UCSB - Film and Media Studies Breakdown

[Oquendo]

REVISED (...a year later)

I dropped this major about 3 weeks in. Long story short: it wasn't for me. Everyone's different, though. Good luck.

 

[fakeplastic]

hey oquendo i was really turned off by the film studies but after reading this. I have second thoughts now.

http://talk.collegeconfidentia...sb-film-studies.html

 

[fakeplastic]

also check out this article that was written a while back so it might be different now but, its about ucsb film theory program. its crazy...maybe i should stay away.

http://articles.latimes.com/20...zine/tm-filmschool28

 

[fakeplastic]

yea im sorry i forgot to add that then i read this and it turned me off again. sorry for the mixup.

 

[fakeplastic]

sorry man i have no idea, im in a semester system right now and i haven't been in a quarter system since high school so i'm not sure.
But during your second year how could you take two prod. class if the school only offers one production course per quarter? isn't that what you wrote? maybe i'm wrong. anyways if thats not that case, different production courses seem nice.
I wish this new building was built a year before, that way we can get feedback at how it is. I feel like its a gamble choice, it can be amazing or not so amazing. But i guess it could still not be bad.

Which are you leaning towards more?
i really dont know, i feel like i might be more comfortable at ucsd living the quiet life but i have no idea. especially not knowing how ucsd film program is really like. I'm always hearing mixed reviews.

 

[fakeplastic]

future teachers?
you haven't sent your intent yet have you?
yea i'm going to the transfer admit day.
and the ucsb one on the 21st.

you know how you get a choice of either 10:00 or 1:00? I chose 1:00 but when they sent me an email about registering it says 10:00.

And did you get a notification email from ucsd when you signed up for transfer admit day? because i didn't and i was wondering about that.

 

[Cptn. Amurikuh]

yeah im still on the fence for sb or berk, this is a tough f*ckin call! Sd's out, i just really wish that major was at one of the aforementioned campuses.

And so sb's new center hasn't even opened yet? So do you guys know if that thing's ready to rock in the fall? From what I gather it looks that'll be the very first time it opens? Sure looks purdy though.

 

[fakeplastic]

Sd's out, i just really wish that major was at one of the aforementioned campuses.

how come your putting SD out cptn. amurkikuh?

 

[vivaitalia]

yeah...do u know anything on Berkeley's major Capn Amurikuh? I'm dying to find out about it, and I just contacted the department to have a few current students e-mail me to discuss their views on it.

Your point about the CSU's having Film is truly hilarious...I was just thinking about how much better the Cal State's majors are haha. That being said, I think its worth going for a lamer major at a UC. We've put in time going through a somewhat ****ty two years of constantly commuting and hardly having any opportunities to truly bond with other students to just do it all over again for two years at a Cal State. The UC's will at least give us a better 'college experience'.

Then again...its whatever we make of it.

 

[fakeplastic]

well i had a really good time at my CC at least for film class. all the other classes are not bad either though. we have an awesome film prof. who works in the industry but mainly does commercials but our film class really bonded and we just had a film premiere today and having a film festival next week at our school.
But i think i will go to a UC too. But it's weird because no know knows that they even have film programs at UCSB and UCSD because everyone was surprised to hear that they even had a film program.

 

[vivaitalia]

Originally posted by fakeplastic:
well i had a really good time at my CC at least for film class. all the other classes are not bad either though.

that's awesome dude! Most people, including me, find it hard to bond with anyone at community college because most kids are all working and commuting and just go to campus when they have a class and can't wait to leave campus ASAP. lol

i wish i had a class that bonded like yours.

 

[fakeplastic]

yea i almost want to stay and not transfer but i know i gotta move on.

 

[vivaitalia]

how much longer are your semesters lasting? I think mine ends on May 17th.

also..when is your SB admit day meeting? i'm interested in hearing about their program even though I didn't apply, plus finding out on your guys' ultimate decisions.

 

[Cptn. Amurikuh]

yeah you guys are right about only the csus getting the film production programs, I think it's because it's considered inferior academically. I'm pretty sure that's why all the UC's give us film through "a firm liberal arts education", instead of just, here, this is where the record button is.

Viva, Berk does look somewhat appealing I have to say, did u get in there? I went to their open house day a few weeks back and sat in this meeting with students representing GIANT, their film-makers club. They said they had about 100 total members and 70 or so full time active. They also said they went to Sundance last year for the whole week and had the largest group of students out of any school, 23. One of em said mark ruffalo came over to their house and was drinking with em, dono how they pulled that off some of these girls looks beat.

They also have CalTV, their online tv station, but is run through the journalism department not film, but again it is a club and anyone can join so it has that going for it.

It looks like a pretty lively film making community with kids that are definately interested in making and showing their work, GIANT offers numerous opportunities to show off your stuff. One of the big things they were pluggin was "Campus Movie Fest", which i guess is like the second week into the semester in the fall and is a competition at all these different schools, don't exactly know which schools participate, but all your editing equipment and cameras are provided for you and you only have a week to make your film, then see how far that sucker can go, I guess this one, made at berk, got to regionals in vegas or some s***t last year and went up against stuff from ucla, and usc,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtiT_Ojdvpk
I don't know how it got that far being something with just aestheticized violence, but high production value atleast.

I'm going down to sb this weekend to due some full time reconessance, so ill see what i can dig up, but even at berk, without production classes, u better bring the "do it yourself" mentality." which is always hard because I way rather be trying to make something for class than just on my own, but there are definately kids their trying to do the same exact thing so it looks promising.

Also i can minor in art practice at berk, can't at sb. This is a tough ****in call, sb looks like it has leverage on berk offering a 16mm production course and animation course and a course where you can find prints and set up your own film screenings at the iv theater. But I dono man, i could basically graduate from berk in two years with the exact same degree, so i don't think the class electives are really gonna matter in the long run. we shall see

 

[Cptn. Amurikuh]

Well, nothing has turned me off about ucsd at all, that major still looks like it would definately be the most fun and has outlets for digital art as well, one of my good buddies goes to sbcc and i'd be able to live down their with him, i just wouldn't pass that up for san diego.

But San Diego really looks like your best bet for a uc with full blown production classes, instead of just clubs to make it you do it on the side. I see sb has a screenwriting co-op as well, could be a good resource?

 

[vivaitalia]

Cptn!! Thank you so much for the info on Berkeley. I did get in but I really know nothing about it and am anxious to learn anything. I e-mailed a few professors asking current students to write me about it but haven't found out too much about it yet.

I'm from southern california and after leaving to spend a year in Washington, I never thought I would want to leave southern california again for longer than a year. So, while I can't picture myself moving up to Berkeley, the blankly stupid thought of just graduating with "A Berkeley Degree" turns me on. I would only go if I really like it up there and their film studies program somewhat impresses me. lol

Its nice to know that students are involved and try to do stuff, but did you get any idea of the actual school providing any internships/opportunities in the field? The only thing the Berkeley has over all the other schools for me is the fact that they have a Creative Writing minor...which is the field that I most want to pursue. Anyway...thanks for any info!

 

[vivaitalia]

PS...I have now gone to tour every campus (including UCSB as I have a bizillion friends that go there). While I realize it is subjective, I think UCSD has the most impressive campus in terms of facilities and varied atmospheres. What isn't subjective is the transfer housing, and UCSD blows every other UC out of the water with the best housing I've ever seen at a college. I wish I wasn't a sucker for appearances because its making the decision a little harder.

 

[Cptn. Amurikuh]

viva, cool to hear you could be digging berk, I am too kind of, just slightly leaning towards sb and living in iv because that would be a more fun experience, put passing up berk could seem f''''d in the long haul, i reall don't know.

I emailed a kid I know who goes there and two of his friends are graduating from berk in film studies and this is one of the responses i got back regarding the program:
"Hi Ross,

If you are really interested in production Berkeley may not be the best place. I will be graduating next week without ever having made a film for a grade. With that being said, there are still outlets for production if you are willing to seek them out.


I kinda participated in GIANT over the past few years. The club is structured so there are workshops on different aspects of filmmaking such as cinematography or editing. They also give you access to cameras and final cut and have several members who are pretty skilled at using them.
Since I am really not very interested in being a DP or editor I didn't really take advantage of these resources.

Since I am more interested in the design aspects of film, I also minored in Theater. They have a really great department in which I learned a ton about scenic and lighting design. The theater department is also much easier to get to know the professors for recommendations or to get work study jobs. Also, being connected with that department really helped out in getting actors for some of my friends projects.

As far as the actual film department it is pretty much all theory. There are tons of papers and no practical experience. Several classes will let you submit a film in stead of a paper as your final project. If you are interested in doing that, GIANT is a great resource for crew members.

The department has a handful of amazing professors. I am currently taking Sound with 4 time academy award winning professor Mark Berger. I also took an interesting class on Spielberg with Alex Cohen who still works for Dreamworks. These classes are usually in the evenings and at tedious times but the professors also throw in practical anecdotes.

Jones and Fabe are two of my other favorite professors in the program. They are both super hilarious and chill graders. Fabe's best class is on Hitchcock and Jones does a good one on physical Comedy. Film Noir with Kaes was also great.

As for getting a job, GIANT was really helpful with getting me 2 of my internships. One was as an intern with Warner Brothers in the publicity and promotions department, and the other was as a PA on an Indie Sci film that hasnt been released yet. The great thing about working on films in the bay area is that it is super easy to move up in the filmmaking community. After working on set as a PA for about a month they promoted me to Production Designer. This gave me a ton of hands on experience doing more than just getting coffee.

I don't currently have a job lined up for when I move down to LA, but that is mostly because I want to get a steady waitressing job before I jump into the film industry. Pretty much everything that I have read about it says that once you get down there you will have to work for free for a while. So I want to have an income first.

The projects that I have worked on gave me several great networking connections that I am currently discussing future projects with. I also went to Sundance this year with GIANT and while I was there I befriended a couple of producers who gave me a few leads.

I really don't think UC Berkeley as a school was very helpful in giving me what I need to succeed in film. If Santa Barbabra has more production its probably better, but with that being said, Berkeley is a really fun place and if you know what you want to do its not very hard to find like minded people.

I hope this helps . . . sorry if its a long winded "

Pretty Interesting stuff she said! I just think that its so lopsided how she graduated berk but is going to be a waitress 'til something happens in the industry, it's tough.

 

[vivaitalia]

So...I visited Berkeley. The environment up there seemed really cool, but my meeting with the Film Department chair really turned me off of the Film Program. It truly seems like a Literature major, just writing long essays on films instead of books. They don't really even have anything else to do or that many resources.

However, I did receive this e-mail from a guy who currently goes there with very interesting advice/info:

"First, I would like to ask: have you gotten into UCLA film school? The film program there is pretty exclusive, and has an interview process. UCLA is a good school for film, and I know this from my friends who go there.

Personally, though, I really like the film program here at Berkeley. I can speak for it.

Berkeley's film program is mostly theory and history, but we do have a burgeoning production program (there is a collective urgency to grow) and an established film club (the GiANT Film Club), which is pushing for more funds so that we can get access to better equipment.

GiANT is great. We do all sorts of things together -- we even attended Sundance in the fall, and Berkeley had the largest turnout of all film students (50% of all in attendance).

There are definitely internships available through the GiANT film club, and it is free to be a member, so I encourage that. There are also many opportunities I've seen through official channels, but you just have to have your name on the right mailing list. Get to know people!

As for variety -- yes, there is enough. There is the basic production class (film 26) where you learn the in's and outs of cameras (at present the Canon 7D, the DVX100b (AWESOME film student cam), the DVC30, and the GL2) and Final Cut.

Then there is 185, where we make 3 short films and have them critiqued for several re-edits. Then 187 where you make one film throughout the whole semester. Then there is 180A and 180B, screenwriting classes, where the whole semester is devoted to a feature script. Mira is the teacher for that and 185, and she is a phenomenal intellect, very sharp but very amiable.

(There's also 186, which is continuity editing, and Mark Berger's Sound Design class -- Mark Berger is an academy award winning sound designer -- he did the work for Apocalypse Now and more).

I don't care much for theory personally -- I like actually making films. Professors for me are more-so opportunities for having my work critiqued rather than receptacles of information I have to take and store myself.

I am actually an English major, and I have taken Screenwriting and Narrative Short Production with Mira Kopell. I am intending to take a lot more production classes, despite being an English major. (By the way, for your theory and history classes, you can totally make films instead of writing papers, if you make your case. This is always a better option)

To answer your question, I have learned a huge amount about the production process from being here. Projects are constantly going on, and EVERYONE wants someone to help out on their set. (especially at GiANT, which you should surely join should you come to Berkeley).

What I've discovered is that if you have the capacity to organize groups of people to help you out on your shoots, you have the ability to be a screenwriter and director. That's fundamentally all it is.

Ask people to help out as a sound mixer, a boom operator, a first ad, a second ad, a production assistant, a script supervisor, a production manager, a caterer, an actor, and an executive producer, if you can. They don't have to be industry professionals to accomplish those tasks. Most of the time you'll be giving some training to new people, but if they like how you roll, they may set aside a lot of time for your next shoots.

That's how Hollywood is. I used to hear many stories about how minimum wage workers would, over the course of a year, become Camera Operators on huge, multimillion dollar studio feature films, having no previous camera experience. They were initially guys some random guy trained -- then they become real pro's.

When you write a script, never be content that it is perfect. Ask everyone who you can, especially a professor, to take a look at it, and get their feedback. Ultimately you want to please as many people as you can with a film, so ask as many people as you can and you'll learn about what to implement to achieve the effect you want.

A good screenplay takes so much time to write, but when you do finally succeed, you'll find that it's very easy to get people to help out on your films -- for free.

And all this filmmaking is totally possible anywhere you go. I sometimes come back to LA and shoot short films for friends. But it's totally possible here, too. There's a lot of talent in the area.

Fundamentally, whatever you decide, it's not where you go but how you handle people that will make you a good writer and a good filmmaker.

I hope this helps you out.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me."

I have no idea where I'll end up now. UCSD, UCLA or Berkeley. Maybe I'll just toss a coin or do inny-meeny-blah...

 

[fakeplastic]

viva,

whats your alternate major at UCLA?


Also i dont think im going to be able to go to Guaucho Friday. Which really sucks. Because I have to choose a school based on only visiting UCSD and never really looking at UCSB. I still might be able to go to UCSB next friday but im still unsure.
So basically what I'm trying to say is that, I'd like to ask for a huge favor for those of you who are going or went to the UCSB campus and the new film department and tell me what its like. And compare it to UCSD and see the pros and cons of each.

Thanks