2/28
Week 8
Prof Puts (Layeth) the Smack Down
Wendy had her (in-class) directing debut today, and acted in her second scene. Both went well. She's pleased. Received positive feedback. She and her partners put lots of effort into their acting/directing projects. But not everyone was prepared.
Some of the students
never got together to rehearse their scenes (3 scenes total: act in 2 &
direct 1). Prof got ticked & put the smack down. Told students this is the
largest number of unprepared students he's ever seen -> unacceptable.
He told them
they're in grad school now, and he expects graduate-level work. Wendy was
glad she was prepared. Often, the only time to rehearse is after a long day at
school. She likes acting and loves directing.
She
says students commonly say things like, "Does anyone else think they give
us way too much work to do?"
Wendy has no directing experience, except for the projects she's done and what she's read in books. Several of the students in her class have extensive acting experience. Acting/directing projects are designed such that students group together with different partners for their scenes. Wendy was able to learn many neat acting tricks and exercises - to help get the actor into character.
Mid-term
for Sound class tomorrow morning. Sound/audio deals with very technical
terms, such as hertz, sample rates, recording details, proper microphone
selection, anti-aliasing, etc. She spent lots of time studying for the midterm this
weekend.
I helped with some of the more technical stuff. She feels prepared.
She'll stay up in LA tonight, so she'll be rested for the early exam tomorrow
(she has a late class tonight) - so I'll be lonesome tonight. =(
She
picked up an application for a Sound/Audio scholarship. Since sound/audio is one of
her strengths, she feels she has a decent chance there. She also picked up a scholarship
app for Editing, since that's also one of her strengths - maybe more so than audio.
Many of the scholarship apps require a minimum average GPA of 3.8 to even apply. Her undergrad final
GPA was 3.7
As
undergrad, she was awarded a small scholarship - one of only 5 handed out for
undergrad Critical Studies majors. When we attended the awards ceremony,
most of the recipients - by far - were graduate students. Beyond the
obvious financial benefits, she was fortunate in that
she had the opportunity to see exactly what scholarships were being
handed out for what reasons.
For example, some were for Portraying women in a positive
light. Many people were there to present scholarships, representing both
corporate & private sponsors. Some had even flown in from Europe, speaking with
distinct accents. French. British. An impressive affair.
Wendy was allowed to bring one guest to the scholarship awards ceremony. I got to go. Had to wrestle mom for it - best two out of three falls. =) That's where she first got the idea for grad school - after talking to some of the other graduate award recipients there. Should've seen Wendy drool when one of the grad students there told her they were using 35mm (film) in their project.
The
one that interested her most was the Jack Nicholson scholarship.
This
coming weekend, students will be able to attend a special 507 assembly where all
can show their (single) best film. Currently, she only sees films from (&
shows her films to) 1/3 the students in her 507 class - since the class is
broken into three sections (about 17 students each group). The viewing of the
entire class's film should be fun - especially showed/viewed on the big screen. She wants to show
Breathe, her latest.
She
also had an opportunity last weekend to see 16mm film projects from the 508-class
students -> which are one semester ahead of her & her class. But she needed the time to
study for her Sound midterm. Next semester her class will work with 16mm.
She's excited about that.
Wendy's
class officially lost first student, Rick, who had the back/nerve probs. He won't be
able to continue - at least not this semester. Sad. He was closest in age in Wendy.
Will
leave u with a clipping of a magazine article Aunt Pat sent - about the 'USC Mafia' (funny). See below.
(We
met dean Daley, quoted below, at the scholarship award ceremony mentioned
above. She walked up & introduced herself. After she left, I asked,
"Who's that?" Wendy said, "She runs the whole USC Film
school.")
Magazine article:
Membership
in the USC Mafia - the Hollywood version of the Trojan Family network - can open
doors throughout the entertainment industry.
In a business where
who you know is every bit as crucial as what you know,
USC Cinema-Television grads leave school with more than sheepskin. They leave
with lifetime membership in what's jokingly referred to as the USC
Mafia - a syndicate of alumni scattered across every echelon of the
entertainment industry.
"It's a breathtaking network," says dean Elizabeth Daley,
"although I'm certain we could find nicer words for it."
Tom Hjelm MFA'87 knows the value of the Trojan cosa nostra. After graduating
from the production program, he worked at various odd jobs that ranged from
appearing in a Japanese music video to editing class notes for USC Trojan Family
Magazine. Then, in 1995, he went on vacation with a few friends, among them a
USC classmate affiliated with NBC.
"It was over a beer, on a tropical island off the coast of Malaysia that I
began a discussion which led to my being hired by NBC Internet," says Hjelm,
now senior director and executive producer of NBC.com.
The USC network is no less important for Gregory McKnight MFA'94, a graduate of
the Peter Stark Producing program and a rising star in the William Morris
Agency.
McKnight regularly reviews new USC talent, keeping abreast of the latest
developments through Larry Auerbach, associate dean for student-industry
relations.
"I really want to know the films and filmmakers coming out of the
school," McKnight says. "USC consistently produces some of the most
interesting and best prepared talent, some of whom I am happy I am able to
represent."
Though Trojan spirit is a major source of the USC Mafia's networking strength,
practical considerations such as a common technical grounding and discipline ?
also seem to fuel the dynamic.
Next -> Midterm progress report
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