A report on an Arts Administration internship with Tony Bravo Film Production

• Main Author: Tapie, Michael
• Format: Others
• Published: ScholarWorks@UNO 2003
• Online Access: http://scholarworks.uno.edu/aa_rpts/13; http://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1012&context=aa_rpts

In the spring of 1998, the recently acquired U.N.O. Studio Center was not being fully utilized. Aware of this situation, film director Francis James was contacted by Steve Hank, an instructor in the Department of Drama and Communication (DRCM) at the University of New Orleans, about a possible partnership with his independent production of Tony Bravo: Scenes From a Forgotten Cinema. Steve Hank felt the proposal had merit, so he arranged for Francis James to meet with a U.N.O. committee to explore a possible association, and to discuss the potential benefits that students would receive by training on a professional production. The Chairman of the DRCM, Kevin Graves, administered the collaboration and provided guidance for the complex anangement. Elizabeth Williams, Director of the U.N.O. Foundation, enacted a legal contract and the partnership provided the film production company with many of the benefits ofa nonprofit agency. It was necessary for the project to follow strict guidelines, since the use of state property, specifically the U.N.D. Studio Center, was included in the agreement. Liability was a major concern, and there was always a possibility that an actor, crewmember or a U.N.O. student could have an accident while working on the project. The contract was an unique exchange. The project could use the U.N.O. Studio Center facility and equipment and U.N.O. will have professionals in the film industry training its students on a legitimate production.