MFA Film students work on feature film

Working on a major film production is a dream for many students in the Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media. It was a reality for several current students and alumni who were asked to serve various roles on “The Woman in the Yard,” one of the first feature length films to use the new Athena Studios and several other locations near Athens.   

“The Woman in the Yard,” a horror movie produced by Blumhouse Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures, employed four MFA Film alumni and current students, including Clare Methe (MFA ’22), who served as a location assistant. Methe was hired as part of the Blumhouse Traineeship Program, which aims to help filmmakers start careers in the film industry. Production started last spring and concluded in June.

“This was the biggest set I have worked on so far and I really saw how many departments need to work together and talk with one another,” said Methe, comparing this experience to indie and student sets she had worked on previously.

Other students who worked on the film with Georgia settings mainly in Athens and Bostwick, were current students Zachary Calhoun and Jesse Scales who were hired as office production assistants and Leah Andrea Sade Francois, who was a stand-in for one of the lead actors.

Marty Lang, director of the MFA Film program, recommended the students and alumni to Blumhouse.

“Nothing can prepare a student or young alum better for the world of film and television production than actually being on set,” Lang said. “Blumhouse was so kind in reaching out to us and allowing us to provide that incredible experience for our students.”

Scales, a current MFA Film student who helped the production coordinators with a myriad of tasks, said it was a long few months but a fantastic opportunity.

“Overall it was a great experience because I learned many things that you just can’t learn in film school,” Scales said. “I was able to learn a lot about the film industry in just a few shifts on the set. Nothing beats true experience.” 

As a location assistant, Methe interfaced with many different operations ranging from serving as liaison with owners of the locations the film used, to helping organize parking, security and even a snake wrangler, since some of film’s scenes took place outside.

“Serving as a location assistant is not for the faint at heart because you have to learn to say ‘no’ to make sure you protect the relationship between the location and production,” Methe continued. “But, you get to meet a lot of people in all different departments and learn their job workflow.”

Lang, who was recently named one of 200 Most Influential of Georgia’s Creative Industries, knows the value of experiences like this: “With the explosion of film and television production in Georgia, there are now so many opportunities for students to build their professional network. The students we had on “The Woman in the Yard” will be in a fantastic position to quickly build their careers, now that they’ve had the chance to work with so many in the industry.”

Methe, who lives in Athens and graduated with the inaugural MFA program in 2022, appreciated the opportunity to work on the film set as she finishes writing her next script, “St. Sebastian.”

While a student, Methe was nominated for a Filmmakers First Fund screenplay grant, allowing her to take advantage of participating in several special workshops, which fueled her aspirations for a career in writing. Her thesis film, “Our Beloved,” had its debut at the Atlanta ShortsFest last year and will have its Athens premiere Aug. 16, 2024, at inaugural Athens Film Festival.

“I love writing,” Methe says, “but, I also love that collaborative feeling you get on a set.”

“The Woman in the Yard” is set for release in March 2025.

Author: Sarah Freeman, Freemans@uga.edu