The Path to Production: Film Student Profiles

Four UC Santa Barbara Film and Media Studies students were interviewed about the production side of their studies by four Writing Program students for their course Digital Journalism. The package of stories was researched and written by: Courtney Collins, Maggie Fosmark, Sam Herbert and Alix Skinner.

It’s no secret that the film industry is a cutthroat business. Film and Media Studies students know they must go the extra mile if they want to have an edge when they enter the field —whether that means reaching out to a now-more-successful coworker from a rocky past, or a favorite professor for a possible “in.”

UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Film and Media Studies is renowned for its program that includes courses in the history and theory of film and media, fiction and nonfiction filmmaking, digital media production, screenwriting, and more. The department’s innovative research has helped shape the discipline.

Students come away with a deep understanding of the field. But they also have a chance to network and pursue production projects to gain traction in their future careers, applying practically what they’ve learned theoretically.

Film and Media students Jake Marone (profiled below), as well as Kalen Sinder, Vesela Ivanova, and Lindsay Skrabo sat down for interviews recently to share what they have learned on the production side of the industry through their Crew Production course and participation in projects outside of their coursework.

Now in his fifth year, Marone began his studies knowing the importance of networking and making oneself available for projects. He made connections through the film program’s production course right off the bat, which led to summer internships with Netflix and multiple acting roles in student films. Marone also managed to create a new position within the production course that started it all, and now acts as a teaching assistant/executive consultant.

A Brand New Role: Jake Marone

By Sam Herbert

It didn’t take long for Film and Media Studies transfer student Jake Marone to notice a sense of undue competition among students in the highly interactive production course he took last year.

The course, titled “Crew Production,” is led by professors Chris Jenkins and Wendy Jackson who oversee four separate production teams. Beginning in the fall term and continuing until the end of the following winter term, students and their groups each produce an entire short film from A-to-Z.

UCSB film student Jake Marone on-set of “Moon” in Isla Vista, December 2021

Marone saw the need for a change, so he created a proposal and sent it out to the department advisor and course professors, pitching a new Teaching Assistant position for the class: an executive liaison consultant role.

Now, Marone acts as a teaching assistant to his professors and an executive consultant to his fellow students, bridging the gap between each of the four teams by making sure every production is on track and students have every resource available to bring their intended creations to life.

“After working on a Netflix film this summer, I saw how similar the studio-model and the industry truly are, and what holes could be plugged in order to elevate this sort-of simulative course,” Marone said.

“We’re working hard on these high-concept and developed projects, and while each production has faced challenges, these students have certainly been up to the task,” he said.

With two professors each dedicated to two busy film productions, Marone noticed that the student groups could use another, approachable resource person. The new position sought to eliminate competitive tension between the student groups by offering a peer consultant.

“With the addition of a student-liaison that acts as a present and connected resource between all four projects, we’ve hoped that tensions could be avoided,” Marone said. “So far, we’re sailing smoothly.”

Jake Marone in a Film and Media Studies crew production last winter, on set of “At a Certain Point in Time.”

Marone brings to the table extensive knowledge from real-world experiences in the industry, making him an excellent candidate for his newfound role. This summer, he worked as a production assistant for six departments in a new Jerry Seinfeld Netflix feature, navigating the needs of each department while learning the ins-and-outs of a professional workflow.

Marone has also been hired as a writer/director for a Children’s Streaming Service web-series produced and financed by Butch Hartman, creator of “The Fairly Odd-Parents” and “Danny Phantom,” among others.

At the 2021 UCSB Reel Loud Film Festival, Marone’s self-produced short-film “Passing” was honored with the Best Editor, Best Writer, Best Director, and The Scott Welles Golden Reel award.

Marone is bringing his professionalism to the single course in the major that’s exclusively dedicated to independent production, in a way that is new this academic year. He is working with the department to ensure that the position he created will continue to move forward with the production course in future years.

Sam Herbert is a fourth-year Music Studies major at UC Santa Barbara. He wrote this article for his Writing Program course Digital Journalism.

A Brand New Role: Jake Marone

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