Hollywood Comes Home

Hollywood’s "old models are breaking down," says Bradley Battersby, the super-charged head of Ringling College’s two-year-old digital filmmaking program. The digital revolution has given independent filmmakers access to the same tools as Hollywood’s elite, explains Battersby, 55, and that’s inspired him "to help students tell their stories, not Hollywood’s." Battersby, who has written and directed a number of films, came to Ringling last September and says he’s been "blown away" by his students’ work. He’s bringing big-league filmmakers, including director Werner Herzog, here for student workshops and says they’re "consistently impressed" not only by the program but by Sarasota’s natural and cultural resources. In his big picture: making Ringling "one of the top film schools in the country" and Sarasota a hotspot for film production.