Film Students to LA: The Ultimate Fieldtrip for Movie Nerds
Film Students to LA: The Ultimate Fieldtrip for Movie Nerds
Lauren Badger
From February 17th to the 20th, volunteer students in Ms. Nielson’s film and photography classes attended a field trip to Los 
Angeles, California, to gain insight into the creative industry and job market.
During the 2 full days in LA, students toured Warner Bros Studios, getting glimpses into the life of set designers on shows like Friends, The Big Band Theory and the movie magic of Harry Potter before departing for the University of California, Los Angeles, where they were able to meet with the teachers and admin of the UCLA School of Film & Television. On the second day, the group walked through the Academy Museum, the largest museum dedicated to moviemaking, and were able to see new exhibitions on Jaws and Barbie, offering special insight into set design. After the Academy Museum, students were able to go to the LACMA, or the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which displayed a wide range of modern art to Impressionism, sculptures to canvases.
While in Los Angeles, the film and photography students were also encouraged to explore, going to places like the Santa Monica Pier for picturesque sights, Amoeba Music for vinyl and CDs, the Last Bookstore for additional shopping as well as numerous outdoor and indoor food markets. Over the course of the trip, students were able to get a clear view of the artistic movie making world in the movie capital of the world, seeing firsthand the numerous job opportunities in the film employment market.
As a student on this trip, my favorite part was simply the aspect of being in Los Angeles: being surrounded by the diverse job market that is everything film and photography related, from directors to sound technicians to costume designers and makeup artists. It was incredible to see the number of students from UCLA who went on to work with bigger productions on now cult classics and blockbuster movies.