MFA Film student hires undergraduates to work with feature film

It is seldom that undergraduate students have the opportunity to work on a professional film set and get paid for that work. But that unique experience came to fruition when MFA Film student Connor Pannell (ABJ ’16) was hired to serve as cinematographer, editor and producer for the feature film, “Enter the Power Surge.”

Pannell originally met several of the students at an MFA Film networking mixer. Undergraduate students are typically invited to attend the mixers, but usually only a few take advantage of the opportunity. It’s frequently mutually advantageous for undergraduate students and MFA Film students to work together, because the MFA Film students need volunteers since they don’t have large budgets to pay crew, and the undergraduate students need experience working on sets.

Pannell was in the position to hire several crew to work with him on the film. So, he turned to people he had worked with on his MFA Film projects and who had proven their reliability and competency when they volunteered to help behind the scenes for his personal projects.

“It was really good to be in a position where I could hire from a place that has taken such great care of me,” Pannell said of the students he was able to hire. “And, I was able to say ‘not only can I get you on your first feature film, but also, you will be paid for it.’”

The film is a science-fiction action story about a group of misfits with supernatural powers. It was filmed in nearby Grayson, Georgia, last December over the holiday break.

One student, Maddie Ramsey, a third-year EMST student, met Pannell at one of the networking mixers last summer and worked on Pannell’s most recent project film. She was hired based on the positive impression she left while volunteering on Pannell’s MFA Film crew. This was her first paid job on a professional film set.

“Even when you volunteer, you learn something,” Ramsey said. “You’ll meet at least one new person who can introduce you to more people. I think anything creative you do, you really need to be able to connect with the people to make art or make a movie.”

The 12-hour days for 10 days on the film set were long, but Ramsey said it was an amazing experience because everybody did their job and did it with a smile. Pannell worked hard to establish an ethos of working hard, but efficiently, since film crews are known for working longer hours.

Pannell said that providing work opportunities with payment is great, but he also tries to provide learning experiences.

“When I hire someone, I always try to ask them, ‘what are you trying to do,’ so I can make the experience most valuable to them,” Pannell said. “If you happen to love lenses, I’ll take time to make sure that you’re exposed to that a little bit, so you can learn some and hopefully find yourself in a position where you could be hired in that department down the road.”

While there are many differences between a professional film set and a volunteer MFA Film set, there are similarities, too. The budget of a professional film helps to bring in more people, as well as work with better mics, a paid make-up artist and more sets. The similarities are that everyone is working for a shared, common goal and the networking opportunities are plentiful.

“Everyone knows someone,” Ramsey pointed out. “One thing about this major is that a majority of the people are always looking to bring you up with them. It’s kind of a ripple effect.”

“Enter the Power Surge” is being edited now and is expected to be released in Spring 2026.

Author: Sarah E. Freeman, freemans@uga.edu