Meet Some of Our Filmmaking Students

I was particularly drawn to Champlain's small size. It's perfect because you get to know the people you're going to class with, and you become close with your professors and mentors. Those relationships allow you to learn as much as possible from the most inspiring people.

My favorite class was my first documentary class because that's where I found out about the type of work I want to pursue. I also got to work on my own for the first time, which was challenging but rewarding. My project ended up receiving an honorable mention at the Northeast Student Emmys. It made me realize the impact I can have on people by telling their stories to the world.

I'm involved in the Women in Film Club and the annual service trip to Uganda. Women in Film is a great space that inspires women and nonbinary students in a male-dominated field of study. We inspire each other to create change and make the future more inclusive for all people in the industry. 

I have also helped with the Uganda Service Trip for three years. It's a great way for students to learn intercultural intelligence while creating meaningful change and fulfilling relationships through service learning.

I was drawn to Champlain because of its amazing Filmmaking program, study abroad programs, and internship opportunities. Champlain has a really unique Filmmaking program in that it is very non-competitive and everyone wants to support each other. There's a great sense of community at Champlain, which makes it a great place to learn and grow as a filmmaker instead of just competing against your classmates. 


In addition, Champlain has smaller class sizes, which makes your experience personalized since your professors and classmates get to know you well and always want to see you succeed.

One of my favorite Core classes at Champlain was called Kid Heroes and explored the representation of kids as the protagonists in books, movies, and TV shows. I found this class fascinating, as it taught us about storytelling, examined how kids are represented as protagonists in media, and even explored philosophical questions like what it means to be a kid. I really liked how this class related a lot to my major, but also gave me a chance to work with other students who aren't Filmmaking majors and who I might not have met otherwise.

I always go to the Grind, which is Champlain's weekly open mic event. I met a lot of friends there and have performed quite a few times, usually playing guitar or ukulele and singing! One of my best friends and I have been performing together at the Grind since our first year at Champlain!

I am a Production and Camera Intern at Class Four Co. I help with most of the production-related work during gigs and in-house shooting. I had opportunities to learn new equipment, meet new people from the industry, and learn industry practices such as speaking with clients, getting paid by the gig, and other industry fluency.

My major is intimate enough that my professors and classmates know who I am, and can help me be who I want to be. That is probably the best part about Filmmaking at Champlain College.

Champlain has turned me into a very hungry person. Champlain offers lots of opportunity, and it gives me so many chances to navigate lots of possibilities for my future.

Burlington is a beautiful city with a small-town feel. There's a strong sense of community here, and I think that's awesome. Burlington is super walkable and there's so much variety in the types of restaurants, stores, and local venues here. It's also a very outdoor and environmentally conscious city. There are a good amount of parks to get lost in, and the waterfront is always a great place to relax. The stars up here are really something else though. There's not a ton of light pollution, so it's like experiencing a brand new sky compared to where I come from. I recommend checking out the local shops, especially the local food. There's a lot of great variety and food from other cultures that you can explore here in Burlington. I would also recommend investing in a hammock. Hammocking at the waterfront parks has become my favorite pastime and a good way to destress.

First of all, I really love that all my professors still work in the field. The world of filmmaking is ever-changing, so to have professors that are still in the industry keeps the program relevant and accurate. I also love that my professors are personable; they feel more like colleagues and collaborators. The sort of lack of hierarchy between student and professor makes the learning process easier. Class feels more like I'm in a mock professional environment than anything else.

I feel more in tune with the filmmaking industry that I'll be going into. Champlain has provided me with really accurate knowledge; not just the technical lingo, but the experience of what working in film will be like. In the classroom, I've gained invaluable knowledge about how to work with others, exercising my craft, and presenting my ideas in a way that they will be accurately understood. Outside the classroom, I've grown a lot more socially, which helps me build networking skills that I know I'll be using in my career path.

There are different types of major classes. One type is called a "production" class. In a production class, you are expected to make a film or documentary that will be finished by the end of the semester. Whether you direct a film or just work on someone else's, you are able to focus on the practical aspects of filmmaking for the majority of the semester. This also allows you great freedom to dive into projects that interest you and your creativity.

I studied in Auckland, New Zealand during the spring semester of my junior year. I was the only one out of my immediate friends who was traveling there, and that allowed me the freedom to make new friends in a new place. I was fortunate enough to have great roommates who came from all over the world, and I got to see a country that is very geographically different than the one I live in.

The Filmmaking program also tends to offer an abroad trip for a small group of students every winter break. The trip that I went on was to Saudi Arabia, where I produced a narrative short film with Saudi filmmakers. We spent two weeks in Jeddah, a coastal city on the Red Sea.

As a filmmaker and writer, every experience and every bit of knowledge that you learn can be pushed back into your work, and that's because our job is to replicate the world around us. The broader your perspective and the more open you are to learning, the more complex and moving your art can be.

I chose the arts as my field because of my passion and drive to create. I didn't know I wanted to major in Filmmaking until I was told by an Admissions Counselor to focus on my day-to-day activities, that my calling was in there somewhere. I noticed that I'd already been watching and studying films way before I was remotely interested in going to school in that field.

I truly love the Upside-Down Curriculum—it gave me the opportunity to feed the beast that has been my artistic ambition since my first semester. The professors are a valuable and important part of my experience because they are all working professionals with an abundance of knowledge about how our industry is run. 

I also value the connections I built with my peers. Because of the need for collaboration in filmmaking, we were all working on each other's projects and bouncing new and fun ideas off of each other. The element of competition is removed from the curriculum, which is great because it allows us to help one another grow.

Champlain has taught me the patience, techniques, and networking skills that are essential to jump-starting my career. I've had opportunities to work on student films, indie films, and even industry commercial work. This experience paired with my degree will definitely give me a leg up over other candidates for similar positions. The Career Collaborative is also a great aid to students, especially those who want to get started early.

Champlain College was the only in-state school I applied to because I loved the hands-on Filmmaking program and all the production classes. I couldn't afford the other colleges I got into, but when I visited the Champlain Financial Aid office during an Open House, they said I was being considered for a first-generation Vermont students scholarship that would cover most of my tuition for all four years. 

The day I found out I got the Vermont First Scholarship, I started crying. I had been planning on staying home to work because I couldn't afford college otherwise. Champlain made it possible for me to earn a college degree, pursue my career, and realize that I could grow and flourish if I put in the work.

I loved all of the production classes. Having a camera in my hands on the first day of school was so unique. Being able to practice so much in my classes made me feel better prepared to get an internship and work as a freelancer in the film industry starting in my first year of school. In the Production Management course, we learned how to be an Assistant Director (AD), and we used the software that professionals use on blockbuster pictures to go through the process an AD does during pre-production on a feature film.

I completed over ten internships and freelancing assignments during my time at Champlain, including working for companies like BBC Three UK, Vice Media, Wild Hart Gin, and Ned Kelly Pictures in Dublin, Ireland. I was able to bring industry knowledge and experience to each internship because of the content I created and experienced in my classrooms. I came into each role knowing exactly how to do my job and elevate the expectations that were given to me because I'd done it before at Champlain.