Don Casper Headshot

Don Casper

Professor of Practice

School of Film and Animation
College of Art and Design
don.casper@rit.edu
585-475-2744
Office Location
GAN-2254

Don Casper

Professor of Practice

School of Film and Animation
College of Art and Design

Bio

Don Casper is a five-time New York Emmy® award-winning filmmaker and the owner of EPIC10 Films. With extensive experience as a director, editor, colorist, and producer, he has crafted hundreds of corporate videos and TV commercials, alongside numerous independent films. His passion lies in independent projects that highlight trailblazing individuals embodying compassion and inclusion.

Casper served as the editor for The Last Dalai Lama?, a feature documentary directed by Mickey Lemle, which was released theatrically across North America in 2017. He created, produced, and directed the award-winning feature documentary Signs of the Time, which explores the connection between baseball hand signals and deaf culture. Narrated by Richard Dreyfuss, this film was featured in The New York Times and aired internationally, earning the NY Emmy® Award for Outstanding Documentary.

His accolades also include NY Emmy® awards for co-producing Turn The Page (2019) and directing Don’t Define Me (2020). He co-produced and edited Women and the Vote, directed by Linda Moroney, which won the 2022 NY Emmy® in Documentary Topical.

Most recently, he directed Appalachia Heart, a film following visual artist Charmaine Wheatley as she paints portraits of individuals affected by the opioid crisis in rural Eastern Kentucky. The film premiered nationwide on public television and received the 2024 NY Emmy® for Best Human Interest Program.

In addition to his filmmaking, Don is currently working on an MFA degree in photography using alternative motion picture capture and display processes that reflect on legacy, impermanence and the transition of how society consumes media.

don.casper@rit.edu
585-475-2744
Personal Links
Personal Website
LinkedIn

Currently Teaching

SOFA-214
Fundamentals of Editing
3 Credits
This course introduces students to the approaches editors use to make aesthetic choices within a variety of genres. Students will review and analyze the work of master editors, and deconstruct editors’ choices that “leave the script behind” and honor the essence of a story through innovative editing. Aspects of editing to be studied include continuity editing, associational editing, dialogue editing, building a character’s point of view, pacing, performance, building montage, and storytelling. Students will examine editing theories and styles in a workshop environment, developing the ability to start and manage an edit in current software. Students will demonstrate technical understanding of importing, organizing, and managing media for complex projects; visual and time-based effects; sound processing; track building; multi-camera editing; and graphics.
SOFA-523
Advanced Editing
3 Credits
This course will focus on the professional workflow of editing digital film and video files to study the technical craft as well as the aesthetic choices that editors make. Students will practice the editing of all genres including short fiction, documentary, and experimental projects. Exploration of advanced software will facilitate editing short projects and tutorials. Areas of study include media management, color correction, visual and time-based effects, sound processing and track building, multi-camera usage, titling/graphics, and digital cinema proxy workflows.
SOFA-567
Digital Color Correction
3 Credits
This course offers project-based, hands-on color correction with both Da Vinci Resolve and Adobe. Introduction to basic color correction techniques and common tools in the industry will be provided. The course will progress from technical equipment setups and calibration to simple primary color correction to advanced secondary and color separation methods. Through assigned projects, students will be taught how to use tone and color to augment theatrical storytelling and add a dimension of professional finish to their films.
SOFA-599
SOFA Independent Study
1 - 6 Credits
SOFA Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, should propose a course of study or project with clearly defined deliverables. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll. Student must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA to apply.
SOFA-657
Digital Color Correction
3 Credits
This course offers hands-on projects to develop the skills needed to understand and communicate the process of digital color correction and grading. Course content will cover technical workflow planning and calibration from simple primary color correction to advanced secondary and color separation methods. At the completion of this course, students will be able to use tone and color to augment theatrical storytelling and add a dimension of professional finish to their films.
SOFA-683
Advanced Editing
3 Credits
This course will focus on the professional workflow of editing digital film and video files to study the technical craft as well as the aesthetic choices that editors make. Students will practice the editing of all genres including short fiction, documentary, and experimental projects. Exploration of advanced software will facilitate editing short projects and tutorials. Areas of study include media management, color correction, visual and time-based effects, sound processing and track building, multi-camera usage, titling/graphics, and digital cinema proxy workflows.

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