The Secret Life of a Harvard Film Student

“I study Econ. What about you?” he says while cutting the whipped cream-soaked “Veritaffle.”

You clear your throat and say, “Visual and Environmental Studies.”

A moment of silence. “You mean environmental science?”

“No, Visual and Environmental Studies,” you sigh, deciding to give up as the guy at the other end of the table clearly still has no idea what you are talking about. “It’s basically visual arts. I’m a film student.”

As a minority group on campus, film students at Harvard not only need to explain to their friends the name of their concentration and the beauty of the Carpenter Center but also have a very different work schedule. If you want to learn about the life of a Harvard film student or become one yourself, here’s a typical day in the life:

1. 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.: Preparing for Shooting

Most people think the quintessential quality of a film student is visual imagination, but it is in fact heavy lifting ability—camera, sound bag, boom pull, lights, and tripod do not get to the set by themselves. You carry them all the way from your dorm, set them up, and realize you forgot the SD card for your camera. You run back to your dorm, take the SD card, and get back to the set 10 minutes after 9 a.m., the scheduled time for shoot. But it’s all right, because as usual, all your crew are late. One of them can’t find the way, another has problems parking, and the last one simply doesn’t pick up the phone.

2. 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: Shooting

At 11 o’clock, all your crew are on set, and you start to shoot. The actors can’t remember their lines, and their movements are stiff. You shoot take after take, but they just keep getting worse. You pretend you are delighted by their improvement so that they don’t get pissed off. After 10 takes, you give up and decide to go with the first one. Following a lunch break, you start to shoot the second scene. The sound equipment gets into the frame. Reshoot. The boom pull gets into the frame. Reshoot. You realize you have to miss your 3 p.m. class and also have to beg the actors to stay longer than planned. They reluctantly agree. Suddenly, the sun comes out, and the lighting looks amazing, and the actors are giving unbelievable performances. You can’t believe your eyes. You get a great scene.

3. 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.: Other Things

This includes working on your assignments for other classes, replying to emails, procrastinating, and realizing you have missed dinner hours.

4. 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.: Editing

While most people are not aware of it, Sever does have a basement, and it contains several editing rooms. There’s no windows and little light, so it is fairly depressing. You stay up late choosing the shots from the day that you are satisfied with and sync the sound for these clips. It seems to be a simple task, but when you get out, it’s already 2 a.m. You are very sleepy and have to walk all the way from the Yard to your room, but still you feel a bit of pride because your whole day’s work has led to one short but really great shot.

Moral of the story: Film students have a hard life. Support them; talk to them; show your care for them. If you feel like donating money to improve their lives, please contact the writer of this article directly.

—Staff writer Tianxing V. Lan can be reached at tianxing.lan@thecrimson.com.