Mark Kerins

Film & Media Arts

Chair of Film & Media Arts
Professor

Email

mkerins@smu.edu

Phone

214-768-2642

Website

Mailbox

51²è¹Ý Box 0113

Connect

After completing bachelor's degrees in chemistry and mathematics, Mark Kerins realized watching, making, and writing about movies was more fun than working in a lab. So he went back to film school, and now teaches filmmaking at 51²è¹Ý. When not in the classroom, he makes his own films, does post-production work, and writes about surround sound, home theater, and Michael Bay (not all at the same time).

Current projects include , a feature documentary about the development and launch of the  in Chicago, and Publish or Perish (temporary working title), a board game about academia (follow the game’s development on / @publish.or.perish.game, or check out his ongoing series of ).

Kerins teaches in the core production sequence (FILM 1304 Intro to Production / FILM 2304 Production Formats / FILM 3304 Intermediate Production / FILM 4304 Advanced Production) as well as specialized courses in post-production (FILM 3308 Editing, FILM 3384 Sound, FILM 3388 Post-Production Visual FX) and other areas. He also created and advises the Summer Film Production program.

In 2024, Kerins was selected as an Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, an 51²è¹Ý-wide award, and as Algur H. Meadows Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Meadows School of the Arts in 2014. He also received the 2018 Excellence in Mentoring Award from 51²è¹Ý’s Office of Engaged Learning.

Education

Ph.D. and M.A. in Radio/TV/Film, Northwestern University
B.A. in Mathematics and Humanities and B.S. in Chemistry, Valparaiso University

Recent Work

BOOK

, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2010.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

"," , vol. 19, : 89-100.

“,” , vol. 2, no. 2 (autumn 2008): 115-119.

“,” , no. 58 (fall 2006): 41-54.

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Transmedia Directors “Michael Bay as Marketer: Selling Across Media.” In , eds. Carol Vernallis, Holly Rogers, and Lisa Perrott. Bloomsbury, 2019.
“Home Theater(s): Technology, Culture, and Style.” In , eds. Miguel Mera, Ronald Sadoff, and Ben Winters. Routledge, 2017.
Behind Silver Screen Sound “The Modern Entertainment Marketplace: 2000-present.” In , ed. Kathryn Kalinak. Rutgers University Press, 2015.
Handbook New AV Aesthetics “Multi-channel Gaming and the Aesthetics of Interactive Surround.” In , eds. Claudia Gorbman, John Richardson, and Carol Vernallis. Oxford University Press, 2013.
“Understanding the Impact of Surround Sound in Multimedia.” In , eds. Siu-Lan Tan, Annabel Cohen, Scott Lipscomb, and Roger Kendall. Oxford University Press, 2013.

"" (book review), , no. 51 (Spring 2009).

"," , vol. 11, no. 8-9 (October 2007).

“Sound Designing: How Should You Think About Sound?” Student Filmmakers, August 2007: 46-9.

“Editing is Re-editing: From Rough Cut to Picture Lock,” Student Filmmakers, July 2007: 24-6.

“Seven Suggestions for Stellar Soundtracks,” Student Filmmakers, December 2006: 32-5.

“Getting Good Performances,” Student Filmmakers, November 2006: 32-5.

SELECTED DIRECTORIAL FILMOGRAPHY

(2018) (director / producer / DP / production design) – dramatic short, available

Winner: Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Best Visual Effects, NOVA International Film & Music Festival
Winner: Best Short Film, Grapevine Film Festival
Winner: Best Editing (Short), Other Worlds Austin
Winner: Best Drama, Wildwood Film Festival
Winner: Best Short, Atomacon Short Film Festival
Winner: Best Editing (Short), Other Worlds Austin
Winner: Best Sci-Fi Short and Best Editing: Short, International Indie Gathering

Also nominated for dozens of other festival awards

Festival screenings include:
Ojai Film Festival
Berlin Sci-Fi Film Festival
Pasadena International Film Festival
SENE Film, Music, and Arts Festival
New York Latino Film Festival
Vero Beach Wine + Film Festival
San Jose International Short Film Festival
and over forty other festivals

(2016) (director / producer) - feature thriller, available on , , , , and elsewhere

Winner: Best in Category Thriller, Hot Springs International Horror Film Festival
Winner: Best Director (Feature), Best Editing (Feature), Best Cinematography (Feature), Best Actor (Feature), Eyecatcher Film Festival
Winner: Best Supporting Actress, International Horror Hotel

Also nominated for multiple other festival awards

Festival screenings include :
Beloit International Film Festival
Indy Film Fest
Toronto Indie Horror Film Festival
North by Midwest Micro-budget Film Festival
Unrestricted View Horror Film Festival
Desmond District Demons Film Festival
Motor City Nightmares International Film Festival
and others

Distribution : , film was released in

(2012) (director / producer / writer) - comedy short

Winner: Best Comedy Short, Illinois International Film Festival

Other official selections:
Fargo Film Festival
Green Bay Film Festival
Great Lakes Film Festival
Tenerife Film Festival (nominee, Best Screenplay, Best Director of a Short, and Best Producer)
Tupelo Film Festival
The Indie Gathering (2nd place, Short Comedy)

Drunken Phone Calls (2012) (director / co-writer) - dramatic short

Official selections:
Wisconsin Film Festival
Columbia Gorge Film Festival
Hollywood Shorts
The Indie Gathering (3nd place, Short Drama-Comedy)
Wildwood Film Festival

(2002) (director / producer / editor) – music video for RCA recording artist The Verve Pipe, nominated for Best Visual Effects at HDFest World Tour 2003

Would You Please (2002) (director / producer / editor) – music video for RCA Victor recording artist Rachael Yamagata

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY (other crew positions)

Watershed (2012, dir. Paula Goldberg) (editor) - dramatic short

(2011, dir. Tommy Dingwall) (editor / re-recording mixer) - music video for The Clay Wilson Band

There Goes the View (2007, dir. Carolyn Macartney) (voice recordist / re-recording mixer) – 16mm experimental short, won “Best Experimental Film” at 2007 University Film and Video Association Conference

The Big Lull (2005, dir. Adam Marshall) (editor) - narrative short (an MFA thesis film)

First and Last (2004, dir. James Joyce) (editor / production mixer / sound editor) - narrative short (an MFA thesis film)

Mark Kerins