Finding Their Voice Through Film

By the end of CLA’s Pre-Internship Project week, four undergraduate students sat together in FilmNorth’s 54-seat cinema, watching a short film they had created from start to finish.

Just days earlier, many of them had little filmmaking experience. Now they were seeing their work projected on the big screen, the culmination of a week spent learning, experimenting, collaborating, and telling a story of their own.

For Abby Stewart, Youth Programs Coordinator at FilmNorth, that final screening is one of the most meaningful parts of the organization’s long standing partnership with the College of Liberal Arts.

“We are firm believers that once you see your work on the big screen, that’s when you feel officially like a filmmaker,” says Stewart. 

The experience is part of CLA’s Pre-Internship Projects program, which connects students with organizations for short-term, hands-on projects designed to help them explore industries, build professional skills, and gain practical experience outside the classroom. This year, 23 students participated across six partner sites. Since the program’s launch in 2022, more than 300 CLA students have completed Pre-Internship Projects, gaining valuable career exploration and experiential learning opportunities. 

Why FilmNorth Partners with CLA

FilmNorth has partnered with CLA on the program for multiple years, introducing students to the fundamentals of filmmaking while helping them discover how storytelling skills can apply across a wide range of academic disciplines and careers.

As the largest filmmaking support organization in the Midwest and a leading youth media arts organization, FilmNorth serves filmmakers at every stage of their careers through education, mentorship, grants, workshops, and production resources. At the heart of that work is a simple mission: helping people find and share their stories.

“Our tagline is actually, ‘Find your voice',” says Stewart. “We’re here to help everybody from emerging aspiring filmmakers all the way through mid-career and late-career filmmakers.”

While some participants arrive with an interest in filmmaking, Stewart says the program is designed for students from all backgrounds.

“You don’t have to be a film major to be an artist and to be a filmmaker,” says Stewart. “In fact, it's almost preferred that you’re not because then you bring a much more diverse viewpoint into problem solving and the stories that you tell.”

That perspective aligns naturally with a liberal arts education, where students are encouraged to explore ideas across disciplines and apply their skills in new contexts.

Learning the Craft of Visual Storytelling

Throughout the week, students learned about film industry career paths before diving into hands-on instruction in camera work, lighting, sound production, editing, color correction, and post-production. The experience culminated in a collaborative film project that students planned, filmed, edited, and screened together.

Timmi Johnson, a Bachelor of Fine Arts student, entered the program unsure of what to expect.

“I got the email back and saw that I got in at FilmNorth, which I was excited about,” says Johnson. “But up until we had our meeting about it, I didn’t know exactly what we would be doing.”

What followed was an intensive introduction to the many elements that shape visual storytelling.

“It was a lot of learning about different aspects of filmmaking,” says Johnson. “It was like a crash course and that was really enjoyable.”

One lesson that stood out was learning how filmmakers create mood and emotion beyond what appears in a script.

“I learned that not only things like dialogue, but lighting, using different colors, and close-ups will set the mood,” says Johnson. “That was really cool to learn.”

For Johnson, the opportunity to work with Adobe Premiere Pro was a highlight of the week.

“I really had fun editing,” they say. “Not only editing what we worked on, but also when we were playing around with color and sound.”

Discovering New Interests and Career Possibilities

The experience also reinforced the value of exploring opportunities outside of one’s primary field of study.

“Anytime I learn something new, I want to do it,” says Johnson. “I think there's a way to marry filmmaking with what I already do.” 

Stewart says that kind of discovery is one of the reasons FilmNorth continues investing in programs like the CLA Pre-Internship Projects.

“Everybody’s interested in making a movie, and that’s kind of what brings them together,” says Stewart. “The students are always great, but they always have a different perspective, group dynamic, or even what majors they focus on.”

A Resource That Lasts Beyond the Project

FilmNorth’s relationship with students often extends well beyond the week-long project. Stewart describes the organization as an ongoing resource for participants who want to continue exploring filmmaking, storytelling, and creative careers.

“After this week-long thing, we don’t just push them off in the deep end and say good luck,” says Stewart. “We actually meet regularly with multiple CLA students that have come through this internship program.” 

One former participant used the experience as a launching point for a path that combined storytelling with global travel, languages, and humanitarian work. Stewart recalls receiving regular updates as the student shared radio stories and documented experiences from around the world.

“Watching her grow and really continue to travel the world and see different perspectives, not just as a person but in the stories that she wants to tell and what's passionate to her, has been special,” says Stewart.

For FilmNorth, stories like that demonstrate the broader impact of filmmaking education. While not every participant will pursue a career in film, the skills developed through storytelling, collaboration, communication, and creative problem-solving can carry into countless professions.

“Film is a tool just like anything else,” says Stewart. “If you want to tell a story and you want to further what you're doing, how can you use filmmaking as a tool?”

As students continue exploring careers and interests both inside and outside the classroom, the partnership between FilmNorth and CLA offers an opportunity to do exactly that: learn new skills, discover new perspectives, and find new ways to tell stories that matter.