Working As A Producer's Assistant

Working in the Audiovisual Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been amazing so far!  I'm very fortunate to be able to work where I work! How many other 18 year-old's can say that they are working in a field that they want to?  Right now I'm specifically working with an awesome producer named Lucas McGraw on Mormon Messages for Youth.

Because these videos are only two to five minutes long, I get to see the whole process.  I get to see pre-production, production, and post production.  


I have learned so much since I've been working with the church.  I've learned some of the lingo people in the industry use.  I've learned more about what a producer does.  I've learned about how we pay people and how to find people with specific talents to do a job (because I have to find people and help prepare their contracts).  I've learned how an idea becomes a script, and how the script turns into a storyboard, and about how all this pre-production stuff gets approved.  I've learned about budgeting, scheduling, and organizing.  I've learned more about editing.  And, I keep learning new skill everyday.  Skill that I continue to use on my job.


I feel very, very fortunate to be able to work where I do.  I am very blessed.  Because I feel so lucky, I'm trying my best to take advantage of what I have.  I try to retain what I learn.  I try to learn quickly.  And, I try to be as productive as possible on the job.  I want people to remember me.  I hope that after I leave on my mission people think of me as the, "guy who got stuff done and got it done fast."  

The Kind Of Director I Want To Be

This story looks really compelling, it looks inspiring, it looks intense (see posted video below).  I'm personally not going to go see it because it's rated R.  But, the release of this movie has caused me to seriously reflect on the Film Industry, and what kind of director I want to be someday.

Danny Boyle, the director of this movie is very talented.  He knows how to tell very compelling stories.  I've never seen any of his movies (because most of them are inappropriate) but I'm told that he's amazing.  His movie, "Slumdog Millionaire," won more Academy Awards than any other movie the year it was released.  

This new movie of his, "127 hours," looks just as promising.  It was filmed mostly here in Utah.  I have some neighbors who are actors; in their family is a little boy named Koleman.  Koleman had the great opportunity to play a small role in this movie.  When they told me that Koleman was going to be in this film, I thought to myself, "wow, this is the biggest thing any of them have ever done."  I was a little skeptical though  because I knew that a lot of Danny Boyle's films were rated R.  In this trailer, Koleman is the little boy that wears the glasses and gasps at the breathtaking views of southern Utah.  

Actors, especially ones with small roles, hardly ever get to see the entire script, especially when they are first auditioning for the part.  That's the way the Film Industry works.  I would have it the same way, I don't want someone spilling the secret twist in my up coming film.  However, when Koleman's mom tried to inquiry more about this movie that her son was auditioning for, they assured her that the movie was completely family friendly, that it was an inspiring story, based on a real life event.  They assured her that there was nothing to worry about, that it would be a movie her whole family could go see when it came out.  She asked for a copy of the script, she didn't receive it (no surprise), but she went ahead and let Koleman participate.

They were right, the movie is inspiring, the movie is based on a true story; however, they bluntly lied in pretending it was a family friendly film.  I recently talked with another actor in the movie, who had a chance to see a test preview of the film.  He told me that there were members of the audience who fainted because it was so graphic!  He also told me that it was definitely not family friendly.  He said there was nudity and lots of blood.  Let me pose this question: do you believe a movie that's rated R, with nudity and lots of blood sounds remotely family friendly?

It's terrible that Hollywood has to lie to get what they want!  It's terrible that the Film Industry is so dishonest! This has not changed my mind about taking this career path!  I love film making, and I love telling stories.  But, it has seriously caused me to reflect on what kind of a person I want to be!  I will never ever lie to get what I want!  And, I promise and commit full heartedly that I will be an example!  I will stand up for what's right in an industry so wrong!  I don't care how long I have to wait in between jobs!  I don't care if hardly anybody wants to take me on their projects because I won't work on immoral or graphic material!  I will stand up for what's right!

This Blog

It seems really narcissistic to create a blog about yourself, and to be truthful, it was a little wierd for me to make it.  However, my dream job is to be a movie director!  I want people to see my passion for this art form.  I love the film industry, and while people keep telling me that this is not a career path I should take, the more I see the the more I want to be involved!

Film is a medium that combines so many forms of art together.  All in one bundle you have music, photography, acting, writing, editing, set design, costume design, and so much more!  Film making is also story telling, and man do I love listening someone tell a compelling story, and I love to tell stories myself.  Story telling is a way to communicate an idea.  The greatest teachers in the world use stories to help them illustrate an idea.  I want to tell stories.  I want to make movies.  I want to inspire and uplift people.  I want to pull the audiance into the story.  I want to make the world a beter place.