When Communications instructor Alan Franks approached us with the idea to capture the annual Gurney Derby with as much equipment as we could carry, we were all in.

The Specs

18 students
8 cameras
1 drone (The Dragonfly)
1 jib
1 dolly
1 slider
3 GoPros
8 SD cards
5 hours editing

The Gurney Derby is UAB’s most unique event and our oldest homecoming tradition. At breakneck speed, contestants race down a blocked-off street on campus holding tight to their medical gurneys. The appearance of six-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson made this year’s event special. (He’s the one with the flag.)

This collaboration between UAB Digital Media and the Department of Communication Studies was the first official partnered shoot we’ve done, and it was a blast.



We used the race as an opportunity to let our students of all experience levels get hands-on with the cameras. Alan’s students are taking *visual media courses offered in the Department of Communication Studies, and our interns and fellows represent a mix of majors.

I was stationed at the pedestrian bridge, and looking down at the team, I saw students at every corner, just inches away from the action.

After the Derby, we brought all the equipment back to the studio where Chris Humphries downloaded the footage and began editing. Just one day later, we have a video to show for it.

The equipment and labs we use for our work are funded jointly by media-based client work, the College of Arts and Sciences, and a handful of departments that teach digital media courses, including the Department of Communication Studies. This funding puts the best equipment in our students’ hands and provides funding for our paid student positions.

My hope is that we give our students a chance to shoot in a media-dense environment, with a big team surrounding them, the best equipment available, and some unique moments to capture.

I saw students who just met work together as if they’d been on the same crew for months. That’s what I love about my job - watching students’ passion for digital media be the tie that brings them together to learn, teach, capture, and craft.

A big thank you to Alan Franks for the idea and to our student team for making it happen.

*Interested in learning how to produce videos like this one? Enroll in Alan Franks' courses in the Department of Communication Studies:
Visual Media Production I - CMST 283
Visual Media Production II - CMST 383
Visual Media Production III - CMST 483