Westlake Film Production
Career & Technical Education
Phone: (512) 732-9280 x33330
Website: http://whs.eanesisd.net
Other: http://www.westlakefilm.com
Emily McIntyre has been the Film and Video Production teacher at Westlake High School for the past 16 years. Before that, she taught Media Arts and coached volleyball at Austin High School for 11 years, yet education was not her intended field of work.
“I declared my major of Radio/TV/Film early and stuck with it,” said Emily. “An unexpected opportunity arose when my close friend and former volleyball teammate became the volleyball coach at Austin High and invited me to interview as her assistant. The school had recently shut down its Technical Audio/Visual Broadcast program and decided to take a chance on me with a new Media Arts program. Just two years later I was fully certified and my program and video announcements earned national honors. I had so much fun teaching and coaching, that I never left!”
A Westlake staff member, Dale Baker, persuaded Emily to leave Austin High to lead Westlake’s new Film Production program after meeting her at a competition. It was a hard sell because Emily loved her job and her family has a long history with Austin High. In the end, though, she couldn’t resist the challenge and the opportunity to switch from broadcast to film.
“I made the leap,” shared Emily, “and found that Westlake offers students and educators remarkable autonomy. I appreciate the collaborative atmosphere, the innovation Westlake fosters, and its dedication to student success. It’s a great place to work and I’m glad my son (Wyatt) is part of the Class of 2030! Additionally, I truly appreciate hearing from former students about their experiences and accomplishments in the industry. These interactions keep me grounded and remind me that my work is purposeful.”
Finding time to shoot films with her classes can be challenging, as coordinating everyone’s schedules to align on a film set can be quite a task. Emily also shared that producing two minutes of quality content can take up to two weeks of demanding work. “It’s important to recognize the time and effort involved and to offer the students fair compensation. Many have the ability to produce results comparable to seasoned professionals.
Emily is the only film teacher at Westlake so her professional learning community consists of colleagues from neighboring districts. She is eager to establish a community of Westlake High School parents working in the industry who can mentor students, be guest speakers, offer advice on equipment purchases and curriculum changes, and more. If you are able to help fulfill this need, please reach out. In addition, film production involves significant costs, including equipment updates, rentals, crew meals, actor compensation, travel expenses, and festival entry fees. Emily shared that community donations specifically designated for “Westlake Film Production” are always incredibly helpful and very much appreciated.
