Features 6
Spotlight: Melanie Wu
Junior Melanie Wu’s pursues her passion for film through a Borscht internship, GablesLive and more By Audrey Weigel
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ELANIE WU, A JUNIOR IN the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, has pursued her ever-growing passion for film since her early teenage years. At as young as 13 years old, Wu felt the first spark of enthusiasm for video production as she played around with software. As a part of the GablesLive production team, Wu focuses on the creative aspect of the news outlet. She comes up with different ideas for GablesLive announcements, and dedicates most of her input toward the creative aspect of videomaking. Apart from GablesLive, Wu further explored her interest for film through GRAMMY camp, a week-long camp hosted by the same organization that hosts the acclaimed GRAMMY Awards. Wu was one of 20 people accepted into the camp, out of a pool of thousands of applicants. During her time there, Wu met high-ups in the industry— including Beyonce’s art director and the publicist for The Weeknd and Ariana Grande— and created a film that was broadcast to all campers at the end of the week. Although Wu was not chosen to film at the GRAMMYs— an honor that only a single camper received at the end of the week— the experience proved invaluable. “If you want to pursue a career in the music industry, film or anything in the arts you have to learn how to network and build connections,” Wu said. “I met a lot of people my age that share the same interest
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as me.” Following her participation in GRAMMY camp, Wu began her internship at Borscht, a local semi-annual film festival. The event is sponsored by students at New World School of the Arts, with a vision to give filmmakers the opportunity to come together and create artistic content. Wu was one of the first people to be chosen as an official intern out of a throng of hundreds of applicants, and is currently the only one representing the school. Wu’s experiences with GablesLive, GRAMMY camp, and Borscht have qualified her to apply for YoungArts, a program which rewards young artists based on their educational and professional development. On average, there are 11,000 applicants, and winners have the opportunity to win financial awards of up to $10,000. YoungArts recipients can also take classes with accomplished artists, be eligible for nomination as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and perform at the White House, Kennedy Center and Smithsonian. “My passion for film all started essentially because I was an only child and my parents would work,” Wu said. “My primary source of entertainment was just watching movies, but Grammy Camp has helped me seek out more opportunities like applying for the Borscht internship. I currently finished applying for YoungArts.” Wu is currently looking into the University of South Carolina, New York University, Fordham University and Pratt Institute, among other universities, to further pursue film. ts
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STAFF WRITER
FILM FANATIC: Junior Melanie Wu hopes to further pursue her passion for film at the collegiate level.
•Wu is one of the first interns at Borscht. • At the end of GRAMMY camp, Wu was selected as a finalist to film the GRAMMY awards. • Wu is a self-taught filmmaker. Comp
iled b y Aud
rey W eig
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