OKLAHOMA CITY — Just off Interstate 40, anchoring a spot between Tinker Air Force Base and Midwest City High School, Rose State College probably isn’t the first location people think of when they speak about movies that are filmed in Oklahoma.
Unless, say, those people watch the Lifetime Network.
Just a little more than a year ago, producers for the network spent several days at Rose State filming the thriller “Sorority Sister Killer.”
The movie is a murder mystery drama about Lacey, a college freshman who is part of a sorority with her close friend Tara. Lacey and Tara grow apart, Lacey to leave Kappa and then the deaths start.
Lance Robbins, the film’s producer, said he liked using Rose State because the school’s healthcare program closely mimics a hospital emergency room. “Rose State College has a beautiful campus, and everyone here was very helpful,” Robbins said. “This was our first time filming here and we expect to come back.”
Co-producer Kyle Dill told reporters that Oklahomans were easy to work with.
“The people of Oklahoma are wonderful. We are blown away by the hospitality of everyone. Everywhere we went, people went out of their way to help us,” he said.
It’s not the first time.
Officials at Rose State say the school has hosted at least six different productions in the past. Today the school is a regular location site for many in the industry.
In fact, Oklahoma’s impact on the motion picture industry continues to grow. Television shows such as “Tulsa King” and “Reservation Dogs” have helped bring more production work to the Sooner State.
The state’s central location and the financial incentives offered by the Oklahoma Film Office continue to bring producers to the area. In addition to its location services, Rose State announced this month that it would begin offering a new Film Studies and Digital Media Degree.
“As the film industry grows in our state, we want to equip our students with the resources and training to keep the talent right here in Oklahoma,” Rose State President Jeanie Webb said. “This program is the first of its kind at Rose State and shows our commitment to providing education that reflects Oklahoma’s evolving landscape.”
Webb said the goal of program is to provide basic film and digital media production knowledge and skills through instruction of theory, technology, equipment operation, production, directing, audio and post-production. Upon completion of the program, students will be prepared for positions in filmmaking and content creation.
The new film studies and digital media program will be led by Marcus Mallard, who will serve as the coordinator. Mallard comes to Rose State with extensive experience in cinema education, research and screenwriting.
“I look forward to building a program that is going to help Oklahoma voices tell Oklahoma stories,” Mallard said. “It doesn’t matter who you are, what you look like or what you think you know about film, you should get to tell your story, and I want to help everyone I can do that.”