‘Ghostlight’: Students sacrifice spring break to bring UH’s biggest short film to life
By Regan Grant
For one intense week during spring break, 44 University of Houston students traded beaches and downtime for boom mics and set calls to produce Ghostlight, the university’s most ambitious student film yet.
The short film was the latest in a five-year tradition made possible through a unique collaboration between the Valenti School of Communication and Hollywood director Michael Grossman, whose credits include Starstruck for Disney Channel and episodes of Pretty Little Liars and Grey’s Anatomy.
“Some days we had 61 people on set, including crew and dancers and actors,” said associate professor Keith Houk, who oversees the course. “It’s our biggest and also our most expensive.”
Grossman, now an adjunct professor at UH, co-wrote Ghostlight and flew in for the week to direct the project, treating the student crew as if they were on a professional set.
“He runs them like a full crew. He directs, I produce, and then the students crew all of the other traditional positions, from director of photography on down,” said Houk. “We don't have any production assistants—I make sure that everybody has an actual group position and job and responsibility.”
Each year, students willingly give up their spring break to shoot the film. Many are involved in pre-production, production or post-production—or all three. Despite the grueling pace and long days, the crew remains dedicated.
“You could feel the energy of everyone’s determination on set to get the best results,” said media production junior Anahid Henriquez.
This year’s film, Ghostlight, adds a new twist to the program’s history.
“We’ve done sci-fi, we’ve done drama, we’ve done comedy, we’ve done more of a thriller piece last year,” Houk said. “We’d never done anything with any kind of musical stuff.”
The story centers around a girl dating someone in theater while majoring in psychology with a concentration in parapsychology. As she begins communicating with someone new, the friendship deepens—until she realizes “maybe he’s not really here.”
Students fundraised over $4,000 to support the production, including meals and snacks—an essential part of simulating a real film set.
Grossman, who first visited UH over 15 years ago after a chance connection, has been working with students ever since—initially donating his time and later becoming adjunct faculty.
“He’s totally invested,” Houk said. “He treats it—this is not just a ‘I’ll help out.’ This is a project that he’s doing.”
And although he brings Hollywood experience to the classroom, Grossman is just as focused on preparing students for their next step.
“They should be able to finish this class and go get a job,” Houk said. “Walk onto a film set and fit in—not obviously stand out.”
While the production wrapped with a toast and cupcakes around 2 a.m., the work doesn’t stop there. The rest of the semester is dedicated to editing, with students sending scenes to Grossman for feedback.
“This production is a team effort and everyone is very dedicated to this project that we had the opportunity to work on together,” said Henriquez.
The film will have a special screening at the end of the semester—on campus or possibly at the Deluxe Theater in Fifth Ward, where part of the film was shot.
Though it won’t be labeled a "premiere" to preserve eligibility for film festivals, Ghostlight is already generating buzz, and students are walking away with something even bigger: real-world experience, new connections and a film they helped bring to life.