By: Elijah Fenstermaker
Are thinking you want to work in the film industry but it might be too difficult to get a job? Think again. The LAFSC program contains many connections in the film industry and equips college students for a career in film.
A Passion for Film
Jude Morris had always enjoyed making and creating videos but he had no idea that it would lead to a future job and a bright career. Morris, in his young, age would create videos but was not taught the bells and whistles involved in video and film production until he was in high school where he took a basic video editing class. He remembers his first video in the class being only five shots long but he had enjoyed himself in the class and learned some of the fundamentals in video editing.
When I took that class I thought that was a lot of fun but I still thought that video is something that people make kinda randomly for fun, not really for a career or anything.”
-JUDE MORRIS
Morris recalls video editing entering college as something for fun but believed that it would not bring about a job opportunity so decided to enroll at Olivet Nazarene University as a Political Science major. After a short periods of time, Morris began growing tired of reading up on philosophy every night and his interest started to shift. As an elective Jude decided to registar for Nonlinear Editing as an elective and had no idea of the impact that it would have on him down the road. Morris loved the class and realized that film and video was where his interest was grounded and not Political Science.
“You only live once. I decided to make it (Film Studies) my full time major and I have not looked back.”
-JUDE MORRIS
LAFSC: A New Experience
Students majoring in Multimedia Communication with a concentration in Film Studies at Olivet Nazarene University are required to spend a semester in Los Angeles, California, at the L.A. Film Studies Center (LAFSC) where they will get plugged into the film industry and work as an intern in the unlimited production studios that LA has to offer. This year, LAFSC is administered by Olivet Nazarene University in partnership with the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU). The internships are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the in-person classes on Tuesday and Thursday.
To finish his last semester before earning his Bachelor’s degree at ONU, Morris spent time out at the LAFSC program where he would be tested to see if film was truly where his passion was grounded.
“When you’re out here this is your chance to see if this is really what you want to do,” he said.
The LAFSC program involves other universities which brings in students from all across the world with different skill sets and backgrounds. Morris reflects that the situation helped build up a social environment outside of the internship to keep busy and build relationships. During the 16-credit classes taken, Morris learned much and enjoyed creating class projects even though there was much work to be done.
Adjusting to the Process
Saying that the change to Los Angeles and the LAFSC program would be an adjustment for Morris would be an understatement. Morris recognized that this experience would be the first jump into the real world for him. While the basics had been taught in college for him, the intense courses would be taught at LAFSC while he was interning. While the transition was stressful, having three days in the office at the internship really helped Morris experience a smoother transition. Overall It was a challenging process for Morris but it just reaffirmed his love for film.
“It (learning process) was kind of the first jump into the real world…being in the office three days a week really helps kind of make that transition from college to real life.”
-JUDE MORRIS
The transition to a big city like L.A. took some time for most students since practically every college in the CCCU are not in large towns. Morris said that it was a cool experience balancing peer relationships in the classroom while learning how to have relationships with co-workers during their internship. Working with a co-worker is a much different type of relationship to Morris than the peer one he was used to back on campus with group projects with a deadline.
For film students who will be experiencing LAFSC and getting plugged into the film industry, Morris shared some words of wisdom from experience to make the experience memorable and valuable:
- Go into it with an open mind and remember that there are so many places in the city where you can go. It gives you a taste of the industry but it is impermanent and you are not stuck there.
- Try to get on set as much as possible because experience builds up new skills. Don’t think because you’re young that you can’t bring a helpful presence on the set.
- 85% of what they want on set isn’t necessarily skill-based. It is most often about being helpful and doing your best and finding ways to be a caring person and taking initiative.
Internship & Job Opportunities
The highlight for most students in the LAFSC program is the internship, however for Morris the beginning of this process did not look so promising for him. Finding the internship was difficult for him and was one of the last people in the program to find an internship.
Luckily the professors at LAFSC have a lot of great connections and were able to set up Morris and another student with an internship at Anaheim Studios in Hawthorne, Calif. While at Anaheim Studios, Morris found it to be a good fit for himself enjoyed learning from the professionals at the studio.
Morris spent a lot of time with the other interns and they were able to share each other’s skills and experiences to sharpen their tools.
The most important factor which Morris took to heart was to make sure that he was taking the internship seriously and working as hard as he could while still enjoying himself. The internship included a lot of time editing, making prep work for the edits, and organizing footage. Morris was also able enjoy experiencing a few shoots on set where he would be faced with gathering all of the shots onto a hard drive to be edited in the future. He firmly believed that the job was extremely stressful because it was the first time in the industry that he had to do something that involved so much importance and pressure.
“The right doors opened and closed. They offered me the job and I said you know what I’ll do it.”
–JUDE MORRIS
Sometimes the crews at Anaheim Studios were as big as thirty people and Morris found it cool to see the final product and acknowledge that he was a part of making it possible. Morris’ hard work was recognized by the studio and they offered him a job once the internship had ended. He had planned on coming back home and initially did not want the job. Morris realized that working in the film and video industry had been his dream and eventually accepted the job after noticing that God had opened up the right doors.
To find out more about how the ONU Communication department has set up more students for successful internships and jobs click here.
