KINGSTON, R.I. – May 7, 2024 – Jacob Snowiss wanted to push himself in his final semester as a Film/Media student at the University of Rhode Island. For Snowiss, that meant working on 10 student films—and being on a film set every weekend this semester.

“I wanted to work on these films not just because I wanted to see these incredible stories come to life but also because I knew it was the end,” said Snowiss, a senior from Franklin, Massachusetts. “I don’t know when I’m going to have the chance to do what I’ve done this semester—in the span of a couple of months.”

In the FLM 496 Film/Media Production capstone class alone, he was director of photography on four films and the first assistant camera operator on two more – on everything from a coming-of-age tale to a comedy, and from a noir to a German expressionist film.

“My goal was to see what I’m capable of after my time at URI,” he added. “It’s been an honor that other students have trusted me with their films.”

Snowiss’ commitment – and that of his classmates – is one the things Keith Brown loves about the FLM 496 capstone course.

“The cool thing about the program is that everybody is really collaborative,” said Brown, a teaching professor in Film/Media in the Harrington School of Communication and Media, who teaches the capstone course with professor Nicholas Corsano. “The fact that Jake worked on 10 movies when he was required to work on two says a lot. The students are all really supportive of each other.”

That collaborative spirit will be on the screen Thursday, May 9, at 6 p.m. in Edwards Hall when more than 20 short films from the capstone class are screened. The event, which includes popcorn and snacks, is free and open to the public. A reception will be held at 5 p.m. in the Edwards lobby, which will be decorated with student-made posters of the films.

“I am super excited for Thursday night,” said Abigail Stephenson, a senior in Film/Media from Livingston, N.J., who co-directed, acted in and wrote “Sixteen.” “All of my classmates have worked so hard this past semester and I can’t wait to see what they have made. The amount of support we receive during these screenings really motivates us and makes us appreciative of all the hard work we do in the film program.”

“The capstone class gives students the hands-on experience of film production, which, along with the technical and creative aspects, can include fundraising to pay for actors and casting,” Brown said. 

At the start of the semester, the 38 students in the capstone class’s two sections helped narrow down the scripts – each written by a student director – that were presented for consideration. Once the projects were decided, students chose the jobs they wanted to try or the ones they wanted to gain more experience with. Students, except for directors, are required to work on at least two films, but many work on more than that. Also invaluable are the number of undergraduates who are not in the class but who volunteer to help out to gain experience.

A key for students is learning how to solve problems. “An actor can bow out at the last minute, a planned filming location may be unavailable, coordinating your actors and crew can be a challenge,” Brown said.

“Scheduling all these people at the same time and place is really challenging to get the movie done on time,” he added. “This semester because there are so many projects, we had two movies that were still shooting the day before rough-cut screenings. There’s one movie that we haven’t even seen a rough cut for,” he said. “So, there is a lot of problem solving.”

Abby Wildgoose, a senior in Film/Media from Warwick, said directing – especially directing your own script – is all about problem solving and finding ways to tell your story.

“Adaptability is what I’ve picked up from this experience,” said Wildgoose, who wrote and directed the psychological thriller “Trich.” “Not everyone is going to be on board with you and obstacles out of your control somehow always pop up. It’s finding ways around these challenges – using different methods of communication and taking advantage of all available resources – that are valuable lessons learned.”

Set in 1962, “Trich,” is about a young woman, Claire, who compulsively pulls out her hair and ends up in a convent. Wildgoose and her 10-person crew shot around the state at such locations as St. Barnabas’ Church in Warwick and the Cumberland Public Library, a former monastery. But there were hurdles.

“One of our biggest challenges was making sure every detail fit seamlessly into the time period,” she said. “It is difficult on the set of a student film. But it makes the story that much more interesting.”

Stephenson, Emma Kociu and Devin Pastras also found unique settings to film their movies.

For his film “Time Spent at the Paradise Tea Room,” Pastras “lucked into” a location in Providence – a bar called The Avery. With its ornate, hand-carved woodwork and lighting behind a wooden drawing that made the bar glow, it’s the perfect place for a story in which characters mysteriously brought together make a bet that can last their lifetimes.

Pastras, a senior Film/Media major from Harrington Park, New Jersey, was inspired to write the script by a family photo of a restaurant – the Paradise Tea Room – opened by his grandparents after they emigrated from Greece. His grandfather died when Pastras’ father was 17, and the photo of the restaurant, with his grandfather visible in the tea room’s window, is one of the few photos the family has of him. “A mystery held by the Paradise Tea Room,” said Pastras. “The rest of the film grew from that idea.”

“Working on this film has really brought me to understand how collaborative the process of making films should be,” he said. “I was lucky to work with so many talented and devoted people. Every way I gave up control, I was rewarded with ideas and products that I could never have achieved on my own.”

Kociu’s romance, “So Bitter, So Sweet” – about a woman whose spirit is trapped in a restaurant for decades – was filmed in Lucia’s restaurant in Newport, which the owners allowed her to use at no cost. While it was a challenge because the restaurant was only open for six hours at a stretch, the free location was important to getting the film made, she said.

“I think what makes my film especially cool was getting to work with hired talent,” said Kociu, a junior majoring in Film/Media and English literature from Manchester, Connecticut. “I hired actors to play the roles of two older folks who visit the restaurant in the story.” 

Stephenson and co-director Haylee Hartung were able to use a room in Brown’s house to film their coming-of-age story, “Sixteen.” The pair created a realistic girls’ bedroom, bringing in things from their own childhood bedrooms.

“The cool thing about our film is the look and color,” said Hartung, a senior in Film/Media and journalism from Taunton, Massachusetts. “It really is a gorgeous film that brings out all sorts of color and softness that really embodies what it is to be a 16-year-old girl.”

At Thursday’s screening, Hartung and classmate Nathan Taft, will both receive the Riglietti Award. This award is given to a student who has performed with exceptional dedication and contributed to Film/Media in ways that go above and beyond their work in the classroom.