Before I enrolled into the Film Connection program I was involved with a grant that I got in a disability, as I was a professional scuba diver. So, not being able to do my career anymore, I had worked on a couple of film sets before, as well as having friends in the industry. From there, I decided to explore my avenues in the film industry. The Film Connection fit the bill better than all of the other film schools that I had researched, as the Film Connection was more realistic. Even my friends said that you cannot learn anything if you’re not in an actually film company doing hands-on production.

Once I made the decision to the join the Film Connection I jumped right on in. The first course I took within the Film Connection was specifically to focus on editing. My training really developed my skills in both sides of the production by tying both pre-production and post-production together. As the course continued I began to see my skills really start to take shape, with my mentor pushing me in directions that made me stronger. Also, on the places where I was weaker, they really helped me out. Anytime I had questions, I would go back to my curriculum assigned through the program and there the answer was. And any further training I needed, my mentor was right there to give me hands-on training.

Now that I have graduated the editing program within the Film Connection, I am now moving onto another course within the Film Connection, focusing on fine tuning my skills in directing and photography. Now that I have graduated the editing program, my success within the industry has continued. I have been working now as an editor with my mentor, as well as cut a lot of my own film materials that I am putting together. With the training from the mentor and the Film Connection curriculum, it has made it where I am now directing and producing my own films, as well as editing all the materials myself. But not only this, I currently working as a first company grip, and boom operator, for the film of a feature film. Here, I am putting all of my training learned through the Film Connection to great use.

— Gerald Vogt, Colorado Springs, Colorado