In today’s society, with everything seemingly collapsing around us, film can serve as a beacon of hope, and truth.
Caroline Lathrop, a graduate of Tahoma High School, was the 2019 JDogg scholar and has since been studying at the Pratt Institute.
“I am currently wrapping up my junior year of college,” Caroline reported in May, 2022, “and I am honestly amazed at everything that has happened this past year! Being back in-person for the first time again since my freshman year, I have grown leaps and bounds in my skills and connections, but also as a person myself. I am so grateful for where I am, and for everything that has helped me get here.”
Caroline worked on her junior thesis film this past year, over the course of one semester, and emerged with a twelve-minute film (which she both wrote and shot) titled The Heart Room. The film, about a woman reconnecting with her inner child was, as Caroline put it, “The most ambitious of my films to date.” Requiring child actors, a church location, numerous rehearsals, Steadicam operation, and a crew that shifted over multiple days of filming, the film wrapped at the end of 2021, and is now in post-production. “Directing this film while simultaneously juggling my other classes was organized chaos unlike ever before,” Caroline said, “but I thrived in this environment and made it through having learned so much.”
In addition, Caroline worked on many of her peer’s sets, collaborating with and helping shoot their junior thesis films. Caroline emphasizes that, “Despite the chaos of this time in my life, I can truly say I never felt more alive being surrounded by the machine of filmmaking and a community of people who all felt the same as I do for this art.”
Caroline was afforded a long-awaited opportunity “to get my hands on cinema cameras and learn everything about the world of camera operation,” she says. Through classes such as Cinematography and Lighting Design, Caroline says she is “Finding my place and where I want to go in this field: cinematography, camera operation, and rig operation.”
Her particular love is operating the Steadicam, a physically demanding job she said feels taxing for many who try it, “But to me it felt like an extension of myself and an extension of the camera.” She recently took advantage of the opportunity to meet with and discuss this career path with Ari Robbins, one of the top Steadicam operators in the business.
In the most recent semester, Caroline enrolled in “Professional Practices,” a class designed to prepare students for the logistical world of being a filmmaker. “It has made me think deeply about my future not only as a senior and beyond,” says Caroline, “but also to take stock of everything that has led me to where I stand today. In this class, I have been thinking about the JDogg scholarship more than anything, and everything it has meant to me and shaped my viewpoint on. Something that has been on my mind a lot recently has been the concept of legacy, both what has led me to where I am and what I’m leaving behind me.”
“I know it sounds strange to hear a twenty-year-old talk about legacy,” acknowledges Caroline, “but appreciating and acknowledging what got me here has fundamentally shaped how I view the world and my work.” Caroline continues: “I am where I am because of Justin’s legacy and the love for him and this craft that continues to persist, and I cannot be more thankful and proud of this fact. That is why in all of the work I have been doing at Pratt, I have had a mind to legacy and what is coming after me. This thinking informs how I build crews, cast my films, choose locations, write my scripts, and how I interact with the community where I am. I have worked to build a community at Pratt between all grades to create a sense of belonging here that I know will outlast me, and I’m so thankful to JDogg for not only the financial support to allow me these opportunities, but for this perspective as well.”
“I can’t talk enough about how much this year has shaped me as a person and as a filmmaker,” says Caroline. “Thank you for everything the JDogg scholarship has supported me in, it means more than I can ever say.”
Early on at Pratt, with the worrying knowledge that resources and equipment would be scarce yet having a decided love for the genre, Caroline hesitantly signed up for Non-Fiction 1, a documentary production class. Her gamble paid off, as she explained that “I ended up being able to tell stories that I would have never otherwise told and am quite proud of.” Turning her attention to those closest to her, she “ended up making projects with my mom about chicken skin (yes, it is a strange topic!) and…In another film, I focused on my young cousin who recently turned three, capturing her spirit and understanding of the world.”
Reflecting on her experiences then, Caroline shared: “The lesson that I have learned in this past year that I believe will forever stick with me is that meaningful stories are closer than you ever think, you just need to give them the proper attention and care.”
Caroline’s films have won multiple awards in local and regional contests, including Judge’s Choice in Tahoma High’s 60-hour Insomniac’s Film Challenge, Washington Journalism Education Association Superior Award in Broadcast Journalism, and awards from the 2018 and 2019 Northwest High School Film Festivals. Caroline began attending Pratt Institute in NYC, in Fall, 2019.
Incredibly ambitious and hardworking, Caroline managed stage productions at Tahoma High School’s award-winning theater, excelled academically, created collaborative film projects and coached younger students within her school’s video production department and Future Filmmakers. Caroline’s passion is to create stories through film, documentary or fiction that help to bring people together and “cut through deceit to show actuality and true issues facing people today.”
In reality Caroline has moved beyond my expertise and I currently see my role with her as an advisory, supporter and motivator. I can’t wait to see her continue to grow as a film maker.
— Rick Haag
Video Production Teacher and Future Filmmakers Advisor
Tahoma High School
“I like putting all the pieces together,” Lathrop said. “There’s a formula to it — but (I enjoy) being creative within that formula and finding creative elements to incorporate.”
At Pratt, Caroline is utilizing her cityscape environment to apply what she learned in her high school career and build upon such knowledge to advance her passion for film. She is greatly enjoying the opportunities that New York life and college life are offering her and takes every chance she gets to tell stories and explore the world through film.
Caroline described her experience thus far at Pratt: “Being in an environment surrounded by creative people who want to create just as much as I do allows me to build this incredible network of friends and crew members. We all work on each other’s sets and films, each bringing our own perspectives to the table and we all really build off each other. It’s this amazing environment that just promotes creation and really invigorates you to film and tell stories. I’m so grateful for everyone here, my environment, and everything that got me to this point. I’m so excited to keep learning as well, I already feel like so much more well rounded of a filmmaker!”
