Use It or Lose It

Jason K here. Sorry for the lapse in blogging… So much has been happening here we haven’t had a chance for even a little chat. Last Tuesday, senior economist and dyslexic Delos Smith stopped by the farm and gave the crew a chance to interview him. He spoke about his discovery of “plus-lexia” and his experiences as a child growing up with dyslexia. Delos discussed his time in school, jokingly saying, “I was never picked on because I was always the biggest and fastest kid in class.” He shared his wisdom on pluralities (different uses and functions of each side of the brain), and how the film industry exists as a left-brain environment in a right-brain world. This means having the ability to see and express the big-picture in a narrow-minded world, and I have definitely come to see that skill in Harvey and the other industry professionals we have worked with so far this summer.

His interview really made me think. How come there are so many medications, supplements, research, and attention to the physical body and not as much for the human mind? Why are their gyms to exercise one’s body, but no mental gyms to work out the mind? I do believe in the phrase “use it or lose it.” 

The Untrained Eye

This morning saw my punctuality tested by a fellow intern who arrived to start working at 7:45. How can I possibly be the second one here with the shortest commute of walking down the stairs? Although still on time for my shift, I still felt late.

One of my research assignments for the day was learning about 1^st generation iPad presentations. I learned how interactive and easier Keynote for iPad is and how effective it can be as demonstrated by Steve Jobs himself from all of his Apple presentations.

While Captured Time looks to cultivate young new minds, it has not lost its vision as a functioning farm. Along with cows and chickens, the farm also hosts a variety of plants, fruits, and vegetables. My next task was to research growing sweet potatoes in the area. I found out about different kinds of sweet potatoes and how they grow better depending on the area and maintenance. However, this was cut short when I was sent on an errand to the post office to deliver company packages, as well as a run to Stop N Shop to pick up other items needed for the production office.

Intern, Ryan O., was busy with social media today. While technology and media surround us at all times, the majority of us do not have the pleasure of knowing or realizing this simple fact. Ryan has the privilege to be fully immersed in social media and looking at it from various different angles and perspectives turning it into an advantage. His tasks included editing the podcast he recorded with Harvey, as well as designing new possible YouTube channel art.

Sharon D. led the editing team of Bryan W. and Alex M. outside to test different microphones for the best audio for an upcoming phone interview. Once back indoors she resumed logging a student Question & Answer period from our visit to Radcliffe Creek School.  By the way, have you checked out our newest edition of “On The Road With Dislecksia: The Movie?”  It’s all about our visit to the school and features an interview with founder, Molly Judge.  You can check out the video here: (http://ow.ly/lTuha)

Bryan W. helped test audio equipment outside, and continued syncing audio and video for his piece on Stephen J. Cannell.

Alex M. also helped test microphones and worked on a dyslexic advocate piece from our time at the International Dyslexia Association Conference in Baltimore, MD.

Apparently beauty is not the only thing in the eye of the beholder. I’ve learned so far from my time at Captured Time that workload and progress could be classified as the same. Workload remains unknown and misunderstood to the untrained eye.

In The Hot Seat

My second week interning at Captured Time Productions has definitely picked up speed! Since Harvey’s coordinator, Aimee S., is off for a few days after her wedding (congratulations, Aimee!), I have been put in the “hot seat” as mini-Aimee. Monday flew by, culminating with completing emails, networking, a meeting with Harvey, and affectionately answering the office phone more times than I care to recall. The extended meeting with Harvey was definitely the high-point of the workday. Being the type of person who loves to be kept busy and actively participating to complete tasks, taking three pages of notes, and then organizing them after the meeting did not seem like a daunting assignment.

Tuesday I kept the office (and my fellow interns) “under control” while Harvey is gone on a few errands, which entailed answering the phone and organizing various components for Dislecksia: The Movie. My fellow interns are all quite busy – the avid room guys have their work cut out for them (haha!), editing different footage for a future presentation, and the two social media coordinators were busy writing newsletters, tweeting, and monitoring the Facebook accounts. All ended up going smoothly in the office…but I sure will be happy to let Aimee S. have her chair back!

Haley W. 

Comical and Heart-Wrenching – Dislecksia: The Movie

My name is Haley Weiss and I attend Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA.  I’m a English major, with a minor in Film Studies and Creative Writing.  

I arrived at Captured Time Productions and was given a tour of the studio. After the rest of the crew arrived, Harvey gave us the lowdown on a variety of present and future goals to accomplish for Dislecksia: The Movie. After the meeting, Harvey introduced me to a large pile of papers aka the Dead Man File (the intimidation inherent through its name), which I will later go through and figure out new homes for each paper.

The fun part of viewing Dislecksia: The Movie came next. I definitely did not expect the film to be so comical yet at times so heart-wrenching. I found that the combination of people from scientists and teachers, to students and celebrities made the film fresh and informative––a piece of work that numerous people can emotionally connect to.

After the film ended, I was assigned a series of jobs to complete (mostly researching and organizing) such as researching prices for tour buses, organizing a bunch of emails from various film festivals and writing this blog post. Thus far, I get the vibe that each day at Captured Time Productions will be different, exciting and rewarding because my effort is being put towards promoting this extremely influential film.      

More logging…

Hey! My name is Alex Musco and I’m an intern at Captured Time

I’m a cinema major at the University of Hartford and I just finished up my junior year.  I live in Glastonbury, CT, which is 10 minutes outside of Hartford.  I first heard about Captured Time Productions from my mom who had stumbled upon it one day while surfing the web.  She showed me the website and how they offered internship programs.  I sent in my resume thinking to myself, “Hey, why not?”  What really drew me to Captured Time was the experience and awards they had.  After coming in for the interview, I knew this could have the potential to be a great opportunity.  

My first day at Captured Time was pretty interesting.  I watched Dislecksia: The Movie for the first time, after our morning meeting.  This documentary really opened my eyes to the world of people with dyslexia.  I had some knowledge about the topic, but I never expected how in depth the film would go.  Dislecksia: The Movie gives a background about how dyslexia was first discovered, and how people deal with it today.  I was also surprised at the subjects Harvey was able to interview.  I then spent a few hours logging a four minute shot.  Basically I wrote down everything that happened, and everything that was said in that shot.  

During the summer I hope to gain experience that will help me fulfill my dream of becoming a film producer after I graduate.  I’m hoping to make some useful connections, and also learn from people who have had successful careers in the field.  I’m excited about this opportunity and I plan on taking full advantage of it.

Day 1: Another Intern’s Story

My name is Jason Kane. I am 20 years old from Hewitt, NJ. I just recently completed my junior year at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ where I am a Communications: Radio/TV Major with a minor in Sports Communication. After some time looking for an internship through various different networks, including a career and internship day hosted by Monmouth University, I attended the screening of Harvey Hubbell V’s Dislecksia: The Movie at my school for extra credit for my TV Production class. Not knowing at all what dyslexia was beyond the general misconceptions about it, I attended the screening and asked one of the first questions presented to the panel. After the panel discussion concluded, I spoke in length to Harvey about the movie, what my thoughts and feelings were of his project and his mission, and then turned to talking about my future and a possible internship. Soon after I became an intern for Captured Time Productions.

After 6 days of summer I had to depart for my internship. Surprisingly, after 21 years of living in New Jersey I had never been to Connecticut, although I have driven through it many times before. This was a new experience for me. After a quick and relatively easy trip here I arrived at the production studio where I was to eat, sleep, and work for three days a

week.  This was surprisingly different, even though I have been doing the same thing at my off-campus house at school; it was a little different and nerve-wracking in the mysterious, empty farm. Upon my arrival Harvey gave me a quick tour of the house and left me to my thoughts. After about an hour of reading my eyes shut at 9pm and reopened at 6am to prepare for my first day.

My first day consisted of reviewing the intern rules and guidelines packet and filling out necessary paperwork, running errands with a fellow intern, and concluded with logging an interview Harvey conducted at the conference on Dyslexia and Talent held in Norwalk, CT last month. Logging consists of breaking down the footage into  audio and video columns and transcribing all that was said and shown in the interview.

I thought the first day went as expected. To get integrated into the workplace we were provided with paperwork, background information on the program, we were introduced to each other and the rest of the crew, and basic jobs and “grunt” work were the first assignments given. I learned how complicated and dense this business is, and how involved I will be as an intern here at Captured Time. Since developing an interest in this field later than most, I have learned that my only true strength is in writing, so I hope to test myself in other varying positions within this field. I believe this internship will help me grow personally and academically and I hope to find my true calling through the different assignments and activities that will challenge me throughout my time here. I hope to help this company through my attitude and work in exchange for the benefits I can learn about myself, about life, the industry, and different ways of learning and seeing the world through Harvey’s life, work, experience, and teachings.

Why I chose to intern at Captured Time…

Hi, my name is Sharon D! 

I am currently an M.F.A. student at the Academy of Art University in the Motion Pictures and Television program.  I graduated from Quinnipiac University in 2006 with a B.A. in Communications. I came to intern at Captured Time Productions because I really want to help work on projects that will make a difference in the world.  I wanted to work on a project that can help our education system be more productive for all students and create awareness about learning differences.

 When I first arrived on the farm I was very impressed with the production office here. I know I will learn a lot over the summer from Harvey and Aimee. They were both very welcoming and I am glad to be part of the team.

 My first day at Captured Time Productions, I logged footage from the Conference on Dyslexia and Talent put on by the Tremaine Foundation, held in Norwalk, CT.  I organized the load out room, which is where everything is put before it goes out the door for a shoot or event.

I also had the opportunity to watch Dislecksia the Movie.  I was very affected by the film. Before watching, I knew what dyslexia was, but had no idea it affected so many people. From watching this film I learned that there are a lot more educational opportunities for dyslexics and people with learning differences. Surprisingly though, there is still a lack of understanding and sensitivity towards people with this learning difference. I knew what project Captured Time was working on before I came to intern and it is because of this project that I applied and eventually chose this internship.

I think schools around the country and the world would benefit from viewing this documentary in the classroom. Children with dyslexia and or, other learning differences would not feel so isolated from their peers. Also other children would be more sensitive to their dyslexic peers. 

 I am very happy to be working with such wonderful, talented people, who are doing amazing, and important work.   I just know it will be a fantastic summer and a really great experience.

Sharon D.

Two days in and it feels like home

I have only been at Captured Time for two full days and it already feels like home.  When I first walked in to have an interview with Harvey and Aimee I really didn’t know what to expect.  I thought that my early experience with the production company was going to be a rather intimidating one.  Since the interview and the first two days of officially being an intern here I am happy to say that I feel really comfortable with working at Captured Time.  I am assigned tasks for the company from the moment I arrive at 8:45 in the morning until I leave around 5 in the early evening.  It has reinforced my anticipations that any production company has a lot of work, hours, and well-rounded experience to offer.  I am already doing organizational tasks such as putting what seems like billions of the company’s business cards into binders where they can easily be referenced.  I even had a chance to do something unfamiliar.  This morning I had an early session of logging video, which was a new concept and format of tracking video that I am happy to have learned.  In just two days I have seen how the production company operates and how the office is the pulsating heart of the production’s flow and efficiency.

On the first day I was exposed to the company’s work because I had the opportunity to watch Dislecksia: The Movie.  At this point I have seen it at least three times and I must say that it is very well done.  The nicest part about the film is how it is personally constructed.  Harvey is a dyslexic himself and so of course, the film explores the adversity of both a dyslexic population and that of the filmmaker.  The film will definitely educate a relatively unaware public whenever and wherever it is screened.  I didn’t know very much about dyslexia except that it makes an individual struggle with reading.  It was surprising to learn how many famous and successful people have dyslexia as an everyday obstacle.  For example, the idea of Billy Bob Thornton as a dyslexic seems like practical joke since his acting implies a lifetime of reading and memorizing written screenplays.  The documentary also carefully points out that many individuals who are dyslexic never are lucky enough to become successful or famous because they are told at a young age that they are ill and diseased.  This lack of self-confidence may deter dyslexics who are completely normal and capable of success from making valid endeavors.  The documentary is a first-hand account and great insight to what it is like to experience dyslexia and hopefully by working at Captured Time I can see it make a difference in the lives of dyslexics and spread awareness to others.

Captured Time is definitely going to be a positive experience for me.  All of the people here are warm and friendly.  Harvey is a talented filmmaker who can teach me a lot about the industry I want to involve my life in.  Since I’ve already learned a few things in just two days I can only imagine what’s in store for the rest of my internship and time with Captured Time.  Only time will tell.

Joe S

Reading websites in Japanese and Hebrew is pretty tough.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I started at Captured Time. It took me a few days to get settled in but by the end of my first week I started on my first project. I had to organize all of Harvey’s 5000 Facebook friends into a map by state and by country. When I first heard this I thought I was going to be making spreadsheets in Excel, what I found out was that we had 5000 pieces of paper with Harvey’s friends’ names and profile pictures on them. I spent a few weeks organizing them into their respective locations, and then I had to alphabetize all them. Once this was completed I had to glue all of the little pieces of paper to bigger pieces of card stock so that we could organize them into binders for Harvey to take with him when he goes on trips.  All in all it took about 3 weeks, working on and off, to complete all of the binders. I couldn’t have been happier to see them finished.

After that I spent a lot of my days logging tapes from the various film festivals and events. I had never logged before coming here. It took me a few times to get the rhythm of it but I finally got the hang of it, and I got plenty of practice. We had a lot of footage to log and it seemed like every time I came in there was more footage.

In trying to get Dislecksia: The Movie distributed we wanted to contact as many people as possible. We wanted to talk to anyone who could help get the movie out to the public. But before we could start making calls we needed to get phone numbers and email addresses for all the hundreds of sales agents and distributors. That task fell on me and the other interns, we spent hours in the back room googling and searching for any information that we could. Reading websites in Japanese and Hebrew is pretty tough.

I can’t even count the number of times that I went to Dunkin Donuts to pick up coffee, mostly for Rio. But she would always buy me a coffee so it was a great deal. I had a great time with the Captime crew and the other interns. We had a good time in the back room watching Dislecksia: The Movie 5 or 6 times a day. I think I have seen it well over 100 times this summer, we can all quote it pretty much line for line by now. Overall I think I learned quite a bit about what goes into promoting and trying to sell an independent film. It was great to get some experience in the field and I don’t think I will forget this summer or Dislecksia: The Movie. 

Jeremy S. 

A whirlwind experience!

I cannot believe it has been three months since I started my internship at Captured Time Productions.  To say it’s been a whirlwind is the understatement of the year.  The amount that I learned as an intern was an incredibly eye-opening experience.  From the people I met, to the tasks I performed; I really learned what it was like to work in a production office and the amount of passion, diligence, and time every person involved puts into it.  There is no small task when it comes to filmmaking and every person is important in one way or another.  That was probably one of the most important things I learned working at Captured Time.  There were some days I left the farm and my brain was completely fried which showed me that the film business is hard work; it’s not all fun and games. 

This internship got me excited for the next phase of my life because I want to work my hardest in the profession I choose in the future.  Harvey’s work ethic is not only inspiring but also incredibly rare.  It may be because I’ve never interned at a production office, but Harvey’s determination and integrity, along with the rest of the crew, is truly admirable.  This internship has no only increased my passion for film, but it has also given me the confidence to work at other production companies in the future. 

Without getting sentimental, I am going to truly miss everyone at Captured Time.  Everyone had such a different personality and brought something new to the table.  I learned so much from every person on the farm and thank them for the amount of experience I’ve taken from this internship.  I am so excited to read about Dislecksia: The Movie in the coming year, and see what it will blossom into.  I know it is going to be a great success, and I feel incredibly blessed to have been part of it.

Katie B.