Students Joel Harlan-Ledbetter, Molly Van Buren and Regan Hutton collaborate on a film. UNG film and theatre students are working together in growing numbers, and this collaboration has enhanced the quality of student-made films.
Article By: Clark Leonard
Film and theatre students at the University of North Georgia (UNG) have joined forces in a mutually beneficial partnership, landing acceptance in 22 festivals and awards in six festivals throughout the region for UNG's student-made films in recent years.
Two of the more prominent recent opportunities were inclusion in the Rome International Film Festival in Rome, Georgia, and the South Georgia Film Festival in Valdosta, Georgia.
The collaboration between the two sets of students was further cemented in the fall when UNG launched the School of Communication, Film & Theatre within the College of Arts & Letters. Students produce between 30 and 40 films each semester.
"UNG student films have become mainstays in festivals throughout Georgia and the Southeast," Dr. Jeff Marker, director of the School of Communication, Film & Theatre, said. "And that's creating more opportunities for theatre students, as well."
Regan Hutton, a junior from Flowery Branch, Georgia, pursuing a degree in film and digital media with a production concentration, was able to enter her film "The Locked Trunk" in the Bobcat Film Festival at Georgia College & State University and the South Georgia Film Festival at Valdosta State University. The Bobcat Film Festival was the first time she saw a film of hers on the big screen with an audience. Her movie is a horror thriller about a struggling artist who gets mailed a key and goes on a terrifying adventure to discover where the key belongs.
These projects are growing from the relationships between theatre and film students. It's creating that home-grown community of artists who are going to be the future leaders of the industry in our backyard.
Zechariah Pierce
School of Communication, Film & Theatre associate director for theatre
Hutton credits her growth as a filmmaker to the hands-on production classes that allow her to work with different types of equipment. She appreciates the approach UNG film faculty members take.
"They are very capable of teaching us, but they also step back and let us learn on our own," Hutton said.
Molly Van Buren, a sophomore from Flowery Branch, Georgia, pursuing an Associate of Arts on the threatre pathway, has partnered with Hutton on several projects.
Van Buren has thrived on the chance to work alongside film students in addition to her acting work in "1984" this spring with the Gainesville Theatre Alliance (GTA).
"I've made so many new friends and learned so many new skills," Van Buren said. "I'm able to understand acting in a different way than I did before."
James Mackenzie, School of Communication, Film & Theatre associate director for film, marvels at the way film and theatre students have taken advantage of their new connections.
"We have seen the quality of our student films increase dramatically through the partnership with our theatre program and GTA," Mackenzie said. "They have great actors. They get to collaborate and tell a story."
Georgia hosted 412 productions, represented by 32 feature films, 36 independent films, 269 television and episodic productions, 42 commercials, and 33 music videos between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022.
Zechariah Pierce, artistic director for GTA and School of Communication, Film & Theatre associate director for theatre, said UNG's setup allows actors and filmmakers to get a head start on making their mark in the state's booming film industry.
"These projects are growing from the relationships between theatre and film students," Pierce said. "It's creating that home-grown community of artists who are going to be the future leaders of the industry in our backyard."
