Students attend Heartland Film Festival brunch
Eight Media School students traveled to Indianapolis with career coaches Lauren Little and Rachel Sarachman and lecturer Craig Erpelding to attend the Filmmakers Brunch at the Heartland Film Festival. At the event, students networked with filmmakers and listened to a Q&A session. Junior Lydia Riley traveled with the group and wrote about her experience.
Excellent food, interesting discussions and networking opportunities all made my experience at the Heartland Film Festival Brunch worthwhile.
Students had the opportunity to ask the filmmakers riveting questions and receive insightful answers from different perspectives. Senior Ethan Gill asked, “When you’re not the director or writer, how have you developed your personal style within a production?”
The question received a lot of responses, and I learned that your style is something that emerges from staying true to the story. I need to be a servant to the story, keep the audience in mind and fulfill the vision of the director.
I also realized that there are basically three storytellers within the film: the writer, the director and the editor. Each person plays an important role and can completely change the tone of the story. I also learned that if I ever make a film, I should hire people who are smarter than me so that they can use their expertise to help me solve problems. I should also cut out any scene that doesn’t advance the story. A good way to do this is to always let the editor have complete control over the first cut.
My favorite part of the event was when I had the opportunity to personally connect with the filmmakers. As someone who is shy and introverted, I was nervous at first to approach a stranger. However, I mustered up the courage to simply walk up to a woman and tell her that I liked a response she gave to a question. She then asked me what kind of work I want to do in the film industry.
She also gave me her business card and told me to email her any videos that I have created. This encounter made me realize that networking is not nearly as hard or complicated as I thought it was and that professionals are excited to talk about filmmaking with students and are willing to work with people who are just starting out. They are eager to give us advice, because they know what it’s like to be in our shoes.
Another takeaway I learned from the event is that it is important to do work outside of class. I need to take advantage of every opportunity that comes my way. I also must be an enjoyable person to work with, because that will set me apart from everyone else and help me get more jobs in the future.
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