Details, Details

Hello there, my ever-patient readers. You must pardon the occasional dips in my posting, I have this weird thing called a “life” which I’m sure you are all familiar with but I have not yet accustomed myself to. Rest assured, you will still be hearing from me on an obnoxiously frequent basis.

I know, I know, “give me details about film school.”…Really, dear reader? That’s what you want? You know how I hate recounting things, and there is so much to recount. I get dizzy just thinking about it, have mercy on me! What about a long dissertation on the hidden meaning of “Blade Runner”?

…No? (Sigh) Very well, you stubborn minx.

Film school breaks down like this: I have 510, which seems to be a film appreciation class and a venue to discuss moral implications; 599, which is focused on generating new ideas and writing the scripts we will use to shoot our short films this semester; 507, which is actually broken into segments for producing, directing and cinematography, all of which function independently of each other. The faculty that teach these classes are all top-notch, both in terms of their impressive resumes and their passion for teaching. I’ve already learned boatloads of information which I have been salivating after for years, such as what the difference between the first and second assistant director is, why there are often like ten second assistant directors on a big movie instead of third and fourth and so on, why opening credits spool out in a certain order, what an executive producer is, and whether or not it’s the same thing in movies and television (hint: it’s not), how a viewfinder on a film camera lets you see what you’re shooting even though the film hasn’t been developed yet, the length of time you can work any actor before you have to feed them, who the hell the “Best Boy” is, where you tend to keep bathrooms on set during a shoot, how Francis Ford Coppola got ready to shoot “The Godfather,” who uses that black-and-white clapper thing you always see and why, the color temperature of UV and indoor light…

This is all from just a little under two weeks.

To further sate your curiosity, we here at the University of Southern California shoot on the very sophisticated Sony EX1 digital camera. George Lucas, one of our biggest benefactors, wanted to be sure that everyone be taught to shoot in HD, and we agreed in exchange for…well…his piles of money. This is a controversial position, many in Hollywood feel that film will always be the gold standard. Personally, I concur that film is still slightly better looking, but I have little doubt that HD technology will easily catch up before too long. It’s not like image quality is just going to plateau.

I will have two projects this semester: one, a five minute short with no dialogue that I shoot entirely on my own. The second, also five minutes, will have a small crew, and will give me the option of dialogue. I know many of my classmates are chomping at the bit to get their characters talking, but I plan to hold out for as long as possible; visual storytelling is a habit I would like to form.

I get along well, I like to think, with everyone in my class, and it is a wild and diverse bunch. Very few of them are seasoned veterans of the film world in any way, most come with about the level of experience I have or significantly less. This, of course, is standard USC classiness, they’re not a bunch of snobs, and they have an eye for talent. I can tell you that several people I had pegged as not committed or talented enough have changed my mind in a single class’ time. They’re a pretty eclectic bunch, most of whom are in their mid to late 20s, but I think I fit in pretty well. I’m actually being social with them, too. You would scarcely recognize me, Dear Reader, I…like…interact with people.

So, we happy? Good, because it’s late, and I’m exhausted.

Next time, Dear Reader, we talk about something meaningless! You must promise to tune in and read it all!