the primaries, but it was beginning to wear thin because he was charging crowds emotionally, but not taking specific stances on issues and that barely got him the nomination. With all that being said, Barack Obama is now going to take over and people expect all these changes, but we’ll just have to see what happens.
photo courtesy of CSULB
