Living in northern Nevada, far from Hollywood or New York, you might think that a career in filmmaking would require–at the very least–a change in residency to a place more traditionally aligned with show business. But you’d be wrong, as fifteen students from Liberal Arts programs, including graphic design, theatre, English, and art, could tell you. They recently participated in a unique three-day Filmmakers Bootcamp held at the Dandini Campus, where they explored careers and activities related to working in the film industry.
Sponsored by the Cordillera International Film Festival and the Future Filmmakers Foundation, the bootcamp was every film fan’s dream come true. With speakers from so many different careers in the movie industry, participants got to learn directly from industry professionals about the variety of jobs, and how to get involved.
The Mechanics of Filmmaking
The early stages of filmmaking often revolve around the story and the written word, but where you go from there is anybody’s guess.
“We started with the basics that anybody who might be thinking of a career… kind of anywhere around film production might wind up,” said TMCC Graphic Arts instructor Fe Danger. “It included pre-production stuff, which is writing and pitching screenplays, producing films, (then discussing) at what point an actor might come into the process, or rewriting films to make it hit the right points. We also talked about writing a screenplay that is within budget, and then it went into on-set production.”
For those more into the visual arts, on-set production can offer a variety of opportunities, everything from designing the graphics for a fictional product, creating sound or visual effects, handling weapons, and so much more. Hearing behind-the-scenes stories kept participants engaged for the entire bootcamp.
“We did writing, directing and acting exercises that involved writing a short play,” said Danger. “There was even behavioral stuff we learned. It was fantastic, we got to see all these people. (Speakers included) a director, an actor, an executive producer from Warner Brothers.”
“I was hoping that students would recognize that it doesn't matter where they are in their learning path, that there is work to be had, there are career paths for them to follow,” Danger said. “But it quickly turned out that many of these students are like, there are like, seven directions I want to go. They're like, I want to write, I want to act, I want to direct.”
“Everybody that was there, walked away with ‘wow, that was really powerful,’ even myself,” Danger shared. As a TMCC instructor, Danger has a slightly different outlook than the other participants, and they came away with new activities to take back to their own graphic arts courses. “As a storyboard instructor, I’m going to make an assignment about a look book, a slide deck that they put together for everyone on the set to use.”
How to Get Your Foot in the Door
With so many careers in film available, attitude is key.
Hannah Goodfellow is majoring in motion graphics and graphic design at TMCC, with plans to earn two degrees. One thing she learned during the event was how important it is to have a good attitude, because there are so many people who would love a career in films.
“They put a big emphasis on attitude, especially when getting into (the field),” said Goodfellow. “We actually did quite a few workshops to boost eye contact positivity, the importance of not gossiping in the workplace, but also a positive attitude with everybody. Because this is such a competitive industry, if you're not excited to be here, there are 400 other people waiting for your spot.”
As a child, Goodfellow wanted to be an actress, but prior to the bootcamp, Goodfellow was thinking about pursuing a career in animation. She said, “I was actually struggling a lot with my 2D-animation because of the problems with AI coming out. A whole bunch of animators are being laid off, and the industry is really competitive right now. There's a lot of people who have a lot of experience, and it's hard to get hired with no experience. So I was a little frustrated with that, but going to the camp actually opened my eyes to just doing anything in that industry and getting into different areas.”
“We got to learn like in-depth jobs and roles of the crew on sets, and every person has a different job. So if you're interested in sound or film or lighting, acting or producing or writing or art, it's an area where all of these amazing creative jobs are gathered all at once–with a whole bunch of other people that share your passion and enthusiasm–and you get to talk to and work with them.”
One of the most exciting outcomes of the bootcamp comes down to opportunity: workshop graduates are now eligible for on-set experiences, internships and more.
“The workshop helped me experience a new, different type of industry that I would love to experience, and I've actually volunteered to help (the Film Festival) with their pre-Oscars party that they're setting up. I hope to be a part of their big festival in an entry-level position, to get in and have fun with it,” Goodfellow said. “The boot camp really helped me open my eyes to that, to try different things in the industry. I’m not going to be so focused on the specialty of an animator, but instead I’m open to a wide view of jobs relating to the industry, which (can be) really hard to get into without experience.”
They say there’s no business like show business, and following this three-day workshop, one thing’s for sure: TMCC students have a lot of opportunities to get involved.
For more information, please contact the Liberal Arts Division.