Deric Olsen

Drama
Chair - Department of Drama, Professor

Specialty

Narrative Filmmaking

Contact

W548 |  403-380-1885

U of L Directory profile

About

About

With a wide variety of experience as a director, screenwriter, editor, and producer, Professor Deric Olsen's creative practice spans many facets of the production of dramatic narrative cinema. His filmography includes, Common Chord (2013) and The Phoenix Agenda (2006) and he is actively developing a number of projects including a feature-length suspense thriller Crypt Lake and a western web series Windswept. Other completed scripts are an adapted short Ruse, an action web series Zenith, and a feature-length thriller Threshold Effect.

His films and screenplays have been official selections at national and international film festivals and script competitions and his accolades include some prestigious individual awards, most notably the Les Kimber Award for Best Direction from the Director's Guild of Canada - Alberta Council together with the Best Director (Drama over 60 minutes) Award at the 2007 Alberta Film and Television Awards for his work on The Phoenix Agenda. He was nominated in four categories at the 2014 Alberta Film and Television Awards including Direction, Screenwriting, Editing, and Producing for his work on Common Chord.

He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Department of Film at the University of Regina and teaches courses in narrative filmmaking at the University of Lethbridge. His courses take a comprehensive, flexible approach to production methodology and provide a foundation of theory and practice that enable students to develop into creative visual storytellers.

He is a member of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, the Alberta Media Production Industries Association, and is a lifetime member of the Digital Cinema Society. He is a Full Professor of Cinema Production and Chair of the Department of Drama, and has previously served as Chair of the Department of New Media, Chair of the Graduate Programs in Fine Arts Committee, Associate Dean and Interim Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lethbridge.                                   

 

Selected Creative Works

Common Chord (2013) - Director, co-Writer, Editor, Producer

The Phoenix Agenda (2006) - Director, co-Writer, Editor, Producer

 

Screenwriting

Crypt Lake (feature - suspense thriller)
Ruse (short - dark comedy)
Windswept (web series - western)
Threshold Effect (feature - thriller)
Zenith (web series - action)

 

Research Interests

Filmmaking, Directing, Screenwriting, Producing, Editing and Post-Production, Promotion and Distribution, Authorship, Genre

 

Links

Bridge City News Interview
Magazine Article - Production Process
News Story - Q & A with Filmmaker Deric Olsen
UWeekly Story - Common Chord up for Awards
Film Review - Common Chord (2013)
IMDb Profile