Jake's Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

Literal

1. Link to the log of my hours and description of duties.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_X25RrX4BS1WIQp99L3XK8P6aJd3GyXNfXPWs1qsJJY/edit?usp=sharing

2. What us the contact name & number of where you volunteered?

Tom Kam
(951)-265-2463

3. What Questions were raised because of the 10 hour's experience?

• Roughly how long does the planning stage take
• What are the perks and drawbacks of working in the film industry?
• How important is networking in film?
• Has it become easier or more difficult to hold an above the line position compared to when you entered the film industry?
• Do you see there being a growth in employment in the indepenent film industry in the near future?
• Is there a trick to dealing with clients?
• How do you handle actors efficiently?
• How do you make the best out of a low budget film?
• What are the qualities of a great director?
• What is it like to work on your own film compared to someone elses?
• Do you find difficulty in making commercials because you have a short amount of time to get the point across?
• What are the stages of preproduction as a director?

Applied

4. What is the most important thing that you gained from this experience? Why?

Mr. Kam gave me some great advice about first entering the film industry. He told me "Always be prepared for an opportunity to come, have an open schedule, be prepared to work for free at first, be prepared to travel. It is for these reasons that film is great for the youthful, most young people are able to make these variables happen where as people further along in age no longer have that flexibility." This advise stuck with me throughout my mentorship because it made me realize that film is a demanding industry that requires sacrifices and that I need to be looking for opportunities as soon as possible.

5. What is your senior topic going to be? How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.

My senior topic will be independent film. What I learned is that getting into the studio film industry can be quite difficult but there are numerous opportunities to be had in independent film because it take on some many different forms. I also learned that independent films are a great way in gaining experience to perhaps one day join the studio level in the film industry.