A lot has changed since my last blog post. TuckerGurl has taken on a new project, a short film titled Young Black and Gifted, and I will be starring in it. I have also started editing footage for TuckerGurl’s web series with PBS, Black Folk Don’t. However, the biggest and most exciting change is that our feature length film Paper Chase has been picked up by a second production company and will now receive more funding and be a much larger production. This of course has changed the production schedule and we will no longer be shooting this summer, but instead later in 2016/2017. This is great news for TuckerGurl and for myself. This will give me the opportunity to network with more media professionals as well as expose me to the process of making a major motion picture.
Although Paper Chase has been delayed, I have still been learning and growing a lot during my time working with TuckerGurl. I feel I have accomplished many of my learning goals and will soon complete the rest. We will be shooting the short film this weekend (July 30th-31st) and so far we’ve had three rehearsals. From rehearsal to rehearsal I can see my acting skills improving. The director helped each of the actors develop their characters and analyze/create certain aspects of their personalities. This really helped me navigate how to deliver each line and what to do in each scene. I am very excited to be on set for the next two days and gain an understanding of the production process as well as see how I do in front of the camera (wish me luck!)
As mentioned above I have also been editing footage for a web series TuckerGurl produces with PBS. I can tell my editing skills have improved because my boss went form asking me to work on time coding to actually editing an entire episode on my own! I am currently working on the first cut and will present it to my boss sometime next week. Again, wish me luck!
This internship has helped shape me as a female leader for many reasons. Not only is my boss a very successful female director, but many of the other professionals TuckerGurl works with are women as well, so I have many role models to look up to and learn from directly. I am also learning the many aspects of filmmaking from acting, to directing, to editing. This, in my opinion, allows me to branch off in multiple directions. I feel confident in my ability to create my own projects, not to mention it gives me an edge when applying to future jobs.
I’ll let y’all know how everything goes in my next post! Until then, happy creating!!!