From biology to dramatic writing, Aaron Khaw, a second-year graduate student at Missouri State University, has explored many paths to fulfill his desire to be a film and TV producer.

Khaw is pursuing a master’s degree in dramatic writing in MSU’s Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film (CMJF).

A native of Malaysia, Khaw began his bachelor’s degree in biology at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota.

“Science was the ‘elite’ category in Malaysia,” Khaw said. “I also loved animals as a child and thought I would become a veterinary doctor, which is why I pursued biology in the first place.”

But when he was nearing graduation, Khaw was no longer confident about his science choice. He then moved to San Francisco for a short time, where he remembered his love for Hollywood.

“I grew up watching Hollywood shows and always wondered about the filmmaking process,” Khaw said. “So, I decided to pursue a film and television production certificate from Orange Coast College.”

In 2019, Khaw directed and edited the documentary titled, “Empty Vessel.” When it was chosen to be showcased at the Newport Beach Film Festival, he knew he had found the right path.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Khaw lost the opportunity to work as a production assistant for a Nike commercial in New York. So, he returned to Malaysia and worked as an editor and producer at Comberry Studios, a German media production company.

“I worked on short-form documentaries for about eight months,” Khaw said. “After that, I knew I wanted to come back to the U.S. for grad school, so I came to MSU.”

Versatility of MSU program hones skills and experience

Khaw decided to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing to hone his screenwriting skills. He chose the program at MSU because of its hands-on approach to learning and a graduate assistantship offer.

“The dramatic writing program here is special,” Khaw said. “Even though my program has an emphasis on screenwriting, I also practice editing and film and TV production.”

Thanks to the program’s versatility, Khaw has continued to advance his goal of working in Hollywood.

“In my first year, I learned different techniques to tell compelling stories,” Khaw said.

Also in his first year, he finished writing his first feature film about friendship titled, “Please Like Me.”

Khaw described his workshop class as a fun experience.

“We assign roles to people, they read out the lines and then comment about the script,” he said. “It’s called table reading like in Hollywood.”

Now in his second year, Khaw is taking MED 766 – Pre-Production Practicum for Stage and Screen for his thesis project. It is taught by Conci Nelson, a faculty member in the CMJF department.

“This class provides me with an all-round typical Hollywood producer experience,” Khaw said. “We submit a script, create a pitch deck and pitch the project to our professor and classmates. The professor decides which projects to green light. Once our projects have been green lit, we move on to the pre-production process.”

This process includes creating call and crew sheets to hire actors and crew members, applying for grants and funding, and creating film schedules.

His thesis project “Longing” is a 15-minute film about unrequited love.

“I always wanted to make this film ever since I switched from biology to film and TV,” Khaw said. “The opening scene has already been shot. My team and I plan to shoot more scenes as time goes on. I’m so excited about it and look forward to submitting it to film festivals.”

MSU community fosters his creativity

Since Khaw began his graduate studies at MSU, he has taken some interesting classes. They are helping him to build a competitive portfolio of edited scripts and film productions.

Some of the classes include MED 683 – Advanced Television Production, also taught by Nelson, and MED 610 – Playwriting taught by Cristina Pippa, assistant professor and director of the dramatic writing program. Pippa is also Khaw’s advisor.

When Khaw took the playwriting class, it was his first time writing a play.

“I wrote a comedy and murder mystery play,” Khaw said. “I was inspired by an event on campus called Fountain Day, so I wrote a play about a murder that made the water turn red.”

Khaw said his peers provided positive feedback about the play. He also noted that he enjoys working with Pippa.

“She’s been really helpful with giving me effective feedback,” he said.

In the advanced television production class, Khaw worked as a post-production supervisor and lead editor for a project. The class was a mix of graduate and undergraduate students in the electronic arts program.

“We made a pilot of a multi-camera sitcom ‘Friends of Fiction.’ I remember this experience vividly because the final edit was screened at the CMJF student showcase,” Khaw said.

He added that he enjoys being a part of the MSU community.

“I love the MSU campus and the faculty. I even got to work on a faculty-led film which I’m not allowed to talk about yet.”

He is fond of the walking trail outside the Foster Recreation Center and included it as a location in “Longing.”

In addition to being a student, Khaw works as a graduate teaching assistant in CMJF. He teaches one of the lab sections for MED 365 – Digital Film and Media Production.

“I teach how to use camera, lights and sound recording equipment to create and edit short films,” Khaw said.

He gets excited to see how students passionately talk about their projects and express themselves through them.

Khaw is determined to work on more projects before he graduates in spring 2025. He desires to garner a rich variety of experiences that will qualify him to work as a writer, director and/or an editor for big film and TV productions.

“Film for me is a great way of expressing myself and talking to the world,” Khaw said. “My end goal is to write, direct and edit my own films.

“As I gradually forge my path ahead, I’m grateful for these achievements here at MSU.”

Explore degree options in dramatic writing

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Photos provided by Aaron Khaw.