LINK Project Proposal
I will be interning with Corona Productions under the direction of Tony Corona. Corona Productions is a privately owned company that specializes in commercial and business related production. Some of the more common productions that Tony produces are public service announcements, commercials for local companies and documentaries concerning issues in the Durango area.
Mr. Corona is a private commercial cinematographer and film teacher who leads his own company usually working for local businesses in the Durango area. He is a graduate of the Chicago Film Institute and has worked for multiple companies and organizations including the State Government and Fortune 500 companies including CBS, ESPN, ABC, and BBC, making him an expert in many aspects of the film industry including editing and direction. I have personally worked with Mr. Corona for the past two years through the Animas High School film program and have already learned many valuable lessons from him. I have previously assisted in producing films with Mr. Corona and have created an informational video that was featured in the 2011Durango film festival.
From a very young age I was interested in cinematography and movie production. For some time now that I’ve wanted to pursue a career in video arts and ultimately wright, and produce my own films. I am planning to attend film schools such as Chapman University, Ithaca College, USC and UBC directly after high school and begin work in independent and major film right away. I began studying video arts in depth during my freshman year at Animas High School, which happened to be the same year that Mr. Corona joined the AHS faculty as a documentary filmmaking teacher. Since then, I have not participated in any other SIG (Student Interest Group considered to be and intellectual elective) besides film because I want to dedicate as much time and as possible to creating my film portfolio and gradually learning more about the industry throughout my high school experience. While researching the possibilities for a film internship, I originally wanted to expand on my learning experience by working with an outside film company, specifically one that worked in television or broadcasting. However, I was presented with the opportunity to produce the AHS LINK promotional video with Mr. Corona, and my classmate and HOS Talk co-director, Zach Marqua. This project greatly excited me because it would give me the opportunity to create a developed commercial that will allow me to participate in multiple areas of film production, and I would be creating something that the school would use to promote the LINK program. I believe that colleges will look at this as age and positive piece of my film portfolio and I truly think this will help me stand out among other students who desire to further advance to their own film studies. The next step after high school is to attend film school and I think that this project will help me in the admission process.
My LINK project will challenge my skills as a director, crew worker and editor as I move through the three week production. The project will basically be divided into three stages that will ultimately lead up to the final product which is the video: pre production, shooting in the field, and post production. The first three days of the LINK will consist of pre-production where my team and I will map out the project and gather resources for the remainder of the project. During this time, we will also gather interviews with Michael Ackerman, Rachael Sands, and students and teachers that are conducting internships through Animas High School. This stage will last only three days and will be used as the developing period in the project. Starting Thursday the 15th, we will begin traveling around town and filming internships at multiple locations. We are planning on traveling to two locations per day and conducting interviews, capturing b role, and gathering footage for the final project at each location. This stage will be the most fast paced and time consuming of the project which will require a high level of efficiency of my team and I. I believe that this stage will particularly challenge my technical film knowledge as well as my interview skills which will in turn improve these areas in my studies. The final stage, post production, will take place the last week of the internship and will consist of entering, cataloging and editing footage shot over the previous two weeks and finalizing the promotional video by the end of the week. Throughout these stages, I will also be shooting the film making process that will go into making the LINK promo video and creating a short behind the scenes film that will be displayed along with the featured project. Both of these videos will be posted on my LINK website and will be available for viewing at all times.
After working with Mr. Corona for such a long time I feel that I have learned as much as I can from him without taking the extra step further. I feel that I have significant knowledge in both basic and advanced film technique which will help me in producing a longer and more organized film. One piece of evidence that serves as an example of my experience in visual arts in the HOS Talk program which I created last year as an alternative to the normal Friday assembly. This program has evolved into both an awaited event and a consistent project that I can challenge myself with whether I’m working on screenwriting, directing or acting. With this experience in my background, I am certain that I can perform at the best of my abilities on this LINK project and produce a product that will be aesthetically pleasing.
One of the things that I am predicting might happen is difficulties during the shooting and editing stages. Because the shooting stage is very aggressively paced, there might be some days when things won’t go according to plan with camera equipment or location problems. I think that the best way to handle this is to remain calm and open minded, and keep the final project in mind. The Primary goal for this project is to complete the LINK promo video and if that concept is present in my team’s mind, it will lead to better success in the project. One other problem that might arise is the clash of styles that each person in the team has. What might look like one thing to one person, might look entirely different to another person and I know already from previously working with the members of my team that we all have different styles of film making. I think that the remedy to this situation is to remain open minded to other styles and communicate with my team my own input to the project. This could, in fact, add a little variety to the project and make for a less generic piece of work.
I am very excited to be a part of the LINK program and cannot wait to start my internship. I believe that this will improve my film making skills in tremendous ways. I truly want to pursue a career in the film industry ad this internship will provide me with the real world experience I need to move in that direction.
