Creative Streams

 

Wounded Veterans Shoot
for New Careers in Video.

By Anne Schwab
Writer | Director | Producer

 

After serving their country with pride, dignity and loyalty, more than 8,000 Marines return from the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq and enter military hospitals throughout the United States. As their wounds both psychological and physical begin to heal, these service people often realize that their injuries may prevent them from returning to their jobs—for example—in law enforcement or the military. Recovery and readjustment for them might include traveling down an altogether new career path.

Enter: The Wounded Marine Careers Foundation in San Diego, California founded by Kev Lombard and his wife/partner Judith Paixao. This filmmaker couple believes that if wounded Marine and Navy corpsmen master the tools of video production, they can record their own personal stories while developing new, marketable skills. Today, veterans learn the production Biz from thirty film and video professionals at the WMCF who share their visual storytelling experiences and techniques in cinematography, sound design, lighting, editing, graphic design and photojournalism. Veterans study and work on the Stu Segal Studio lot that houses six sound stages equipped with production support services like wardrobe, makeup, paint and metal shops, scenic art and sign shops.

Using Panasonic AG-HVx200 P2 HD camcorders and equipped with MacBook Pros, each veteran student works with the equipment and software necessary to successfully complete the course and prepare for a career in production. Amy Lemisch of the California Film Commission says the WMCF course is like a boot camp offering veterans many nuts-and-bolts skills some college film departments do not offer.

"This isn't about turning out the next Steven Spielberg," says Lombard, "It's about turning out a camera operator, a grip, or a boom operator. These are good jobs with good pay."