Have you ever heard of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, also known as the WASP? I had never heard of this group of inspiring female pilots until I began my internship with production company The Red Door Films. I found my internship through the Facebook group Chapman Film Connection, a helpful platform for Chapman students interested in working within the film industry after graduation. It helps students find hands-on opportunities and authentic experiences. Based in Los Angeles and owned by Academy Award-nominated short film director Matia Karrell, The Red Door Films production company is making a documentary called Coming Home: Fight For A Legacy. The documentary honors the remarkable Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II, whose accomplishments have largely gone unnoticed to the public. The film is currently in the stage of post-production.

A collage graphic I made during my internship. This is of Mildred Jane Doyle, 44-W-4.

For my Social Media internship, I focused on various tasks, all with the common goal of promoting the documentary. I wrote posts for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even LinkedIn using a platform called Hootsuite, a social media marketing website that allows the user to write and schedule posts in advance. I researched specific members of the WASP and honored them through our social media pages with descriptions of their class number, who they are, and thanking them for their service.

In the class Message Design I (SCC 200), I learned how to use Canva to create aesthetically appealing graphics and how to edit images for social media. Learning how to use the website in class helped me create side-by-side pictures of these women, with a black and white photograph from when they were in active duty and a more modern picture in color of them today. It helps our target audience see that although these women fought for our country back in the twentieth century, many are still alive today and should still be recognized for their efforts. I also learned in class the importance of designing a message so that your target audience engages with your content and performs the desired behavior such as liking our Facebook page, following us on social media, donating to our film, and supporting us when the film is released. I was able to apply these lessons to my work online!

 

Elizabeth L. Gardner, 43-W-6, sitting in a B-26 Marauder.

Working alongside a team of interns, I also collaborated with other Chapman students during my internship. I attended production company meetings where the editing team of interns was working on film post-production-related projects. In contrast, my team would find new and exciting imagery from these projects to highlight on our social media pages. My group would meet weekly to go through our itinerary and schedule when each of us could write posts and monitor the social media pages. Monitoring the social media pages consisted of inviting people to like our Facebook page, liking and replying to comments on Instagram, and quote-retweeting individuals on Twitter. Additionally, I was responsible for researching influencers, writers, journalists, and other media professionals to tag on social media so that we could reach a larger audience and potentially more donors to the film. Engaging with our audience and increasing our social media following has been a great way to promote these women’s legacies.

Through this remote internship experience, I learned a lot about what goes on behind the scenes in producing a film and promoting it on social media and how communicating strategically can help achieve a brand’s goal.