It’s a bright, shining day as two rescue dogs play with each other in their enclosure. Volunteers and workers feed puppies, and play with kittens.
The film program recently went to Carrollton to film a PSA video for Operation Kindness as part of a larger push to move out into the greater Dallas community and gain professional crew experience.
“This year we did two big group projects, as well as two documentary-style videos for local non-profits,” senior Cam Hurley said. “We did a short for Operation Kindness, the shelter, and that was really fun; getting out there, playing with the dogs, but also doing some good.”
Despite the seemingly carefree nature of filming with puppies, the project served not only as a way for the film students to practice their skills but also as an experience working in an environment where the quality of the project has actual impacts.
“It’s one thing if you let yourself down and maybe don’t get the best grade,” film studies instructor Mark Scheibmeir said. “It’s another thing when you’re letting down children or animals that need homes; the stakes are a little bit higher. So it’s really great to see the guys rally around that, and they’re all really supportive of each other during that process.”
Learning to handle these new environments is part of the film experience — with the increasing importance of the projects, the professionalism of the crew must also increase.
But these students are no strangers to that. With the seniors’ years of experience on set, they can aid the new generation in continuing to produce high-quality work.
“I think the older guys have been on more and more sets, so when you’re walking in as a freshman, it’s a new experience,” Scheibmeir said. “And then whenever they work on more and more projects, they start to understand the differentiation between labor, different categories of what jobs everybody has. And then whenever the older guys come in, they know it’s on them to lead, so that’s where I think the professionalism comes in too. They understand those jobs, and they help everybody grow into those jobs as well.”
The work that the program has put into maintaining a high standard of conduct on set has paid off. The program had filmmakers bring back first place in the ATPI Dramatic category and second place finishes in the Comedy, PSA/Comedy and Documentary categories.
Their success resulted in an overall second place finish for top video after a triple tie-breaker. These awards reflect both their creative talent and the professionalism they’ve cultivated through real-world experience.
