2 Minutes With … is a series of short features to introduce us to the passions and interests of Lawrence students on and off campus.
Louric Rankine ’21 is seizing an opportunity during Fall Term that became doable when most internships went remote. While taking a full class load at Lawrence, he also is doing a remote internship with FilmNation Entertainment.
The entertainment company funds, produces, and distributes films around the world.
Through his internship, Rankine, an English and Film Studies double major from Brooklyn, New York, has had the opportunity to work with international film distributors and other outlets on the company’s “screeners.”
“Screeners are unreleased films; so, films that haven’t been released yet I have access to them,” Rankine said. “… Films that are coming out with the Netflix team, we have to make sure their asset came in — this includes banners, music, trailers.”
He’s also part of quality control on those unreleased films.
“I would get a trailer or any type of visual and make sure the dialogue is fine, make sure the audio is correct, make sure there’s no pixelation.”
Making connections
Along with his daily duties, Rankine has been working on a larger presentation to show to the senior vice president of worldwide delivery on a topic of his choice. Rankine will be presenting it at the end of November.
In addition to the skills he is developing, Rankine is making great connections that will help him with life after Lawrence.
“I am currently applying to grad school,” Rankine said. “And one of the [intern seminar] workshop leaders graduated from the same program I am applying to. I am meeting with him soon to talk about the program and application process; he is a recent graduate so he knows all the professors and everything. He’s going to prepare me so I am equipped when applying for the program.”
Though this internship is a great opportunity and Rankine is enjoying his work, it has not been easy balancing an internship with a full class load. But he has been making it work and gives thanks to his Posse mentor, Elizabeth De Stasio, for giving him the support needed to get it all done.
The road to experience
Rankine worked with a film program called Hook Arts Media while in high school. It was those contacts that led to his internship with FilmNation.
“That’s where I learned about the technique of documentary film-making,” he said of Hook Arts Media. “… They sent a couple of us alumni links to a two-day seminar with FilmNation because they are partners.”
That led to connections with FilmNation’s internship program. Despite knowing he would also be in school and it would be a lot of extra work, Rankine decided to apply because he knew it was a great opportunity. The remote nature of the internship was perfect.
“I’ve had interviewers (for other internships) say they’re denying me because I wasn’t going to stay long enough, and it’s been my dream to work with a major production company,” Rankine said.
He went through a two-step interview online. In the first step, he had to review a 100-page script and send feedback, and then he had one-on-one interviews with a few leaders in the company.
Louric Rankine
Class Year: 2021
Major: English and Film Studies
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
