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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter.

As a first-year film and television student at Boston University’s College of Communications, I’m always seeking ways to get experience and expand my skills in the field. This past weekend, I had the opportunity to help third-year BU students with a Production II class project where we made a four-minute-long short film. Follow along to hear about the process of filming from the perspective of a film student!

Two students sitting in the grass talking and studying LLC article
Photo by Keira Burton from Pexels

7:30 A.M.

We were shooting in a south campus residence, so I helped carry the equipment from the fourth floor to the basement as there were no elevators (to my dismay). We then moved the furniture in the basement and got all the light, sound, and camera equipment set up before the actors arrived. 

It turned out to be a very long shooting day and I’m always amazed at how long everything takes on a professional film set! I probably worked upwards of 20 hours just for a four-minute short film — and that’s not even counting the pre-production and editing work the group must do to produce a polished final product!

Olympus camera
Photo by Nick Schreger from Unsplash

My main role during the shoot was to slate each shot — meaning I got to use the classic film clapboard to track which scene and take we were filming while also keeping everything organized for the editor. I also did some Foley work with the sound recording equipment, capturing sound bites to mimic noises like heels walking on a carpet and a pearl necklace running across the skin. 

The most unconventional but memorable job I had was for one particular scene where I quickly switched the intensity dial on one of the lights to create the effect of a flickering TV on an actor’s face.

12:00 p.m.

At this point, I stepped out of the shoot to attend a meeting to plan another film project. The grind never stops! I’ve learned that the best way to make connections with fellow film students on campus is to simply jump at every opportunity I get. Especially as a freshman, this is a great way to meet older students and get my foot in the door. 

I’m thrilled about this upcoming project! And what’s more, I met the lady who is organizing it on the T. Networking can be unexpected, it can happen anywhere!

Canal Street Station Signage
Ana Paula Nardini / Pexels

6:30 p.m.

I went back to the original shoot where we wrapped filming for the day and packed up the equipment. I then returned to BU’s main campus for dinner and talked to my family on the phone. It had been an action-packed weekend and I wanted to fill them in on all my exciting experiences!

I was incredibly grateful to the older film students for taking the time to explain various elements of the technology to me. When they were changing the lenses or arranging lights, they would call me over to show me how things worked and I learned so much in the process! 

I’ve worked on other student projects before, but this small crew allowed me to have a bigger role in the action and spend more time with the other students so they could pass on their knowledge.

I look forward to working on more student films at BU! 

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Rae Ruane is a biweekly writer for Her Campus Boston University. She enjoys writing about a broad range of topics but is especially partial to feminism and culture. Having grown up in a small beach town in California, she finds that there is a lot of interesting material to cover in a new city! Rae is a sophomore studying Film and Television and Myth Studies. As a film major, she wants to study screenwriting and has won a few awards for her short screenplay work in the past from the Central Coast Film Society Student Film and Media Arts Competition and Urbanite Arts & Film Festival. Her writing has also appeared in BU’s Deerfield Journal. In her free time at BU, Rae enjoys going on walks along the esplanade and visiting museums. She listens to a lot of music and her favorite artists are Chappell Roan and Angèle. Outside of Her Campus she is involved with the Students for Reproductive Freedom and BU College Democrats clubs at Boston University.