A Very Thomley Summer

I want to be a production designer for scripted television.  Before this summer, I couldn't have given such a specific answer.  I always knew I wanted to work in television and through our TCF program learned so much about what it takes to get a production made.  In my final year I began to gravitate towards production design and after my experience out here this summer, I know that is where I belong.

Our first week here in LA was incredible.  Before we all got so busy with our internships, we were taken to more industry networking events than most could ever hope to.  We learned so much so quick about the structure of the industry and what it takes to break in.

I began my first internship in LA at SXM Inc..  A boutique production company that specializes in "branded content".  Here, traditional production techniques where used to make engaging new media advertisements for large companies.  Through my time at SXM I helped produce and entirely production designed a live gameshow on Facebook to promote the mobile game Fruit Ninja.  I was thrown directly into the fire and had to do the tasks of an entire department all on my own.  This was such a useful crash course for how to navigate prop houses and source materials from local LA vendors.

Along with working for SXM Inc., I split my time with their sister company, New Filmmakers Los Angeles.  Here I learned what it takes to run a film festival in Los Angeles and gained so much information on the film submission process.  Through this internship I was granted access to several festival events and got to network with so many great people involved in the independent film world.

The most impactful experience of the summer has been and continues to be my internship with the Emmys Television Academy.  I was awarded the "episodic series" internship.  Through this internship I am currently shadowing the Art Dept. at Modern Family.  Next I'll move on to Life in Pieces and then Fresh Off the Boat. It has always been my dream to help bring television to life and through this internship I'm finally getting to make that a reality.  Every day I'm learning something new about the structure of a network television show.  I directly shadow our Art coordinator who helps our Art Director and Production Designer in their day to day tasks.  Every day is so different and I love it.  One day I'll be out on a tech scout at a horse ranch in the valley, and the next day I'll be on the lot talking to TV legends like Ed O'Neill.  It's an amazing opportunity and I'm just so grateful we have a program that has helped me get to where I am. 

  

Alexa Armstrong- Favorite Moments of the Summer

During the first week in Los Angeles, the C&IS LA program was able to do a number of tours including Universal and Warner Brothers. I had been on the Universal studio tour so I was very excited about the Warner Brothers’ tour.







 I have always been a huge Friends fan so, finally being able to see the Central Perk Cafe was incredible. The tour also taught me a more about how sets are used over and over again for several different films/shows.

 When I first started at Young Hollywood I was very excited to see how the studio shoots went. Luckily, I was able to see several in studio interviews as well as a few field shoots. My favorite studio shoot was definitely with Jordan Fisher who has starred in Grease Live!, Teen Wolf, and is now pursuing his musical career. Jordan was extremely friendly and talkative and was happy to meet another person who understood “Roll Tide!”


Field shoots with Young Hollywood were all very different. Sometimes a couple interns were sent to meet up with a host and cameraman and other times interns were sent on their own. I was lucky enough to be about to go to my first red carpet, even though it was orange, and I was able to meet go to a few free concerts.

Outside of interning with Young Hollywood, I was able to experience a lot of events with the C&IS LA program. The first week in June we went to LA Film Fest and listened to Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, Creed) and Ava DuVernay (Selma). Hearing from such talented directors was very inspiring and encouraging.





 Initially, I considered not participating in PA Bootcamp. Looking back, I realize that that would have been a very bad decision. If I had not gone to PA bootcamp then I would have missed out on learning about an entirely new side to the industry that I knew nothing about. I enjoyed PA Bootcamp so much that soon after I was working as a PA on a web-series and an overnight shoot for a student film.


I have always been a big Harry Potter fan so when I found out that we were seeing Harry Potter at the Hollywood Bowl I was ecstatic. It was incredible experience hearing the LA Philharmonic Orchestra play the score and they were so good that at times I forgot that the music was live.

 Another event on the schedule that I was skeptical of, was going to the Writer’s Guild. Before coming to Los Angeles, I had never written a script nor was I interested in writing one. At the WGA I saw the pilot script for my favorite show, Teen Wolf, and the script for my favorite movie, Pearl Harbor. After looking at the scripts and being able to visualize how the final products turned out I started writing on my own, just to see what I came with, and realized that I actually have a lot of ideas.

The most important thing I have learned from the C&IS in LA program is that there are several different paths to your dream career and that no one takes the same path. It's important to have a plan for yourself and steps to take to have your dream career but, also know that things will change unexpectedly so be flexible. 

Griff in LA

Los Angeles was not what I expected, but some of the stereotypes surrounding Hollywood, I learned, could not be more fact-based. This city is crazy to say the least, and this summer has taught me more than anything I would have learned on my own. TCF in LA opened the door for so many opportunities in the future, Los Angeles has gone from scary and intimidating to familiar and useful. I now know I can and will be able to survive and thrive here, but before this class I had no idea what exactly my future held.

Upon arrival we were thrust into the world of film, going everywhere that was a "must-see" for film students. My personal favorite was Warner Brothers (pictured right), it was mind-blowing.










My second favorite class activity was probably CineGear. I had no idea half of what I saw existed, and the other half was better than anything I already knew. It was truly cutting edge stuff and gave me a taste of what I will be working with in the future, and what I should set my sights on, including this Ronin-MX (right) once I get some money to spend.








I got the internship I wanted most - Luti Media. Luti Media a production company based in London that has been nominated for multiple awards and has over 4 billion total views for its music videos, which include Drake's Hotline Bling, Rihanna's Work, and Zayne's Pillow Talk - which is currently the most viewed video of 2016 with almost 600 million youtube views. My second week of work I got to PA on the set thats pictured below, it was the most professional/highest budget shoot I had ever been on at that point and I pretty much fell in love instantly.








The second project I got to PA on the week after that was directed by Daps who has done quite a few big budget music videos. It was awesome to watch him work and learn how he directs, and the set was beautiful of course.






On the beach set I met a guy who was shooting behind the scenes and we discussed working together. A week later he asked me to come drone a video he was directing and shooting himself, for his friend Alex Wiley who just happens to be a rapper I follow on Spotify. I was obviously down for that so I got to go shoot for him and meet Alex. I learned through this encounter the value in meeting everyone you can no matter of their position - it can open so many doors for you.



My next job was PAing on set for Luti Media again, however as soon as I pulled out my camera I was "promoted" to shooting behind the scenes and got to get a lot of amazing footage. I really like doing behind the scenes work, it gives me creative freedom while also being able to learn from those who know more than I do. I love being able to shoot freely and if possible I am going to do a lot of behind the scenes productions once I return to Los Angeles.






My friend so happened to get an internship at a company that put on concerts around LA. This lead to meeting Curren$y which was obviously "chill". Again, it was a friend who invited me, I like the saying "it's not who you know, it's who knows you."










As an experience, TCF in LA has to be the best summer I've ever had hands down, and I wouldn't be surprised if I never beat it. The sheer amount of exposure I had to the industry was more educational than literally any other situation I could've put myself in. I know what I have to do over the next year, the next 5 years, and for the first time I have a clear vision of the path I need to take to get where I want to be. Quite frankly, this course has prepared me for what comes after college much better than college has. This photo sums up what I've learned.

"Until We Meet Again, May the Good Lord Take A Liking To You."

I started the trip with a picture of Roy Rogers and Trigger's footprints in front of the Chinese Theatre, and posted it to the class tumblr with the quote that I'm now using (slight pretension aside) to take my leave. Three years ago, I uprooted my life and decided to go to Alabama -- a school 10.5 hours away from my long-time home in North Carolina -- and it seemed only appropriate to uproot myself again and spend my last summer as a student working, learning, and living in a brand new place, almost the entire length of I-40 away. 2,541 miles. My car had been totaled two weeks prior. I didn't know how I was going to get to and from work. I didn't know my roommates. In the couple days leading up to the flight out, I was beginning to wonder whether or not this was a good idea.

Thankfully, I fell in quickly with my roommates. We'd stay up late chatting and bond over a love of donuts and good food. They had plans enough for fun "activities" that managed to get me out of the house and around the city, because I definitely would not have gone out on workdays without a schedule. We saw Venice Beach and tried out Instagram coffee shops and went hunting for a mural that turned out to be the most elusive painted wall known to mankind. If it wasn't for the squad, I would have just come out and worked and slept and kept my nose to the grindstone, emerging only for class excursions. But I had their enthusiastic adventurous from which to feed and I am forever grateful for that.

I worked two internships, one incredibly well suited for my interests and disposition, and the other not so much. I learned what I wanted in a workplace. I learned that sometimes businesses exaggerate on their websites and in interviews and it's not just the applicant who's subject to a little bit of lying on their resumé. (Proficient in css? sure. I mean, I can look up a tutorial, right?) I learned that I need to work in a place that's innovating, willing to sit on the cusp of discomfort in order to push boundaries. I need to be in a room full of people who are smarter than I am. And, thankfully, I had that at my second internship in order to balance out the failings of the other. I stuck through both -- good and bad -- until the very end. I start my drive in the morning, and I'm still here at work. Making graphics and trawling social media and working on pitch decks and loving every second of it. I'm going to walk to Sprinkles for the last time on my lunch break in about an hour, something I've done every Tuesday and Thursday for weeks now, and I'm going to miss this routine that I've settled into and the work that I get to do here.

Outside of the workplace, the class has given me so many opportunities to go to events and hear people in the industry speak. I want to go into marketing, but it's still crucial to hear the stories and the struggles that happen in a production. Everyone here is full of valuable advice, because everyone here has failed at some point in their lives and careers. It takes some of the pressure off. I don't have to be on the path to success from the outset. I can try some things and maybe some of them won't work, and that's okay. If I fall, I'll be confident standing up and brushing off the dust and finding another way up.

I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to move to Los Angeles after graduation. I will go wherever the job search takes me, but after this class, I can proudly say that I would be comfortable living here. Maybe we'll see each other again in a year, Los Angeles. Or maybe I'll just be out to visit. But "until we meet again, may the good Lord take a liking to you." 

Summer in LA: Keri Washington

This summer I had the opportunity to work at RedLight PR, a Public Relations firm based out of Los Angeles and New York. I had many great experiences and opportunities from this internship that made my summer in LA unforgettable. My daily tasks included press clipping, social media management and meetings with talents and their agents about their upcoming events and maintaining their public image. Some other tasks I was able to do weekly included creating content for our clients and brands. I designed the set for multiple photo shoots and videos as well as actually shooting them. I also edited and uploaded all of the footage to the clients web platforms and social media. Another weekly task was working with production coordinators for various studios or freelancers and collaborated for product placement within the music video, film, TV show or short.

From working with RedLight PR, I made contact with Ladonna Whittingham who works marketing and events for B.E.T. I was her camera op/assistant when working events or doing footage for her online webpage. Through this and my time at RedLight, I was able to see how professionals work with talent in the industry. Another opportunity that I was given this summer was being an extra on set of Ava DuVernay’s 828 Project. The 828 Project is short narrative about The March on Washington that will be an installment in The Smithsonian in Washington D.C. I was able to get my first voucher under SAG and am only two more union jobs away from being able to get my SAG Card. This was definitely the most beneficial thing I did this summer because of the SAG credit and I was able to see what things were like on a Union set. I could see the professionalism with the crew and talent, but also see how they still worked like a family. This showed me that this business is all about finding that balance between friendship and coworker.

I also was able to work on the set of a non-union show, Justice with Judge Mablean. Everyone there still had the same professionalism, but there was definitely a difference in the hierarchy on set. Lower ranked producers had more fluidity with what they could do since there weren’t Union sanctions keeping them within their job confines.  I am so glad I got to tour all of the major studios in Los Angeles to see how film and TV is made. There are so many little tips I can take away from studio work to apply to my student films that will give it a more professional look.

I also had some down time to explore Los Angeles and see all the touristy sites as well as find the places I will want to spend my time when I move out here. I love this city because it is so big and there is always something to do, especially free things! There are so many different areas, it is impossible to get bored. The traffic I did get annoyed with at times, but thought about how i would much rather sit in traffic in LA than sit at home in Alabama. This summer was such a fun learning experience and I cannot express how grateful I am to Sallie Mae for funding this endeavor. I’m not sure how I can ever repay her.

Summer 2016 - Osagie

I came to LA seeking an immersion experience in the industry. I was expecting to catch a few lucky breaks, find myself working in a high stress situation, and come out with a vastly increased skill set and some solid industry contacts that would definitely call me up when I graduated. Maybe be invited to the join the ASC...

Of course, none of that happened. On the first week out here, I didn't even have a job. Luckily, I managed to get a position as a development intern, which seemed like it would benefit my writing since it called for scripts and script coverage. I think I was asked to read around 4 scripts in total, 3 of which happened in the first 2 weeks of June. The job quickly transitioned into one of pure research and reception. Got hit with a bait-and-switch.

But the people were cool and I had some free time in between assignments to work on other stuff, so I wasn't really complaining. Especially when I began to notice that some other interns were also let down by their internships. It began to sink in that we really were at the bottom of the totem pole. People would eagerly climb over each other to try and get the positions we were having now, so we could afford to be left with the less glamorous jobs. Two major positives - the exposure to the trades and industry happenings that was actually a part of my daily tasks, and access to StudioSystem, which was essentially imDB on steroids.

Meanwhile, outside of my internship, we were attending panels and conventions featuring the best writers, directors, and talent in the industry. Some highlights included attending the episode 1 premiere of the show "Preacher", and getting to listen to the panel of writers talking about the process and difficulties in adapting a comic book series of this nature.


There was also a great panel from experienced writers talking about how you could break into the industry now, their advice essentially culminating into "write a bit, then write some more" and honing your craft and getting attention from being good at it.

Outside of the panels and work, we had plenty of opportunity to just enjoy ourselves and the city, which was much appreciated and definitely crucial. Part of this experience is getting to decide whether or not you even want to be in LA (even though many of the panelists recommended relocating to get into the industry).


Those breaks from thinking about "film film film" and just enjoying myself were my favorite days, although I didn't want to get too relaxed while out here.


I went to see my favorite comedian, Louis CK, perform live, spent quite a few days biking up and down Santa Monica beach, and went to my first baseball game - which was not as good as UA football game (an impossible standard to meet, I now realize).

This program was the perfect way to get integrated into the industry, with the faculty guidance provided making it much less scary to try and jump from living in Tuscaloosa to living in LA. After this, I definitely know that I want to come back to this city and have one more year at UA to spend prepping for the transition. I could not ask for anything else.