Opportunities beyond the classrom

Workshops

Our monthly Fridays with Film Studies series brings professionals from the industry for demonstrations and hands-on workshops.

Recent highlights include Lighting for Film and TV Fundamentals by professional gaffer and grip, Seth Floyd, and Underwater Cinematography with cinematographer Chris Rish.

Two students and an instructor with scuba gear stand in a shallow part of a pool looking at camera equipment

Undergraduate research

To gain hands-on experience in the field and editing suite, students have opportunities to work with faculty on film projects, such as shooting a documentary about Eckerd College’s Community Farm, or conduct an independent study to serve as assistant editor on a faculty film production.

Film studies student holds a camera and mic while seated in the back seat of a moving golf cart

Environmental film outreach

In this reflective service-learning course we venture out into the Tampa Bay area and explore the roles that film can play in environmental care, education, and action. Students go on field trips and produce short documentary videos to support the outreach efforts of our community partner, Oyster River Ecology.

Film studies internships

Film studies students have refined their career goals by interning at Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit, Sacramento Theatre Company, Sunscreen Film Festival, Pitch Her Productions and DiGa Productions.

Festivals and screenings

Throughout the year film studies hosts a variety of film screenings on campus. Ranging from works by famous directors to our own students, we show critically acclaimed films in a variety of genres and modes of filmmaking. In addition, students have the opportunity to visit film festivals across the United States.

Sundance

Film festivals remain vital for their role in getting the word out about what’s worth watching and have continued to innovate in the era of digital streaming. Our Sundance Film Festival over Winter Term course explores the history of American independent film from its emergence in the 1980s to the radical changes of the last decade as a result of digital technologies and the internet. The course culminates in a week-long visit at the Sundance Film Festival, where students have the opportunity to attend screenings and meet filmmakers.

Full Frame

Half a dozen students stand side by side in a theatre in front of a screen that reads Full Frame

Eckerd film studies students also have the opportunity to participate in the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival’s Fellows Program. One of the premiere documentary film festivals in North America, Full Frame screens outstanding contemporary documentary films and brings together well-known and emerging names in the field. The Full Frame Fellows program immerses students in the documentary world for a long weekend in Durham, NC, to connect with film professionals and other student filmmakers from around the country.

Environmental Film Festival

Large group of people seated on the ground in the evening while a man stands with a microphone on stage in front of a large screen

Eckerd’s own annual Visions of Nature/Voices of Nature Environmental Film Festival presents a collection of new documentary, animated, experimental and feature films on environmental issues. Film scholars, filmmakers, and speakers join the festival for discussions and workshops. Offered in conjunction with the festival, the popular “Environmental Film Colloquium” course invites students to examine what films teach us about our relationship to the natural world, as they develop and create their own environmental films.

International Cinema Series

Our International Cinema Series presents critically acclaimed and important films from around the world (including independent and artistic American films) almost every week. We show restorations of honored classics as well as contemporary films that have captured the attention of critics at recent film festivals.

Film and Video Festival

Seven students sit side by side on the edge of a stage in front of a large screen that reads 2024 Eckerd College Film and Video Festival

Each academic year our cinematic journey culminates in the Eckerd College Film and Video Festival to celebrate all of the creative accomplishments that Eckerd students have been working on over the past year. Beginning with a red carpet reception and photo opps, the festival showcases short narrative, documentary, experimental, animation and more. Truly an event not to miss!