Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative and DisruptAR, Pittsfield, MA
This summer I was privileged to intern for Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative (BFMC) and DisruptAR. Both BFMC and DisruptAR created invaluable opportunities for me to grow as a filmmaker and professional in the arts/humanities.
At the nonprofit BFMC, I worked to promote its film work and economic presence in the Berkshires. Based in Pittsfield, BFMC provides services to the community including community funding, crew sourcing for productions, producing films and educational outreach. My work dipped in and out of these various sectors over the course of the summer. I researched past years’ philanthropic activity of roughly 170 corporations and nonprofits designated by the Mass Cultural Council as contributors to the Cultural Facilities Fund. I learned what it takes to option novels into intellectual properties, and I recorded the sound and dialogue of two short films. Both films empowered me to take different approaches with audio recording, and I enjoyed the challenges and rewards of working in stylistically opposite ways. As an added bonus, I attended two Zoom classes with producer Nan Bernstein and literary talent agent Marilyn Atlas, alongside other students who had signed up for the classes from various social media outreach efforts of BFMC.
At DisruptAR, I was on board for several important projects that had a more technical edge to them. Beginning in June with a broadcasting networking event in Springfield, I was responsible for setting up a green screen and modeling DisruptAR’s proprietary Augmented Reality technology, which is a studio setup powered by a computer and camera that transforms physical environments into virtual or “augmented” ones. From there, I was trained in a virtual staging software called Pixotope and instructed alongside other team members on how to take that software into future professional contracts and whether or not it could prove useful in the teams’ inner capacities extended into a marketable product.
Overall, I am blessed to have completed the work assigned to me and have solidified my interest in the film business and particularly the New England scene of filmmaking. I am grateful for the mentorship and wisdom of my supervisors, Diane and Paul, and every discussion and team project that I could contribute to. I will take their guidance into the upcoming year in classes in photography, television, film/filmmaking, radio and other essentials that will allow me to keep pursuing a career in filmmaking. I also want to thank the members of the ’68 Center, Nicole and Dawn, who provided support and advisory from afar, which has been invaluable in completing my work. Last but not least, thank you Kraft Family for this opportunity, enabling me to pursue a path that has called me for the past several years and has grown immensely clearer and more integral to my academic studies than ever before. My experiences at BFMC and DisruptAR taught me something new every day, and I can’t wait to continue studying the art and craft of filmmaking.
Megamenu Social