On Saturday, Clio Entertainment was proud to partner with Spark and Film2Future to kick off a six week educational event series on “The Art of Trailer Making.” Film2Future is a non-profit organization that provides a professional level filmmaking program to underserved teenagers in Los Angeles and works to diversify the entertainment industry.
This new educational series is designed for Film2Future students to become familiar with the entertainment marketing community, and specifically, the careers that exist at trailer agencies, which are often overlooked career pathways in traditional film school educations. The series is also open to the general public looking to learn more about trailer making or in supporting the future generation of trailer makers by purchasing tickets that support Film2Future’s fundraising efforts.
To launch this special new series, five panelists from the trailer industry joined moderators Helen Ahn Cutler and Kojo Acquaah to share insights into their various roles and careers in the trailer industry with a crowd of over 140 students and community members. The panelists were:
Alison Sieh - Director of Music, Aspect
Emily Kister - Editor, Mark Woollen and Associates
Jenn Price - Producer, Buddha Jones
Mary Miazgowicz - Graphics Creative Director, Motive
Amaka Obaze - Director of Social, MOCEAN
The panel began with a screening of “Filmography 2010,” a recap trailer cut by Jax editor Gen Ip. This scintillating piece served as a perfect introduction to this event as the students got a firsthand look at the art of great editing, and also learned that Gen was discovered while she was still a college student by a trailer agency that saw the piece.
The panelists then joined the session for individual interviews with the moderators to share information on their career paths, roles within the industry, and advice for those looking to break into the field. Although each panelist had their own unique tale on how they landed in their current position and astute insights and advice, there were a few common themes shared throughout the discussions:
- The importance of internships/ entry-level positions - Almost all the panelists shared that they got their start in the industry as an intern or in another sort of entry-level position (mailroom at a talent agency, assistant editor, etc.) They stressed that while these jobs may be unglamorous at times, they provide essential educational opportunities and a firsthand look at how the industry functions. Spark is helping interested Film2Future students learn more about internship opportunities at trailer houses.
- Battling imposter syndrome - The panelists spoke about how even though they’ve now been working within the industry for several years, they still have to combat imposter syndrome and that each new project can bring up doubts about their performance. To try and overcome these challenges, they spoke about taking a step away from the project for a few hours and having a strong team of collaborators and mentors who can help cheer you on.
- The value of networking and student work - Another common theme shared was the significance of networking and staying connected with others in the industry. Often for the panelists, it was those connections that ended up helping them to land a job. They also stressed the importance of creating your own work, even if it’s student work or just in your free time, and sharing it with others so they can get a sense of your talent and capabilities.
It was a fascinating and illuminating discussion, and we greatly appreciate the panelists sharing their experiences with us all.
Next up in the series will be five weeks of trailer breakdown sessions presented by top trailer agencies. In these sessions, professionals from trailer agencies will give a behind-the-scenes look at one of their recent projects and share their advice for creating a successful film promo. They will also demonstrate their skills in the field as they work to create a promo for a Film2Future student film which will then be shared with the event audience. The schedule for the breakdown sessions is as follows:
April 17 - Mark Woollen and Associates presents FENCES and student film ONE SON
April 24 - Aspect presents Zack Snyder’s JUSTICE LEAGUE and student film SAFFRON
May 1 - Buddha Jones presents THE MANDALORIAN and student film THREE HUNDRED BUCKS
May 8 - Grandson presents A STAR IS BORN and student film BELONGING
May 15 - Motive presents KNIVES OUT and student film RASHA
You won’t want to miss these one-of-a-kind opportunities to get a backstage look at some of the top trailer campaigns for the past few years from the biggest trailer pros in the field, and we hope you will join us in purchasing a ticket to attend one or all of the upcoming sessions to support the amazing work of Film2Future. You can find more information and links to buy passes here. Hope to see you next Saturday!
Follow Us