COMM/THEA 495: Storytelling and Film: Senior Experience
Department of Communication & Theatre Arts
Old Dominion University
The Making Of
The Making Of mini documentary follows students in the Storytelling and Film Senior Experience from initial concept through production, post production, and final reflection. Filmed alongside the course, it documents work-based learning in action through collaborative, hands-on filmmaking.
Rather than centering only on the finished film, The Making Of foregrounds the learning embedded in the process. Students assume professional production roles, operate within real creative constraints, and work closely with faculty and industry mentors. As the semester progresses, we watch students applying their emerging expertise, managing team dynamics, communicating across roles, and adapting to the inevitable challenges of complex creative work.
Reflecting on The Making Of by Destiny Lewter
Destiny shares, "this internship involved creating several small projects through the semester. One of my first projects focused on analytics research for ODU’s engineering department and our other university competitors, like Virginia Tech. I saw which videos received the most views based on factors like the content type, editing style, title, and its overall presentation. From this project, I developed a stronger understanding of audience engagement and content strategy. "
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Read more about Destiny's experience in her ePortfolio!
About The Making Of
WBL in Action
The Storytelling and Film Senior Experience is work-based learning in action. Students step into real production roles, collaborate within professional workflows, and work alongside faculty and industry mentors to create a finished film project.
The Making Of mini documentary captures this process as it unfolds, showing how students apply classroom learning, develop career ready skills, and navigate the realities of collaborative creative work.
Sharing the Process
Creative work rarely happens in isolation. Filmmaking is a collaborative process that requires communication, adaptability, leadership, and problem solving.
By focusing on the behind the scenes experience, this mini documentary makes student learning visible. It shows how students work in teams under real deadlines, communicate across roles, respond to unexpected challenges, and reflect on their growth throughout the process.
Reflective Learning
Student reflections are at the heart of the documentary. Short interviews capture their experiences in their own words, including how they navigate collaboration, leadership, and decision making throughout the production process.​
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Faculty and industry mentors reflect on how the course supports high impact learning by combining disciplinary rigor with professional practice. Their insights highlight student growth in resilience, communication, and creative problem solving, as well as the value of mentorship and guided reflection.