Why have you decided that you want to go to film school?
Personally for me, I was always interested in film from a young age. Like I'm sure many other kids of my generation (I turn 50 this year
) , I saw the original Star Wars films (saw ROTJ in the theater) and my dad had a Super 8 camera and I'd make films with my friends. In high school I took the film class and we shot films using VHS camcorders and we had to shoot the entire film in shot order as there was no editing. I however did save up and and buy a tape to tape Hi8 editing system so I could edit things that I shot. I really enjoyed editing but thought I wanted to direct. I was never really good at screenwriting.... I had a lot of great starts to films but never had any really satisfying endings.
I distinctly remember watching the Shawshank Redemption in high school and I thought as the credits rolled that it was films like this that made me want to work in film.
I only applied to one film school that had a production program (BU) although I did apply to Wesleyan which had a film studies program. The person I interviewed with at Wesleyan said I was more a fit for a film production program. I got into both school but attended BU and had a great time and got my BS in 2000 (class year of 1999 - stayed an extra semester as I studied abroad). I'm currently working in film & tv as a union editor - so it worked out.
I've edited independent features, music videos, commercials, documentaries, but for the last 18 years or so I've been primarily editing unscripted television as it pays well and the work is quite steady. Plus cutting together a mountain of raw footage into a cohesive and interesting story is a fun puzzle to solve for me.
That to me is what I love most about working in film and editing - "writing" the story using raw footage. Looking at hours of footage and figuring out how to piece it together into a compelling story - it's a lot of fun.
How about you? Why and when did you decide to study film?
Personally for me, I was always interested in film from a young age. Like I'm sure many other kids of my generation (I turn 50 this year
) , I saw the original Star Wars films (saw ROTJ in the theater) and my dad had a Super 8 camera and I'd make films with my friends. In high school I took the film class and we shot films using VHS camcorders and we had to shoot the entire film in shot order as there was no editing. I however did save up and and buy a tape to tape Hi8 editing system so I could edit things that I shot. I really enjoyed editing but thought I wanted to direct. I was never really good at screenwriting.... I had a lot of great starts to films but never had any really satisfying endings.I distinctly remember watching the Shawshank Redemption in high school and I thought as the credits rolled that it was films like this that made me want to work in film.
I only applied to one film school that had a production program (BU) although I did apply to Wesleyan which had a film studies program. The person I interviewed with at Wesleyan said I was more a fit for a film production program. I got into both school but attended BU and had a great time and got my BS in 2000 (class year of 1999 - stayed an extra semester as I studied abroad). I'm currently working in film & tv as a union editor - so it worked out.
I've edited independent features, music videos, commercials, documentaries, but for the last 18 years or so I've been primarily editing unscripted television as it pays well and the work is quite steady. Plus cutting together a mountain of raw footage into a cohesive and interesting story is a fun puzzle to solve for me.
That to me is what I love most about working in film and editing - "writing" the story using raw footage. Looking at hours of footage and figuring out how to piece it together into a compelling story - it's a lot of fun.
How about you? Why and when did you decide to study film?
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