Movie Set Gives UT Film Majors Internship Cred

For students this past semester, being a film and media arts or communication major at UT has meant leaving the classroom and walking onto a major motion picture set.

Forty-five students turned interns for The Infiltrator, a movie about federal undercover agent Robert Mazur’s missions while based in Tampa in the 1980s and starring actor Bryan Cranston, of Breaking Bad fame.

"I was blown away by it. It's definitely a huge opportunity for us here," Nick Delisi ’15, a senior double-majoring in film and media arts and theatre, told FOX 13 News back in February.

The University of Tampa partnered with the Tampa-Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission to provide the internship opportunities.

“Many of them developed relationships with the company that could very well lead to more work for them on future films,” said Gregg Perkins, associate professor of communication. “The students worked across several departments from the production office to being stand-ins for actors on set. Many of them reported that the work was long and intensive, but very rewarding in that they were able to see how a feature film set operates in all of its many facets.”

Biance Sarver ’16, a film and media arts major from Chicago, said the experience helped give her a sense on how to communicate in a production office.

“Every minute counts, so everything you say needs to be relevant,” said Sarver, who was also a production intern with WEDU in the spring. “You need to be quick on your feet and diagnose where you’re needed and when you need to step back. Being a part of this production has put the reality of what working in the film industry means, because it’s so different from the classroom.”

Filming began late April and is scheduled for release in 2016.