Making a Film in Rome!

This semester, I wanted to really expand my horizons and try some new things outside of my comfort zone. I’m not a film major, but as an elective, I decided to take a class offered by IES Abroad that allows students to create a short film: Lights, Camera, Action! To me, this was an extremely exciting opportunity because I had always been interested in film-making. What better time to give it a try than while studying in ROME, especially considering the fact that we had the opportunity to learn under an experienced professional? I decided at the start of the semester to give it my all, even if I was sure I’d be a bit lost and definitely behind the class in terms of experience.

Now that we’re nearing the end of the semester, I have to say that I’m really glad that I decided to take the class. At first, my group was somewhat directionless, struggling to stick with a theme for our work and to commit to a direction; as we spent time together, however, having complex creative discussions and putting our resources together, we were able to create a short movie that, while perhaps not a masterpiece, reflects our hard work and effort. Seeing all of our time and effort amount to something – a completed art piece – is an amazing feeling and exactly the kind of experience I was hoping to have while abroad, especially because I feel like I’m coming away from it having learned so much. I'm really proud of all of my group members and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to work with them!

Below, you can check out some of the filming process. It doesn't look like much, but we shot over an hour of footage in three days.