Film Internships

Film Production Majors are required to complete 1 credit hour of THFM 4880 Studio Experience (a production experience supervised by ta BGSU faculty member) OR 1 credit of THFM 4890 Internship in Film (a production experience supervised by an external Internship Supervisor).

Students are responsible for locating internships that provide experience in the field.  They are responsible for getting information from their Internship Supervisor about their duties and the number of hours they will work.  Students are also responsible for handing all the paperwork before and after their internship, which allows them to get university credit for the experience.

Students cannot enroll in THFM 4890 Internship in Film on their own.  Instead, the Department of Theatre and Film enrolls students in THFM 4890 who complete an Enrollment Form, Internship description, and Internship Contract.  Electronic copies of these forms are on the Department website (Student Resources).  Hard copies are available at the THFM front desk.

These forms must be submitted to and approved by the BGSU Internship Coordinator (Cynthia Baron) BEFORE students begin their internship, for example:         

Summer - Materials due before the end of Spring Semester    

Fall Semester - Materials due before the end of Spring Semester

Spring Semester - Materials due before the end of Fall Semester

Students keep a copy of the Enrollment Form, Internship Description, and Internship Contract to ensure that they fulfill the two final steps required for securing credit (see below).

Students work at least 70 hours to get 1 internship credit.  They work at least 140 hours to get 2 credits; 210 hours to get 3 credits, and so on.  Students can request more than one credit hour if they are certain they will actually work the necessary hours during the internship.  Keep in mind that a student’s total number of hours has to be verified by the external Internship Supervisor.

Students often work more hours than they count toward the internship credit.  There are many reasons for this.  For example, if the internship credits cause a student’s course load to exceed 18 credits, there are additional tuition fees, the course load must be approved by the College Office, and the student has to enroll in person at the College Office.  Also, it is often impossible for an Internship Supervisor to guarantee that a student will work a specific number of hours, and it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Enrolling in THFM 4890 during the summer will result in additional tuition fees.

Required Forms:

• The Enrollment Form is for a student’s contact and enrollment information.
• The Internship Description is a typed, two-page document with the following information:
  • Name and address of the company or organization
  • Type of company (television station, post-production house, etc.)
  • Name of Internship Supervisor and position at the company
  • Summary of your expected duties and responsibilities
  • Total number of hours you will work
  • Number of credit hours requested (70 hours is equivalent to 1 credit hour)
  • Approximate start and end date of the internship
  • Actual semester to be enrolled

The Internship Description must be completed BEFORE the Internship Contract; the Description has to be reviewed and approved by the internship Supervisor before they sign the Contract.

• The Internship Contract is for the Internship Supervisor’s contact information, and is the essential agreement between the student, the Internship Supervisor, and BGSU.

After completing the internship, students must submit an Exit Essay and their Internship Supervisor’s Evaluation Letter to receive university credit for doing the internship – to get credit, the BGSU Internship Coordinator must receive these documents before the end of the semester in which the student is enrolled.

The Exit Essay is a typed, two-page document where students discuss their internship experience, explaining what they learned (about production, their interests, and abilities), and how the actual experience compared with their expectations.

The Internship Supervisor’s Evaluation Letter confirms the total number of hours the student worked and assesses their performance.  Students get internship credit only if the Evaluation Letter is on company letterhead and has the Internship Supervisors signature.

Students should get their Supervisor’s letter immediately after completing their internship, because production people change jobs frequently and might not be available if a student waits to request a letter.  Students should also complete their exit essays directly after completing the internship, so that their impressions are fresh, clear, and detailed.