were either professionals currently
working in the field or had worked in
the field at some point. It’s a difficult
field to break into, so they didn’t make
it easy. That was part of it. You had to
really work hard. That first semester
was very comprehensive. We were
terrified, but Professor Biddle was one
of the best professors I ever had,” said
Kennedy.
One of her favorite areas of study
was film history. “We studied theory
of film and different film movements
through time. I learned about the first
cameras and how the first movies were
shot,” said Kennedy. Watching Turner
Classic Movies together was a favorite
pastime for her and her mother “I
always paid attention to the directors
and actors, so I was familiar with
many of the films from the ‘60s.” She
enjoyed that area of study so much
that she chose film studies for her
minor.
After taking a French films class
her junior year, Kennedy interviewed
for a study abroad program in France.
Getting in to the program was very
competitive. “In addition to the
interview, we had to send in writing
samples on films.” Less than thirty
students were selected, and, once
again, Kennedy was one of them.
“We arrived two days before
the 2018 Cannes International film
festival began,” she said. “As part of
the study abroad program, we received
passes that got us into different
buildings and some of the events. We
had access to smaller films, but to
get into the big premieres you had to
have a ticket. And the only way to get
tickets was to arrive early on the day
of the event and stand outside with a
sign that said, ‘One ticket, please’ in
French, of course, to whichever film
you hoped to see.”
Kennedy shook her head and
laughed. “When the students who
did the study abroad program before
us told us that we would basically
have to make signs and beg for
tickets, I thought, ‘There’s no way
I’m doing that.’” But when Kennedy
got to Cannes, she and her friends
realized that if they were going to see
a premiere, they were going to have
to buy poster paper and markers and,
indeed, beg for tickets.
“You don’t go to Cannes unless
you’re in the industry or a celebrity or
really rich. Tickets are given to those
people to get them to come see their
films,” said Kennedy. As a result, these
people end up with extra tickets. “If
someone walks by, and they have a
ticket they aren’t going to use and it’s
for what you want to see, they’ll give it
you.”
Kennedy and her friends decided
that if they were going to beg, they
might as well go for the big one. “It
was a world premiere of the new Star
Wars movie Solo: A Star Wars Story. We
all got tickets and rushed back by train
to our apartments to get ready.”
In their finest gowns, the girls
walked the red carpet at Cannes. “You
walk the first bit of the red carpet and
all of the celebrities are coming and
walking beside you. Then, you kind
of get pushed to the side and walk up
the infamous red staircase. I saw Ron
Howard, Sting, Adam Driver and the
famous French actress Lea Seydoux
on the steps. It was surreal,” said
Kennedy.
In addition to her most difficult
classes with major projects to
complete, Kennedy did an internship
her senior year with a video
production company. “Professors push
the importance of an internship, but
it’s very difficult. You still have all
your classes to attend. Besides, there
were only two companies you can
intern with in Athens that were like
relevant to the entertainment and
media studies major,” she said. At the
same time, she worked in the school
bookshop and performing arts center
on campus. “I definitely did not have
any free time,” she said and smiled.
During spring break her senior
year (2019), Kennedy attended the
South by Southwest Film Festival,
which is in Austin, Texas. “It’s
basically the opposite of Cannes as
far as the atmosphere goes,” she
said. “Cannes is very prestigious
surrounded by all these designer
shops. In Austin, celebrities would
sit right in the audience with you. We
saw the premiere of Olivia Wilde’s film
Booksmart, and Jason Sudeikis was
just sitting right there with everybody
else. After the premiere, everybody
stood up to go, and the stars of the
film walked through us to go stand on
stage. It was so different after Cannes.
I really liked that it was so much more
relaxed,” said Kennedy.
Before graduating from UGA,
Kennedy had gained experience in
everything from work as an executive
producer to the location’s manager.
“My last semester, I took a postproduction
class. At that level, we
could use the school’s really expensive
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