UCLA Screenwriting 2012

[WillieGreen]

Good luck, future Bruins!

 

[Nowon]

PeopleGetReady and HoneyBadger:

Since you two had both been interviewed last year, I would love to pick at your brains...

Specifically, what were the questions asked? Were you asked to introduce yourself? Asked film history questions? Asked to pitch? Talk about writers/directors or movies that influenced you?

I know the interview questions vary year to year, and interviewer to interviewer, but I would be grateful to get a glimpse of what an interview is like, if just to calm my fretting soul and shaking limbs.

Also, for those interviewing via Skype, is it audio or video?

Thanks!

 

[honeybadger]

@WillieGreen: Thanks for the good luck wishes! You have been a major inspiration on this site. I've been following your posts and cheered right on with everyone else when you were accepted back in 2010--back in my lurking days. How are you liking the program so far?

@Nowon: I really have offered everything I can about the interviews, honestly. I've only interviewed the one time, and with one particular professor. On top of this, I am loathe to give out the specifics of a personal interview, even if I am anonymous. I would feel unethical about it, and it isn't something I feel comfortable doing. I am sorry, because I know you want more details, but while I am perfectly willing to offer what I can, discussing the interview is a line I am not willing to cross.

@Diehl: Haha, very funny. I felt the same way when I got my first interview invitation. What should I wear? etc... Dress nicely--this is an interview after all. I wore a dress shirt and suit slacks. The only other word of advice I would offer that I haven't already done in regard to the email is to make sure to get to the campus early if you are interviewing on campus--parking can be tricky depending on whether UCLA is in session.

@PeopleGetReady: Aww... I'll take being awesome as a compliment I trust you're in for beers too, if we are fortunate enough to earn our way into the MFA program??? Haha. I was wondering when another UCLA 2011 interview candidate would come out of the lurking woodwork! Welcome to the discussion, and feel free to chime in and augment anything I've written, or anything I've failed to write.

Good luck everyone! Like PeopleGetReady said, we are in this together, regardless of the outcome.

 

[graffiti281]

If I'm not mistaken, the class is about 28 people, right? 28 out of 50 doesn't seem so bad. Or does it?

Maybe I'm reading too much into this. Maybe I'm not. Oh God.

Okay, so, is the Skype interview audio or video? I'm halfway across the world and it looks like mine will happen sometime in the middle of the night for me.

 

[graffiti281]

Originally posted by WillieGreen:
Good luck, future Bruins!

Thank you so much! Could you tell us more about your interview, like what you did/did not do - so we may also do/not do similar things?

 

[Nowon]

Originally posted by honeybadger:
@Nowon: I really have offered everything I can about the interviews, honestly. I've only interviewed the one time, and with one particular professor. On top of this, I am loathe to give out the specifics of a personal interview, even if I am anonymous. I would feel unethical about it, and it isn't something I feel comfortable doing. I am sorry, because I know you want more details, but while I am perfectly willing to offer what I can, discussing the interview is a line I am not willing to cross.

Dear honeybadger, I completely understand, thank you for your patient and honest answer. I apologize for prying!

 

[N_A_Fitz]

Most of the people they let into each class have either applied multiple times and/or have gone through the PP.

Shoot... that is bad news for me. This is my first time applying and i have not done the PP

 

[tra thomas]

Originally posted by N_A_Fitz:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Most of the people they let into each class have either applied multiple times and/or have gone through the PP.

Shoot... that is bad news for me. This is my first time applying and i have not done the PP </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The same is true for myself. But fear not, @N_A_Fitz. With great luck, we can win them over with our irreverence and rapist wit.

With lesser luck, we'll be back next year.

 

[Diehl]

@honeybadger

Thanks! I plan on getting to LA the night before and making sure I get to the campus a couple hours early.



@ N_A_Fitz & tra thomas

This is my first time applying and I haven't done the PP.

I keep running percentages from numbers I'm finding on old forums and information I'm gleaning from ancient posts. Of course, it's all arbitrary. At least it's sort of fun in a nerve wracking way.

 

[N_A_Fitz]

lol...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVPdNezInEg

 

[N_A_Fitz]

So, What r our odds Diehl??

 

[honeybadger]

@N_A_Fitz, @tra thomas, @Diehl: Yes, there are plenty of old numbers and guesswork in some of the older forums regarding numbers, and they are there for anyone to look at. My suggestion is this when it comes to the number crunching--while it might make you feel like you have some control over our current situation to calculate how many people interview, how many spots are available, etc... It doesn't give you any control. My suggestion would be to let the process play out. I know it might seem like fun, but if you read some of the older forums, you will notice the amount of anxiety and worrying that goes on regarding things like the numbers, and that is all it does--creates anxiety and more things to worry about. Again, I've been there. I know how nerve wracking this process is, but knowing how many spots are available and how many people interview aren't going to do anything for you in the long run. It is wasted energy. If you want to have fun with it, and are curious, do whatever you feel you need to do. I am not getting down on you--I've done the same thing, and I've learned from it. I am trying to help you calm your nerves--and my best advice about calming your nerves, because as has been said before on this forum, we are in this together-- is to stop worrying about the numbers, whether this is your first time applying, whether you did the Professional Program or not, etc... Spend your time writing, practicing your interview skills, hanging out with friends, watching movies, reading, etc... Trust me, once you run the numbers, you'll find something else to worry about, and it becomes a never ending cycle of anxiety about things you can't control the outcome to. The best way to get over that is to engage in as little of it as possible, and concentrate on the things you do have control over, such as living your daily life, becoming a better writer, and working on yourself, because in the end, that is all you truly have control over. You. In short, live your life, and when you have questions, there is always this forum.

@Nowon: Don't worry about prying I've been down this road and wanted to pry, as well. There are simply some things I feel it is appropriate to talk about and some things I don't. And again, the interview is about YOU, just like the statement of purpose. There are general things, like what to wear, etc... that are completely fair game, in my opinion, but for me to give the specifics of my interview away would be fruitless, as my interview was specific to me--because it was an interview about me, just like your interview will be an interview about you. There are no tricks that I, or anyone else can offer about an interview about you. Just be calm, prepare, and have some questions ready to ask about the program, and be yourself, and you will be fine. You got this far, remember that--not everyone gets this far, and you should be confident and proud of that fact.

Good luck to everyone, and try to remain sane

 

[tra thomas]

@N_A_Fitz

@honeybadger I like your style, Dude.

Even though I appreciate-and to some extent am comforted by-the insight that stats and numbers can provide in these situations, I completely agree with what I will call the two pillars of Honeybaderism: 1) live your life, and 2) writers write.

An anecdote that I think y'all will appreciate:

My previous university recently hired a new profesor to head their VFX/digital art program. A freaked out student (not me, honestly) visited his office to vent about the pressures of a looming deadline. The professor agreed with everything the student said and sympathized with his stress. Searching for some kind of comfort, the student asked if it would be as stressful once he got into the business. The professor replied, "Oh yes." This disturbed the student even more, who demanded to know how the professor handled it. He replied, "Don't worry about it."

That professor has an Academy Award sitting on a shelf in his office.

 

[Diehl]

@N_A_Fitz hahaha, mine aren't good. And they fluctuate!

Yeah, I better practice those interview skills.

Good luck everybody.

 

[PeopleGetReady]

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Here's the scoop on the interview. I spent the month before mine last year reading every single post about the UCLA interview that I could find on this site. Through that process I learned that some interviews last ten minutes and some last an hour, some are scary and some are funny, some applicants are asked to pitch and some are asked to talk about Tennesee Williams, etc, etc, etc.

What honeybadger is sparing us all from by declining to relay yet another interview story is just one more opportunity to freak out. The only thing to take away from this discussion is that EVERY INTERVIEW IS DIFFERENT. And that's actually really cool.

That means that your faculty member won't be asking you any questions that are meant for someone else. You can have faith going into this that they ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT be trying to trip you up.

There really is no way to prepare for these things except to keep doing what you've been doing! Because whatever it is, it's working.

Just promise me you'll wear comfortable shoes, guys (this does not apply to the Skypers””who can be barefoot if they want””or the New Yorkers””who have already figured out how to wear comfortable footwear because they're NEW YORKERS, GO GIANTS!). It's a long haul from the UCLA parking garage to the interviewers' offices. And the one thing that I get that cringey feeling about from my interview last year is that I strode into that office with unhappy feet.

You know what they say: Happy feet, happy screenwriters.

All this being said, if someone is still completely frozen with fear over the prospect of interviewing, I encourage you to get your fears out BEFOREHAND, so they don't come hurtling out DURING the thing.

 

[N_A_Fitz]

Thanks PGR

I have been reading everything here and other places as well. That is why i joined the board here. I guess for me, i am just looking for some absolutes to cling to. I am not uber-nervous about the interview...yet.

But you are right. There seem to be no absolutes except for:

1. If we got an interview we still have a chance.

2. We get fast tracked into the PP if we don't get in.

I have realized that the figures and absolutes that will bring me comfort.. like how many people will get in, do's and dont's during the interview, etc... they do not exist.

I have decided to embrace Honeybadger's advice. I will try to put it out of my mind

.....edit... I will of course welcome any information and continue to check back here often

 

[filmart]

Hi Everyone,

I'm a 1st year Screenwriter at UCLA...and during my interview last year I recall one specific question - What would you do if you did not get in the program?

After talking to my peers, I discovered that all of our experiences were unique. Relax, be yourself. I'm certain being the great scribes you are, you will have lots to say.

Good luck to all of you!

 

[WillieGreen]

Originally posted by honeybadger:
@WillieGreen: Thanks for the good luck wishes! You have been a major inspiration on this site. I've been following your posts and cheered right on with everyone else when you were accepted back in 2010--back in my lurking days. How are you liking the program so far?

Thanks! Absolutely loving the program. It goes by fast!

Originally posted by graffiti281:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by WillieGreen:
Good luck, future Bruins!

Thank you so much! Could you tell us more about your interview, like what you did/did not do - so we may also do/not do similar things? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


I wish there was a secret formula for the interview. Everyone's experience is different. I've talked to people who swore they completely bombed during the interview, but still got in.

The interview is more of a meet-and-greet than an intense exhibition. I think the worst thing you can do is try to get out of there as soon as possible, e.g. terse, one-word answers and stuff like that. Act like you want to be there, not like it's a trip to the dentist's office.

I got asked a little bit about my statement of purpose. I got asked about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I got asked about playwrights. Aside from that, it was mostly just a conversation.

 

[graffiti281]

Hmm. Doesn't sound so bad then, I guess. No less terrifying, but definitely somewhat reassuring. Thanks WillieGreen! You're awesome.

 

[Turner]

I interviewed last year and did exactly what everyone here has done: I crunched the numbers, researched my interviewers and practiced answers to every conceivable question I could imagine. Then, when I got in there, I mumbled and sweated so badly that one of my interviewers actually had to tell me that I didn't need to be so nervous. The whole thing lasted less than fifteen minutes. A couple questions about my personal statement, what kinds of movies I liked (and disliked), then a lengthy pitch about the professional program, complete with an aside about how lucky I was to have made it as far as the interview. I was so certain that I bombed that I nearly cried when I got out. Needless to say, I was shocked when I was accepted.

There are pretty much zero constants when it comes to the interviewing experience. Some people felt confident, others uneasy. Some people get grilled about Chekhov, others are gently prompted to discuss their childhoods. The vast majority of people in the program had a pleasant experience, anxiety aside. I haven't talked to anyone who felt that the questions were unfair. Most people are struck by how casual it is.

For what it's worth, I was a first time applicant who never took the professional program. For those that want more numbers to kick around, there are 30 in my class and my interviewer told me they interviewed about 75, though I heard from a classmate that his interviewer said it was slightly less. So who really knows. Just ace the interview, or don't. Anxiety is inevitable, I suppose, but not helpful.