25 High School Film Internships + Summer Programs in 2024
What’s Covered:
- 9 Film Internships for High School Students
- 16 Film Summer Programs for High School Students
- How Do Internships Affect College Admissions?
Creative teens with a passion for storytelling may just find their niche in the exciting world of film. There are plenty of opportunities in this industry, from producing to editing to directing to technical work.
Curious about whether filmmaking is the path for you? Through these programs and internships geared toward high school students, you can find out. Included are some internships, scholarships, and film programs both during the school year and in the summer.
9 Film Internships for High School Students
1. Brooklyn Interns for Arts & Culture
Application Deadline: May 10
Duration: One year
BIAC encourages students to prepare for college, careers, and life while supporting their community. Students participate in creative workshops, college readiness courses, and professional development sessions during this year-long paid internship offered by the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where they will learn about the inner workings of one of the most renowned theaters and performing arts venues in New York.
Just 15 New York City high school seniors are chosen to participate in this paid internship annually.
2. Museum of the Moving Image Teen Council
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
Participants of the Teen Council help the Museum of the Moving Image shape its program offerings for young adults. Students build leadership skills and teamwork while gaining real-world project management experience by organizing events like the museum’s annual Teen Film Festival. Participants receive a stipend at the conclusion of the program.
3. Film Consortium San Diego Internships
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
The Film Consortium San Diego offers a number of internship opportunities to high school and college students. Internships are customizable and able to meet the unique needs of students and cover fields ranging from film-focused areas like editing and production to film-adjacent fields such as event planning and marketing.
4. Atlanta Film Society (ATLFS) Internships
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: 16 weeks (minimum)
ATLFS interns get hands-on experience in the production of a film festival. Interns assist with a variety of administrative duties and can explore concentrations such as film programming, screenplay programming, and outreach. Although the ATLFS doesn’t offer internships in production, their internships are an excellent way for aspiring filmmakers to connect with the local film community.
Interns must be 18 years old and high school seniors are eligible to apply.
5. Greater Cleveland Film Commission (GCFC) Internships
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
The GCFC has hosted more than 120 high school and college interns since 2007. The GCFC offers a number of internship opportunities throughout the year, all of which allow interns to gain real-world experience in media production, non-profit organizations, and day-to-day office life. Interns handle a variety of tasks and can find themselves doing everything from stuffing packets for an upcoming production to working on the set of a local film.
6. Media Arts Center San Diego Internships
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
The Media Arts Center San Diego—an organization that provides new media tools and channels to create equitable and engaged communities where underserved voices are heard—provides internship opportunities to San Diego County high schoolers.
No prior film experience is required, however, interns are expected to possess excellent written and communication skills and be prepared to work in a professional setting.
7. New Hampshire Film Festival Internships
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
Participants in this internship might not have the chance to get behind the camera or in the editing bay, but they can connect with local filmmakers and get an up close and personal look at the production of a film festival. Interns assist with day-to-day operations, including everything from distributing festival materials like badges to helping set up and break down venues and events.
Friendly, courteous, and dependable high school seniors are welcome to apply.
8. ArtWorks: Internships in the Arts
Application Deadline: April 3
Duration: Six weeks (June – July)
Florida high schoolers in grades 9 through 12 are eligible to participate in this paid six-week internship. Participants can flex their creative muscles and develop essential skills while making art under the guidance of professional artists and staff. Opportunities are available in a number of creative fields, including film.
Interns are paid a rate of $12 an hour.
9. Amherst Media Internships
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Six weeks
Amherst Regional High School (in Amherst, Massachusetts) students are given an excellent opportunity to gain real-world experience in media through this amazing internship. Participants build real-world skills while engaged in one of three tracks: production intern, administrative assistant, and social media intern.
16 Film Programs for High School Students
10. Fresh Films Weekly Filmmaking Program
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: N/A
Students in this program participate in weekly meetings with the Fresh Films team and professionals from Sony, Paramount, Discovery Networks, Roku, and more to learn the ins and outs of the film industry.
By the end of the program, students will have helped produce a music video for a real band, a competition show, a social video and movie scene for Paramount+, a documentary with Roku, and a scripted short film with Sony Pictures!
11. NYU Tisch Future Filmmakers Workshop
Application Deadline: May 1
Duration: 14 weeks
Via the famed NYU Tisch School of the Arts, teenagers can take advantage of a free 14-week program where they will hone their “personal vision and voice.” Storytelling is emphasized, as are technical skills. Participants will also get hands-on experience and have discussions with professional filmmakers and Tisch faculty. The workshop is open to all high school students with an interest in the arts and demonstrated academic achievement, who are committed to completing the entire workshop.
12. Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) Teen Council
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Four months (February – May)
The MoMI Teen Council is a job development program for NYC teens interested in the media arts who want an in-depth look at how a media museum works. As a part of the Teen Digital Media Innovators program, Teen Council members curate public events for youth, including film festivals, media workshops, and more.
This paid opportunity includes mentorship from museum media educators, filmmakers, actors, and museum programmers. It allows participants to have a direct role in the programming of the Museum of the Moving Image.
13. NOVAC/The COOL Cooperative Summer Camp
Application Deadline: May 1
Duration: Four weeks
New Orleans middle and high schoolers get a crash course in creativity and experience the joy of movie-making in this free four-week summer program. Participants explore a number of movie-making fields, including sound, camera, and post-production.
14. Summer Arts Institute
Application Deadline: February 11
Duration: Four weeks
This free four-week program for New York City students in grades 8 through 12 is not to be missed. Participants can major in several creative fields, including film. Students selected for the program work with professional artists to build skills and gain hands-on experience. The program culminates with an exhibition of participants’ work.
15. NYU Tisch Online High School Filmmakers Workshop
Application Deadline: May 1
Duration: Four weeks (July 8 – August 2)
The NYU Tisch School of the Arts offers an online filmmaking workshop for high schoolers focused on directing, shooting, and editing. Participants will produce a crew-based documentary, a crew-based music video, three technical assignments, and a final narrative film that they write and direct in a program that mirrors an undergraduate degree program.
The program is open to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors and costs $7,376.
16. New York Film Academy Teen Filmmaking Camps
Application Deadline: Varies
Duration: Varies
In NYFA’s summer film camps, students will write, shoot, direct, and edit their own films. In this program designed for students with little to no film experience, students receive in-class instruction and take part in on-set production, learning all about the exciting world of storytelling through film. The programs culminate in a screening of the participants’ works.
17. SOCAPA Filmmaking Summer Camp
Application Deadline: Varies
Duration: Varies
Offered in New York, Los Angeles, and Vermont, the School of Creative and Performing Arts Filmmaking Summer Camp Intensives “mix the best of elite film programs and exciting summer camps.” There are six different filmmaking intensives available for students from ages 14-18, through which participants craft their own films and work collaboratively with other participants.
18. UCLA Film and Television Summer Institute
Application Deadline: June 1
Duration: Three weeks (June 23 – July 13)
UCLA is renowned for its film programs; now, high school students can take advantage of them too. In this three-week intensive workshop, students will learn about the art of cinematic storytelling and will create their own film projects, working both independently and collaboratively. They will also observe lectures featuring guest speakers.
19. USC Cinematic Arts Summer Program
Application Deadline: April 30
Duration: Six weeks (June 24 – August 2)
The oldest film school in the U.S. encourages high school students to learn about the world of filmmaking, screenwriting, computer animation, or the film/television business through these six-week summer sessions at USC. Students take real college-level courses and have the opportunity to potentially earn college credits.
20. Austin Film Festival Young Filmmakers Program – Summer Film Camp
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Eight weeks (June 3 – July 26)
The Austin Film Festival’s Summer Film Camp offers classes and workshops in the arts of screenwriting, filmmaking, claymation, and more! The program helps budding artists build their storytelling and collaborative skills while providing them with a forum to express themselves.
21. Interlochen Filmmaking Summer Program for High School Students
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Three weeks (Session 1: June 23 – July 13; Session 2: July 14 – August 4)
Participants will have the opportunity to work with professional filmmakers, guest artists, and other talented students to create a movie from scratch. The program includes classes and hands-on lab time to practice technical production and post-production skills. As filmmaking students, participants will partake in workshops focused on production, post-production/editing, screenwriting, tech skills, and film history.
22. Oklahoma Arts Institute Quartz Mountain
Application Deadline: February 12
Duration: Two weeks (June 8 – 23)
Artistically advanced Oklahoma high schoolers can build their skills and connect with other young creatives in this free, two-week, residential summer program. The cross-disciplinary program seeks to inspire and push students from eight different disciplines—film and video, acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing and painting, orchestra, and photography—to develop their skills and collaborate on projects.
23. Quinnipiac University | Modern Storytelling: Movie-Making
Application Deadline: June 2
Duration: One week (Session 1: July 15 – 19; Session 2: July 22 – 26)
Participants in this program at Quinnipiac University learn to tell their stories across a variety of media platforms—building skills in producing, scripting, cinematography, and post-production. Students work with experienced faculty and filmmakers, get hands-on experience using industry-standard cameras and editing suites, and conclude the program with content they can use in portfolios for college applications.
24. Sarah Lawrence Filmmakers’ Collective
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: June 26 – July 28
This program is the product of a partnership between Sarah Lawrence College and the International Film Institute of New York and is open to both high schoolers and adults. Participants in the program build the skills needed to translate the written page to the screen and are immersed in the process of movie making from screenplay to post-production.
By the end of the program, participants will have produced and directed a four- to six-minute film.
25. Bryn Mawr Summer Filmmaking Workshop
Application Deadline: N/A
Duration: Six weeks (June 24 – August 1)
Just 12 students are chosen to participate in this six-week summer filmmaking camp. Participants will work with one another to write, produce, direct, and edit a film under the mentorship of professional moviemakers. Students learn the craft of filmmaking, find their voice, and get real-world experience using professional equipment.
Students will screen their films on the big screen at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute.
How Do Internships Affect College Admissions?
Participating in internships can influence your chances at college admission, but this depends on many factors, including the scope of the internship, its prestige, your individual role and performance, the institution’s connections to or sponsorships by certain colleges, and even how much weight a college places on extracurricular activities in general.
There are four tiers of extracurricular activities that colleges consider when reviewing applicants’ activities. Selective, competitive, and prestigious activities are often found in the top tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 includes things such as being a highly recruited basketball player or an award-winning national science fair competitor. Tier 2 is similar, but is usually reserved for activities that are more common than those in Tier 1. Tiers 3 and 4 are reserved for more common extracurricular achievements, such as holding school leadership positions or being a member of a debate team.
A prestigious, selective program such as the one offered by NYU Tisch, for example, may be considered a Tier 1 program by many film schools.
Do you want to get a sense of how the internship you participated in might change your admissions chances at your dream college? CollegeVine has created a free chancing calculator to estimate your odds of getting into hundreds of different colleges and universities! It uses a multitude of factors such as your high school grades, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities, while also providing feedback on how you can improve your odds.
