Dean’s Corner: February 2025

Guest column by Michael LeMahieu, Associate Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, College of Arts and Humanities

Last month, the Board of Trustees approved a motion to designate Trilith Institute as an instructional site of Clemson University. 

Although Trilith is likely unfamiliar to most of you, this action by the Board will unlock some really remarkable experiential learning opportunities for Clemson students. It’s just one way that CAH is leading the way in creating the No. 1 Student Experience. 

Regional Filmmaking Hub

In large part thanks to tax credits made possible by the 2005 Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act, the state of Georgia has become a hub of the film industry. 

Trilith Studios has emerged as a key player in this development. With nearly 40 sound stages, Trilith is the largest film production facility by square footage in North America. Many major feature films and television series have been filmed at Trilith, including Black Panther and The Walking Dead. 

Trilith Institute is the educational arm of Trilith Studios, with a mission of “preparing the next generation of storytellers and leading the future of the entertainment industry.” Their course, seminar, and workshop offerings cover topics such as “Foundations of Filmmaking,” “Screenwriting Essentials,” and “Producing Independent Films.” 

Trilith Institute is eager to work with college students. What they have in mind is a “Semester at Trilith” experience analogous to the “Semester at Sea.” But in order to realize this goal, Trilith needed a university partner which could offer an accredited curriculum and a pipeline of excited students. Enter the College of Arts and Humanities at Clemson.

Opportunities for Clemson World Cinema and more

In October of last year, after a series of discussions and meetings, Trilith Institute officially asked Clemson to be its accrediting partner! We’re excited. Trilith is constructing a new building for the Institute, which will house the students participating in the Semester at Trilith program. We hope to be fully up and running by 2027. 

Students will split their time between courses on topics such as “Introduction to the Film Industry” and experiential and internship opportunities, often in collaboration with productions that are filming at Trilith Studios. It’s going to be an amazing educational and networking opportunity for students in World Cinema, English, Performing Arts and so many other degree programs. 

Coming soon

We were so excited about the partnership that we did not want to wait until 2027 for Clemson students to begin benefitting from our affiliation with Trilith Institute. So we designed a summer course for 10 students. This is more than simply proof of concept.

The students will begin this “Maymester” experience at Clemson, where they will receive a four-day overview of and orientation to the film industry. Then the students will travel to Trilith, where they will stay in a hotel on-site in the Trilith Village.

Trilith is commissioning a script from the Writers Room of Georgia. When the students arrive, they will be handed that script and begin shooting that day. For two weeks these students will gain hands-on knowledge of the film production process, with a significant emphasis on editing the footage that they shoot. 

On the final day of the course, the students will host a premiere of their film.

We look forward to growing this partnership in order to create unparalleled learning experiences and career opportunities for our students!