A world of collaboration: Film & New Media instructor Lesley Tye invites her students to embrace cross-departmental work
A gifted writer and director who earned her chops in L.A.’s film and television scene, Tye welcomes diverse perspectives and encourages her students to think for themselves.
Not every high school student gets the precious opportunity to pursue their ambitions, but at Interlochen Arts Academy, there’s room for unmatched growth and creative combinations. In the Film & New Media department, for example, it’s common to see a young filmmaker working on a music video for a singer-songwriter student who just finished contributing an original song to the film student’s short. These kinds of working relationships are widespread at the school, where Film & New Media instructor Lesley Tye—herself an experienced collaborator—does her utmost to encourage them.
As a teacher, Tye brings a little bit of everything to the table. She's a writer and director who has produced numerous original plays, she’s a flash fiction author, and she has done everything in the film and television industry from casting to costume design. This diversity of experience means that she understands the importance of collaboration across disciplines and making sure everyone's voice is heard. In her work at Arts Academy, she pushes her students to work together as they come up with groundbreaking ideas that only happen at Interlochen.
Finding new ways to collaborate
Although Tye’s screenwriting classes are mainly intended for Film & New Media and Creative Writing students, she also welcomes theatre majors, interdisciplinary arts, and even other majors to join in.
“ One of the things I love about my job is that I get to see so many different majors coming together,” she reflects. “I bring a very collaborative perspective to each class. I know what it’s like to be on set and work with a variety of people with different talents and skills. You have to understand what everyone brings to the table and how it all works together.”
According to Tye, the main form of collaboration at Interlochen is something that happens all the time—the sharing of feedback.
“Not only does the writer or filmmaker learn a lot, but everyone who contributes to that feedback also learns a lot about how to tell their own stories,” she says. “Then they can decide whose perspectives they want to incorporate into their work. It’s an important skill that they'll take with them into the professional world.”
Students also experience cross-disciplinary collaboration when they work with students from other departments.
“When my students build their crews for thesis films, they cast acting students, work with composition and singer-songwriter students for music production, have visual arts students work on production design elements, or even invite dancers to participate,” she says.
Collaboration is a huge part of life at Interlochen, and Film & New Media might be the department that does it most. It’s outside-the-box, it’s always happening, and it’s a rich opportunity for professional development.
“We've pretty much seen it all in terms of collaboration,” says Tye. “Students have opportunities here that they wouldn’t find anywhere else.”
Lesley Tye leads a Mashup Rock n' Roll Musical rehearsal for Madonnativity.
Celebrating the “wacky” with stories of acceptance'
Over the course of her career, Tye (IAA 90-93) has learned to appreciate input from people not only from different disciplines, but also from different backgrounds or life experiences. This kind of welcoming spirit is something she first developed and cultivated as a student making new friends at Arts Academy.
“I felt that in coming to Interlochen, I found my place among the weirdos,” she says. “I found people who are unafraid to be themselves and share a common love of art.”
That spirit is evident in Tye’s decision to found her own production company, Mashup Rock & Roll Musical. Throughout every production, Tye’s company works hard to create a welcoming atmosphere for anyone who might be in the audience.
“We tell stories about unique and wacky individuals who don't always feel like they have a place in the normal world,” says Tye. “We celebrate them as they accept themselves and other people accept them, too.”
When she mentors her students, Tye applies a similar approach. She doesn’t emphasize the pursuit of fame or positive critical attention. Instead, every frame, every line of dialogue, every choice to collaborate is an opportunity for her students to express the truths of who they are—a skill that will serve them well regardless of where their lives might lead.
I tell my students that when you're thinking about art, stories, and films, there are no right or wrong answers. Students like to ask me, ‘Should my character do this or that?’ And I always tell them that it comes down to this: What do you want to say? What do you want your viewers to take away from this?
“ I want all of my students to be their true, authentic selves. I want them to express through their art the things that matter to them. I want them to also see the value in all these different perspectives coming together from around the world, and how that will enrich them and their lives even more.”
One hallmark of her teaching style is that she’ll rarely try to push student projects in a specific direction.
“I tell my students that when you're thinking about art, stories, and films, there are no right or wrong answers. Students like to ask me, ‘Should my character do this or that?’ And I always tell them that it comes down to this: What do you want to say? What do you want your viewers to take away from this?”
At the end of the day, it’s all about the beauty of individual expression.
“I don’t want them making art just to please everybody else. I want my students to know their own individual voices, know what they want to say to the world, and take full ownership of who they are.”
Tye is a living example of that kind of self-ownership, and she’s making a profound impact on every student who receives her mentorship.
Students in Interlochen Arts Academy’s Film & New Media Division enjoy world-renowned artistic training from gifted professionals alongside college-preparatory academics. Learn more about Film & New Media at Interlochen Arts Academy.
