First, I just want to say that I have a website which keeps tabs on my professional life right here!
In the time that I wrote my last post (9/11/11) to now, a WHOLE lot has changed in my journey to filmmaking. I'll give a very very brief update.
I was still taking classes at the University of Iowa when I went to 11 schools that I was interested in attending graduate school. I compiled a my list from The Hollywood Reporter and went from there. Between March through August of 2012 I went to visit:
- AFI
- USC
- UCLA
- Chapman
- Loyola Marymount
- University of Texas - Austin
- NYU
- Columbia University
- Florida State University
- Columbia College
- University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
All are from that list except for Columbia College (in Chicago). I happened to stumble upon a poster for their school when I went to visit University of Texas - Austin.
I could go through all the personal pros and cons for each school, but if you really wanna know, you're more than welcome to contact me. Anyway, I only applied to 9 of those schools; I didn't apply to NYU or FSU. But you can bet your ass that it was a long, tedious and tiring (not to mention $$) process filling out all of those applications, because even though some asked for the same thing, they all had different parameters. Heck, it was tedious to link all of the admission sites for all of my loyal readers out there (BWA-HAHA)
Long story short, I was accepted to Columbia College Chicago in January of 2013.
It is a 2 year program (less money to spend) and is either a 3 hour drive (taking I-80) or 2.5 hour drive (taking I-88... with tolls) from Iowa. I also have a lot of friends who are from the Chicago area (the University of Iowa undergraduate program is about 40% Illinois residents from the Chicagoland area... Go Hawks...). More importantly I felt this was the right fit for me; I wasn't intimidated by the city, living alone or the college. I felt like I wasn't going to get lost in a crowd, or go through a filmmaking factory (per se).
So as of today, I have just finished my first year here at Columbia. I screened my final project and overall it went well. One thing that I have to giggle about now is how different the final screenings are from UIowa to Columbia. At Iowa it was like, "Bring your friends! Your family! It's a celebration of your work!!" At Columbia it's like, "You are here for the critical slaughter."
I have learned a GREAT deal by coming to Columbia. Not only about filmmaking, but also about myself and how much I can physically and mentally handle. There are times when I felt inadequate, but I had to just keep pushing. Because overall, this is my dream - and you never give up on your dreams.
If I could give one single piece of advice:
The worst they can say is "No".
Really. And even then, whatever you're after isn't out of the question. One of the classes I took this semester was an Assistant Directing Workshop, and my professor, Mark, gave one of the best lessons in marketing yourself. "They don't want to know about you. They want to know what you can do for them. Then you tell him that you WANT to (insert whatever it is you want to do) for them. Who do I need to talk with?"
Anyway, while at Columbia I directed 2 films. Tag and The Same. Both can be found on my website. I love directing, and I love the feeling of watching something you've written come to fruition. I don't want to sound like a dick either, but having the "all mighty" power to tell people what you want and they're bending backwards to get it done is humbling and satisfying.
This semester I also finished a semester internship at a post-production house here in Chicago called The Colonie. I'm not one for editing (although I think I'm decent at it using FCP... 7 not 10), but I gained so much from sitting around the editors. I learned their work flow, and the day-in-day-out routine. The clientele and their expectations from the editors. The relationships between editor, colorist, audio engineer, and composers. Most of all, the bitching and complaining when somebody doesn't have COVERAGE COVERAGE COVERAGE! In case you're interested, I watched the wonderful Bob Ackerman make this commercial (which aired during this year's Academy Awards). He's a great guy and a wonderful mentor.
However, I had the wonderful WONDERFUL opportunity to learn what a Script Supervisor is and their job on set. It's awesome! In one very short and vague description, they are the person who makes sure that the continuity of the script is correct (since film is shot out of sequence). You make sure that the actor is picking up that steaming coffee with their right hand as they are about to say "Good morning." And then when you go back to that same scene 4 days later, make sure their fingernails are the correct length from before. (I'm exaggerating about the fingernails, but you better make sure that they are wearing the same watch, nail polish, coat, etc.... and that the clock on the back wall reads the same time as before.)
This summer I'm very excited to take a professional Script Supervising course with Dawn Gilliam. I cannot tell you how excited I am. I mean look at this amazing woman's IMDB page. That's crazy! I love the position and hope to start getting on sets in that capacity. Not to mention that the script supervising community is extremely close and really do look out for one another.
Also this summer I am moving out to Santa Monica to work an internship at Revelations Entertainment. There I will be doing mostly script coverage (which is good for me because I need to work on my own script writing) and possibly help with acquisitions. They are also moving to a new office space, so helping with archiving materials for the move is also going to be one of my jobs. It was mentioned that I may have the chance to get some on set time, but I won't hold my hopes too high, but it would be a dream come true.
I have also been on the prowl for a second internship (or part time job), but I am happy with where I am now. Maybe I'll find myself a little PA job. But I can tell you what, when I have the time, you can find me on Santa Monica Beach!
WHEW!!
Honestly, if you have any questions about my journey I would love to share them with you. I will update my page as much as possible as I go out to Santa Monica and keep it real!
