Digital Portfolio

I had a blast working on this project and it is not quite finished yet but I will be continuing in assisting Brittany to make it all that we want it to be.

This is the official movie trailer that we were able to create and launch recently, both Brittany and I are very happy with the result!

As of right now the website, which contains the photos I narrowed down from over 2000 photos taken throughout the filming process, has not been launched yet. I do have a few of the photos that I picked out to be used but the majority of them will be released to the public when the site launches hopefully later this week. (I will post the link separately when it is available)

There are more photos up on the movie's official facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/leftoversthemovie/photos_stream

I also have a few promotional posters that I made a first draft of and they have been sent to a professional graphic designer to be cleaned up but here are the ones I was able to create: 

I was very excited to be a part of this project and 

I am excited to continue to be a part of this project until it is complete. The website should be ready to launch any day now and the kickstarter will be put together shortly after to raise funds needed for distribution costs and to pay the composer and the sound technician. Once the sound and music is complete we will be having a premier on Worcester State campus and we will also be submitting it to film festivals in the hopes of being chosen to be shown and considered for awards. I hope that you will be able to come see this awesome project so many people (especially Brittany) have put a lot of effort into making!

Week 13

Overall this semester working with Brittany has been great! I got to learn how to edit in Adobe Premier and I got to learn a lot about post production in film. I feel that I accomplished the main things we set out to have done by the end. The commercial is done, launched and posted. Brittany should be ready to launch the website any day now, the Kickstarter will be launched shortly after and my original poster ideas have been sent to one of Brittany's friends who is a graphic designer and a master with photoshop and indesign so that they will be more polished and put together. I went through a lot of the photos that were taken on and off set and helped decide which ones were going to make it onto the website. The commercial was a combination of Brittany and my ideas and the intro to the film wasn't even shot before I sign onto the project but now all we need is to send it to the sound guy, and the title fade in was completely my idea which Brittany loved and I'm so happy I got to help with her project. I can't wait for the new composer to finish the music and the film to be finished so we can set up the premier party and see the finished product. I highly recommend taking Brittany's class and if the opportunity comes for you to help her with a project I also recommend doing that but only if you're going to be as passionate about helping her as she is about making films.

Week 11

Because this is a one on one internship there isn't an official code of conduct.  However I know that I am to behave respectfully and I am here to help Brittany and the others involved with the project in anyway I can. We have run into a bit of a speed bump with the music, the composer originally hired to write and record the music for the film has delivered unsatisfactory results for a price that is higher than expected and that is a situation we are in the process of dealing with but because Brittany is the lead on the project it is not my direct responsibility to handle that.

Week 9

For the film the main things I have been working on are: going through all of the production photos and picking the best ones to use on the website, helping finish the design and set up of the website, coming up with trailer ideas, coming up with poster ideas, helping set up a kickstarter account to raise funds, helping with music placement and usage, and finding film festivals the film will qualify for.

Coming up with the design and giving an outsiders/ second opinion on things that Brittany had already done is what I think is the most important thing that I have been assigned to do this semester. We want this project to look as professional as possible but we are also trying to get it up and running as well as released and ready for viewing as soon as we can.

I also have been looking for festivals all over the US that the film may qualify to be submitted to and that's really what the end goal is: to win at a festival so that Brittany can win some prize money so that she can continue to create Art.

I've been using a lot of the skills that I have learned in my design and photo classes as well as my natural creativity and vision to help accomplish all of these things and I (and hopefully Brittany) are excited about the results so far.

WSU Communication Department Internship Self Evaluation

1) Intern's Name: Amanda Dixon

2) Internship Firm/Organization: Leftovers the Movie, Directed by Brittany Severance

Think seriously about your internship performance thus far. Reflect on the items below and use them to help clarify areas of strength and weakness so that you may improve the outcome of your internship.

3) This internship provides me with an adequate learning experience for my background.: I am assisting in coming up with a trailer idea and designing the website for the movie. Both of these are things that i would love to do on a bigger production scale.

4) My mentor at this organization understands my goals and objectives.: Brittany is very passionate about her project and I feed off of that.

5) I did adequate preparation investigating the sponsoring organization and level of placement before accepting this position.: Brittany and I talked about what i would be helping her with during this internship if we did it.

6) This organization expects too much work or requires more polished work than I was prepared to do.: Brittany does want this project to look as professional as possible so the ideas I am coming up with and the designs I have been able to come up with she is taking and sending them to some of her more experienced friends so they can clean them up.

7) I cooperate with my colleagues in our work or to accomplish joint goals at the organization.: Brittany and I meet every week to discuss ideas and progress.

8) I cope with annoying situations without losing my temper or poise?: There haven't really been any frustrating situations between Brittany and I. There is an issue with the person Brittany asked to do the music for the movie but she is the one in contact with him and while i agree with the issues that she has with the work he has presented, it is not my direct responsibility to confront him about it.

9) I am eager to learn new skills.: I am very excited to learn how Brittany goes about editing her films and scene clips. As well as how to put together a DVD menu.

10) I find something new to learn even in the most routine tasks.: I am pretty easily excitable, especially when it involves something I am interested in.

11) I consider my internship position challenging and worthy of my talents.: Brittany did use my idea for the trailer and does seem to really value my opinion on things.

12) My attitude toward colleagues and clients is helpful and concerned.: Brittany is the only client I am dealing with

13) I easily recognize clients' needs and then try and assist them.: I do everything I can to help Brittany with her project.

14) I demonstrate ease in initiating conversation with colleagues and clients.: Brittany and I communicate very easily

15) I show confidence and poise in dealing with colleagues and clients.: I am confident in my ideas but also understand that Brittany has the final say because it is her project.

16) This organization can point to me with pride as one of their employees.: Brittany is going to list me in the credits for the movie, so I assume that is because she is happy to have me on the project.

17) I approach all tasks, even low level ones, with enthusiasm and a commitment to excellence.: I am trying my best

18) My work patterns and quality of work produced justify the time and money the firm is investing in me.: I know that the quality of my work isn't at a professional level but Brittany does seem to like my ideas.

19) I look forward to each day enthusiastically.: I do enjoy our meetings

20) Although this internship is a short-term position, I am personally committed and involved for the present.: I also intend to help Brittany with this project until it is complete even if it take a little longer than the allotted internship time.

21) This internship experience has helped me clarify future goals.: Making commercials and promotional pieces for film is something I have always been interested in and this experience has only increased my interest in the area.

22) Describe areas of personal interest and ability that you had not been aware of before working for this organization.: I now understand more of what goes into making a movie and I am interested in learning more and being involved in the process more in other projects.

Week 5

There isn't much to the hierarchy of this internship since I am working on an independent project with the creator of said project. We have been working with a band that is allowing us to use one of their songs in the film, plus with a composer who is writing the instrumentals for background music and a sound editor who is going to be tweaking the sound effects and the voice overs from filming but I am mainly working alongside Brittnay to get the promotional work done so that once the film is actually completed we can launch the website with the trailer and set up an on and off campus screening as well as set up a kickstarter account where people can donate to the film and in return get a dvd/bluray or a promotional poster. We are still playing with ideas for the Kickstarter but I will post the link when it is up and functioning so you can see what price points there are and what you receive for donating at certain price points.

I think that Brittnay and I communicate well together and we gt a lot out of our weekly meetings. We mainly communicate though text and email and face to face during our meetings.

Week 3

Leftovers the movie was shot over the summer and Brittnay has been working on editing since they wrapped filming. the editing is done bit the color correction, sound editing and music overlay is still on the to-do list. I am helping Brittnay with the musical and sound decisions before we send it off to a sound producer who is going to finish the editing. We are also going to me meeting with a composer who is writing background and transitional music for us to use in the film. We also have gotten permission from a local band that Brittnay is friends with to use one of their professionally recorded songs as the film theme and it fits really well tot he message and story line of the movie.

All of those things plus creating promotional posters, editing photos for social media and the movie's website, helping finish and launch the movie's website, coming up with trailer ideas, helping create a kickstarter page, and finding professional film festivals the film would qualify for, are things that Brittnay and I have set as goals for both of us to get out of from this internship experience.

I overall am very interested in going into advertising for film so this project has been exciting to me since Brittnay and I first started talking about setting up and internship. The main things I wish to achieve through this experience is knowledge and experience plus getting to have a little bit of creative fun.

Week 1

My second internship that I am doing this semester is with Professor Brittnay Severance. She shot a movie over the summer called Leftovers and needs help putting together promotional stuff for it. She doesn't really have a mission statement. but her ultimate goal is to get the movie into some sort of festival and perhaps getting a grant because of it so that she can work on other movies and have some money for production costs.