Meet Chris Rhatigan, Film and Video Production student and graduate, in our Graduate Spotlight series of Creativity Meets Career.
In making the most of his time at F.I.R.S.T. Institute, Chris has discovered things about his craft and his own interests that he never expected. He fell in love with film in high school, when what looked like a simple class in video production turned into an introduction to film making. After that, he began filming live events and making music videos for local talent. He knew he wanted to take this knowledge and experience and build a career.
Chris identifies how going to school has helped him hone pre-production skills that he hadn’t considered in his projects prior to the course. Taking a project from a treatment, into a script, all the way through to edited video has enriched his understanding of film making and inspired him to try new things. When he came to F.I.R.S.T. Institute, he thought he would only work on music videos, but our students are required to complete work in a variety of styles so that they participate in multiple processes. As it happens, Chris’s favorite class project has actually turned out to be the commercial he put together for a local hair salon: “It came off as fun and interesting to me – eight months ago, I would have never thought that!”
What does Chris love about studying at F.I.R.S.T. Institute? The access to instructors and equipment! The one-on-one attention from the experts and the hands-on approach to learning gives students an understanding of the real-world requirements of the industry. It’s a small community, conscious of students’ particular needs. As he says, “everybody’s here for different reasons, and the teachers and the staff take that into consideration.”
From all of the faculty and staff at F.I.R.S.T. Institute, we want to congratulate Chris on all he has done with his career so far, and we look forward to the amazing things yet to come. Chris is already booked on a national music tour and has multiple shoots on his schedule. Keep it up Chris, the world is your playground, and you are just beginning to scratch the surface of what you can do out there!
