Film bootcamp: From the ‘Burg to the Big Apple

“The JMU in New York Program is like film bootcamp. If you are curious if film is for you, you will know the answer by the end of the program,” says program founder and director Imelda O’Reilly, Associate Professor of SMAD. The work begins before they even step foot in NYC — in the weeks leading up to departure, O'Reilly and students meet several times to jumpstart collaboration, select screenplays and even attend a camera and lighting workshop with professional cinematographer Joe Foley. 

The time in New York covers pre-production, production and post-production. “You become a film family, and you eat, drink and sleep film for those three weeks,” O’Reilly says. Students take on different tasks during each production phase such as casting actors, scouting locations, sourcing props or costumes, and organizing a budget to submit to the Screen Actors Guild as part of the filmmaking process. 

For Daisy Fuller (‘25), “The program was the highlight of my college career. I became a true filmmaker and was able to experience the ups and downs of making a short narrative film all while being in my favorite city.” 

An entire semester’s worth of content, effort and creativity is packed into three weeks, letting participants fully immerse themselves in overcoming the challenges of filmmaking. One of last year’s productions was SMAD major Kaiden Greer’s (‘26) award-winning screenplay, “Sinking,” which follows a boy whose father died in a scuba diving challenge. They needed a boat — and fortunately, O’Reilly was contacted by a University of Texas at Austin student interested in interning with the program, whose father got the crew access to a boat on Long Island. 

“Not only was I able to bring my film to life,” said Greer, “but I was able to make connections I never would have dreamed of and like-minded friends that I’ll be able to work with in the future.”  

O'Reilly also brings industry professionals in as mentors, including actress Catherine Curtin (known for “Orange is the New Black” and “Stranger Things”) and Barbara De Fina, an executive producer of “Goodfellas,” who gave students feedback and advice on their films.  

These connections encourage professionalism and growth in participants. “I was able to walk away from it with so much more knowledge about film, and a newfound respect for the filmmaking process,” shared Beth Johnson (‘25). “I know for a fact that being a part of this program will help me through my career and prepare me for the real world.”  

In the five years since the program began, students have produced 21 short films, received 13 awards and screened at over 25 film festivals. Numerous alumni have established themselves across the industry and country: Buck Bloomingdale (‘18) sold his feature screenplay to an entertainment company in 2025; Devon Donis (‘20) is a freelance producer, director and cinematographer in Los Angeles; Sarah Mlčoch (‘18) is an assistant editor at a post-production company; and Quinton Carr-Goodwin (‘19) is an assistant engineer/media vault manager at a post-production audio studio, among many others. 

“It was easily the most enjoyable and transformative experience I’ve had at JMU,” Maz Walzer (‘25) remarked. “The program ignited a fire of passion for film inside of me and afforded me a network I will hold dearly in my heart for years. The experiences are unparalleled, and the complete immersion in film is nearly indescribable. It’s truly a wonderful program.”