A large photograph of herself and Christopher Rouse – the editor of Bourne Ultimatum (2007) hangs right above 23-year-old Shani Dharmasena’s bed.
It is the first thing she sees. “I always give it a second look,” she smiles, “and remind myself of my goal in life.”
Not that she would need reminding of the fact that her dream is to “one day sit side by side with Steven Spielberg and edit one of his movies,” but Shani is both determined and perseverant and has always been – from the time she would sit at the front of every class to make sure she would not miss anything, right to the present, when she is attempting to find a foothold in one of the hardest industries to break into.
So far, her determination and perseverance has led her to a somewhat interesting juncture in her career. “Right now,” she reflects, “my biggest dilemma is whether to move into the film industry or the TV and news industry.” Definitely a tough question.
Little did the once aspiring pilot know that her career would start off on the graphic designing path, and then take yet another turn on to the path of video editing and the world of commercials and sports reporting.
“I always had an interest in art and anything to do with creativity,” recalls Shani. “I used to make little greeting cards and draw pictures for my Mum and family and they always encouraged that. Where my career was concerned though, I wanted to go to Australia and train to become a pilot. But then, in 2002 I went on a holiday to San Diego with my Aunt who spoke to me about the industry of graphic designing and it really appealed to me. I remember saying, ‘You know what, I think I’ll come here to San Diego and study graphic designing.’ And that turned out to be the right decision.”
At Palomar College in San Marcos, it was quite by chance that Shani stumbled on the world of producing videos. “I just walked into this random class which I didn’t even know was a video class!” she laughs. “And the teacher was really good so I signed up for it and found myself enjoying it immensely because although I loved graphic designing I wanted more of a challenge.”
Challenge – Shani was soon to discover – was soon to come. Shani was one of around a thousand others picked to produce and edit a commercial for Tiger Woods and the Buick Invitational Tournament. Given 12 hours of footage, Shani’s job was to cut this down to 30 seconds of video footage and 60 seconds for a radio commercial. Being the only girl among the competitors and an international student, she was looked upon as something of an underdog and never imagined that her work be selected for the commercial. “And then“my teacher Pat Hahn called me and gave me the news that my commercial had been selected and for a while I just didn’t believe him. After the shock wore off a bit I just started jumping up and down and crying!”
What followed was her commercial being aired on TV and radio, getting the opportunity to meet Tiger Woods and go for the Buick Invitational, as well as meet all the local celebrities and media present at the event.
“The greatest thing about that experience was being able to see the looks of surprise at the fact that an international student was able to achieve something like this, and also to be able to tell people about Sri Lanka and its people,” says Shani.
More success was soon to come, in the form of more awards for commercials produced and edited by Shani. One of the most significant hallmarks though, was being invited to the Oscar Nominated Editors Conferences of 2008 and 2009 and Shani is all smiles as she recalls the experiences of speaking to the editors of Bourne Ultimatum, Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
“I really am blessed,” she says. “I am one of those lucky people who have found their niche early in life and I will always be grateful to my Mum, Pat Hahn and every single one of my friends and acquaintances who always inspire me and make my journey all the more memorable.”
Making her way further into the industry will have its challenges, but Shani will have all the qualifications and experience necessary to do so – with two AA degrees, three certificates and a BA which will be completed in a little over a year.
And what of the future? She has yet another goal which has yet to be fulfilled – her very own film school back home in Sri Lanka. And with Shani’s level of determination, there is no doubt that she will succeed.
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