Week One
After a series of flight setbacks, and a delayed arrival of six hours, I arrived in San Francisco for my first experience on the West Coast. Flying from New York was disorienting, especially since I knew I would be starting my internship with Charming Stranger Films just about twelve hours from the time I arrived. The lack of rest due to excitement and nerves threw me directly into my first week at Charming Stranger.
One of the first things I noticed about working for Cameo Wood and Connie Jo Sechrist was how nicely they treated my fellow intern and I. In New York, I always felt discouraged as a subordinate, that there was no room for growth, but from the very first day, I was enthralled to realize that my bosses were just as excited as I was. We started off with the basic set ups, rundowns, and getting to know just what the internship entailed. Cameo and Connie's bright spirits and welcoming attitudes as well as clear knowledge of what they were talking about, put me at ease and let me know just how much I could learn.
Our second day was a gift from the company of a movie tour of San Francisco. As a movie nerd, I have never been more excited to get stuck on a bus for three hours. To see the city in all it's cinematic glory, solidified just what I was doing here. It was confirmation that I was in the right place, about to truly do what I love, and be apart of creating film in any way that I can. As well as getting to know the people I will be working with for the next seven weeks, I saw just what this city has to offer filmmakers of all walks of life.
The last day of the first week was a day of voiceover recording. With the guiding hand of Connie Jo, Alex and I set to directing voice actors for Charming Strangers current film Real Artists, and it's promotional campaign. Working with voice actors was something incredibly new for me, and noticing the nuance that comes with people's voices when their physicality isn't apart of the picture was enlightening. I had never worked with Lavaliers before and knowing how they operate and how sensitive they are to sound, helped me better understand what mic to use for what sort of audio. Taking this session in our own hands and having so much creative and technical control enforced the responsibility of being a filmmaker and showing me that I'm capable. I look forward to what else this internship has to offer.