When Federico Marchetti entered San Francisco State’s prestigious 4-year film program, he knew for sure that he wanted to work in the industry. Unfortunately, their system did not allow for the kinds of opportunities he wanted.

“At S.F. State, there are so many students that you can’t be as expressive as you would like to be,” Federico recounts. “You actually make a movie in ‘a team.’ So by the end of the program, I still didn’t even have my own demo reel.”

That all changed when he found out about Entertainment Connection.

Federico intereviewed with Lalani Amour, president of Heavenly Eyes Productions and Makalani Productions in San Francisco. Her teams provide every service associated with film and TV production, and she is a veteran Film Connection mentor.

Lalani explains: “I like Film Connection’s program because each extern has different goals. Sometimes they start with one idea of what they want to do, but after a while they go in another direction. Currently, schools let you major in only one department — but my students get to do it all.”

Mentor Leilani Amour Arenzana has been involved in major films and television worldwide, including Matrix Reloaded, George of the Jungle, Princess Diaries, and True Crimes, to name a few. She has worked with Francis Ford Coppola, Clint Eastwood, Gary Marshall, Sam Weisman, Spike Lee, and many other award-winning directors.

Amour’s approach was just what Federico needed. Soon after he interviewed, he got to write, produce, and direct his own film. He even composed the film! “I’m very excited!” he enthuses. “Besides my own movie, I’ve been an assistant cameraman and a video cameraman for some of Lalani’s projects. And I’m going to be assistant director for a 2-hour feature that she is producing.” While traditional film school students are often using outdated equipment, real-world production companies are more likely to be on the cutting edge. “When Federico joined me in January, I had just bought the new XL 2 Canon 3-chip Mini DV camera,” Lalani points out. “He was one of the first people to use it.” Marchetti’s Film Connection externship also provided something else that his film school experience didn’t: paying jobs. Even before he had completed the Film Connection’s courses, he was making money for his work. Not only is Marchetti working part-time for Lalani, but she is helping him to put together applications for other jobs as well. So after obtaining a B.A. in film from a traditional college, it took the Film Connection to break Frederico Marchetti into the real film business!

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