Hannah Hodges

Thanks to the generous support of the Carsey-Wolf Center, I have had the opportunity to intern with Sunset Pictures– a leading independent film production company located in Los Angeles. Now at the halfway point, this opportunity has provided me with hands-on experience in professional film production while strengthening the skills I need to pursue a career in the industry.

As a Sunset Pictures Intern, I support daily operations that keep the set running smoothly. My responsibilities include managing the distribution of walkie-talkies, coordinating communication across departments, delivering sides to the cast and crew members, and escorting background actors to their positions. These tasks have strengthened my organizational and communication skills while supporting the efficiency of on-set operations.

Beyond these responsibilities, I am learning how film sets function as collaborative ecosystems. I now understand the critical roles of assistant directors (AD) in overseeing production flow, from the first AD acting as a main point of contact between the director and the cast and crew to the second AD who prepares the detailed daily call sheets. Additionally, a fundamental part of my learning has come from shadowing crew members and meeting with producers, which has given me insight into industry practices and valuable career guidance.

This internship is not only building my technical and communication skills, but also clarifying my long-term goals of working in the film industry. I am deeply grateful to the Carsey-Wolf Center for making this experience possible and for investing in my professional growth.