... THINK IIACI! (ee-ah'-chee) ...
................... IIACI ACADEMIC INTERNSHIPS BLOG ::Institute Interdisciplinary Art & Creative Intelligence::
Media Player
INTERN.IIACI.NET
EXCITING NEW IIACI INTERNS FROM SMFA & KCAI!
http://indiegogo.com/VISUALIZING-ART-HISTORY-JULES-ENGEL is now live!!
http://www.jules-engel.com is also live!!
___________________________________________________________________________
Stay tuned for more from our campaign IIACI Academic Interns who will be posting behind the scenes comments and photos during our fundraising campaign on IndieGoGo: March 21-May15, 2012!SMFA: School of Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Animation Department
KCAI: Kansas City Art Institute, Animation Department
'IIACI INTERNS IN ACTION!" coming soon .... v e r y soon!
Dr. Dill
Amazing Experience in Cannes *2011*
I had the most amazing 15 days the South of France that I think I will ever have. The academic internship in Cannes was far better than what I had expected. I had the opportunity to intern for a small production company based out of New York called Film Box.The film that they are promoting at the Cannes Film Festival is a movie
called The Burning Man. They have a area set up at the Cannes Grand
Hotel where distributors come and see if they want to buy rights for the
movie or not. The Grand Hotel where I work is really nice it overlooks the beach and yacht club and the outside beach theater. It was such an amazing experience.
There are a lot of different students from all over the United States and world here doing the either the film program or the international business program. Two of my roommates are MBA students from University of Virginia and the other girl is a Communications major at University of California Santa Barbara. They are all pretty nice and interesting to converse with. There is international students here as well, I met students from Montreal, London and Hong Kong. We have gotten to meet many different students that I probably would have never gotten the opportunity to meet before. There are many talented inspiring filmmakers and writers here. The International Business program is smaller than the film program.
There are so many good movies here that are going to be big in the U.S. soon. Some of these include: The Artist, The Tree of Life (with Brad Pitt), Drive (with Ryan Gossling), Melancholia, and The Kid With a Bike.
When I was done with work one day Sara and I decided to catch a movie that we heard was really good, "We Need to Talk About Kevin". It had John C. Riley (From Stepbrothers and Talladega Nights) in it and Scottish actress Tilda Swinton. It was a psychological thriller and I thought it was pretty good. It was especially neat because after the film we went to The American Pavilion party and met the whole cast who were there at the party. That was probably one of my most exciting moments of the trip.
I also had the opportunity of sitting in on discussion panels at The American Pavilion. I sat in on quite a few, but I think my favorite one was "Women in The Film Industry". This panel featured Alex Stapleton, Julie Sultan, Deb Mcintosh, Natalia Almada, Charlotte Mickie, Linda Lighter and Donna Harris. These women were all accomplished women in the film industry, ranging from Directors to International Sales coordinators. One woman made a good point that until society changes how it looks at women, the entertainment industry will not change. Julie Sultan who has worked for Playboy and NBC noted that selling films involves working twice as hard and being very lucky in the industry with who you make connections with. I also thought it was interesting that Linda Lighter made the point that women go to movies that star all men, but men do not go to movies that start all women. That is something that I have thought about since the trip, but it is a statistical fact that women go to movies more than men.
There are a lot of different students from all over the United States and world here doing the either the film program or the international business program. Two of my roommates are MBA students from University of Virginia and the other girl is a Communications major at University of California Santa Barbara. They are all pretty nice and interesting to converse with. There is international students here as well, I met students from Montreal, London and Hong Kong. We have gotten to meet many different students that I probably would have never gotten the opportunity to meet before. There are many talented inspiring filmmakers and writers here. The International Business program is smaller than the film program.
There are so many good movies here that are going to be big in the U.S. soon. Some of these include: The Artist, The Tree of Life (with Brad Pitt), Drive (with Ryan Gossling), Melancholia, and The Kid With a Bike.
When I was done with work one day Sara and I decided to catch a movie that we heard was really good, "We Need to Talk About Kevin". It had John C. Riley (From Stepbrothers and Talladega Nights) in it and Scottish actress Tilda Swinton. It was a psychological thriller and I thought it was pretty good. It was especially neat because after the film we went to The American Pavilion party and met the whole cast who were there at the party. That was probably one of my most exciting moments of the trip.
I also had the opportunity of sitting in on discussion panels at The American Pavilion. I sat in on quite a few, but I think my favorite one was "Women in The Film Industry". This panel featured Alex Stapleton, Julie Sultan, Deb Mcintosh, Natalia Almada, Charlotte Mickie, Linda Lighter and Donna Harris. These women were all accomplished women in the film industry, ranging from Directors to International Sales coordinators. One woman made a good point that until society changes how it looks at women, the entertainment industry will not change. Julie Sultan who has worked for Playboy and NBC noted that selling films involves working twice as hard and being very lucky in the industry with who you make connections with. I also thought it was interesting that Linda Lighter made the point that women go to movies that star all men, but men do not go to movies that start all women. That is something that I have thought about since the trip, but it is a statistical fact that women go to movies more than men.
The experience of a lifetime!
Reflecting back on the past three weeks I’ve spent in beautiful Europe, I am overwhelmed by all of the once-in-a-lifetime experiences I’ve been able to take part in during my trip overseas. After the Cannes Film Festival, I spent a week traveling along the French Riviera, making stops in SanRemo, Monte Carlo, St. Tropez, Antibes, Beaulieu-sur-Mer, and Sainte-Marguerite. The final leg of my trip, I’ve spent on a vineyard in Berneck, Switzerland, living with a local family and learning about the wine industry from the farmer’s perspective, and the work that goes into owning and running a vineyard.
Like everything else, all good things must come to an end, and my last day in paradise has sadly arrived. Tomorrow morning reality will finally kick in as I fly home to the states and adjust back to the life of an average college student. Thinking back to all these amazing cities I’ve traveled to and all the unique experiences I’ve taken part in, nothing compares to what I will take away from the experience I spent as an IIACI International Business Intern participating in The American Pavilion Cannes Program. As a finance student with absolutely no film industry experience, I was completely unaware of what to expect as I began my internship at the Cannes Film Festival. Thinking back to the first day when I arrived in Cannes, I never would have imaged the abundance of knowledge I acquired on aspects of the film business such as film sales and financing, along with the all the relevant work experience I gained while on the job.
During the two-week internship, I was assigned to Essential Entertainment, a company that arranges production financing and provides global sales, distribution, and marketing for third-party and in-house productions. What excited me most about being assigned to this particular company was the fact that I already was familiar with the company’s chairman, James Kohlberg. As a finance major, I had a prior knowledge of the Kohlberg name because James is son of Jerome Kohlberg Jr., who is the founder of KKR & Co. L.P. — one of the top global private equity firms, that pioneered and specializes in leveraged buyouts. Under James Kohlberg, Essential Entertainment has quickly grown to become one of the world's premiere global film sales and finance companies. As an intern for Essential, I worked directly with the top company executives, including John Fremes (President), Mark Padilla (VP), and Elizabeth Powell (Business & Legal Affairs). As an intern for Essential, I greeted buyers from various territories who had scheduled meetings, showed them the film availabilities for their country, put together folders to hand out to buyers which included various information on different films, as well as answered the phones and rescheduled meetings. In addition, I listened in on meetings and sales deals and learned valuable inside information on sales negotiating, and the details of film sales. By the end of my internship, I took away a tremendous amount of knowledge on the process of film sales—from the very first step of acquiring a film, to the last stage when the distribution rights are sold to a territory, and how the revenue is distributed among the involved parties.
Above and beyond learning about the business and operations behind such a large and lucrative business such as a film financing company like Essential Entertainment, I also developed imperative networking skills necessary for any professional. That alone is an experience i will benefit from for a lifetime—regardless of whichever career path I may choose. The IIACI International Business Internship in Cannes provided me with the rare opportunity to make connections with distinguished and valuable business professionals in the film industry, which I would not have otherwise been able to do without participation in this program. In addition, I was able to make connections with other interns in the program and meet unique individuals from all over the world, in countless different areas of study—from aspiring film makers, to students studying fashion retail, to broadcasters. These students opened my eyes to the innumerable fields available within film and allowed me to expand and broaden my knowledge above and beyond the business of film to the many other fields that surround the film industry.
Overall, my experience as an IIACI International Business Intern exceeded my expectations and taught me real-life valuable and relevant information well beyond what I could have learned from reading any textbook. The preparation that IIACI put me and the other IIACI Interns through thoroughly prepared me to not only overcome the obstacles thrown my way during the hectic two-week internship program, but also allowed me to perform beyond what was expected of me, and enable me to excel as an aspiring business student during the program. The experience I had during the Cannes Film Festival was a life-changing, unforgettable experience that I would repeat again in a heart beat!!
Last day-Bittersweet
I say it is bittersweet, but I am not really ready to go home yet. I want to travel more! From Cannes to Antibes to Saint Tropez this has been an amazing trip.
The first day of work is when I had to go to every Pavilion at the Festival and give my company's pitch to try and get his clients invited to parties and/or events. As mentioned in our meeting last night, I was so happy that Dr. Dill had us practice our pitches because it really helped me to create a good pitch for JAZO PR. After the nerve-wracking first few tents I think I was actually pretty good at it, which was relieving and gave me some confidence for my future. I ended up getting him 2 tickets to 2 different nights of screenings, although just market screenings. But, hey, its something! I also got him invitations to 2 different private parties. All in all, Laurent, my boss, said I did a great job.
The rest of the days were filled with press junkets, working the door at parties, and last but not least, talent handling. Part of my job was walking to the Grand Hotel where hair/makeup was being done to pick up the actors and walk them to their junkets, events, and whatnot. That was really neat because I got to go in the Swarovski showroom which was awesome! The whole room was sparkling, dripping in diamonds. I also got to go to the gifting lounge at the Carlton hotel. One of the actresses got tons and tons of free stuff, including 3 free nights in Bora Bora. Besides all the glamorous stuff, being able to sit in on a press junket for 2 days was very beneficial to me. I spent most my time doing valuable things and learning exactly what I would be doing if I were to enter into this industry. Working the door at parties also was very fun because since I was checking everyone in I got the opportunity to meet a lot of people. One guy, who they call "the party crasher" emailed them 8 times a day to try to get an invite. He told them he worked for a big company but after further investigation, they found out he was lying. When he showed up to the party with his entourage he was PISSED. It was actually really funny. He kept pretending he was calling people to come get him in, but obviously he knew no one there; pretty embarrassing.
As far as talent handling goes, which I thought I wanted to do, one actress was quite the diva and the other was sweet. For confidentiality purposes I will call the diva, "Diva" and the sweet one, "SA". So, Diva got mad she had to walk to her press junket, which was a BLOCK AND A HALF AWAY. We were all walking in heels but she was the only one complaining. It took us over 10 minutes to walk a little over a block because she was walking so slow. Another time she was getting her makeup done and apparently they were doing it wrong because she jumped out the chair, took the makeup off, and started over doing it herself. That same night Diva and SA missed their hair appointments, so naturally they asked me if I had any hair stuff with me. Wellllllll needless to say I SPRINTED to the bus stop, from the stop to Maeva, up to my room and back down and thank God there was a shuttle there! But, wait! I left my converters.. sprinted back up to my room, and back down and guess what? Shuttle was gone.. sprinted back to the bus stop and from the bus stop to the hotel where they were getting their makeup done. Let's keep in mind, all this running was being done in heels. I was only asked to go get my curling iron, but I also brought my straightener, hair spray, and a brush. This wasn't good enough for Diva though, she wanted a hair dryer. If she wanted a hair dryer she should have told me to bring one. Anyways I ended up doing their hair that night for their event. I have never done hair, ever. But they liked it and said it looked great. This is just another example of the craziness in this business. Going with the flow and being flexible are two important traits and luckily I am good at both.
As I also mentioned in our meeting last night, I have learned more about what I do not want to do more than what I specifically want to do. For example, I thought being a publicist for talent was what I wanted..wrong. Now I know I would rather do corporate PR. This experience saved me years of being at the wrong job. I will always have goals, only now they are bigger and broader goals. You cannot always pick you job, sometimes the job picks you and you have to know if whatever picks you fits in your repertoire of what you want. If it is something you know you don't want then you don't need to take the job, but if it's something you never even thought about it but it is not on the list of what you don't want to do it then go for it! There is so much more to this industry than I ever could have imagined.
I am so thankful for this opportunity and will never forget all the great friends I have made while here. Au revoir to all and I sincerely wish all of you the best of luck in life. Never hesitate to contact me. I think sometime in the future we need to have an IIACI reunion!
The end is near
Today is my last day in Cannes, and what a sad day tomorrow will be when I'm actually getting on a plane and flying home.
This experience has been a great one for sure. I have made new friends, strengthened bonds already made, and learned a lot about myself. The Cannes Film Festival was definitely a great thing to participate in, even if one doesn't end up liking their job assignment. I must say, as a business student, it was hard to be positive the first couple of days because business students aren't given as much opportunities to meet people compared to some of the other interns. I worked for Aldamisa International and met a ton of people everyday, but they thought i was with the company i was working for, so never really gave me the time of day. There was a few people who would talk to me and ask me about myself, but usually I had to leave networking for outside of the workplace. The one thing I can take away from the business side of this internship, is the networking I made with the people of Aldamisa, which is a growing sales and production company. The last day of work, I gave them my resume and maybe someday when they start expanding, they may consider me as a potential employee.
Now for the fun stuff! Lets see, I met a lot of interns through the American Pavilion. it was great lateral networking, which was one of my main goals here in Cannes. I also got to see 5 movies while I was here! I went and saw "Beautiful Boy", which was pretty slow but interesting. I ending up leaving that one early to go see "We need to talk about Kevin" with Katie at the Olympia Theatre. That was a good movie, but creepy none-the-less. I would definitely recommend that people go see it if they like scary movies. Also during the week, I went and saw "The other side of sleep," which was terrible, and then "River Sorrow" which was kinda slow, with bad acting, but it was like a CSI episode so it kept me intrigued. Christian Slater was in the movie, and he looks so different now. I wonder if that one will make it to the states, probably not. I also did the whole red carpet thing with Katie, Brittan and Chandler for the movie "The Beaver!" We had heard it was weird but why not go try to see Mel Gibson and Jodi Foster and do the whole red carpet thing? It was a great experience and I'm so glad that we did it! The movie was SO GOOD, and I would recommend people go see it also. The trailer I remember seeing in the states for it does not do the movie any justice, and might make the movie unsuccessful but who knows. I cant wait to see how it does.
Also while in Cannes, we did some traveling! Of course we did the whole, "lets walk around Cannes" thing but we also took it one step further. On Thursday, my first day of not having to work, Katie, Brittan, Salvatore, and Ben all took a trip up to Antibes for the day to visit Carol, a friend that Brittan and Sal met through their jobs. We took the train to get there, which was fun, and when we got there Carol was ready to show us around. We went to the market, then to lunch at "Garden Hotel" which was the coolest restaurant I have ever eaten at. The atmosphere was so mystical, and I would love to make a trip there again if I am ever in the area. It was like eating in a big garden in the back yard of someone's house. After that we explored some more, and ended up walking to the tallest lighthouse in Europe, and up on the same hill was a cute little church that the local fishermen march up to once a year to thank God for all their luck. There was a shrine probably every 20 feet, that I'm sure the fishermen stopped at to pray and give thanks while walking. After that, we walked to Carol's house, which was so cozy, and hung out there with everyone, including some of her tenants, who are yacht boys, looking for work. Ending up leaving there around 12am, and made our way safety back to Cannes via bus.
The next day, we went to St. Tropez. 4 hours of travel time later, which by the way was only suppose to be an hour, we made it to the beautiful city of St. Tropez. It was the same group as the day before, minus Carol, and we were heading to stay at Ben's friends house. The town was great, and we had to wind our way through a little until we go to the house. The house was the prettiest thing I have ever stepped foot into. It was a 4 story house, with a terrace on top too look out and enjoy the awesome view of St. Tropez. The house was very chic, and the stairs that lead through the house were spiral stone steps. Absolutely beautiful house, maybe I'll post pictures so you all can see. The next day we got up at 5am and started our journey back. It was a long 4 hours, but we made it back for check-in at 9am. WHEW.
Now I'm sitting here in the lobby of Maeva, getting depressed about today being my last day. What a great experience this was. I got to learn about how film and business correspond, live in the fast pace film world for a short time, make new friends, explore southern France, and learn new things about myself. This was a great learning experience, and I'm ever so thankful that I participated in this.
I also want to thank Dr. Dill for the awesome preparation for Cannes. I would never know what a pitch was, nor have a good one, without her, nor would I have had a home base to go to when I needed to be reminded why I was here.
Well, I guess thats it for now. See you all on the other side of the pond soon!
Sara Whitaker
Fashion Show, Ice Cream and Ryan Gosling... yet again!
After a long day of writing my fashion research paper, my friends convinced me to shower and put my BCBGMaxazria Cinderella-style ball gown on to try and make the rush-line entrance for "Drive." Once we arrived we were quite hopeful of a seat, because we were some of the first to wait in line at the "last minute" ticket line. We stood in line for 2 and a half hours to find out that they would not let anyone in. However, I soon found that this was a blessing in disguise. As we made our way out of the Palais, we heard something exciting going on at the Majestic Hotel, and decided to act like we were supposed to be there! As we walked up and convinced the bouncer to give us wristbands, I realized it was a fashion show and model competition. Seriously, I can not understand how I have had this much luck as an intern in Cannes! The fashions were amazing haute couture gowns by Sir Addy Van Den Krommenacker. Recently knighted by the Queen of Holland, he was able to preview his spring/summer 2011 collection at the closing of the Festival party at the Majestic Hotel. His gowns were all intricately designed with many flares and embellishments, such as crystals and feathers and were made from fabrics such as chiffon, silk, organza, sequins, and lace. His looks have been seen before on the red carpet for the Oscars and from a little research behind the designer, I found out that in September, StyleshopUSA will be showcasing Krommenacker for the first time in NYC Fashion Week and also again for the Emmys! This was such an amazing experience, and I can not wait to see what he has in store for the Fall!
After the show, we went to Haagen-Dazs to get some icecream. As soon as we were handed our scoops, we realized it was about 10 minutes until Ryan Gosling and the cast of "Drive" would be exiting on the red carpet. So, after devouring our ice cream, we made our way to the front of the gate to watch the exit! They played REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight this Feeling" over and over, so my next plan is to figure out the meaning behind it! Ryan looked absolutely stunning in his blue tuxedo and he walked right up to where we were standing! I attempted to get an autograph, but he was forced the other way by fans grabbing him and taking pictures. I won't give up though; I will surely shake his hand when I begin styling him for future film premiers! What a night!
Winding Down
Today has probably been one of the hottest days yet, and of course I decide to walk to work. It's most definitely a beautiful walk but it took a little longer than expected so I had to start walking a little faster. By the time I arrived at work I was sweating. With only one more day left, the pavilion is starting to wind down and empty out. Less and less people are coming in and it is starting to fill up with staff and interns. These past two weeks have been some of the greatest weeks of my life and I hope to come back again next year. Though it has been a wonderful experience, I am definitely exhausted and looking forward to sleeping when I get home. From yachts, to red carpets, to celebrities and VIP rooms, there is not much more I could do to make this trip any better. It is amazing how quickly these past 2 weeks have flown by but it is now catching up to my health. I'm exhausted and looking forward to arriving back home, getting some rest, and getting my body back to par. Not only am I ready to get some energy back but I am looking forward to starting my next internship with Turner Broadcast in Atlanta the first of June.
Karaoke Night at The American Pavilion
Many of the interns came out Thursday night to sing and dance, celebrating all of our hard work for the past two weeks. Many songs were belted in unison, like "500 miles," "Hit me baby (one more time)," "Play that funky music white boy," and "Strangers of the Night!" This was the perfect way for mentors and interns to bond. We have spent so much time together working, therefor everyone was glad to have fun and be together off of the job. Most of the party made their way to a local Irish Pub called Morrison's to continue the party. There were many interesting stories that were told the next day. However, as they say "What happens in Cannes, stays in Cannes!" The dress of the night was pretty casual for the boys and girls wore cute day dresses. Everyone wore their comfortable but stylish clothes so that they could have fun, but still look stylish in France!
Night out on the town
Last night Sarah Chadwell and I decided to go out for the first time in Cannes. Sarah wore a blue fitted, one shoulder dress from Express and I wore white skinny jeans with a silk tank top and a blue tux style blazer. We have both picked up on a few French fashion tips, and decided to look the part with our high heels on! We made our way downtown with a few other interns. Once in the cab, we decided to have our first stop at the Grand Hotel, where we were excited to be surrounded my many, many English-speaking party-goers. This was such a relief from the language barriers we have been experiencing all week before. We met a producer from Los Angeles, CA, Jack Nasser at the bar where he bought us a few drinks and the networking began. He ended up getting our contact information and said that he may need help in both of our career areas. We talked for a while at the bar until Sarah and I decided to change scenery and make our way across the street, to Nicky Beach in order to meet up with other interns and friends. It was such a great experience seeing how the bars and night scene differs from Alabama and South Carolina.
Ryan Gosling.... CHECK!!
Today could not have been more perfect. My work shift did not begin until 5 pm, so I had all day to get errands done. I walked in Cannes again and went back to many stores I had previously interviewed as well as added new to my research. I was overwhelmed with the customer service in every store today! I was impressed how almost every store in Cannes has some sort of merchandizing plan or exclusive items for the festival. In Burberry, I found a gorgeous cover-up skirt, in their original pattern that I absolutely fell in love with. I decided to purchase it as my memory of Cannes, and at the cash register I was pleasantly surprised that it was actually on sale for 20% off! To continue my luck, as soon as I got to The American Pavilion to see what was going on, my name was called for a raffle. I soon found out I had been chosen to sit in while Ryan Gosling (big smile!!!) would be having a panel on his new film "Drive." He looked just as stunning as I had imagined with his navy and white striped T-shirt paired with a navy blazer and wayfarer-style glasses. I was able to take a few pictures of him and actually got a smile from him as he laughed at how red my face was with excitement! I can not believe all of the opportunities I have had with this incredible internship and I'm not giving up yet! There are only a few days left, I am amazed at how time flies.