CREW REVIEWS

I learned so much from Actuality Media. There were great lessons and discussions and I can’t wait to apply what I have learned. There were many difficult things and things that I had to get used to but those challenges created opportunities to learn. I am most grateful for all the difficulties because of what I have learned through them. The overall cost of the program was reasonable. I loved the trips we went on and that we were able to work with locals. There was a great amount of freedom with a balance of guidance. I love traveling, filmmaking and meeting new people and with this program I was able to accomplish all three. Internship Placement: I learned a lot both by doing and in the lecture and watching the documentaries shown and discussed. Living Situation: Living situation was good it was surpassing how well it worked with 6 people in one room Cultural Immersion: Great cultural immersion

Actuality Media is run by Aubrie and Robin, an awesome pair who will let you independently explore your ideas like no classroom setting would. Everything you learn is relevant instead of busywork, and they are open to answering any sort of questions you have always been wondering. Program Administration: Robin and Aubrie are the coolest people ever! Health and Safety: I didn’t experience any problems.

Overall, this was an experience that left a strong impression on me. I’ve learned so much while being in Costa Rica with Actuality Media. From the classes on how to structure a documentary film to the cultural immersion to learning how to work with a multitude of people, this outreach has challenged me to reach farther than I ever have before. I totally think traveling with Actuality Media is worth the trip. You will grow and have fun while doing it! Internship Placement: The approach with which we made these docs helped with planning the film before hand in a very meticulous manner. This proved invaluable in foreseeing what the finished product should be. However, I do feel that this method can potentially stifle a more organic approach which would allow for events to unfold themselves. There is a temptation to force a story to take shape, thus neglecting what is actually happening. Nonetheless, our structured attack of how to tell the story ultimately caused us to create a well-told story through our film, “¿Que Será del Caribe?” Living Situation: We were in a good place. The hostel, Kaya’s Place, was right across from the beach, Playa Negra, where we could always go for a swim in the ocean when we wanted to take breaks from work. We were walking distance from the town which we were next to. Great staff that worked there. Cultural Immersion: We were knee-deep in the culture of the Costa Rican Caribbean coast. Fantastic people to interact with, wonderful foods to try, and everything just seemed like an adventure! Program Administration: Aubrie & Robin Canfield ran the outreach program with a level hand and solid leadership. All of us in the program felt a great level of trust in the two of them and their ability to guide the making of our films. Health and Safety: I mean, like anything else, you just have to keep your eyes open if you’re out at night. Don’t be stupid and just go with anybody from the bar at 2 am. But we walked the streets late at night many times, and things were fine. No issues, no worries. Social Life: The people of Talamanca were so open to hanging out and making friends. Getting around the language barrier wasn’t too difficult, because the area is accustomed to American tourists.

Actuality Media made my first time out of the country very comfortable. I loved the program and the experience. Would tell anyone to jump on board with them. Internship Placement: The lessons we had with the Production Coordinator taught a lot of filmmaking and storytelling. Living Situation: The hostel we stayed at was fanstastic, safe, and fun. In reference to the living arrangements, we were lucky to have had only 4 to our room – 6 would’ve been tight. Cultural Immersion: Being there for a month allowed us to start living like the locals do. Program Administration: Had everything together and in order. Health and Safety: They gave us tips and information about the area we were staying.

A really good course that was practical and hands on. I learnt alot throughout the program, in particular practical skills that are best achieved by doing eg. Camera operation and techniques. I had a great time on this program, made life long friends and produced a worthy film in this short period of time. Living Situation: Really comfortable living provided, nice hostel in a good location Cultural Immersion: Working with locals where relevant good experience Health and Safety: Safety in numbers. Just don’t go looking for trouble. Social Life: A small community of travellers; everyone meets everyone!

Travelling with Actuality Media has been the most inspiring and best experience I have ever had. I found that the amount that I learned was so much in the comparison to the amount of time that I was there. The production supervisors were excellent to work with and the intimate amount of students provided an efficient student-to-teacher relationship which made the academic learning easy and exciting. Along the hands-on experience of filming, there were classes run by the production supervisor that I found were extremely parallel to the classes from my professors at university. These classes on filmmaking and storytelling helped us when we went out to film. Our progress on our learning was constantly tracked as we had to show the footage we took every day to the production supervisors. She would walk us through the positives and negatives of our footage and show how we could improve the next day. Whenever we needed help with the documentary or encountered problems, the production supervisor was extremely helpful and spent her time with us to assure that we were on the right track, understood and were comfortable with how the film was going. The feedback of the production supervisor was extremely helpful and was open and suggestive and we always decided on our own decisions, as a group, and this created a certain guided independence which was very good for beginning filmmakers under the guidance of the experienced. Working with the other students on the outreach was a great experience; as they were there to learn and work. Ideas were collaborative and our we had a healthy group work ethic. I had no negative experiences with Actuality Media and definitely recommend this program for those who enjoy learning, studying, filming and travelling. Internship Placement: The content I learned through the outreach was extremely similar to how and what I was learning in my university classes, except with more intimate classes which allowed everyone to add their opinions and have a good relationship with Aubrie, who was teaching them. As well as the hugely hands-on learning that was involved in the outreach, the academic learning was extremely effective and rewarding. Living Situation: Really nice hostel! Very open and I had never been in a hostel before but I am now planning to make it my means of travel. Cultural Immersion: I was constantly immersed in the culture of the country I was travelling in and enjoyed the personal time we had to immerse ourselves in the city and constantly be part of the culture everywhere we went. Program Administration: Very well organized and an extremely effective program. The intimacy of the small amount of students enhanced this as well as the great personalities of the administrators that worked so well with the students. Health and Safety: I felt completely safe even though I had heard lack of safety stories about muggings far from the city. But, I felt secure the entire trip and very safe when travelling with people. Social Life: There were many opportunities we had to meet other travelers since we were staying at a hostel. We met many wonderful people from all over the world and would go out with them when we were not working.