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Biography
Griff Partington graduated "cum laude" with a telecommunications major and a creative writing minor from Ball State University in 2007. He plans to create a full feature film this summer. He is also currently employed with the Center for Media Design at Ball State University. Four students are employed each year at CMD to create and edit promotional videos for the University.
While at Ball State, Griff was a DJ for a radio program, worked with BSU Late Night, and created stories for the Emmy award winning show, Connections Live.
Griff was one of sixteen students chosen to take a directing class at BSU in the spring semester of 2006. The class provided the students with access to high definition camera equipment, actors from the theater department, makeup crew, and their own sound crew to mix the audio in 5.1-surround sound.
During the spring semester of 2005, Griff studied abroad at the London Centre. While attending the program, he created a promotional video for the Center for International Programs at Ball State.
Griff worked for Caboose Productions, primarily editing and filming promotional Web videos for businesses. He also has produced many freelance videos, including filming the Indiana Society of Chicago’s Centennial dinner party for Ball State University, several commercial jobs for the Indianapolis Art Center, and numerous weddings.
Griff was awarded the Jack McQuate Scholarship at the end of his junior year. The scholarship was presented to him by the Indiana Associated Press Broadcasters Association.
Resume [PDF file]
‘Any Way’
Personality Profile: Griff Partington
By Becky RotherGriff Partington leaned close to the monitor, squinting as he made a minute adjustment to the film’s sound balance. Apparently satisfied, he sat back heavily in his chair and rubbed his eyes. The clock on the monitor said 4:30 a.m., and he was feeling it, moving slower than he had three hours earlier.
After five months of production, his project was nearly finished.
“I came up with the idea in November, and it took roughly a month and a half to feel confident with the script,” Partington said.
Filming took seven days in January, and the editing process took about a month and half, he said.
The final product was a nine-minute short film titled “Any Way,” an Orwellian drama about two lovers planning an escape from the unseen forces that keep them separated. Partington wrote, co-directed and co-produced the film.
“I finally felt like I was being a director,” he said. “There were elements of the project I couldn’t do myself. It was fun to tell others what I was thinking and have them make something, and a lot of times it was better than what I imagined.”
He submitted the piece to the Student Academy Awards, a section of the Oscars created to honor student work and to “encourage excellence in filmmaking by university students,” according to oscars.org. “Any Way,” Partington said, was submitted to the “alternative” category, one of five categories in the competition.
Partington is not the first from Ball State to submit a film to the Student Academy Awards. In 2005, Jaron Henrie-McCrea won a Gold Medal in the alternative category for “Knock Knock.” A year later, Sam Day and Travis Hatfield won in the same category for “Perspective.”
Partington says he doesn’t feel he is competing against those pieces, though.
“I don’t feel like I’ll be in the shadow of ‘Perspective,’” he said. “‘Any Way’ is a much more alternative piece.”
Although he said submitting a film to the Student Academy Awards is exciting, Partington said he had few expectations.
“The greatest part is having teachers and classmates like it,” he said. “I’m more proud, not so much confident (that the project will win an Oscar).”
Academy Award-winner Sam Day co-directed and co-produced “Any Way” with Partington.
“His script was very cool and very different than anything I’ve worked on before,” Day said. “I knew he was a good guy so I jumped on board very quickly.”
Kyle Peters, who did visual effects for the film, agreed with Day. He said working with Partington “was an experience.” Peters said. “He asked others’ opinions a lot during filming. It was neat to have my opinion matter.”
Looking back on the five-month-long project, Partington says he is glad he made the film.
“I think the most exciting part was the last two days, seeing everything come together,” he said. “It was the best experience I’ve had at Ball State, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”