Catie Clayton 

#casadeLAcatie 

Deciding to come to Los Angeles was the scariest and most exciting decision I've made in my college career. Without taking the C&IS in LA program, I would be lost as to where I want to go in my career path and the correct steps to get there. If you are serious about getting into the entertainment industry and learning how to stay in, you need to take this course.

C&IS in LA provided me so many opportunities that I could have never provided on my own. The first week in LA included studio tours, good food, and countless photo opportunities. But as the summer went on, I realized that the "gloss" of Hollywood has a little more roughness to it.

In the class we learned the importance of networking, knowing correct terminology on set, and setting obtainable goals for our future. Coming into this program I thought I was going to go down a certain career path, but I learned there was another career that was right for me.

The preparation alone for this course is one that every student who wants to be in the entertainment industry needs to take. For example, I learned how to write a proper creative cover letter and resume. I learned the importance of standing out among the other hundreds if not thousands of hopefuls applying for the same entry-level positions as me.

C&IS in LA provided me the proper tools and tips that break down the process of getting into the industry. The biggest lesson I learned was the importance of networking. No matter how many times you hear it, it doesn’t click until it happens to you. In one of the classes required reading, it discusses the fact that there is no single standard by which to measure everyone’s work. The only way people feel comfortable hiring others is through someone they know and trust or personal recommendations. Most, if not all, alumni that were guest speakers for class were hired through networking, not an online hiring site.

C&IS in LA also attended PA Bootcamp, which is a two day course on everything PA. The PA has so many more jobs than just the runner for coffee or the one who does the chores no one else on set wants to do. Being a PA has huge responsibilities and a “green PA”, someone who has never been a PA before, stands out like a sore thumb on set and most likely screws up and doesn’t get asked back again the next day. PA Bootcamp prepares you so that on your first day to an official production, you will be knowledgeable on the lingo, call sheets, time cards, and communication over walkie.

C&IS in LA also gives you the chance to hear multiple perspectives on players in the filmmaking game. We spoke with writers, producers, production assistants, camera operators, electrics, cinematographers, and more. This allowed me to see other possible career paths I could take. And in fact I did change my career path. If I didn’t come to LA in this program, I might have not realized my calling until many years later in my life when it would be too late to get out of the pigeon hole Hollywood creates.

Lastly, C&IS in LA provided me the opportunity to meet new people and friends. This program has created a family for us. We lived together, ate together, struggled together, and laughed together. These relationships have formed and we are taking them back to Tuscaloosa. Some of us have formed a crew which includes a producer, production manager, director, 1^st AD, 2^nd AD, writer, production designer, gaffer, grip, sound operator, sound mixer, cinematographer, and production assistants. If you haven’t been able to find a group of students that work well together on set, take this course because you get to know your fellow classmates better and become comfortable with one another.

Taking C&IS in LA is the best thing I have done while attending the University of Alabama and I don’t regret a second of this summer. It is the best way to experience Los Angeles for the first time, and trust me you’ll never want to come home.