Cinema Studies Alumni Spotlight: Samantha Stendal, B.A. '15
Story By Kylie Elliot, Class of ‘18
Samantha Stendal graduated with a degree in Cinema Studies and a multimedia minor from the University of Oregon in 2015. After graduation, Stendal put her Cinema Studies degree to work at Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS) in Burbank, California, where she is working as a layout production assistant on the upcoming animated film, Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (2018). A filmmaker-driven animation studio, WDAS has created everything from 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Lion King, Zootopia, Moana, and 2013's Academy Award®-winning Frozen – the biggest animated film of all time.
The layout team is the camera department for an animated movie. “As a production assistant in layout, it is my job to schedule our meetings, where we review the shots we are working on, and I take notes during those meetings. I track the shots, as they move through the layout department, until we pass them along to the animation department. I also communicate with the other departments on the movie to help the layout artists determine which props and characters are in their assigned sequences.” Prior to becoming a layout production assistant, Stendal started as an editorial production assistant at WDAS. “In editorial, I helped record the voice talent, organized storyboards, and kept track of shots moving in and out of the editorial department.”
Stendal enjoys her role at WDAS because it gives her the opportunity to continue learning since graduation. “I really enjoy being a production assistant because your job is constantly changing and evolving as you move around to different departments. Disney fosters a culture of collaboration; I find myself learning something new every day. My coworkers are happy to share their process with me and teach me various aspects of the animation process. My film education has expanded far beyond graduation, and I love that I can continue to discover new aspects of the filmmaking process.”
Stendal’s path to filmmaking began when she was very young and continued once she chose Cinema Studies as a major at Oregon. “I was obsessed with storytelling as a kid and, to me, movies were one of the most impactful ways to tell a story.” Although Stendal loved the storytelling aspect of filmmaking very much, she wasn’t sure exactly what path she wanted to take in the industry when she first started at the UO. “The cinema studies major was the perfect way to try out a lot of different roles within the filmmaking process to find where I fit in.”
During her time in college, Stendal gained valuable hands-on filmmaking experience by making the most of the extra-curricular opportunities available at the university. Her first year in college, she joined the University Film Organization (UFO)–a group of UO student filmmakers and creatives who connect, hold workshops, create short films, and speak with industry professionals–and says that was one of the best decisions she made that year. “I made friends through the UFO who I am still extremely close to today. The UFO not only taught me various aspects of the filmmaking process, it taught me to be a leader and how to collaborate well with others.” By her senior year, Stendal was in her second year leading the UFO as president and had worked on projects like the Hyundai “Lens of Loyalty” film contest, a national competition of 25 select university film programs. UFO was one of the competition’s seven finalists and earned a $10,000 grant to produce the contest video.
Stendal’s filmmaking talent was also nationally recognized during her time at Oregon when she and a fellow Cinema Studies alum, Aaron Blanton, won the 2013 Peabody Award for a viral video they created in response to a Steubenville, Ohio rape case. The short video, “A Needed Response,” has received over 11 million views on Youtube since it was released in March of 2013 and was the first viral video to be honored with a Peabody Award. The video gained national media attention, and Stendal and Blanton were even interviewed on CNN about the piece. During that time Stendal stated, “I wanted to create a video that would show a new standard for everyone: that it is not okay to take advantage of others.”
Once Stendal was looking for work after graduation, she found her coursework and student filmmaking projects were extremely valuable in landing a job. Classes like “Cinema Careers” taught her how to network and conduct informational interviews, something she recommends to current students. “Reach out to people in the industry who are in a position that you find interesting, and ask them about their work. A casual coffee meetup has the potential to be a great learning opportunity.” Another piece of advice Stendal offers students is to never forget how important internships can be to your growth as a creative. “My internships not only gave me job experience, they allowed me to explore my interests and discover the kind of career I wanted to pursue.” While Stendal was in college she completed three internships, all of which she felt helped her skills grow and helped her realize she wanted to live in Los Angeles after graduation. “The summer before my junior year I worked, in Seattle, as an art department intern on a feature film called Laggies. I then joined the Seattle talk show, New Day Northwest, as their production intern. The summer before my senior year, I interned for Painless Productions, a reality TV production company, where I discovered I loved working in LA.” The internship at Painless Productions led to a permanent role as a Development Assistant at the company, where she worked in reality TV before accepting a position with Disney.
Aside from learning skills as a Cinema Studies major that would help her further her career, she also learned valuable lessons that helped her ultimately determine the role she wanted to pursue in the film industry. One of the best pieces of advice Stendal says she received in college was from former Student Services Assistant Director Shauna Riedel-Bash in the “Cinema Careers” course. “She stressed that no matter how cool a job is, you will not stick with it if it does not fit your lifestyle. I thought I wanted to work on set for the longest time; then realized I love the consistency of office work. It's important to check in with yourself and ask what kind of lifestyle you want from your job, then look for careers that support that lifestyle.” The advice that Stendal received in this class helped guide her career direction into a role that she is very happy with today. Stendal says she constantly uses what she learned as a Cinema Studies major in her current role at WDAS. “My degree gave me a solid base of production knowledge to rely on as I continue to learn more through my career.”