Last summer, Ithaca College senior Rachel Maus interned through IES Abroad at a small production company in Rome called Fake Factory that specializes in projects for television, music videos, and feature length films. With majors in Cinema and Photography and a minor in Italian, Rachel had limited time to study abroad. She says, “In order to go abroad, I had to do it in the summer because I didn’t have time during the school year.” As the hub of the Italian film industry, Rome was the perfect fit.
During her internship, Rachel worked on music videos, digital editing, and developing spot treatments for clients. But the most exciting project was translating subtitles for an Italian film, Ci Vorrebbe un Miracolo (It Would Take a Miracle). There was limited time before the film was to be screened in film festivals, but Rachel was up to the task. “I was flattered that they trusted me enough to do that,” she says.
Rachel was nervous using her Italian with native speakers at first, but her Italian co-workers’ support and encouragement helped her feel more confident. “Being able to interact with people at the company and working with material in Italian helped me improve my conversation, reading, and writing skills.”
Before interning abroad Rachel had intended to work in the film industry, but the experience helped broaden her horizons. “Now I’m not narrowly focused on film, but would like to work in some kind of media setting where I could expand, not just in the U.S., but abroad as well.” Looking back on the experience, Rachel wishes she had the opportunity to stay longer but leaves no regrets behind. “I loved it so much and had one of the best experiences I could have asked for.”
