Lights, Camera, Collaboration: How Teamwork Drives Walnut Hill's Writing, Film, & Media Arts Projects
Great storytelling, whether on the page, on screen, or another medium, benefits from multiple voices, opinions, and ideas. Filmmaking, for example, is inherently collaborative.
In the Writing, Film, & Media Arts program (WMFA) at Walnut Hill, students learn more than the technical skills required to bring their stories to life. They learn how to grow as young artists, work with others, and prepare themselves for the reality of a future in a creative field.
Collaboration is the backbone of WFMA
From day one in WFMA, students learn that creative work is not a solitary activity, but one that thrives in a supportive community. To nurture this collaborative mindset, WFMA students dive into team projects right away, kicking off each year with a group onboarding project that sets the tone for the kind of creative partnerships that will define their experience in WFMA.
Collaboration in WFMA is about more than just making great art. It’s about building relationships, learning from one another, and growing as creators.
“The culture of the program is collaborative and supportive, in part because we've done so much work to get the students to realize that at this point in their life as young artists, it’s about the relationships you build during the project more than the product that you create. Your first project doesn’t have to be perfect, but it’s your first interaction working with someone else. And we want it to be a positive experience.” - Matthew Seifert, WFMA Faculty
11 Things You Might Not Know About WFMA
Instilling a culture of collaboration
Collaboration may be the backbone of WFMA, but what does a collaborative community look like in practice?
According to Matthew, beyond simply working together, students are coached on how to give and receive feedback in a way that strengthens both their projects and their creative confidence.
Instructors encourage constructive critique through frameworks including the “I like, I wish, I wonder” framework: I like this element, I wish it had more of that, I wonder how it would change if you tried this. This approach fosters a culture of encouragement rather than criticism, helping students refine their work while supporting their peers.
“We often will frame feedback sessions in a way where we ask people to build up, not tear down. Part of our work is to coach them around how to phrase their feedback.” - Matthew Seifert
Teaching more than just technical skills
Technical skills of filmmaking and other artistic mediums can be taught anywhere. What makes the WFMA experience at Walnut Hill distinctive is the focus on how to work with others, be a good member of a team, and valuing the learning process over the final product.
"I would rather a film fail as a product but the team can walk away from it with an understanding of how they can make it better next time.” - Matthew Seifert, WFMA Faculty
Watch a group of WFMA students’ collaborative film project come to life
A core outcome of WFMA is to support students developing into versatile, adaptable artists who have the tools to bring their ideas to life. The ability to collaborate and work with others is a necessary skill to be successful in a future as an artist and creator.
Are you interested in Writing, Film, & Media Arts at Walnut Hill? Inquire today.
- WFMA