Junior Alice Lebofsky worked on an indie movie filmed on Drew’s campus
August 2026 – When Drew University student Alice Lebofsky C’28 stepped onto an indie film set for the first time, she was stepping directly into her future.
What started as an internship lead through Drew’s Center for Career Development turned into an immersive, hands-on masterclass in the realities of filmmaking.
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Serving primarily as a production assistant (PA) intern for an independent teen comedy filmed on Drew’s campus, Lebofsky quickly learned that working on an independent film set means wearing many hats.
Beyond standard PA duties—setting up craft services, managing lock-ups, and echoing the assistant director’s calls for “roll” and “cut”—Lebofsky jumped at every chance to contribute. That enthusiasm led to hands-on work with the film’s art department on set design, time in the production office scanning receipts, and even a few turns of background acting with a small featured moment on camera.
“The thing that surprised me most about working on a film set was how organized the chaos was,” said Lebofsky, a media & communications major and dance and film studies double minor.
“Watching the production team handle all the business that people don’t normally think goes into filmmaking was fascinating. Whenever a conflict came up, they were on top of it and solved it within seconds.”
Part of the filming took place in Drew’s library, familiar turf for Lebofsky who has worked there since her first year at Drew.
The transition from the classroom to a professional set was seamless, thanks to coursework across Drew’s Media & Communications and Theatre departments.
Lessons from Documentary Practice and Intro to Film Analysis courses provided a framework for understanding how stories are constructed through a lens. Meanwhile, knowledge from Theater Design proved unexpectedly direct: during a scene utilizing blackbox theater lighting, the intern was able to sit alongside the lighting designer and watch the exact techniques learned in class applied in real time.
For an aspiring director, the long hours on set felt less like a job and more like validation.
Surrounded by mentors and encouraging peers, the experience solidified Lebofsky’s ambition to direct and offered a vivid blueprint of what a career in the industry looks like.
If asked for her advice to students stepping into similar opportunities, Lebofsky’s takeaway was clear: approach every task with enthusiasm.
“Always say yes, as long as you are comfortable,” she said. “Just imagine every side quest is an adventure awaiting your name, even if it doesn’t seem fun. When people see that you are trying and that you care, they notice—and they ask you to join them on their next adventures.”
