Film and Digital Media @ Messiah

Yes, at the end of every academic year, students graduate and move on from Messiah College, and yes, there is always the Commencement Speaker, whose words are relied on to be inspiring and insightful. In the hearts of all attending is also the hope for brevity!

This year’s speaker was Philip Yancy who met all of the above criteria! In particular he left us with four questions that came to him as the result of a near fatal car accident:

• Who do I love?
• Who will I miss?
• What have I done with my life?
• Am I ready for what’s next?

For filmmakers, especially writers, these should be a constant source of contemplation. Behind every human person these questions stand like the backdrop for who the person is. To create believable characters, these questions must be asked and in some large degree answered by the writer.

But more profoundly, they need to be asked by each of us of her or himself. They can be a way of “examining the conscience” and keeping us true to the God who is Love.