Camilla's Summer Reflection

When asked to write about my experience with TCF in LA its hard to put into words how much this summer has impacted my life. Submerging myself completely in the entertainment industry was truly the best way to learn the ins and the outs. This program forces you out of your comfort zone and puts your drive and ambition to the test. Rather than writing word for word about everything I have accomplished while out in LA, I have decided to narrow it down to the 5 activities we did this summer

1.     LA IS THE PLACE TO BE WHEN ENTERING THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. Whether it is just to a free screening of a movie or attending master classes at a film festival, Los Angles has many opportunities that you can take up. This summer has opened up the world of film networking and workshops. Every event we attended was a chance to network and broaden our knowledge on the film industry. One of the activities we did that I learned a lot at was our trip to Cinegear. 

Cinegear is a film equipment expo, where companies bring the brand new innovative equipment and you can go to test it out and even purchase. 

2. LEARN ALL ASPECTS OF THE INDUSTRY. We got the chance to visit the WGA library this summer. I have never put myself in the writers shoes when it comes to productions but the WGA staff were very welcoming to us and explained the process and pointed out some very famous scripts they have collected over the years. My favorite part was the iPads that had scripts from shows on television now. It was fun to read scripts from my favorite shows and see the actual picture play out in my head.

3. TRAVEL LA, YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU’LL END UP. A big part of my summer was helping people build their reel. This included going out to shoot, as well as time lapses in the beautiful canyons of California. The experiences always beautiful and the projects always came out great. Sometimes you need to get out of the city and taking on a project is a great way to let you explore 

4. ATTEND EVENTS, EXPLORE WHAT OTHER STUDENTS ARE MAKING 

A big thing that happened for our program was going to the CMF awards. We had many students, including some in the summer program, which had films that made it to the finals in LA. Unfortunately I was in San Diego with my internship for Conan Con, so I was unable to go to all the master classes and screenings, but one thing I did make it back for was the CMF Award ceremony. It was such an honor to represent a school that placed and it was also very inspiring seeing what other school produced. It was a great networking opportunity as well!

5. STUDIO LOTS ARE FILLED WITH SO MUCH HISTORY

In the beginning of the summer we got to visit studio lots, including Universal, FOX, and Warner Brothers. During the tours we learned about the history of the lots and even got to drive by iconic movie scenes. My favorite tour was the Warner Brothers Lot tour. This summer I got the incredible opportunity to intern for CONAN on the lot, so this tour was very special to learn about the place I was spending my whole summer.