Success
Stories

“My first call sheet was a disaster — but I learned what goes into good prep.”

“Nothing replaces setting up a C-stand with your own hands.”

“This past week at the studio has been busy. Saturday we filmed a 5K run to raise awareness for autism. Then Sunday we began shooting a film video. My first day on a film video set was amazing! We shot three separate locations including a sound stage/bar/ and park. I learned about lighting and set etiquette, along with terminology. I helped put together the dolly and crane and during the actual shooting it was my job to handle playback of the track. We began at 9 A.M. and wrapped around 8:30. Was a long day but sooo worth it. I followed my mentor around on set and watched exactly what a producer has to handle when there is twenty people working under you. The most challenging part had to be remembering terminology. There was so much to observe I just sat back and soaked it all in.”

“I learned a lot about equipment and how to set it up safely (C-Stands, Stingers, Fabric and screens used to carve or “paint with light,” how to operate a fog machine, how to figure out how many volts can go into a generator, etc). I can now confidently set-up a 12×12 frame with little help! Being able to observe the different departments and all the considerations that they have to make was great, especially as everyone was helpful and good at communicating. I think one of my favorite parts of the first shoot were operating a fog machine and seeing how people come together during a low budget film when obstacles arise.”

“The shoot ended and Zac made sure all the forms were signed as needed. Mike and I took the equipment down and packed up, he showed me how to fold the sound cords so as not crinkle them up, and we loaded everything up and drove back to Nashville. We had stopped for Lunch on the way up and stopped for Dinner on the way back, Zac paid for our meals as we were helping his shoot so that was cool. All in all we spent about 5 1/2 to 6 hours driving for a two hour shoot. I asked Zac how much of that would be in the film and he stated it was maybe Five minutes all told, we would see during the editing process. Two hours for only a few minutes’ worth of film time. This is how things go in the world of film shoots I suppose. Not terribly stressful and I learned a bit about how Zac works and what is expected on-set.”

“One day, while at my day job, I received an email from Christine asking if I would be interested in going with her and one of her staff members to shoot a commercial in Galveston, TX. It’s on a Monday so she knew I would probably have work, but I’m glad she asked, because I was able to get the day off. Since I wasn’t able to make the film video filming, I DEFINITELY don’t want to miss another opportunity to be on a set!”

“Hands-on training made me comfortable working with lighting, grip, and audio.”

“I never thought I’d enjoy scheduling — but now I can’t imagine a set without it.”

“I am a man of many questions and stories, as is my mentor, so we spend quite a while – I’d say at least 4 rounds of coffee – talking. Though like I said it is a high point of my week being able to talk to someone who not only has the same love and values for the industry, but can also extend advice about it. To me, that is the best way to spend my afternoon!”

“My lessons were strictly hands on. Textbook work was kept to a minimum and I was put in positions to learn on my own with my mentor there in case I needed assistance. My mentor did not hover over me correcting everything that I did wrong, instead he allowed me to realize my faults and correct them myself. The one on one approach to learning helped the most. This approach as an extern far outweighs learning with other students around.”

“This past week I was able to be on location during a production. We had a pretty small crew but it was very interesting nonetheless. I got to see how a guerrilla crew goes about getting everything done that a production needs to get done. And how on a film set there needs to be little ego because things have to get done. It was refreshing to see everyone pitching in to try and get the shots that we needed to get for the production.”

“Today was a learning experience for sure. While doing our video that we shot from the week before, we decided we needed to do voiceovers. The studio where we were at, however, was being used, so we were unable to use those microphones and record them. So like a real filmmaker, when we encountered a problem like this, we thought out of the box for an alternative idea. We went into a quiet room, set up a camera very close to the person speaking, and recorded voiceovers for every scene. Then we went back to edit it. It was an interesting lesson and I learned a lot from it, especially learning how to cope with situations.”