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Carole Mikita ReportingIt was a one-of-a-kind assembly at a one-of-a-kind high school. Those with experience in Hollywood came to teach students who want to make movies.
It is undoubtedly the only high school in Utah with a name in neon lights. East Hollywood just opened in August with 150 students, grades 9 through 12. You get all the basics there, but the emphasis is on film.
Brennan Vasic, East Hollywood High School: "I want to be a director and this is probably the best place you can go in Utah to do that in high school. And it's a really good education here and everyone's really cool here."
Speaking of cool, today's assembly was with Hollywood veterans Gerald Molen and Mitch Davis. Davis worked for Disney, Columbia Pictures, then wrote and directed "The Other Side of Heaven". Molen produced it and many others, including 'Jurassic Park', 'Schindler's List', and 'Rainman'.
Their message was prepare yourself and don't expect to make a lot of money, even in Hollywood.
Bailey Sanchez, E. Hollywood High School: “It’s awesome that we get to meet directors and producers and we get to be here and do all of this. It’s something different that most kids don’t get to do.”
One of the students asked mitch davis and gerald molen, ‘how does someone my age get a job in Hollywood?’ The answer was, ‘you don't.’
Mitch Davis: "We can sometimes feel like the trip between here and success in Hollywood is a lot shorter than it is. And I think the most important thing is to get an education -- a general, broad, liberal education. Find out what the world is about."
They also say filmmaking needs fresh ideas, creativity, a refocus.
Gerald Molen: "We need to get some of these kids energized enough to start making family films and wake the Hollywood community up."
The bottom line, say Molen and Davis, these students are starting with a unique educational opportunity, so be unique and leave your own mark in filmmaking.
East Hollywood is a charter public high school and has now received its state accreditation.
