“Undergrads”: a film by MN college students for college students

The Twin Cities are normally known for Prince, Bob Dylan, and our excessively long winters. However, three recent college graduates are trying to change that narrative and get their names out as filmmakers. Minnesota natives John Cronin, Dillon Orth, and Andrew Zuckerman wrote and produced Undergrads, a feature film that follows a group of undergrads over the course of a weekend in the Twin Cities. 

The three met in their time at Henry Sibley High School. Zuckerman (UMN ‘20) and Orth first started making short films together throughout their high school years and both decided to pursue filmmaking in college. As the two approached their senior year of college, they decided to go for it and make a “hang-out type” movie. They kept writing and scrapping ideas, and eventually ended up with the final script written over the course of just three  days  (they do not recommend that process for other aspiring filmmakers). Cronin, also a UMN graduate, was initially brought in to help with social media and fundraising, but quickly got involved in all aspects of the business side, as well as some of the production.

The crew and cast were brought in from all over the country - college students came in from DePaul, MCTC, NYU, as well as the U, to help out. Sydney Gilbertson, my roommate and a senior at the U, worked as an extra on the film. 

“I thought [it] was so amazing how Undergrads, a film with a smaller budget and smaller crew, was able to pull off filming such a high quality production with the resources they had,” she said.  

The filming itself was supposed to take about two weeks, but COVID-19 restrictions shut it down unexpectedly. The team completed reshoots this past spring and have now finished post-production. The biggest obstacle, Cronin said, was the budget - they had to fundraise from their networks, contribute their own funds, find deals on equipment, and eventually had to start feeding the crew McChickens to be able to complete filming. 

I asked the three for any advice they have for fellow aspiring filmmakers. They suggest starting with looking at whatever you want to do in the industry and learning as much about that as you can. The next step is to try it out - write a short script of two people talking to each other and film it with your phone. “Start with the idea of a construct and see what happens,” Orth said. The trio agreed that starting out with a full-feature film felt like trial by fire, but Cronin appreciated it, saying, “I did a lot of learning on my feet.”. He suggests not being afraid to ask for the things you need to reach your production goals and to put yourself out there. Finally, they say finding the right people to make a film with is key. Zuckerman points to the good times on set as one of the most influential experiences throughout the filming process. “We had a lot of people come out to the last shoot at The Exchange, and it was a lot of fun,” he said.

Next up? The 3 are currently applying to 2022 film festivals. You can watch and share the trailer here.

Cronin, Orth, and Zuckerman would like to thank the following community partners for their support:

Bogey’s Lounge

The Exchange & Alibi Lounge

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store

Thomas Liquors

City of West St Paul

West St. Paul Police Department