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Media Executive Demystifies the Storytelling Industry
Flaherty is the Executive Vice President of Walden MediaPosted: Wednesday, October 27, 2010
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STEUBENVILLE, Ohio—A movie “is a story that celebrates and combines all of the art forms that we have,” Francis Xavier "Chip" Flaherty, Jr., executive vice president of Walden Media, told an attentive audience at Franciscan University on October 13.
Flaherty explained the power and gift of story and its importance in filmmaking, which he described as “the industry of storytelling.” He used the example of the evil king Miraz from the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, one of Walden Media’s recent films, who banned the telling of certain stories to keep control of Narnia.
“The stories that are told shape a country, a culture, a people. Kids already know there is darkness; we have to tell them stories of knights, of courage, of standing up for the underdog, or when they do encounter injustice and evil they will be helpless against it.”
Flaherty also gave students a walk-through of the movie production industry, explaining the roles of the development, finance, business affairs, and marketing divisions. He emphasized that there is a place within the industry for anyone who is interested, hard working, and persistent enough.
“From the time you were young, people have been telling you stories. When you got older, you started telling stories. You understand story: The key component is something you’ve been doing your whole life.”
Sponsored by the Franciscan University Advancement Office and Franciscan University Student Government, the Distinguished Speaker Series features leaders who are recognized for exemplary service to the Church and society. For video excerpts and complete audio of his talk, go to http://www.franciscan.edu/distinguishedspeakersseries/.