When actor and director Ron Perlman cast ’s hometown of , as the setting for his new movie, Pottersville, in January, students were ready for internship opportunities in movie-making magic.
The light-hearted comedy stars Michael Shannon and Judy Greer, and includes the acting talents of .
The filming was identified by and film and media studies program as an excellent opportunity for students in the concentration. Within a few short weeks, six internships were established, including everything from managing extras to wardrobe to set design.
“It was kind of unpredictable,” said Erin Moroney ’18, a molecular biology major from Gaithersburg, Md., who worked on the film from January 4 to 23. “I ended up getting a lot of different experiences with a lot of different departments.”
Students sewed patches on jackets, ironed costumes, hauled props, managed extras, and spent hours wrapping cables and running errands. At times, they would also take on the less-than-desireable task of “lockups.”
“That’s basically standing outside telling people to be quiet,” said Sam Whalen ’16, a computer science major from Quincy, Mass. “It was really difficult, especially when you knew the people walking by.”
Whalen also found herself in charge of handling all of the details for more than 30 extras from the local community. “I had to make sure all of the extras were in the right place, that they were happy, signed in, had food, and I would bring them to the set. I had to make sure wardrobe and makeup had seen them,” she said. “I didn’t care where I worked; I just wanted to be in the production.”
, said ’s minor in film and media studies takes students through the history and theoretical frameworks of films while also examining the aesthetics of film form and film as a national and transnational influence. Once students become critical viewers, many say it is hard to look at films, the news or engage in social media as they had before.
“We regularly have visiting independent filmmakers come to campus to screen their work, but this is an opportunity to have an up-close, personal experience to see what it takes to make a larger scale production happen,” said Schwarzer. “It’s an eye opener — from hauling in snow because there wasn’t enough on the sidewalk, to the tiniest of details. It’s where creativity, technology, and real-life problem solving all converge. It’s much more complicated than you would think. It isn’t at all a glamorous experience. It’s difficult, stick-to-it work.”
And stick-to-it they did. For nearly 20 days, students worked very long hours, often through snowy nights and brisk mornings to help make Pottersville a reality. It’s that kind of hands-on work that can make all the difference when it comes to deciding what career to pursue after college, Schwarzer said.
“Beforehand you might think, ‘This is the life for me!’ And then you sit in the cold for fifteen hours and rethink that notion … or you think, ‘I could go another ten.’ It’s a good reality check,” Schwarzer said.
In Moroney’s case, her time with Pottersville piqued her interest in film, and as a result, she plans to take additional arts and film classes, and look for ways in which her love of molecular bio can match up with filmmaking, perhaps by focusing on documentary or nature films. For Whalen, she learned that life on set may not be for her, but she now has a better idea of how her work in a screenwriting class this semester might translate to the big screen.
“Empowering our students to experience, to learn, and to endeavor is what does best,” said . Hopefully one of the takeaways is that, if there’s a vision, you can make it happen.”
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