Paramount Pictures? Pshhhh….

With the ending of any experience, the final days are set aside for reflection. Whether this reflection brings fond memories or trepid nightmares is completely up to the individual. I began my internship at Captured Time roughly three months ago. I had just completed my sophomore year at Florida State University and was eager to gain any experience related to filmmaking. Unfortunately the Constitution State isn’t exactly the film hub of the world so I had to do some searching. I finally came upon Captured Time Productions based in Litchfield, CT. The website was intriguing, sporting nine Emmys, a headstrong director and producer, and a long list of previous interns and their experiences. At last I had found what I was looking for. Or so I thought at the time.

I parked my car next to two large barns and a herd of thoughtless cows roaming freely across a large open field. I was skeptical before I had even stepped through the door. But my first encounter with Director/Producer Harvey Hubbell V was an intriguing one. He moved quicker than most people I had seen in both brain and body. Within five minutes he had given me enough production wisdom to last the summer.

I began my internship by moving boxes upon boxes of who knows what between two houses, logging tapes, and getting my first glimpse at Dislecksia: The Movie, which would surely not be my last (5 times a day sounds about right). I worked with eight other interns on small and large projects ranging from organizing Harvey’s 5,000 Facebook friends to interviewing audience members for testimonials at New York City’s VisionFest Film Festival. I spoke on the phone with countless school psychologists, therapists, and dyslexia experts advocating for upcoming festival in which our film would be featured.

One of the most valuable aspects I can take away from my internship at Captured Time was the realization that the most rewarding experience does not always come from being a production assistant on Spiderman 4. Small independent companies like Captured Time thrive on the enthusiasm and vigor of its working parts: the employees and interns. I found my time in Litchfield to be rewarding because I felt as though I was a working part of a greater whole. Paramount Pictures also don’t have chickens and roosters as part of the production team.

Harvey always likes to stress that his team at Captured Time is more like the 1972 independent film Fat City than the latest installment of Men in Black. But why would such a trait be beneficial to the crew and the company as a whole? Over the past few months, I’ve met Neuroscientists at Haskin’s lab, talked to countless mothers struggling to get their dyslexic children proper education, and countless others concerned with the universal issue of dyslexia. I’ve come to realize that talking about Dislecksia: The Movie with these community members and connecting with them on an individual level is what separates Captured Time from the larger corporate production companies. Documentaries are made to connect important issues and ideas to the public. Few companies can connect with individuals and communities like Captured Time does. So when I reflect upon my internship at Captured Time I think of the people: Aimee, Rio, Catherine, the interns (past and present) and of course Harvey. But mostly I think about the experience I’ve gained to help me move forward and look towards the future.

-Michael T. 

A Day In The Life…

12:00am wake up.  Time to finish packing and to get my four dogs ready for the kennel.  2:30am crew call at the Captured Time office.  It’s always fun to see my co-workers that early in the morning.  They probably don’t feel the same way.  Needless to say, there wasn’t that much talking, just more last minute packing and double-checking equipment.  Harvey arrived at the office close to 3:00am, and we began loading up two cars to leave for the airport.  A To Do list was already posted on the door for the interns that were back on the farm that day and we were off!

Harvey, Catherine, Rio, and myself arrived at the airport around 4:30am and began the long process of checking in and checking bags and going through security.  Going through security with Harvey is always a hoot.  He must be on some sort of list…thankfully, the rest of us got through uneventfully.  

It was too early at our little airport for any stores to be opened, so we proceeded to our gate to find out that there was some sort of mechanical problem with the plane.  With only a 51 minute layover in Dulles, that immediately spelled trouble for us, so I hopped in line to speak with the airline.  They also felt that we weren’t going to make our connection to Charlotte, so they immediately began to look for different flights for us to get to North Carolina.  

As I was standing at the airline desk, an announcement was made that the mechanical problem was turning into a lengthy one, and that everyone with a connection should get in line in order to get re-routed.  Cue 100 people rushing into a poorly formed line (or blob), pushing and shoving to get the best place in line.  At this point, we were all thankful that I was already at the desk making other flight arrangements.  That line did not look pretty.  

After about half an hour of checking flights, it was arranged that Rio, Catherine, and I could take a nonstop flight to Charlotte at 10am.  There weren’t enough seats on the plane to accommodate Harvey so he was placed on a later flight, and would be on standby for ours.  It didn’t look good that Harvey would be able to join us, so we began making plans for shooting at Camp Spring Creek without Harvey, switching rental car reservations, and the like.  Thankfully, we travel with a mini-production office so making new arrangements weren’t that hard, but it was stressful making sure everyone got where they needed to be. 

Shortly before 10am, Catherine, Rio and I boarded the plane, saying goodbye to Harvey who was shouting last minute instructions over the din of the airport.  We still didn’t know if he was going to get a seat, so the three of us loaded all of our equipment onto the plane and crossed our fingers for Harvey.

As we sat on the plane, we went over last minute details for our drive to Camp Spring Creek and our plans for filming there.  We all had Harvey’s instructions deeply ingrained in our minds, and heard his voice telling us to “find something interesting, and shoot it.”  As we continued our talk, something caused us to all look up at the same time to see Harvey’s smiling face as he walked onto the plane.  He made it!

We flew into Charlotte, picked up our bags and tripod, and began the over two hour drive to Bakersville, NC to Camp Spring Creek to visit Susie van der Vorst, the camp’s Academic Director.  We filmed some classes, activities, and I even took a spin on the zip line!  I’ve never been to camp before so it was a unique experience for me.  Camp Spring Creek is special because it’s a camp only for dyslexics.  We even met some parents that found out about the camp during one of our panel discussions.  It truly showed how helpful these panel discussions are to the community, and we’re excited to hold one in Kings Mountain, NC this afternoon. 

During filming at Camp Spring Creek, we had a problem with one of our mics, and without cell service (we were way up in the mountains), we had to wait to start looking for replacements.  Back on the road, we all celebrated when we got cell service back and immediately began searching for electronics stores in the area.  After a quick stop at an area RadioShack (well, it was a bit out of the way), we had our mics (and a back up) and made our way to our hotel. 

After checking in, we went searching for food and besides finding fried pickles and waffle fries, we found Violet from the Real to Reel International Film Festival, who had our festival passes and filmmaker badges.  Thanks, Violet, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come meet us!  By this time it was around 10am, and needless to say we were all beat after flying, driving near to 500 miles, and waking up at the crack of dawn.  After dinner we headed back to the hotel to crash for the night.

This morning we’re prepping for the screening at 3:15pm at Joy Performance Center in Kings Mountain, NC.  We’ll be holding another panel discussion following the screening featuring Heidi Bishop of Camperdown Academy and Dana Blackhurst, a well-known figure in the world of dyslexia.  We’ll be filming audience testimonials following the screening, so if you make it to the screening, come find Catherine and I to share your thoughts!  We hope to see you there!

– Aimee S. 

5000 friends is a lot.

Today was my first day interning at Captured Time Productions. Coming in I did not really know what to expect but I had a good initial experience here. The first thing for me to do was to sit down and watch Dislecksia: The Movie. After reading so much about it on the Captured Time website, I was really looking forward to it and it lived up to my expectations. It was a very well put together documentary with a great story and very high educational value. I feel like I learned quite a bit about dyslexia and about documentary filmmaking after watching Harvey’s film.

The next thing for me to do was to help organize just about all of Harvey’s 5000 Facebook friends. This meant sorting 5000 tiny pieces of paper and organizing them by their location: by state in the U.S. and by nation all over the world. I’m glad that I’m good at geography because there were so many tiny pieces of paper on the table the only way to keep track of them was to make my own mini world map. A couple times I thought I was done but Harvey seems to have an endless amount of friends from all over the world.

Today was me getting my feet wet at Captured Time.  I look forward to doing a lot more work here throughout the summer. I felt very welcomed by the rest of the Captured Time team.  This office is a great environment to work in; any place with three dogs running around it all day is a great place for me. I look forward to working with the rest of the team here during the summer.

Jeremy S.

Fender Benders and New Equipment

Hey it’s Katie again and I survived my second day at Captured Time!  My day did not start off as smoothly as planned since I got into a little fender bender with an elderly couple on my way to work.  In my defense, I did not have my morning coffee (very important) and was not on my A game.  No one was hurt, but it definitely put a damper on the second day of my new job.  I got here in one piece and forgot all about it after starting my tasks for the day.

Aimee gave me the job of researching the five documentaries nominated for Academy Awards in the last ten years.  Even though my job was to find the distribution companies in each film, I was also able to learn about some of the documentaries as well.  I was shocked as to how many of the movies I had actually seen.  I have a feeling that after my job here, I am going to be paying much more attention to the future Oscar nominated films; with no doubt that Dislecksia will be one of them! 

I’m looking forward to VisionFest, taking place in New York City from June 20-24.  Dislecksia is going to be showing there, which is going to be such a cool experience.  This is such a huge opportunity for Harvey and his team, who have been working on this film for years.  I have the privilege of tagging along with the whole crew to help promote and show the film to many eager viewers.

I have been here for two days and can already see how much time, energy and effort goes into making this movie as big as it deserves to be.  It’s obvious how passionately everyone here at Captured Time believes in this movie.  For example, Troyé, an intern here at Captured Time, is going through multiple books of different advertisements and making spreadsheets of potential advertisers who could help support the film.  We just got a new lens and microphone, greatly improving our ability to take photos and video while out on the road.  Rio is testing out the new equipment, which will be used for interviews and testimonials.   Dana and Mike T have been watching countless water marked copies of Dislecksia, looking for any glitches or scratches which would ruin the showing of the movie.  Lastly, Mike L is researching banks as possible sponsors for future Dislecksia events.  This is going to be a very encouraging place to work and everyone at Captured Time is looking forward to what Dislecksia has in store.

Harvey and the crew in the Production Office, hard at work. 

The 2nd New Guy Arrives…

Hey!   My name is Katie and today is my first day as an intern at Captured Time Productions.  I did not know what to expect when I came here since the only interview I had was over the phone.  I was at college all semester and thought this would be a wonderful place to start my film experience.  When I first arrived at 51 Hutchinson Parkway, I was greeted by two adorable dogs.  A wave of comfort came over me since I knew that it was going to be a fun, safe, and friendly place to work.

I go to college in Los Angeles, so as you can imagine, I don’t always get the pleasure of meeting the nicest people in the film industry.  I was intimidated and a little nervous to start interning here since I don’t have much experience, but that instantly passed after I met Harvey and the other employees at Captured Time.  Everyone who works here are incredibly kind and welcoming which definitely made my first day here much more pleasant and easy going.

It’s not even the end of the day, and I have already done many tasks around the office.  I started my day watching Dislecksia: The Movie which was fascinating; I swear I’m not only saying that because I’m an intern here.  There are many celebrities with dyslexia who were interviewed by Harvey, describing their childhood and their troubles and hardships with this “learning difference”.  To be honest, before watching the film, I was very ignorant on the topic.  I understood dyslexia as being a learning disability where the words on a page of book are all scrambled making it impossible for the reader to understand.  Many people, including me, do not know that there is much more to this challenge than the public knows.  There needs to be more awareness and recognition of dyslexia, so that people become more educated.  Not only was the movie informational, it was also inspirational.  It shows real people defeating the odds and becoming something greater than they ever thought imaginable. 

I was also able to learn how the production of how this company works and the importance of the exposure of the film.  It is essential that the film is promoted, in order for the documentary to get hype, allowing many people to see it.  I have taken Pre-Production and Production in school, so I am extremely excited for the opportunity to learn and perform in this exciting stage of the film with Harvey and my fellow interns.  I’m looking forward to this summer because I know it’s going to be an incredible learning experience and a chance to work with other people who share my same interest in film.

Are you sure this is the right place?

When my father and I drove out to Captured Time Productions in Litchfield, Connecticut to see where I’d be starting my first internship, he asked “Are you sure this is the right place?” On first glance, Captured Time looks nothing more than peaceful farmland, complete with curious roosters, barns, and wild turkeys walking inanely by on the road. But after my first day I realized that the outer appearance of a production company is not what matters most, especially to the films being produced. Within the first fifteen minutes at Captured Time, I was relocating hundreds of stock footage canisters from Dislecksia: The Movie to a new office, deciphering and organizing the complex codes that characterize each individual tape. “But what was the importance of all of this?” I asked myself. It didn’t take long to see that the footage was the organizational core of Dislecksia. Each and every tape held vital footage that comprised the film, shot at numerous locations across the country. In order to keep track of all the footage being used, Harvey asked if I would take on the daunting task of relocating every shelf and tape. I plunged into the work headfirst, discovering the intricate and detailed nature of the films that Captured Time Productions creates.

            Upon entering the office at Captured Time Productions, one can find pages of archives from footage of Dislecksia, lighting equipment, cameras, and computers with video editing software, interns editing promotional videos for social media and networking websites, and numerous awards from past films including nine Emmys. The energy and pace of Captured Time was overwhelming at first, but I found it comforting once I understood the importance of its working parts: interns and employees. The company runs on the assistance and work ethic of a few dedicated individuals, working tirelessly to promote Dislecksia. The film holds a great deal of importance and meaning to the employees involved, which comes across through the cohesion and collaboration demonstrated by the employees in the main office. My role as an intern at Captured Time is to use my previous experience to help the promotion and advancement of Dislecksia: The Movie. In return for my efforts, I gain valuable experience and exposure to the field of filmmaking and social media, which I hope to break into upon graduation from college. 

The Captured Time employees and interns as well as the director, writer, and producer of Disleckia, Harvey Hubbell V, work diligently to bring awareness to important issues by marketing their film that directly addresses them. I immediately recognized the dedication and importance Dislecksia held to the employees at Captured Time through their unwavering work ethic and organization that permeate through every office and hallway at the small Litchfield production company. As an intern, I was hired because of my previous experience in the field of social media. But the difference between my past experience and the work that takes place at Captured Time is the energy and dedication of the team involved. Captured Time is a business, one that prides itself in its ability to address important issues, using vital information and humor to reach a wide demographic. I had never seen a film by Harvey until I watched Disleckia: The Movie on the second day of my internship. After finishing the film, the immense dedication and level of advocacy that came across through the movie was the biggest indicator of the type of work and personality that one can find at Captured Time.    

Another task that Harvey asked me to complete the first day of my internship was to shoot a few photographs of awards he recently won at the Greenville International Film Festival for Best Documentary and Best Director. I used several lights, draped the background in different felts to create a more visually and aesthetically pleasing atmosphere, and used a Canon Rebel T3i camera to take several promotional photos of the awards for social media websites. Harvey entrusted me with this task in order to promote the recent successes of Dislecksia: The Movie. As a first day intern, I immediately became excited about the opportunities and experience I would gain in the coming months that would help me break into industry jobs in the future. Captured Time operates on several core values, including the cohesion and dedication between interns and employees. My immersion into the energetic environment at Captured Time invigorates my interest and excitement for the training I’ll receive, as I become a working part of a greater whole. The next time my dad asks if Captured Time is the right place, I’ll simply tell him that it is.

The Art of the Webisode

Webisodes, webisodes, webisodes.  We’re all guilty of watching them, from learning how to tie a tie to figuring out how to open a bottle of wine with a shoe, and now the Captured Time crew has jumped on the band wagon and started our own series of webisodes…a lot easier said than done.  Our first webisode, “The Cap Time Girls Makes Buttons” will be up shortly, and well – the title pretty much says it all.  Why are we making buttons?  To bring them to the National IDA Conference next month as a way of spreading awareness about dyslexia and Dislecksia: The Movie.  Buttons not your thing?  We have keychains, mirrors, and magnets, which you can actually buy off of our website here.

Our next webisode which we filmed today featured our IndieGoGo campaign, and showed off the different features of our fundraising site.  Haven’t been there yet?  You should go, check out the new trailer featuring Billy Bob Thornton, Sarah Joy Brown, and Joe Pantoliano, and see what rewards we’re giving out for making a contribution to the film.  Every wanted to be a Producer on a feature length film?  Now’s your chance!

In other news, the book and the website are still moving along.  We’re making final decisions on the front and back covers of the book, and our website developer is hard at work making sure our Dislecksia: The Movie “Splash” or ‘opening’ page is sure to grab your attention.  After months of hard work on the website, we can’t wait to go live and show you what we’ve been working on!  In the meantime, our regular website www.capturedtimeproductions.com has been updated with some more information regarding IndieGoGo and our decision to cancel our Kickstarter project, so head over there for the latest news.  See ya!

Aimee S.

Dislecksia: The Movement

Hello. Hi. Hey. It’s your Captured Time office buddy, Rio Nicole. In the past months we’ve had many projects floating around over here. Every week Aimee makes us all a To-Do List and if you can find blank space on there.. I’d love for you to point it out. Small things.. big things.. we almost always have something to do.
Because of this I don’t feel I was able to put the time and effort into our Kickstarter project the love, sweat, and tears it deserved (I don’t do blood, which is why I replaced it with love). So due to this realization, we are planning on cancelling funding on Kickstarter this Friday and have moved it over to IndieGoGo: http://www.indiegogo.com/dislecksiathemovie
The really great part about this is we get to kickstart Dyslexia Awareness month with a fundraising project that helps us finish a film and also helps spread awareness about dyslexia and other LDs.
We already have some really great advocates out there. As the social media nerd of the office, I know I recognize a lot of you floating around on our Facebook groups and pages while Liking and commenting on everything. I think that’s absolutely wonderful. Harvey, Captured Time Productions, and dyslexics in general are extremely lucky to have such passionate advocates on their side. I hope that I’m lucky enough to have you advocates on my side as well. There are many of you, but I know that sometimes it can be hard to find the extra cash to donate. Still, I hope you guys will help Harvey and Dislecksia: The Movie (okay.. and me) out by telling your friends and family about our campaign. Every dollar counts. Heck.. there’s 15-35 million dyslexics out there. A dollar from just a handful of that amount would help us out. We’re only trying to reach $12,000 and all..

 

I want all of you to become a part of Dislecksia: The Movement. Share our link on your FB status. Tweet about it on your Twitter. Print out our IndieGoGo page and stick it on the bulletin board in your office break room if you can. I want to know how you’re helping to spread awareness about our film and our fundraising campaign. Write on our FB wall. Tweet at us. Take pictures and send them to us. I’d love to see 2-3 minute videos about how you asked people to help us out or why you think others should contribute to our film. Any of these things or ideas can be sent to me at dislecksiathemovie@gmail.com.

Let’s do this thing and really get behind Dislecksia: The Movement.

44 Days To Go!

Hey all! It’s Britt updating you again on what’s going on here at CapTime. It’s been unusually chilly here the past couple days, but we’re really cookin’ here on the farm with Dislecksia: The Movie.

For me, it’s been all editing. Our newest Webisode is up on Youtube (www.youtube.com/captimepro, properly titled, Dislecksia: The Webisode Part Two) and the third is in the process of being cut right now, as well. I’ve been organizing the thousands of pictures we have here and it’s finally starting to look like I’m making progress! (Woo hoo!)

Our Kickstarter is going well, but it could always be better with your help! We have 44 days left to raise our funds to finish the movie and with all your consistent love and support, it’ll be possible! (And we can get some really cool graphics for our credits – – see http://www.youtube.com/captimepro for our first Webisode, where we talk about how cool those credits really can be!).

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend in the US. Wow, the summer came and went fast! Anyway, it’s back to editing for me.

And the journey continues…

Rockin and Rollin

So it’s Britt again. Things have been rockin and rollin over here at CapTime the past couple weeks (and surviving Hurricane Irene). Dislecksia is turning into something bigger than I would have ever imagined coming into this internship. There’s so much to look forward to!

We have Kickstarter started! Everyone should start checking that out. What Kickstarter does is help us fund the finishing of our movie. This extra money will help us finish credits, music and tie up some loose ends. So how can you get involved with Kickstarter? Log onto http://www.kickstarter.com and type in Dislecksia. Your donations will help us finish this project and in return, you will get some goodies and prizes, based on the amount you donate. I know you wanna do it…

Last week, I shot and cut a couple webisodes for Dislecksia, appropriately titled: Dislecksia: The Webisode. The full version can be seen on our Kickstarter page (once you donate) and the teasers of that can be seen on our webpage (www.dislecksiathemovie.com) or YouTube (www.youtube.com/captimepro).

We had our last audience participation screening in Laramie, Wyoming last Thursday night, so we’re looking forward to reading those responses. Harvey, Aimee and Rio were all around when they skyped with the audience in Wyoming, and a new webisode of that footage will be available soon!

As for this week, it’s time to sort through pictures and start cutting new webisodes. Although, most of my time was cut short today because of a game of cat and mouse; looking for an exclusive power cord from anyone that would have it in the US. That took a couple hours of time, but at least we’ll have it for tomorrow!

The bad news: Sepanta had his last day here at CapTime on Friday. He’s back off to college. Good news: we’re still looking for interns!

And the journey continues…