A Different Kind of Internship: Updates from our Summer 2020 Digital Engagement Interns

Our Summer 2020 Digital Engagement interns, Eleanore Barrera and Lucy Wagner share their experience working as part of our digital engagement team. Want to be an intern at the museum? Learn more at eastman.org/internships.

Eleanore Barrera, University of Rochester

Years before attending the University of Rochester, I received a once-in-a-lifetime introduction to film studies by attending weekly screenings at the Dryden Theatre. When I was in primary and middle school, I used to cut out the Dryden film calendars from the monthly bulletin and secure them on the fridge with my favorite magnets. My father would then circle a few, and tell me, “This is a Dryden film. You have to see this at the Dryden. You can’t watch a film like this on the TV.” Those Dryden films included Apocalypse Now Redux (2001), Cinema Paradiso (1988), and Notorious (1946).

He was right. You cannot watch those films on a regular TV.

Ever since I moved to Rochester, I’ve been experiencing cinema at the Dryden Theatre. As a little girl, I admired the filmmakers, curators, and professors who gave film introductions and dreamed that one day I’d be able to do the same. By my junior year in high school, I had saved enough tips from my froyo-scooping job to purchase a ticket to the second Nitrate Picture Show. The films I viewed that weekend, including Bicycle Thieves (1948), Laura (1944), and Brighton Rock (1947), cemented my calling to film. To this day, Blithe Spirit (1945) remains my favorite comedy ever made. The alluring silver emulsion of nitrate film drew me in like a moth to a flame. After all, nitrate is a femme fatale all in itself, and I soon found myself mesmerized by the glowing prints of Aleksander Nevskij (1938), The Red Shoes (1948), Gone to Earth (1950), and dozens more.

This past Spring, I hoped to continue my education where it began- at the George Eastman Museum- and applied for a summer internship with the Moving Image Department. The internship, however, like thousands all over the county, was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Luckily, Manager of Digital Engagement Kate Meyers Emery was gracious enough to take me on as a virtual Digital Engagement Intern. From the very beginning, she instructed me to “dream big” and ensured that I was passionate about whatever project I decided to work on. Quickly, we realized that my love for classic films and movie-going made me the perfect candidate to work for the Dryden.

Working on the Dryden Theatre’s digital engagement has been extraordinary. Not only has this internship allowed me to stay connected with something I love, but the sudden shift to digital engagement took me out of my comfort zone. I was extremely nervous before starting the internship in June, and feared that my lack of know-how regarding social media and technological software would prove disastrous for the role I was destined to take on.

All I really had was a love for the Dryden, a passion for the films they screened, and a hope of sharing those films, and the history that they embodied, with the public.

After being introduced to the friendly Eastman Museum staff, my initial anxieties gradually subsided. By attending their weekly meetings, it became apparent that the staff worked collaboratively, not only amongst themselves, but with other Rochester nonprofits and local businesses.Where I expected competition, I found constant cooperation and teamwork. Such an environment allowed me to try new things, to bounce ideas off of others, and to explore various interests. Over the past ten weeks, I’ve researched marketing strategies of both local and international theatres to design a campaign that would draw audiences to the Dryden Theatre. My first assignment was dedicated to creating content for films that were scheduled to screen during the first month of the Dryden’s reopening. Unfortunately, the Eastman Museum was not able to reopen as expected. Following the lead of the museum staff, I quickly adapted and focused instead on the Virtual Dryden Theatre.

Interning for a theatre that has been closed for the past five months has had its own set of challenges. As revered exhibition space for films, the Dryden Theatre attracts audiences who covet an immediate, immersive, and communal cinematic experience. In the middle of a pandemic, however, such an experience is impossible to replicate. So, how could I promote a virtual experience while supporting the mission of the Dryden Theatre? After discussing some ideas with Kate, we decided to supplement the promotional film marketing with educational campaigns. The #Film101 campaign focuses on film as a cultural artifact, while #OnThisDay centers around the rich social history of film as our cultural heritage. Similarly, the #WCW posts are created to highlight the inspiring stories of women in film and other content has concentrated on the Dryden Theatre itself. In addition to these media campaigns, I have contributed to the weekly Dryden Newsletters and I even fulfilled a childhood dream of mine by creating a video introduction to The Snake Pit (1948) on the Dryden Recommends.

Although I can’t wait for the Dryden to reopen, I’m excited to continue my virtual internship into the Fall semester. More than anything, I hope to encourage audiences’ love of film and to reimagine the magic of movie-going.

Lucy Wagner, Syracuse University

Growing up in Rochester, interacting with museums and the arts has been one of my favorite things to do. In particular, the George Eastman Museum has always been very prominent to me in terms of its groundbreaking history in photography, the uniqueness of the Dryden Theatre, and much more including the iconic gardens. In entering my senior year studying Communications & Rhetorical Studies, Psychology and Business at Syracuse University with an appreciation for the museum’s history and art, I thought that interning with the Communications & Engagement department at the museum would be a perfect way to gain knowledge and experience with an organization that I admire.

While I was unable to complete my internship in person due to COVID-19, my remote internship experience was extremely valuable nonetheless. With weekly video meetings, I was able to become familiar with a professional setting and the many moving parts that come together to be successful. This was not only helpful and immersive but also very interesting to see how a number of people and departments integrate.

More specifically, this summer I was working on digital engagement for the Gathering Clouds: Photographs from the Nineteenth Century and Today exhibition. This exhibit focuses on the history of clouds in photography which provides an educational experience while admiring and appreciating the clouds in our everyday life. Since I began my internship before the museum was able to reopen, we were especially focused on how we could engage audience members online. This included activities for children such as “cloud bingo boards” to encourage exploration and creativity, fun facts about clouds featuring images from the exhibition and quotes from a local meteorologist, and even photography tips on how to capture the beauty of clouds. In addition, we thought of ways to collaborate with other people and cloud-loving groups to cross-feature content and reach a larger audience, including my friend’s Instagram page dedicated to clouds, as well as the Cloud Appreciation Society based in the UK.

In wrapping up my summer, one of the final goals was to find ways to reuse content to maintain engagement, such as transforming an interactive tour to a social media post, and then into a video. By having multiple mediums and forms of media, we not only broaden our audience and accessibility but sustain fresh and updated content.

Overall, my internship gave me a well-rounded and in-depth experience with digital engagement in a large historical and modern museum. Despite being online this summer, my experience was nothing short of educational, inspiring, productive, and valuable.