When I was in middle school, my dream job was to be a director or a cinematographer. I even studied cinematography in my first year of high school. But as priorities shifted while moving through school, I eventually landed on mechanical engineering, then computer science as the field I want to work within.
While moving through my journey as a STEM major, I’ve been wanting to revisit my roots as a creative person. The shift back happened over this past intersession (the equivalent of winter break—it’s the period between the fall and spring semester). I took a class called “Demystifying the Entertainment Industry.” It’s a class focused on helping people interested in film get something done to put in their portfolio and learn more about the entertainment industry and the jobs within. We had the choice to make either a dramatic short film, or a comedic sketch (which is what I chose to do). Throughout the whole process we workshopped our ideas and scripts among the class. Most, if not all, my classmates were STEM majors as well, which was really affirming to see people on a similar path. It was there that I was able to rekindle my love for film while building and rebuilding all the fundamentals I lost during my inactivity. All the encouragement I got from my final sketch lit a fire under me that I thought had long been extinguished. The best part was that we were taught by the Golden-Globe nominated, Emmy, Cannes, and NAACP-Image-Award winning producer, writer, director, and Hopkins alum Luke Kelly-Clyne.
I’m grateful that I currently have a job where I’m surrounded by creative individuals every day. I asked one of my coworkers who is a Film and Media Studies major here at Hopkins (20th in the country!) about ways I can get involved as a STEM major, and that’s when the answer came up: Studio North.
Studio North is Hopkins’ only student-led production company. They do so much to foster the talent of the people within the club. They give grants to two applicants for them to shoot their dream short film which is then screened at the SNF Parkway Theatre. It’s an amazing chance to not only get your film made, but to also work on a film set in any role that you’ve dreamed of being in. You don’t have to submit something to help with production; all experience levels are welcomed with open hands to help someone’s dream film come true. But if you are interested in submitting a screenplay to be shot, the company hosts office hours, so you can get feedback on how to make your script even greater.
Outside of working on set, Studio North hosts GBMs (General Board Meetings) every two weeks which are always lots of fun. The first couple of minutes are typically dedicated to going over some of the fun events you can look forward to (like screenings of previous grant winners’ films) and the latter half to fun film-based games. Last GBM, we played a game where we were given three randomly generated words, and within your team, we went around in a circle adding one line to a collaborative screenplay with the goal of all three words being integrated somehow. The final product was by no means good, but it might’ve been the funniest script I’ve ever read.
Studio North has been the Godsend. I didn’t even know I needed to release all this built-up creativity I’ve had for so long. It’s a great, low-risk way to get involved with film and our amazing Film and Media Studies program. I know for me, it’s one of the reasons I’m taking my first ever film class here at Hopkins. It also exposed me to so many ways my combined love and knowledge of film and computer science can open pathways towards hidden jobs no one knows exists to break into both the computer science and entertainment industries.
Whether you’re already a film major, or someone who just wants to be surrounded by people who love movies as much as you do, I can’t recommend Studio North enough. For me, it’s given me a creative outlet while I can still enjoy my STEM degree. Sometimes all you need is a push, even something as small as a class during winter break, to lead you back to who you are.
