Changing from one art area to another may not come as an easy transition, however communications junior Rhodes Evans felt it necessary to prioritize her love for film, even if that meant making the switch over from the theatre department. In order to further familiarize herself with the art, Evans decided to travel cross-country to Chicago where she attended the National High School Institute at Northwestern University.

“I went to this particular film program with hopes of gaining a better understanding of the technical side of film making,” Evans said. “Going from acting in the theatre department into directing was pretty smooth and made a lot of sense, but there is a lot more to film making and directing than just understanding actors. You need to know lenses, slates, shot progression, sound design and editing; all things that I understood in a basic way, but this program helped me understand each position so well that I could actually utilize them on set.”

Evans initially decided on the program because since Northwestern has always been her top choice for college, she wanted to be able to experience the campus and gain insight into what it would be like taking serious film classes.

“A typical day starts at 8:30 with a Film Theory class for two hours, where we basically study different types of film and directors, as well as, doing shot-by-shot progression. My second class was editing, where we learned [an editing system called] Avid and all the equipment. [Later] we would either have a master class, we would meet with our crew for our projects or we would film.

The five-week long program not only offered Evans the chance to expand her knowledge of the basics of film, but also taught her the ins and outs of the professional film world in a broader spectrum.

“[During the program] I switched editing software from Final Cut to Adobe Premier, I learned how to shoot on a c-47 camera and I learned how to get location rights for production. As well as, how film demand and marketing shifts on a country-by-county basis. I was able to communicate and collaborate with kids from all over the world.”

From experiencing a program such as the one she attended, Evans saw how she got just as much as she was willing to put in- and then some.

“I think this program really helped me learn new terms and techniques. Just learning from new teachers helps me to better understand different audiences. I can now take experience back home. The art world as a whole is so much bigger than I realize sometimes. Often I forget that there is so much more than South Florida.”