By Dean’s Intern Meredith Bartley at Voice of…

By Dean’s Intern Meredith Bartley at Voice of America

At my Dean’s Internship in the documentary and special programming department at VOA, I have been working on a documentary about the terrorist group Boko Haram, produced by senior executive producer Beth Mendelson. I came on during post-production, but I feel as though I’ve seen many different aspects of the filmmaking process. It has been a crazy experience – everything that could possibly go wrong has! But it’s also a masterclass in producing. Beth has juggled half a million things, from contracts to technology to workplace politics to festival submissions. I love following in her footsteps – literally – as we trek across the halls to check on different departments. I like to joke that it’s a bit like “The Devil Wears Prada,” except we’re making a movie, not a magazine!

One of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do is personally submit a rough cut of the film to the Sundance Film Festival. Next up on my list are Tribeca, Full Frame, South by Southwest, and more. It’s a whole new experience to navigate the festival circuit and handle deadlines, file types, and other requirements. And, of course, we’re still just trying to finish up the film! It has been wonderful be part of such a professional production.