CREW REVIEWS

It was an amazing experience and will definitely be something I remember for my whole life. The friendships and connections I made on the trip are ones I hope to keep for the rest of my life. Everyone seemed genuine and real.

This was my first time leaving the country, and I had an amazing time! My instructors (Karsu and Steph) were the best and I couldn’t be happier that this was my first time directing a documentary. I loved having the opportunity to also work with a producer/editor and cinematographer, as this taught me a lot about the importance of collaboration.

The Thailand trip was an amazing experience. I got to learn a lot about film production and was able to interact with a culture that is very different from my own for the first time ever. It allowed me to do a lot of things that were out of my comfort zone.

Traveling to Chiang Mai for two weeks to film a documentary was by far one of the best experiences of my life. Everything was easy to get to, the people I traveled with were awesome, and being able to go with my professors as well made me feel very safe and guided. The structure and the way the course was organized made things go very smooth while also giving us plenty of free time to enjoy the city. I would definitely recommend this opportunity to anyone and if this wasn’t my last semester in college, I would have absolutely taken another travel course with actuality media again.

This was such an amazing experience. I loved learning about the city of Chiang Mai and meeting the local changemakers were had the privilege of filming for our documentary. I enjoyed walking around the city with the classmates on the trip and sightseeing all of the different things to see in Thailand.

An amazing experience! I think that if the trip was a bit longer and we had more time to film it would have been better. I loved the people I was with, and the city was alive and exciting. I will recommend Thailand to all of my friends.

The outreach programme offers you the opportunity to learn first hand the challenges and joys of developing documentary. It is a deep immersion to the culture and the film making process, working closely with your team to uncover a local story which affects the people f the town. You have the opportunity to understand and see how the people really live and the challenges that affect them, which as a tourist you wouldn’t have access to.

I had never been on a plane or out of the country until I did this trip. I would highly recommended doing any study-broad program. Bali is a very unique beautiful place. There are so many different things to do there it is crazy. There are endless beaches to go to, you can go snorkeling, surfing, hike up volcanoes, go to waterfalls. My instructor Robin was awesome, he truly cares about his students, he is very informative, and he will go out of his way to help you. Overall I feel I grew as student and as filmmaker. I can’t wait to travel to more places!

As an overall summary: I’m glad that I went. The Lake is absolutely stunning, and the people in the communities around it are just wonderful. I did learn a lot, and I’m grateful for the friendships & connections made … but I definitely think improvements can & should occur for future Outreach programs.

To anyone considering study abroad programs, I cannot recommend it enough. It truly opened my eyes to the possibilities that surround me, how I can help others, and how much I can learn. It is definitely challenging to encounter another culture and language, but asking questions and truly emerging yourself is all you need to do. I am a better students, and most importantly a better filmmaker after this experience. I cannot wait to learn more and travel to new places. I’m inspired to seek knowledge elsewhere.