Film School

I'm checking into FilmSchool.org during one of my very few nights off. I'm streaming THE WRONG PARIS on Netflix and it's hitting all it's Netflix Original marks. I would love to write one of these films. But first I have several other original fantasy and dark comedy projects I have to attend to, and they might be too niche for Netflix. I'd love for them to be distributed through Mubi. (that is some real talk about my creative goals). The most notable thing about my Year 2 (I'm 3 weeks in)...

Last night, our class screened our rough cuts for our Production 1 films. We had snacks and cheered and some people had to rush off to help a third-year work on his thesis film. I’m mostly happy with what got shot and I think the whole short will be made in post-production. Principal photography was really about getting the raw material shot and now the magic is in the editing of it. My “rough cut” I screened last night is not something I’d show the general public because it was just me...

Spring Break has finally arrived and it's time to exhale a bit. This semester I had one day where I completely could not do anything productive because I was so worn out. So I gave myself a mental health day and just watched TV all day on my couch (and was cared for by my very supportive partner - I highly recommend getting one of those). Next week I'll be using my time to decorate the set for my short film SLEEPING MOTHER to get a sense of what I can accomplish in the space (I'm using my...

My therapist today told me I was exhibiting signs of burn out. Chiefly, lack of motivation to finalize my edit for the short film TASTE that I made as part of my Directing 1 curriculum. But I’m sure there are other factors at play — I want there to be an expert hand on the edit and I don’t think I’m that expert. Do I want to be? No, not really. I’m happy to be the writer/director and not the editor. Also, I’m not 100% happy with what we shot and why we shot it. Just by Googling, A.I...

I've been chronicling my MFA in Film journey by posting weekly updates on Facebook. (Yes, people still use Facebook) In the process, it was suggested to me that I post here on FilmSchool.org so here I am. I am a screenwriting major but Stony Brook's program has us producing, shooting, directing and editing as well. It's really a program for people who want to call themselves "filmmakers" rather than someone that may be certain that they only want to write. After my first semester, I am...

How I chose between NYU Dramatic Writing and AFI Screenwriting. I anguished over the thought of turning down either school. As a true cinephile, how could I consider living outside of LA? That’s where the industry is. I had to attend AFI. But what about the legends born out of New York, like Tisch’s own Donald Glover, Kenneth Lonnergan, or Tony Kushner? New York's cultural scene is fertile ground, and for that NYU appealed to me so much more. After painful weeks of indecision and...

Scrolling past all of my classmates successes on FB (and mostly being OK with it) I came across a post asking for film school advice. 'What should I know before applying to film school?' The replies spanned from mundane financial issues to sour grape rejects listing all the successful directors who insist film school is a waste of time. I thought about my own decisions. The good and bad. Why the core decision for me to go to Grad School paid off, why it didn't and that it might be a good way...

It's nearly the end of March and for the second year in a row, I have not received any acceptances for the MFA screenwriting programs I applied to. Of the 4 programs, currently I have two denials, one interview, and one I have not heard anything from. So now what? First, I admit to myself that I'm taking a second round of rejections a lot harder than the first. It hurts. I'd be a liar to say otherwise. It filled me with self doubt. Why not me? What am I missing? What did I mess up? Where...