Post by Emily McTyre

So I just got back home from a visit to Los Angeles, California, with a class from my university. The point of the trip was to tour the film industry, make connections, and learn what life is like in LA. All of those things and more came out of this adventure, and I wanted to share what I learned with all of you.

I kept notes from every day of the trip, and I've written out a piece for each individual one. Within each section, I've got some areas bolded. These are the lessons I learned from all of the different people we met and some of the messages I will carry with me as I move forward in my career. I hope you enjoy reading along! Keep an eye out for Part 2 coming next week, too!

May 16, 2018

Our first full day in Los Angeles was a busy one, but it was packed full of excitement, words of wisdom, and lots of photo ops. The day started at 9am as we all piled in the van and set out for the University of Southern California. Our host, professor Jim O’Keeffe, met us at the campus and took us on a tour of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. We met with a number of professors in the post-production, animation, digital media, and interactive media departments, each of them sharing interesting information about the programs at USC as well as the school itself. Almost every wall of the buildings had a movie poster hanging on it, representing anything from Star Wars to Bedknobs and Boomsticks to Coco. We soon found out that they were productions that USC alumni had a hand in over the past years.

Some USC fun facts:

George Lucas, USC alum, not only donated a large sum to the School of Cinematic Arts, but he also headed the architecture plans for the college’s renovations in 2006. He tailored the design to Paramount Studios.
At the start of the School of Cinematic Arts in 1929, it actually went by the name of “the School of Photoplay.”
USC houses the 2nd smallest IMAX theatre in the world, next to a star who has one in their house in Los Angeles. (We weren’t allowed to know who it is, though!)
The School of Cinematic Arts is the oldest film school, and it was started by the Academy. Their program is still tied to the Academy today.

We also gained a handful of wisdom on our tour of the school. Professor Mar Elepaño from the animation department gave us 4 lessons to take with us in our careers as artists.

"Reality ends here,” in the mind.
Creating art reaffirms our humanity. It gives us reason, grounds us, and still allows us to feel totally free.
Technology will always be evolving, but our desire to tell stories will remain constant. Still, it will be difficult and embarrassing, but opening ourselves up to criticism and being vulnerable only makes room for more creative growth, more stories to be told.
Give back to education. It is helping us find our paths as creators, so, in the future, why not help other students and faculty find their paths too?

After USC, we met with screenwriter Janet Batchler for lunch at Study Hall. We all chatted over delicious food and asked her questions about her career, the industry, storytelling, and life in LA. She also shared some wisdom with us, quoting Steve Martin. She said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” All of us will carry this forward in our careers as a motivator to create unique and interesting projects, no matter the direction we take in the field.

To wrap up the day, we took a tourist tangent up into the hills to see the famous Hollywood sign. The trek up was interesting, considering a giant van of 10 kids and their professor was navigating some pretty narrow roads! Yet we arrived safe and sound on the top of the hill and took some pictures of the group as well as the gorgeous view of the city. It was a perfect end to our first day in Los Angeles, a fun-packed day none of us will forget!

May 17, 2018

Today began with a trip to VER to see one of the biggest collections of film and TV equipment probably in the world. From the prep room to the holding stations to the stock and repair rooms, we saw tons of equipment that we will (hopefully) get our hands on one day.

One of the most exciting pieces we saw was the augmented reality camera used for Game of Thrones and movies like Thor: Ragnarok and Aquaman. We all posed for a picture or two next to the monster and got to control the camera for a while.

We also learned about a newer lighting technique in the industry that involves LED light panels. To achieve the look of a moving car, for instance, designers will set up these light panels surrounding the car that project a moving image. Since the camera is focused on the subject in the car, the background is softer, thus the viewer cannot see the individual lights on the LED panel. It all blends together and appears as if the car is passing by all of the things outside the window. And a grip is at the back of the car shaking it to make it look like it’s moving along the road, too. Poor guy. It was really interesting, though, to see something that was used in a piece I was familiar with. The Murder On the Orient Express used this technique (and panels from VER) to make the train appear to move along the track.

After VER, we went across the street to a brewery and had some delicious food. We sat outside, enjoying the sunshine and feeding birds who loved our leftover French fries.

Our next adventure started once we bought our Metrolink train tickets and lined up along the Glendale platform. We rode the train into Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and then took the subway from there. Golden light spilled through the skylight in the station and people were bustled about as we rushed to find the next platform. Once we were safely seated on the subway, we rode along Hollywood Blvd until we hit the Hollywood and Vine intersection.

Walking onto Hollywood Blvd is a moment that will forever be engrained in my mind. I was on the street that had been glorified in my mind since I learned what Hollywood was. Buildings stretched to the sky, palm trees lined the road, mountains framed the city, and there I was, standing dumbstruck in the middle of it all. It finally felt like I was here in Hollywood, in Los Angeles, California.

We began walking down the street, our eyes simultaneously glued to the pink stars on the sidewalk and on the historic buildings we passed. We would all scurry to a star whenever someone would yell out “Hitchcock!” or “Oh! Here’s Charlie Chaplin!” Yes, we looked like massive tourists, but when else will I walk on Hollywood Blvd for the first time?

Once we reached Grauman’s Chinese Theater, we walked through the famous cement handprints from the various stars of the past and present. We gawked at those, too, no surprise. Then we split into groups to explore more of the city.

Mia, Lindsey, Claire, Sebastian, and I went straight for the Dolby Theatre — the home of the Oscars! Walking under those columns and into the foyer, seeing the red tile staircase…it all felt a bit surreal. This is where the greatest of the great come to award beautiful work every year, and I was standing where they stood. As I looked around the entry hall, I noticed all of the past Best Picture winners stacked to the ceiling: Forrest Gump, The Shape of Water, Titanic, West Side Story, The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, Rain Man, Moonlight. I’ve looked up to all of these pieces of art and the creators behind them for so so long, and now I was in their presence. Like I said, it was surreal. And I could help but imagine walking in there one day in a gown, with my hair and make up done, making my way to the theater for the Academy Awards. Maybe one day…

Our little group wandered through the adjoining mall, taking in the view of the Hollywood sign once again from the back terrace. We walked through the crowd and across the street to the Disney and Ghirardelli store to find a place to get a drink and people watch for a bit. We bobbed our heads to the Lion King music that was playing as we entered, ordered some refreshments, and took a seat at the giant window along the street. People milled to and fro as I sipped on my Coca-Cola, still trying to take in everything in front of me. The Dolby Theatre, the pink stars below our feet, the Chinese Theatre just down the street to the left, and the magic of Hollywood that I had dreamt of finding since I was a little girl watching Singin’ In the Rain on repeat.

Shelby and Rebecca passed by, and after we furiously waved to get their attention through the glass, they came inside to recommend a touristy shop down the street. We finished off the last of our drinks and chocolate squares, then headed toward the ultimate gift shop.

After wandering around for a little while, looking through posters and movie stills, and rolling our eyes at the endless choices of shot glass designs, we decided to stop by some more historic places. We made our way down the boulevard, first stopping to marvel at the beautiful designs at the El Capitan theater, then freaking out over Jimmy Kimmel’s building, and finally exploring the Roosevelt Hotel’s dimly lit lobby. We felt very out of place, but it was stunning to see. We crossed back to the Chinese Theater and began to make our way back to the train station to meet up with the rest of the class. Our eyes went back to the stars on the sidewalk since we hadn’t seen this side of the street yet.

But thank God I looked up at the right time. The wall from La La Land was right across the street. I haven’t said anything so far in this blog post about La La Land, but long story short, that movie is the epitome of my childhood placed into the context of my current standing in life. I don’t think I have ever fallen so in love with a piece of art or related so much to something on the screen.

So, although the wall was only used for one exterior shot, it is a staple piece to the story. This is where Mia and Seb meet for the first time, the first place we hear their theme. It is an image of the people of Hollywood that Mia (and I) idolized. It is a quiet and intimate place in the film where Mia is separated from “the crowd,” allowed to bask in the magical city alone. I took a moment to do the same, to realize where I was and what I was doing, where I am going in life. Standing where Mia's character stood, and having related to her so much, I was able to reflect on where I am going in life. I am a fool who dreams, too.

After taking the string of trains back to the Chili Bus in Glendale, we ended the night at Pinocchio’s Pizza. I had the most delicious calzone, and I think we all agreed that was one of the best meals of the trip!

May 18, 2018

This morning we all sang along to California-themed songs as we drove to SSI Advanced Post Services. Everyone laughed when “California Gurls” came on and joined in singing with “California Dreamin’” and “Hotel California” — some true classics.

At SSI, we met with Matt, who does the sound mixing for trailers. He took us into his studio and played a few of the pieces he had worked on. Let me tell you, I wasn’t that excited for Venom before watching its trailer in that studio with 9.1 surround sound. But now…I got CHILLS watching it.

Matt told us about the process of mixing, showed us some of the software used on these projects, and gave us some good advice. He told us that, when it comes down to it, people don’t care about where you came from, your references, what have you. All they truly care about is whether or not you can get the job done well. You can go from nothing to everything. If you hone your craft, prove that you are a hard worker, and produce good stuff, you will be successful.

We ate a delicious lunch down the street at Bossa Nova, then continued down the street onto Sunset Strip. All of the billboards, enormous buildings, and lights in every direction were a sensory overload. But we were in the midst of it all, in the heart of the city. I noticed how none of the billboards were electronic; even the biggest ones that covered entire sides of buildings were classic, straightforward advertisements for shows and films. That was the other thing — I think every advertisement we saw in the city was for some sort of media rather than a product. A lot of them were about shows up for Emmy consideration. This only furthered my feeling of immersion into the city based on movie magic.

The magic of the city continued as we moved down Sunset Blvd into Beverly Hills. Houses got bigger, palm trees filled the horizon, and fancier cars sat in the driveways. Soon enough, we hit Rodeo Drive and took to the street to window shop. I felt like if I went into any of the stores and breathed the wrong way, I would end up breaking something. However, Bob and I took the leap right before we had to leave. We went into Gucci to say we had done it. Immediately after walking in, I felt like my Converse had dirtied the hot pink carpet, but we kept exploring the store and its absurdly expensive stock. The two of us laughed at a couple of the shoes on the main floor; they had so much fur that the shoe looked like it had been swallowed up by a small dog. It was a ridiculous situation, but when we were standing on the street debating whether or not to go inside, I decided I'd rather do it now than regret missing it later. It wasn't anything crazy. All I did was walk in a store, but I will always want to stay adventurous and open to new experiences, no matter how pink they may be!

To end the night, we went to eat dinner at the Covell’s house, a lovely couple who both work in the film industry. She is a TV producer, and he is a composer. The two of them had many words of wisdom for all of us just entering the industry.

Find a community wherever we end up, especially if we are in Los Angeles. Find other creative people who have the same mindset as you. You will boost each other up, not tear each other down. Most people are nicer and more willing to help than you’d expect. We all have dreams.
You have an impact on your audience. Whenever you show something on a screen, their eyes are glued to it, and their ears are listening, their brains computing. Whatever you show the world, they will pay attention to it, so pay attention to your own work as well.
It can be done. LA can seem daunting at first glance, but if you want to be there, you can be there. Buckle down and create something you’re proud of. Show that you are a hard worker. Be nice and respectful to your peers. Find your boundaries, and don’t cross them. Be persistent. Know your direction. It can be done.
Break down doors. Don’t wait for them to be opened for you.

May 19, 2018

As I walked into the kitchen this morning, I was greeted by the sound of music playing from the TV. I picked up the pack of bagels and looked at the screen; replays of the whimsical royal wedding danced across the frame. All of it --- Meghan’s dress, Harry’s tears, the white flowers arching over the entryway --- was so beautiful.

After breakfast, we loaded up the Chili Bus and drove out to Santa Clarita to the set of Rachel on the Run. We got to watch and indie film from behind the scenes, talking with the producer, director, and script supervisor, to learn more about the way a set runs. It is incredibly busy but still full of creativity and fun.

Then we drove out to Venice Beach. Stop number one: LUNCH. After passing by a number of unique restaurants along the beach, we ended up settling on a pizzeria tucked in the busy streets of Venice. Fitting, right? This was another one of those meals that made the “Best of the Trip” list. Finally filled with fresh pizza and pasta, we decided to move toward the waterfront again to go dip our feet in the water. It was still too cold to swim!

On our way back to the van, we ran into something interesting; a horde of Tobiases (from Arrested Development) were gathered on the beach, all of them painted blue and wearing cutoffs. We got buttons that said “Make America Bluth Again,” and I don’t think I’ve ever owned something so wonderful in my life.