Learn about our fall film apprentices! They have spent the last four months crewing up in the world of client work. Taking on different roles, the apprentices have worked together as a team under tight deadlines making professional commercial content and building up their portfolios using industry-standard gear and software.
Click a name to jump to a particular student’s Q&A:
- Katelyn Neal
- Anna Liu
- Riley Hastings
- Olga Pedraza-Cano
- Amiyah White
- Arthur Cummins
- Ashlee Whitehouse
- Olivia-Vaimoana Solomone-Halaeua
- Katie Robertson
- Madeline Aulbach
KATELYN NEAL
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BECOME A FILMMAKER?
I developed a love for filmmaking when my dad showed me Jim Henson’s the Labyrinth. He taught me how films are made, and I was immediately so interested in the process.
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE FILMMAKER?
My favorite director is Stanley Kubrick, another influence from my dad. I love his perfectionism with how films are shot. I also really love the Rocky movies and Jaws.
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH IDEAS FOR YOUR FILMS?
I make films for the fun memories, and I really love the stress and adrenaline that comes from the whole experience. I like to come up with film ideas by just looking at current events happening around me. I love to create nonfiction work and be able to tell someone’s stories.
WHAT ROLE ARE YOU MOST COMFORTABLE TAKING ON SET?
My favorite roles to do on a film set is directing, cameras, or producing.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE FOR ASPIRING FILMMAKERS?
I would tell aspiring filmmakers to just start the camera and have a good time!
ANNA LIU
Hello, my name is Anna Liu! I’m currently a senior in high school.
WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BECOME A FILMMAKER?
My love for film first came to me when I was in 6th grade. I started with just my phone camera making silly movies with my friends. Soon, those silly movies became a passion, and now I want to study film in college (whether it’s part of multimedia or just by itself).
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FILMS?
My favorite films are definitely horror movies, due to the special effects and plot twists.
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH IDEAS FOR YOUR FILMS?
I am a very creative person and often get my best ideas when I’m zoned out into space.
WHICH ROLES IN FILMMAKING INTEREST YOU MOST?
I’m particularly interested and more experienced in the directing, cinematography, and editing aspects of film.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS AS A FILMMAKER?
For anything I make, I want it to be important to me. My goal is to spread a message that someone, no matter who, needs to hear. I aspire to become a comfort zone for others.
RILEY HASTINGS
Hello! My name is Riley Hastings my pronouns are he/him in 16 and an aspiring filmmaker.
HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN FILMMAKING?
I only kind of got into filmmaking by accident, I had to do a short film for a class that I almost dropped, and the short film was very bad the whole process was so fun and interesting to me and I knew from there I wanted to do it more and get better at the craft.
HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH IDEAS FOR YOUR FILMS?
I try and make a lot of short films in my spare time when I’m not too busy with school, and when I’m trying to get ideas ideas I usually try and think of something that’s been really heavy on my mind or an emotional I’d like to explore and try and think what’s like the like most out of the box or weird way I can take this. Making weird ideas and trying to make them happen is such a personal thing for me and something about having a little idea writing it down and slowly watching it become reality is just such a rewarding experience.
WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES?
I think My biggest strength is for sure that I’m very creative and I can come up with big out of the box ideas, but I think my biggest weakness is trying to find a way to articulate the ideas that makes sense to other people because sometimes things I think of are just really out there and even trying to just explain the ideas to people can get confusing. Filmmaking is something I love so much and I’m so passionate about and I hope I continue to get opportunities and chances to create and help others create and be involved in any step of the process I can.
WHAT IS A THING YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THIS CLASS THAT YOU WILL USE IN YOUR ARTISTRY OR IN YOUR LIFE IN THE FUTURE?
The film apprenticeship definitely helped me with formulating short films and how to not make them too high-concept, how to make simpler scripts and execute them better.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FILMMAKERS? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FILMS? WHY?
I really like John Carpenter, and The Thing is probably my favorite horror movie. I really like him because he makes a really good atmosphere in his horror movies. I really like Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead movies and Damien Chazelle. I love the fact that Sam Raimi made the original Evil Dead with a bunch of college friends and no budget. It’s super inspiring, and in general, his horror movies are super super silly, and I love them. I love how compelling Damien’s films are. They just completely take your attention and never break it, with tension and being immersed in the characters until the end. Also, his movies are super pretty looking.
OLGA PEDRAZA-CANO
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU PASS ALONG TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF FILM APP SIGN-UPS?
That it’s okay to make mistakes, you’re in the environment to do so. But take accountability for those mistakes, and learn from them.
WHAT WAS A CHALLENGE OR DIFFICULT MOMENT YOU ENCOUNTERED IN THIS CLASS. HOW DID YOU HANDLE IT?
Being shorthanded. It happens, but what was most important was being level headed and making hard cut decisions to move forward.
AMIYAH WHITE
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THIS CLASS?
Making friends and gaining better experience within the class.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY FROM THIS CLASS?
Probably, the short film that we made. It was a very fun experience and just all out very cool to be a part of.
ARTHUR CUMMINS
WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR SIGNING UP FOR THIS CLASS?
Learning more about how to make movies and all the little things that go into it.
WHAT WAS A CHALLENGE OR DIFFICULT MOMENT YOU ENCOUNTERED IN THIS CLASS? HOW DID YOU HANDLE IT?
Any time we had to film outside of class, It was harder for me to get there due to scheduling conflicts. I had to plan for things in advance.
ASHLEE WHITEHOUSE
WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR SIGNING UP FOR THIS CLASS?
I just wanted to get more into film and learn more about all of it, and meet some new people.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THIS CLASS?
The whole process of filming Paper Cranes. It was a fun way to get into film, I’ve never done anything like it before, and it was fun to be on set with everyone!
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU PASS ALONG TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF FILM APP SIGN-UPS?
Probably just trying to really get into it, do all the projects, go out of your comfort zone, and just have fun with it.
OLIVIA-VAIMOANA SOLOMONE-HALAEUA
WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR SIGNING UP FOR THIS CLASS?
I originally took the class because I thought there would be more acting opportunities but I soon became more interested with film and how all the different roles happen behind the camera.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FILMMAKERS? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FILMS? WHY?
I really like Baz Luhrmann, Luca Guadagnino, and Petra Collins not only because they’ve directed some of my favorite projects but because they are able to transport me into real stories and give me an escape from reality.
KATIE ROBERTSON
WHAT WAS YOUR REASON FOR SIGNING UP FOR THIS CLASS?
I wanted to find something to do, and something that would help teach me more about the film industry and about all that goes into making films.
WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITY FROM THIS CLASS?
All the times I’ve had to be onset and film something.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FILMMAKERS? WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FILMS? WHY?
My favorite’s probably Wes Anderson and Damien Chazelle. I like their overall aesthetics, cinematography, and escapism.
Other Film Apprentices:
Madeline Aulbach