CENTRE COUNTY — Pablo Lopez speaks about film with the confidence of someone who believes the film industry can take root here in Centre County. Not in New York or Los Angeles, but in the valleys and brick-lined main streets of State College.
That mission is cresting this month with the Happy Valley Film Production Boot Camp, a three-day intensive designed to give students, freelancers and career-changers hands-on skills and real industry context, from fundraising to cinematography to on-set workflows. The boot camp runs Oct. 21–23, using venues in State College and Bellefonte, including the Ramada by Wyndham State College and Brass 16828 at Titan Energy Park.
Lopez says the idea grew out of his own certification through the Association of Film Commissioners International and his film office work with the Adventure Bureau: “We want to help develop and activate the area’s film infrastructure and just the development of more opportunities for crew and for development of careers in this area. There’s a lot of freelancers. We want to make sure that there’s ways for them to stay within Centre County and grow.”
A Penn State alumnus who chose to stay, Lopez said he watched too many peers head for coastal hubs.
“There is something special that comes out of Penn State and their film department. For some reason we have no place for them to stay and utilize that talent here,” he said. The boot camp, he added, is a way to “activate those production hands” so visiting productions see a trained local crew base and spend their budgets here on lodging, restaurants and services.
Day One is classroom, but not the dry kind.
“Students and participants, even the local film businesses in the area, they’re going to be able to hear from fundraising and grant experts to let them know about the opportunities that are here already that they are not aware of,” Lopez said. Panels include independent producing and distribution, plus sessions on business development for freelancers who want to build companies, not just pick up gigs. The day ends with a mixer so participants can sit “side by side” with working filmmakers.
Day Two goes fully tactile.
“You’ll be able to touch the equipment, you’ll be able to play around with the equipment,” Lopez said, describing hands-on workshops in commercial cinematography and documentary audio. Instructors include working professionals tied to the 814 Originals scene and local production companies. There’s also a screenwriting craft session and a drawing for gear that helps participants keep creating after the weekend. “These are cameras, drones, lights — serious equipment that can help elevate their creative output.”
Day Three looks forward on purpose. Lopez plans to outline Dark Mind Productions’ slate and a longer-range vision he frames as a 10-year plan to seed facilities, nurture a creative hub and attract more feature work.
“It’s a catalyst for what can be and what can come forward in the future,” he said, adding that the boot camp dovetails with the Centre Film Festival’s calendar to keep attention on local storytelling.
The focus is community. Lopez rattles off partners and civic groups — the Adventure Bureau, downtown organizations, the borough — and returns to the same premise: productions don’t happen without hotels, restaurants and local crew.
“Every project is going to be different, but the same things will always overlay on all projects. You will always need hotels, you will always need restaurants or food for your cast and your crew. And you will always need local crew to help things move in the area that you’re shooting,” he said. That ecosystem, he argued, is where Happy Valley can shine as studios and indies alike look for real places and authentic texture.
The boot camp is also a confidence machine. Lopez shared two success stories: a hair and makeup artist who started on a short film and, through repetition and reps, rose to department head on a recent feature; and a film-society regular who “didn’t really feel confident at first” but now applies for production assistant jobs. “We want them to leave that boot camp thinking the next job I see that needs a production assistant, I can apply for it because I know how to do it now,” Lopez said.
“The idea is to really showcase why Happy Valley is Happy Valley,” he said. “Through films, through filmmaking, through film production, through our film workers, through our skilled workers, through our community, through hospitality… I’m very excited for the future.” T
Lopez’s film-commissioner credential means he’s also a front door for crews considering Centre County. “This career choice I took really has set me on a path to make something great. And I want to make that something great for Happy Valley… You saved me when I was at my lowest so that I can rise and help us come to the top,” he said. “That’s the plan. That’s the idea.”
For more on Dark Mind Productions, visit the company site at www.darkmindproduction.com. Lopez said he’s happy to talk with anyone exploring a project in Happy Valley: pablol@happyvalley.com.
