Syracuse students, faculty, alumni appear on ‘The Express’ DVD

Syracuse students, faculty, alumni appear on ‘The Express’ DVDFebruary 23, 2009Sara Millersemortim@syr.edu

As part of Universal Pictures’ release of “The Express” DVD, Syracuse University students, faculty and alumni are featured in a bonus feature segment that was produced by SU’s Office of Electronic Media Communications (EMC).

“From Hollywood to Syracuse: The Legacy of Ernie Davis” is a roughly five-minute, high-definition segment that covers Ernie Davis and SU’s tradition of breaking boundaries. Appearing in the segment are the film’s director, Gary Fleder; actors Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Omar Benson Miller and designer Nelson Coates; SU alumni Bob Costas, Angela Robinson, Floyd Little and Vanessa Williams; and Newhouse School professors Stephen Masiclat and Peter Moller. The featured SU students are:

• Lisa Coombs, a 2008 drama graduate;
• Lauren Levine, a junior broadcast journalism major;
• Meghan Lisson, a senior broadcast journalism and political science major;
• Michael Odofin, a junior drama major;
• Tinuke Oyefule, a senior drama major; and
• John Troynousky, a 2008 information management and technology, and television, radio and film graduate.

Levine (pictured), a Central New York native who was an extra in the film, is featured in the segment talking about how different shooting a movie is from what she imagined. She also discusses Ernie Davis’ lasting impact on the SU community. “I think with all the hype of having a movie set in Syracuse, it’s important not to forget why we’re able to make this movie in the first place, and that’s thanks to a young man’s bravery,” says Levine. “The experience as a whole was definitely something I will always remember. Not many people can say they were an extra in a major motion picture shot in their hometown. This movie brought an exciting new energy to Syracuse, and I will remember that for a long time.”

The segment was produced by EMC for Universal and features Ernie Davis’ legacy, the Syracuse “Express” premiere, shooting the movie on campus, and the University’s tradition of breaking boundaries. It was produced by Stu Lisson and assisted by Meg Lynch, Gary Maiorano and Bob Gerbin. The segment’s graphic design was provided by Bob Gautieri ’76 of Design on the Fly in Los Angeles.