While playing on an abandoned Macintosh computer as a child, Laurence Jackson discovered the magic of filmmaking. From the very moment he pressed the iMovie icon, he knew making movies was his calling, the freshman letters and sciences major said.

But at this university, there’s no longer a major made to nurture Jackson’s dream. A once-renowned film track whose alumni include television journalist Connie Chung and Magnum P.I. writer and producer Nick Thiel, was reduced in the early 1990’s to a handful of film classes because of major budget cuts.

As a result, students such as Jackson have to come up with their own solutions to fill the film major void. Jackson is considering constructing his own major through the independent studies program that would combine business and film.

“But in a way, that’s a pain,” Jackson said. “I’d much rather be in a school that supports me in film.”

Professional writing lecturer Reiner Prochaska, also a filmmaker, said the state is doing more to attract film producers to an area rife with multicultural talent but deficient in training.

“There’s more Indie projects coming here,” he said. “We have to create that local talent who have the appropriate education.”

The scanty remains of the film program stand in contrast to a 36-credit program at Towson University, where Prochaska also teaches. Towson’s Electronic Media and Film department trains students who aim to make a career in film with classes covering topics such as audio production and screenwriting, he said.

But Jackson is determined that a lack of a similar program at this university will not hinder his ambitions. With the help of volunteer actors, photographers and extras from all over the campus, Jackson will begin production on his latest venture, “Hollow,” a story connecting the adverse experiences of four university students. The film will premiere at the Hoff Theatre in May.

He plans to start filming this month in various locations on and off the campus, and he held auditions at CSPAC weeks ago.

“I like capturing life,” Jackson said. “Film is a medium that helps people experience something greater than themselves.”

Jackson also heads his own production company, I-MIJ, for which he films events like weddings and birthdays using only a digital video camcorder, a tripod, an interface box, a mic and his handy laptop. I-MIJ, which comes from the dictionary pronunciation of “image,” has produced six short films, including a 13-minute feature Jackson wrote in high school called, “Jericho.” The film has screened in coffee houses, in Jackson’s Centreville dorm and at a church in Orlando, Fla.

Jackson draws much of the material for his films from people he interacts with everyday.

“I’m a people person, I’m a people watcher,” Jackson said. “I care a lot about people and what they deal with.”

Aside from a few high school film classes, Jackson said everything he knows about filmmaking and writing comes from studying the movies he watches, such as his favorite, Crash.

“I like creative stories and appreciate plots that imitate life,” said Jackson, who added that his inspiration comes from his faith in God.

Prochaska has also been successful in filmmaking. Yesterday at Hornbake Library, he premiered his independent film, Limits to Ambition, which won Best Gay Feature at the New York International Film & Video Festival.

Prochaska acted, wrote and edited the film, which tells the story of a German immigrant and the difficulties he faced in love, friendship and employment. Prochaska wrote the story for his master’s thesis at Towson University, taking two years to complete it.

Prochaska, who teaches to supplement his acting career, said the screenplay was originally based on his own immigration experience.

“As you form your own production, things change and I added layers,” Prochaska said, smiling. “The film is now 95 percent fiction.”

The Maryland Film Office offers attractive tax incentives to production companies that choose to set their movies in the area and even coordinate casting calls for the latest films.

Among the types they are looking for: “College professors and teachers. College students. College aged skateboarders and some hacky sack players.”

Contact reporter Arelis Hernandez at hernandezdbk@gmail.com.