Graduates featured in documentary

Senior Charissa Cleveland graduates Saturday.\nMonday, she heads to Los Angeles with a car full of luggage and a video camera with dreams of making it big in Hollywood as a music video director and producer.\nCleveland is one of two students set to graduate this weekend who will appear in "The Hollywood Dream," a documentary by IU alum Deren P. Abram, an Emmy Award-winning producer who has previously worked on segments for "Monday Night Football."\n"I don't care what I work on once I'm out there," said Cleveland, who has an unpaid internship lined up with HSI Productions, a company that produces music videos and commercials. "I just want to do something. I want to be in the industry."\nThe odds are stacked against graduates like Cleveland. Thousands of people dream of making it big in Hollywood, but few of them get any kind of break.\nWhile interviewing for the documentary, Abram repeats several times, "They say 1,000 people come to Hollywood every day and 1,000 leave." In spite of this, fresh talent keeps moving west.\n"People pursue the dream against all odds because they have a passion," Abram said. "There's no reason to try it. It's insane. They do it anyway because they have it inside of them. There's nothing else they can do."\nSenior Patrick Ellison is the other student featured in the documentary. Ellison leaves for Los Angeles in September and doesn't have a job lined up yet -- just a head full of ideas for directing movies.\n"I hope to come up with something new and exciting," he said. "I'm sick of the same idea over and over again. I want to do an 'Indiana Jones' type thing, a more realistic adventure film."\nEllison has quite a bit of directing experience already. He worked as a programming director for IUSTV, which Abram said is the most valuable thing when looking for a job in film.\n"Getting a job is going to be different for them," he said. "Don't even bother putting your GPA on your resume. No one cares. They want to see what you've actually done. Put together a reel of your work."\nAbram still plans on implementing footage from Cleveland's drive to Hollywood into the documentary, but hopes to complete it this summer for submission to the Sundance Film Festival.\nBesides the IU graduates trying to make it in the business, the documentary will also feature interviews with actors and producers sharing their experiences. Confirmed so far are Elaine Mellencamp, wife of Hoosier rocker John Mellencamp, and comedian Dom Deluise.\nDeluise is also featured prominently in a series of children's DVDs Abram is currently producing.\nThough it will be a difficult journey for Ellison, he doesn't plan on quitting until he gets a job.\n"I think my backup plan is that I'm expecting failure, so I figure eventually I've got to win big," Ellison said.\ngraduates like Cleveland. Thousands of people dream of making it big in Hollywood, but few of them get any kind of break.\nWhile interviewing for the documentary, Abram repeats several times, "They say 1,000 people come to Hollywood every day and 1,000 leave." In spite of this, fresh talent keeps moving west.\n"People pursue the dream against all odds because they have a passion," Abram said. "There's no reason to try it. It's insane. They do it anyway because they have it inside of them. There's nothing else they can do."\nSenior Patrick Ellison is the other student featured in the documentary. Ellison leaves for Los Angeles in September and doesn't have a job lined up yet -- just a head full of ideas for directing movies.\n"I hope to come up with something new and exciting," he said. "I'm sick of the same idea over and over again. I want to do an 'Indiana Jones' type thing, a more realistic adventure film."\nEllison has quite a bit of directing experience already. He worked as a programming director for IUSTV, which Abram said is the most valuable thing when looking for a job in film.\n"Getting a job is going to be different for them," he said. "Don't even bother putting your GPA on your resume. No one cares. They want to see what you've actually done. Put together a reel of your work."\nAbram still plans on implementing footage from Cleveland's drive to Hollywood into the documentary, but hopes to complete it this summer for submission to the Sundance Film Festival.\nBesides the IU graduates trying to make it in the business, the documentary will also feature interviews with actors and producers sharing their experiences. Confirmed so far are Elaine Mellencamp, wife of Hoosier rocker John Mellencamp, and comedian Dom Deluise.\nDeluise is also featured prominently in a series of children's DVDs Abram is currently producing.\nThough it will be a difficult journey for Ellison, he doesn't plan on quitting until he gets a job.\n"I think my backup plan is that I'm expecting failure, so I figure eventually I've got to win big," Ellison said.