Success
Stories

“One day this week, I set up a shoot in the stage, set lights worked with Art department, also working as a dolly Griped for the DP. A few days later I had my one-on-one Lesson time with my mentor, then started editing a reel for the Director himself! The next day I went over the next assignment my mentor, then worked some more hands-on, editing the reel for another director in the Company. The remainder of this day I helped with Pre Pro for shoot that is fast approaching in the near future. Then the next day I went on location for a shoot, call time 12 noon, helped set lights and ran smoke machines, struck lights and rapped shoot with crew, long day. We got done at 4 am, returned smoke machines and 4k ballast back to rental house! I love the production company and my mentor. I had no clue about FCP before I started this course and the team I’m working with is amazing and so helpful. They always critique in a way that is helpful and kind. The course lays out the ground work in a simple and concise way that I feel anyone could understand.”

“I learned to anticipate needs, not just follow orders.”

“I arrived at the studio in the morning to everyone scrambling around the studio due to a shoot happening that very morning. The shoot was for a woman who was explaining the most efficient ways to shop and save money at different grocery stores around the country. I got to run the tele-prompter until we were done, which was roughly around noon. At that point, my mentors had to go to a business lunch at the Chamber of Commerce, so I spent that time reading and familiarizing myself more with the studio. When my mentors returned, we I discussed my homework assigned to me prior to the lesson plan that day, as well as our upcoming plans for the following day of training. I showed up at the office the next day at 6:45 am and quickly departed for Newberry, South Carolina. We had an all-day film shoot up there for a local hospital that has the best joint replacement program in the midlands. I was placed into the role of Assistant Gaffer under the supervision of a professional working for the shoot. He was a fascinating older man who had been running lights in the industry for decades. I learned a great deal from him, including some terminology that would otherwise have gone right over my head. We had multiple locations for the shoot, so by the end of the day I had become fairly efficient in the tear-down and set-up of the lighting equipment, as well as the terminology. Once the lighting was set-up at each location, I listened and watched as intently as I could to what my mentor, as well as the rest of the crew, including our cinematographer, were doing, while trying to stay out of their way. This day was an excellent first day crash course on what I will be doing over the next few months while enrolled in the Film Connection. I had a blast, learned a lot and, despite being exhausted by the end, cannot wait for more.”

“We are still wrapping up a movie. I am in the office from nine to five, helping the production coordinator with paperwork. I do it all here, from deal memos to checks and errands. We are all pretty much “buddies” in the office right now. So far I’m loving the studio! From the recent movie I have learned so much on set. I was pretty much a PA on set, met so many great people. The wrap party was just great! I got a chance to meet the actors and the crew, so that was cool.”

“I participated in my first shoot this past Friday night! It was a concert in Rome, GA and the crew was filming one band in particular to make a film video for one of their songs. It was an outdoor shoot with the temperatures dropping to 30 degrees so it was rather cold, but aside from that, it was really fun. I got to observe everything and felt like I learned a good bit.

Then a couple days ago I was able to participate in my second shoot! The production manager from my first shoot called me and asked if I would like to assist them in making a sizzle reel for a TV show, so I was happy that they were willing to invite me back. The shoot was officially titled Master of Mix Post-Show Digital Sizzle and they even included me on the call sheet, which made me feel like a legitimate team member.”

“In going over Lesson 3 with my mentor I was surprised to learn that it is not actually the producer’s job to raise the money that is needed for production, but rather, the role is designated to the executive. Needless to say, the producer will be expected to hire on the best person for this job. My mentor and I agreed that trying to be a hero requires common sense and treading carefully. He explained an anecdote of his experience in being hero on the set of his first produced horror feature, the Attic. Just as the camera was about to roll for a heavily prepared shot, my mentor noticed that there was no entry wound, and that the camera would pick up on it. My mentor followed his gut and shouted his concern just as the director was prepared to roll the camera. It turns out that my mentor was in fact correct, and this risk was certainly appreciated. During this session, my mentor was also able to review a short film script that I had written, in the hopes of ultimately producing it under his guidance. My mentor had excellent, constructive criticism and suggestions about how to improve the story. He questioned some of the back-story, which helped me better understand the importance of logic and story-flow from another pair of eyes. I was very appreciative of his commentary, as I knew my story was missing some important elements. Tom also referred me to a 2-day, short film shoot. I gladly seized the opportunity to volunteer as a production assistant for both days. The objective of the short film is based on a 168-hour challenge, in which religious filmmakers are expected to produce a final-edited film in one week. The challenge begins when the filmmakers receive the theme of their stories; this year, the theme is “keeping promises.” The producers of the film were connected to my mentor through his last feature film, Sprawl. The whole production takes place at the producer’s house in Altadena, California. So day 1 of the film I arrived at the set at 9:30 AM and was greeted by the primary producer of the film. I met the DP and the 1st assistant director (AD), both of whom who turned out to be my direct bosses. In preparing for the first scene of the shoot, the 1st AD gave me an opportunity to be the clapper throughout the production of the film, therefore, making my title the 2nd AC for the production. Something which had amazed most people on the set, I was able to use an IPAD application for movie slates. My role required saying “Scene #, Take #” prior to each take. I was surprised to learn as much as I did just being designated as the clapper. This required coordination with the DP and the sound technician.”

“Film Connection put me in a great position to work at a great studio that allowed me to network and learn the tools necessary to succeed in this business. Through my mentor I was able to work in many different departments (pre-production, casting, production, hair & make-up, post-production, and research) on many different shoots. Because of the work I did with my mentor I acquired the skills that enabled me to land jobs on shows such as The Voice (which I’ve been working with the last two years), The Newsroom, Suits, and 30 Rock. The latter of which I worked on its last two seasons as a casting assistant. I’ve also worked on several reality shows and most recently a film featuring Ben Stiller and Amanda Seyfried. I’ve maintained a relationship with my mentor and continue to work with him when able.”

“I like working with my mentor a lot, and I don’t want to misrepresent him by sounding like a bootlicker, however I will say that I have learned more things I actually want to know from him than from the accumulated sources of knowledge that I have collected in my entire life. Math? Nah, I don’t need that trash. Lighting? Absolutely fascinating!”

“The walkthroughs of safety protocol made me someone people trust.”

“Crew etiquette clicked when I saw how smoothly a set can run with it.”

“After we finished reading over the quizzes, my mentors showed me what I had missed the day before. They were working on an eye glasses ad using a green screen! Jim started explaining to me what was being done that day, and turns to the lights. He stands in front of the 2k with a large diffuser in front of it, and then removes the diffuser to show me the difference between hard light and soft light. After the door rings he asks Tony, the DP, to explain to me even further. Tony begins to introduce me to the setup of the lights, and then takes a tennis ball and places it in front of the camera. He points a light to it and talks about dimension. When the light was placed behind it, the shadows made it look a lot more three dimensional. Then he placed the light on the right side, casting a shadow on the left of the ball. He continued to tell me some basics on lighting using some terms that I couldn’t wrap my head around. The whole time I was thinking, “I really have a lot to learn.” It made me extremely glad though, because that was why I came here.”

“This week I participated in a 48 hour film festival based in Richmond, VA. For this assignment I had the role of production assistant. All total we had a cast and crew of about twenty members for a short film to be shot within one day with post on the next day. We as a cast and crew were able to complete our task for the production and as I write this blog post the film is now in post production. This experience for me is unbeatable. I was able to be on a set for a full day surrounded by artists who are all dedicated to their craft and love to work hard. I learned a lot about the realities of filmmaking and what it takes to complete a film. As I continue to learn, my roles on a set will increase and soon I know I’ll be a major factor on a set. I was happy and grateful for the opportunity to even be a part of the festival. I know the short we created will do well in the judging next week and I hope the audience at the premiere enjoys what we put together.”