“The LAFSC Program gave me a chance to believe in myself and chase my lifelong dream.” These were the words Zach Cantwell said when reflecting on his time in Los Angeles.
Pursuing Film
Cantwell, before he was even enrolled at Olivet Nazarene University, took great interest with his tour at the end of his senior year of high-school.
With the offer of the LAFSC program, Cantwell describes that as a deal-breaker for his decision to enroll at Olivet.
Fast-forward to the end of his junior year, and he’s deciding what direction he wants to take.
Cantwell, reflecting on his time at Olivet, saw a great passion for editing. Throughout his Basic Video, Scriptwriting, and Studio Production courses he found the most joy in the post-production field.
Cantwell reflects on the fact that he needs to go to LA for the best chance of success in his field, so he signs up for the LAFSC program.
With his dreams of editing for a top-level organization, he knew that the program was a step in the right direction.
Los Angeles Livin’
The Los Angeles Film Studies Center, or LAFSC program, is offered to Olivet Nazarene seniors who are majoring in Multimedia Communication with a concentration in Film Studies.
These students will be living in Los Angeles, a major, if not the best, film location in the world. While in LA, these select students get the opportunity to shadow and learn more about the film industry.
Not only is this a great opportunity in film, but also in a life aspect. Cantwell explains that your time is constantly being consumed with one of your three big projects, with one being a short film.
Whether that’s writing scripts, producing and shooting in the streets of Urban California, or in your suite editing footage. When your schedule allows however, you still are in the center of Los Angeles!
Cantwell describes his down time as going to the beach, exploring the different parts of California, or walking in a nearby park. You get to both strengthen your knowledge of film and live your best life in California.
When a Door closes, A Window Opens
With the knowledge and experience that the program gave Cantwell, it was time to put it to the test. As far as internships, the students are completely on their own.
With everyone else in his class getting their internships in line, Cantwell received help from the program head and was given a paid internship with Paulist Productions. With his experience and passion for editing, Cantwell stuck out like a sore thumb with little-to-no interns wanting to edit.
Cantwell passes on a quote that Dr. McLaughlin and Professor Bishop have told him, “It’s all about who you know in the film world”.
With his relationship with the program head, and the program head’s relationship to Paulist Productions shows the butterfly effect that the film world holds.
Transitioning from a school environment to a job, Cantwell was determined to prove to Paulist Productions that he can hold his own.
Knowing that most of the jobs that he would have to do would be “grunt work”, he was prepared to showcase that he was ready for any challenge that he would have to face. Some responsibilities that Cantwell had to do during his internship was
- Review and revise 120-page scripts
- Work the boom mic when doing moving shots during short films.
- Shadowing producers and providing advice on shot composition and camera movement
- Various desk responsibilities like creating agendas with high-profile customers.
Trust in Your Skills
With internships, it’s usually not paid—especially an internship in Los Angeles—you usually take what you can get. You get to build relationships with your higher-ups, and there is a possibility of the internship being your full-time job.
Cantwell had the possibility to continue on with Paulist Productions, or venture off and continue to climb the ladder that is the film industry. Although all of the grunt work allowed him to show off his skills of basic company work, he wanted to showcase his editing capabilities at a much higher level.
As Cantwell departed from his steady internship at Paulist Productions, he was determined to trust in his skills and find a new home.
He ended up at Allen Media Group where he would be an editor for various short films. He got to edit a short film, and went to a screening and saw his name in the credits! From the learning and teaching that Cantwell received at LAFSC, and used that to catapult his career in the film industry.
To learn more about different internship opportunities at Olivet, Click here!
