From the Ground Up: Metro’s First-Ever Filmmaking Apprenticeship
Metro High School Apprentices Partner With Local Business for Successful Film Premiere
Students and staff from the Metro Achievement Center for girls Filmmaking Apprenticeship Program posing with Alex Theoharris (center), owner of Ground Up Coffee Co. in Chicago.
This summer, the College Orientation Program (COP) girls of Metro Achievement Center participated in the very first Filmmaking Apprenticeship. The apprenticeship spanned three weeks in which the girls learned the basics of filmmaking, learned from guest speakers in the industry and were able to produce their own short film. The apprenticeship gave the girls the opportunity to be creative and learn about a career in the media industry.
For their final project, the students created a short documentary. They wanted to focus on a local business due to the negative impact COVID-19 had on small businesses in Chicago. The staff and students chose the coffee shop a few doors down from Metro called Ground Up, a popular spot for Metro staff, volunteers, and students.
Alex Theoharris, owner of Ground Up, takes pride in Ground Up’s customer service and its link to the community, so the Metro Filmmaking students wanted to create a film that reflected this and would help more people learn about the great work Alex and his staff are doing at Ground Up.
“COVID-19 has impacted my business how it has impacted other businesses so the number one thing is obviously the flow of customers and the amount of orders we can receive,” Alex said. “Along with that the overall safety of staffing people and with that staff the safety of serving products. Specifically in hospitality where you rely on people coming into the door to make sales and serve people.”
On their second week of the apprenticeship, the students dedicated two days to film the average day at Ground Up, from the customer's point of view to that of the baristas working throughout the day. The girls used high-end camera equipment to film their documentary. They were able to become directors and producers while using professional equipment to film. In preparation for their interview with Alex, they learned the basics of filming, camera usage, and interview techniques. Their final piece was a three-minute documentary combining footage of Ground Up during a typical day as well as clips of their interview with Alex. Their film captured the mission and story behind Ground Up.
After their second day of filming the girls only had a few days left to package all their footage into their final project. On their last day of program, the girls premiered their short film to the Metro staff, students, and Alex. They not only produced a film, but they developed a relationship with Alex and his business, which both have a long history with Greek Town.
“The girls were really cognizant of the vibe and they really wanted to highlight the ambiance of Ground Up because I have curated a particular ambiance here with the music and the lighting...And they did a really good job at highlighting the essence of Ground Up,” Alex said. “We’re a local business and we want to participate in our local community in any way we can and teaming up with great organizations like Metro is one way that we’re more than happy to do it.”
As an added bonus, Alex also became a great role model for the College Orientation Program students, because he himself went to college (DePaul University) and received a high-quality education before embarking on his dream to open up a business and serve his local community.
The overall experience of the Metro Filmmaking Apprenticeship is summed up by the filmmaking instructor, Emily Getner:
“It was such a joy to work with the girls; their creativity, ingenuity, and work ethic was inspiring and impressive. Film is the ultimate collaborative medium, and everyone worked together equally to create our final project. In just three weeks, they went from only having basic knowledge of movies to full fledged filmmakers! Every one of them is an artist in their own right, and I hope they take the skills we learned to wherever life takes them next.”
About Midtown Educational Foundation: Midtown Educational Foundation (www.midtown-metro.org), through its Metro Achievement Center for girls and Midtown Center for boys, has helped close the achievement gap for underserved students in Chicago since its founding in 1965. Their programming focus on academic excellence, virtue development, individual attention, and parental engagement has led to 100% high school graduation and college enrollment for its students for 21 consecutive years. They were recently awarded the 2020 Chick-fil-A True Inspiration Award.
Media Contact:
Vince Meno
Director of Community Outreach & Marketing
Phone: 773-520-7202
Email: vmeno@midtown-metro.org