LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY RECEIVES INTERNSHIP GRANT FROM THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES
Through support provided by a grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Internship Program, LMU School of Film and Television students have had the opportunity to complete paid internships in various capacities. The 2008-2009 grant has provided LMU students with the unique opportunity to intern at Participant Productions, a production company whose corporate culture and mission align with LMU’s mission and focus on social justice.
Truly, a cornerstone of this year’s program has been the strong relationship that Loyola Marymount University has established with Participant Productions which is founded in a common belief in the power of the media to create great social change and to inspire audiences to get involved in issues of social concern. A list of Participant’s films demonstrates this commitment to social justice: Jimmy Carter Man from Plains, The Kite Runner, An Inconvient Truth, and Syriana, to name a few.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Internship Program has allowed LMU students to be engaged in learning through experience and promote justice through their work. LMU students have created a Public Service Announcement for Charlie Wilson's War supporting the social action campaign sponsored by Participant Productions. This campaign helps Roots of Peace in eridicating land mines. LMU students interning at Participant have participated in a number of PSA’s for social action programs; also assisting in the design of Participant Production’s takepart.com website, where they offer a wide range of social action activities to the public.
One intern comments that“At Participant I got to be a part of the developmental process. I read scripts, I sat in on pitches, and I discussed story ideas and concerns….I can say I gained a unique perspective on movies as I never had before. I was able to see movies not just as a mode of entertainment, but a vehicle for ideas and action. Overall it was this internship that gave me a new perspective and a new way to consider my own work and what I would like to accomplish with it in the future.”
A second intern shares that “Prior to this internship, I had not had any professional experience in the entertainment industry. This internship gave me so much exposure to the day-to-day activities of working for a production company. I had the opportunity to meet professionals who had been in the business for a long time and established relationships with truly talented people; this internship more than exceeded my expectations.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science grant has enabled LMU students to be engaged in creating awareness and inviting others, through the medium of film, “to entertain their audiences first, then to invite them to participate in making a difference” (Participant’s Mission). It has allowed students to be engaged in learning through experience and promote justice through their work.