Disney promotes its theme parks as places where ?dreams come true.? For most people, those words are just marketing mumbo-jumbo. As Virginia Tech senior Tim Leaton discovered, however, Disneyland is the place where his filmmaking dreams became reality.
Leaton, a fifth-year senior double-majoring in communication and business management was one of the five winners of the nationwide ?Film Your Issue? contest. His entry, ?Orphans in Africa,? won the top prize, earning him a paid internship at the Disney movie studios in Los Angeles.
His passion for film began when he received a Tyco video camera as a gift for Christmas in 7th grade.
?It wasn?t the best quality. The finished product looked mostly like black blobs ? but we had a lot of fun making them and all the neighbors would come over to see the newest videos,? he said in an interview.
Leaton became interested in the cause of the African orphans after editing hours of video footage for his church group. ?I started to get to know all the orphans without actually meeting them. It was a stepping stone for me to go over there and do filming on my own.?
A few years later, Leaton would volunteer at the Uganda orphanage and document his experiences on video.
?I would teach subjects at the local school and Bible clubs and then film with whatever free time I had,? Leaton said.
Leaton noted the difficulty of working in an environment so different from that of the United States.
?The kids didn?t get home until the sun was setting. Although they all had beautiful stories, there was only enough light to interview some of them,? Leaton said.
Leaton heard about the film contest last year, almost missing the May 1 deadline because of the short notice and a hectic Tech exam schedule.
?When a good opportunity comes like this, it?s probably not going to be at the most convenient time. You have to jump on it,? said Leaton.
Luckily, the deadline for ?Film Your Issue? was extended, giving Leaton the chance to get through finals and edit a one-minute submission of his half-hour documentary. ?I sent it in expecting never to hear back ? and then I got an e-mail telling me I was one of the 35 semi-finalists ? I was so excited ? I couldn?t believe it!? Leaton said.
Leaton received his award at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. He was introduced by the president and publisher of USA Today, Craig Moon, and received his award overlooking a panoramic view of the City.
Returning to Richmond from the United Nations, Leaton had less than twelve hours to pack before heading to Los Angeles.
?My mom and brother were nice enough to postpone their Mexico trip and help me drive across the country. I had to do the drive in just three days and start work the next day.?
Leaton says, ?Disney knew the internship was a grand prize for a contest and wanted to make it like that.?
Disney wanted Leaton to see the filmmaking process from beginning to end, observing each different step from pre-production to theatrical release. He spent half of his time in feature production on the sets of films, and half in post-production, in the editing room with the director and editor ? something that had never done before with an intern.
?It?s amazing how people who are so high up in the film industry were approachable and willing to share their knowledge and experience,? said Leaton.
Leaton observed the post-production of ?The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause? and sat for an afternoon in the editing room with the editor and director of the movie.
?It was neat to listen to their comments as they painstakingly fine-tuned a very small section of the film,? Leaton said.
At the viewing of ?dailies,? where raw film footage from the day before is shown, Leaton noted, ?it?s funny to see the unedited footage with mistakes and goof-ups that don?t ever make it in the final movie.?
A portion of the internship was spent as a production assistant for postproduction on ?The Guardian,? starring Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner.
Leaton knew how tedious the film process was from his own experience and realized even further the extent how much work goes into making films.
?This experience has been proof to me that hard work does eventually pay off. There?s no magic to success, even at Disney,? Leaton said.
Favorite moments of Leaton?s internship included having dinner sitting next to Roy E. Disney, meeting Jonny Depp, observing ?scoring? for The Guardian (when a full orchestra and movie is projected simultaneously on a screen), and accidentally asking actress Sean Young to take a picture of him and someone else.
?The FYI (Film Your Issue) contest was a great way for me to express myself since I?m passionate about both the plight of orphans in Africa and filmmaking in general. It helped see the power of media and its reinforced my desire to have a positive effect on the world doing something I love, filmmaking,? Leaton said.
Leaton is continuing his studies at Tech for another year, but will return to ?Film Your Issue? as a judge for the upcoming contest. This is no surprise for Jerry Scheeler, a communication professor who taught Leaton in film.
?I would say (Tim) has a quiet, steady honesty that assures you the minute you meet him that he will do his best, no matter what the task. When you mix that quality with his artistic talent and vision, you get someone who wins very prestigious film awards, as he as done ?whatever project he undertakes, he is going to devote all his energy and time to it,? Scheeler said.