Barbies in hand, script in mind, and iPad ready for action, a young Brighton Toland prepares to create her best stop-motion film yet. Years later, Toland now a senior about to graduate she prepares, to take on a job within the film industry in Los Angeles following graduation.
The Merman Film Company works across America and the United Kingdom, offering multiple jobs for creative outlets such as marketing, script writing, prop handling, and much more.
“I’ve always had a love for film,” Toland said. “I’ve always been more of a film girly than a stage theater girl. I love films because there are so many aspects to it. It’s camera work, set, costumes, props, makeup, and hair. Just so many things go into building something and it’s really fun.”
From a young age, Toland quickly picked up a passion for film and stuck to the artistic hobby. According to Toland’s father, Steve Toland, the time and effort put into all of her projects were not left unnoticed.
“I first took notice of Brighton‘s love of film and the way she would play with different dolls,” Steve said. “She found an app on her phone and created some slow animation and then she would take hours and individually film these different scenes frame by frame that made it look like a movie instead of just a video recording. It was so creative, and took her so long, that I knew she had a real passion for this type of storytelling.”
Brighton is a part of the Starlight Theater company and has been able to build experience and supportive relationships along the years, leading up to becoming an officer.
“She can make friends with anybody,” junior Brielle Boring said. “She’s so supportive, so sweet, to anybody. Everyone she meets immediately loves her, she just has that type of personality and that energy about her. That is so incredibly special. I think she’ll thrive very much, she’s very polite and definitely a people pleaser.”
According to Brighton, she was able to have some insight into how the film industry functions due to her dad’s previous job in Los Angeles and connections.
“My dad grew up in the valley of Texas and there was one person there who is his really good friend who lives in Los Angeles,” Brighton said. “She has some connections and she said she could help me get an interview. I did the interview about two months ago, and got hired to work with Merman.”
Brighton plans on keeping a positive mentality as she enters this new chapter in her life ready to combat any challenges.
“I am so grateful as to how I am starting,” Brighton said. “A lot of people start differently. Whenever they want to go into acting in LA, most start working at a restaurant but I did not want to do that. I’m just doing props, so then I can kind of get familiar and get my name around, I think it’s important to know all of the aspects of the scene.”
According to Brighton, the few concerns she has for taking this leap are having a set schedule and being able to provide for herself. To combat these worries, Brighton plans to focus on building a healthy work schedule while producing a title for herself.
“Patience and tenacity are the most important skills to hone,” theater teacher Matthew Humphrey said. “I think the challenges in these fields of study aren’t unlike other industries. To succeed, you need tenacity and perseverance, especially in the face of adversity.”
As this chapter of Brighton’s life comes to a close, others around her buzz with excitement to see where Merman will take her.
“She’s so lucky that she gets that opportunity to go straight out there,” Boring said. “Not everyone gets that opportunity. So, I think she’ll like not only to experience a head start but really go into the world of film and just get first-hand experience.”
With her eyes set on the future Brighton holds onto her personal goals, determined to remain creative.
“I guess a goal would be I for sure want to help with a movie that gets produced and published,” Brighton said. “I also want to have a good schedule of living on my own, while making sure I learn how to grow on my own. Then getting an agent as well would be amazing.”
Before her departure, Brighton was producing and directing a short film about girlhood, the main plot based on her own experiences, a tribute to her friends and family.
“I am proud of Brighton for so many things,” Steve said. “Some thoughts that immediately come to mind with regard to working in the film production space is her ability to learn from her mistakes quickly and to be a team player.”
With production having a lot of different elements and moving parts all at once, film isn’t the easiest job to have.
“Any type of production work requires team effort so it’s not always about just doing your job or trying to get credit for what you do, but it’s most important to be on the lookout for ways to help your teammates. I think Brighton has a real skill set in those areas and that makes me happy,” Steve said. “I hope she enjoys working around other creative people and is able to find a profession that enables her to use her creative talents to tell stories that make her happy and make a difference in the world.”
