COD MPTV Students Gain Real-World Experience and Opportunities

Sixteen students from the College of DuPage Motion Picture/Television (MPTV) program gained crucial real-world experience while interning for WCIU's satirical news show WTF News America this summer.

Produced by American Digital News Corp., WTF News America is a 30-minute weekly mockumentary-style news program developed by Second City and Saturday Night Live alumni which presents stories about the current and political events of the prior week in a satirical fashion. A ''week in review'' from both conservative and libertarian perspectives, the show combines scripted comic stories with real news.

According to College of DuPage Associate Professor of Motion Picture/Television John Rangel, the internship opportunity came about after a contact at the Illinois Film Office made him aware of the opportunity. He said internships like this one provide a valuable learning experience.

"Ninety percent of what you need to know for a career in film and television is learned in the making of that media, not in the classroom," Rangel said. "On every set and production, students will run into unique scenarios that must be dealt with in real time. Either they will have decisions to make or they will be there to watch a professional make decisions on the fly. This helps them learn a kind of anticipation you can't get from a lecture or demonstration."

Rangel said that in addition to crucial hands-on learning, the students also gain substantial benefit from the networking opportunities provided during the opportunity.

"Everyone in this field gets their first gig by being recommended which means their network is everything," he said. "Students begin to build one in class but the connections they make in a professional environment can, and often does lead to their first paid job."

Lemont resident Matt Miltonberger said he learned about the internship in class.

"Advanced Film Production professor John Rangel told all of us in class that this studio was looking for interns and to submit a piece of our work to them," Miltonberger said. "So I submitted a narrative music video that I wrote, directed, shot, acted in and edited and the next thing I knew I got called in for an interview."

Miltonberger, who plans to complete his A.A.S. degree in Film Production at COD in spring 2017, said his experience with the internship went well.

"It went from a nonpaid internship into a full-time paying job for me after about two weeks," Miltonberger said. "I haven't really felt like I'm at work, but more like I'm helping create a TV show with a lot of talented people who all know how to make it as enjoyable as possible."

Miltonberger has also specialized in animation at COD and plans to pursue a career as a motion graphics animator. Initially interviewing for the show's head cinematographer role, his experience with motion graphics and animation lead the producers to offer him a role doing motion graphics animation and editing, as well as supervising post production.

"This internship presented me with animation and editing obstacles that I've either never thought of or have never encountered which helps a lot with preparing me for real world challenges," he said. "The role of post-production supervisor gives me experience in what the workflow is like while simultaneously working on projects with others and making sure that everything gets finished. It's a big role that I'm proud to fill."

Miltonberger said he is pleased with his experiences at COD.

"I honestly love COD and I would highly recommend COD to anyone," he said. "The faculty in the MPTV department have truly been my mentors for the past two years; especially John Rangel and Tony Venezia."

He said one of the most important things he's learned at COD is to promote your talents and passions, and believe in yourself.

"With film and animation or any media production, the most important thing is to create content and get it seen," he said "Make stuff and put it out there for everyone to see, whether it's just friends and family or the whole world. Do what you love and make sure people know you're doing it and that you love it. Be who you want to be."

COD Student Langan Jenkins said her experience during the internship has been a won

experience with motion graphics and animation lead the producers to offer him a role doing motion graphics animation and editing, as well as supervising post production.

"This internship presented me with animation and editing obstacles that I've either never thought of or have never encountered which helps a lot with preparing me for real world challenges," he said. "The role of post-production supervisor gives me experience in what the workflow is like while simultaneously working on projects with others and making sure that everything gets finished. It's a big role that I'm proud to fill."

Miltonberger said he is pleased with his experiences at COD.

"I honestly love COD and I would highly recommend COD to anyone," he said. "The faculty in the MPTV department have truly been my mentors for the past two years; especially John Rangel and Tony Venezia."

He said one of the most important things he's learned at COD is to promote your talents and passions, and believe in yourself.

"With film and animation or any media production, the most important thing is to create content and get it seen," he said "Make stuff and put it out there for everyone to see, whether it's just friends and family or the whole world. Do what you love and make sure people know you're doing it and that you love it. Be who you want to be."

COD Student Langan Jenkins said her experience during the internship has been a wonderful challenge.

"This internship included everything we've learned about in the classroom but haven't had the opportunity to experience," Jenkins said. "They let us try different roles, to see what we're good at. While I'm more interested in film, working in TV and seeing the work on a smaller scale has really helped because it's easier to take more in and learn more working on a smaller scale."

Jenkins' role during the internship was that of coordinating producer. Held to a three-day turnaround, she is responsible for breaking down scripts and coordinating elements such as the number and type of actors needed and set requirements. She said her experience in the MPTV program at COD has prepared her well for the internship and for entry into the industry.

"I am better prepared than I could ever have hoped for in just two years," said the Lombard resident. "The interviewers were very impressed and told us that they have never had students who were so knowledgeable. I also met students from four-year schools like Tribeca and Colombia and we were able to keep up with them."

After graduating high school, Jenkins lived in Los Angeles where she worked as a model. She stayed there for the next three years but found that she was not enjoying the work.

"Modeling seemed superficial to me," she said. "I didn't feel good about my work."

During her time in L.A., Jenkins got a little taste of the movie industry. Unhappy with modeling and exploring options, she enrolled at COD upon her return to Illinois.

"COD made sense financially," she said. "Also, while I was in L.A., three different producers recommended COD because they knew and had worked with someone who had gone to COD."

In addition to serving the internship this summer, Phi Theta Kappa member Jenkins is finishing the last class requirement for her A.A.S. degree in MPTV. While she has been accepted into the writing program at Northern Illinois University, she also hopes to receive paid work through her experience and networking opportunities gained during the internship. Inspired by an early interest in journalism, she hopes for a career that includes making investigative documentaries focused on crime.

She said she has discovered personal strengths and gained direction at the College and through the help of faculty.

"I didn't know I could write well until I came to COD," she said. "Screenwriting teacher Heather Curry was supportive and a big help. In the MPTV program, John Rangel is like a mentor to all his students. I knew I could send stuff to him and he would give me honest feedback."

Featuring faculty with award-winning, national production credits and state-of-the-art audio and video production equipment and facilities, the MPTV program at College of DuPage specializes in preparing students for employment or transfer into a variety of fields and offers degrees in Animation, Digital Broadcast Journalism, Film/Video and Television.

Click here to view a video about the MPTV program at COD, as well as examples of student work.