Academy launches ‘Gold’ diversity internship enhancement program this summer

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is proud to announce commitments from four additional industry partners – AMC Networks, Moving Picture Institute, Telsey + Company, and Xperi – to participate in Academy Gold, an entertainment industry-wide internship enhancement and mentorship program for students and young professionals from underrepresented communities. Each of the now 26 partners will sponsor up to three of their interns for the program, which kicked off on Thursday, June 21, with a two-day orientation that included various industry speakers, studio and technology-based company tours and visits to the Academy’s Film Archive and Margaret Herrick Library.

Previously announced partners include Annapurna Pictures, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Deluxe, The Walt Disney Company, Dolby Laboratories, FotoKem, FremantleMedia, HBO, Illumination Entertainment, IMAX, Lionsgate, Overbrook Entertainment, Panavision, Paramount Pictures, Participant Media, Snap Inc., Sony Pictures, Technicolor, Twentieth Century Fox Film, Universal Pictures, Univision and Warner Bros.

This year, 108 students (including 22 interns placed within the Academy) from across the United States will participate in Academy Gold. The seven-week summer program, which concludes on August 11, will offer participants networking opportunities with Academy members and industry professionals, screenings, studio tours and educational workshops.

For the first time, an Academy Gold Production Track program, offering summer-long technical workshops, will be available for students with a career interests in cinematography, production design and film editing. Participants include students from Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Evolve Entertainment Fund (EEF), Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, West Los Angeles College, Los Angeles Film School, among others. These students also will have the opportunity to get hands-on experience shooting scenes on a soundstage, as well as spend one week on the set of an active production shadowing various departments.

“Building on the success of our inaugural year, this summer’s Academy Gold internship enhancement program has doubled in size and scope and will provide additional areas of training and study for interns interested more specifically in cinematography, production design and editing,” said Randy Haberkamp, Managing Director, Preservation and Foundation Programs. “The goal of our new Production Track workshops is to provide opportunities for our interns to choose professional goals that reflect the same variety of collaborative crew positions as our Academy members.”

Highlights from this summer’s Gold program include:

Demystifying Unions and Guilds (June 23)
Representatives from various unions and guilds explain their role in working with filmmakers.

Breaking It Down (June 27)
Understanding a script from multiple creative perspectives: writing, directing, acting, cinematography, art direction and film editing.

Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production Department Overview (July 11)
How do movies get made? The roles and relationships between studio executives, producers, directors and the creative team during production and post-production.

Preserving and Restoring Our Motion Picture Heritage (July 14)
Exploring the fundamentals of motion picture preservation, film and digital archival elements and the techniques used to protect film heritage.

Cinematography in the Era of VFX-Intensive Films (July 18)
Exploring the increasing role of visual effects and digital imagery in motion pictures and its impact on cinematography and the production process.

The Art of Production Design: Practical vs. Visual Effects (July 23)
The role of production designers and art directors in creating the look of a film and how they enhance the story through set design, mechanical effects, scene painting, props, décor and visual effects.

The Role of Sound in Picture (July 25)
Exploring the basics of sound editing, mixing and preparation for new immersive premium theatrical environments and formats.

Film Financing and Distribution (Sponsored by Wells Fargo) (August 1)
Filmmakers, producers, distributors, financiers and executives discuss what it takes to get your film made.

Exploring the New Frontier of Virtual Reality (August 8)
How will VR change the entertainment industry and the way we watch movies?

A complete Academy Gold and Production Track curriculum with those Academy members and industry professionals who will be participating in workshops and panels can be found here.

Upon completion of the program, all Gold interns will be paired with Academy members for an eight-month mentorship.

The Academy Gold Talent Development and Inclusion Program affords top film entertainment, technology, production services and digital media companies an opportunity to recruit and educate a nationwide pool of diverse talent.

Major support for Academy Gold is provided by Walmart.

The Academy Gold Production Track program is supported in part by a grant from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.

Additional support is provided by The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. and Wells Fargo.

For more information about the Academy Gold program, visit www.oscars.org/AcademyGoldProgram.