Neighbor News
Oakland University Film Students on Set with Film Partner Michael Manasseri
Students serve as production assistants on film sets, thanks to a collaboration with OU's professional film production partner.
While some students are spending summer watching movies, 12Cinema Studies (CIN) students are helping produce them.
In collaboration with OU’s professional film production partner Michael Manasseri, CIN students served as production assistants during the first few months of summer. Manasseri brought the students on set of “The Pickle Recipe,” a short film he is directing, for hands-on experience.
“There’s so much that goes on at a movie set that I can’t all be taught in a semester at school,” Michael Mendola, CIN student and production assistant for the film, said. “I’ve learned so many new things here.”
Working 14 hour days and shooting up to eight scenes per day, the students learned in each department of the set to get a taste of every aspect. The departments ranged from camera work and filming to editing and costume design.
“The students switch from different departments so they’re able to get a grasp of the whole scene,” Manasseri said. “There’s nothing quite like being on a real set.”
Learning the essentials on a film set aren’t the only skills students picked up on. The production assistants experienced the stress, proper etiquette and flow of the film industry, which Manasseri says is the real learning lesson.
“The best part of this experience was seeing how everything works and how to act,” said Amber Stankoff, CIN student and production assistant for the film. “It’s all stuff I never knew about.”
“The Pickle Recipe” isn’t the first set Manasseri has invited CIN students to be on. During the partnership, Manasseri has hosted CIN students to 29 sets, including films, commercials, trailers and music videos.
Adding to the out-of-classroom experiences, students participate in specifically geared workshops held by Manasseri. These help students to specialize in a department within the film industry.
Now that the short film has wrapped up shooting, some students will assist in the editing process. When classes resume in the fall, Manasseri hopes to set up more workshops for CIN students and find other filming opportunities.
