The first time I watched the movie Gospel, by David Leivick and Fred Ritzenberg, our screenwriting teacher, I was impressed by the scope of what David and Fred had accomplished: they captured and documented the energy and essence of Gospel music in the early 80’s, and it’s tremendous power to energize and inspire.

It wasn’t until Fred shared with us his personal stories about the making of this film, that I realized that this was all filmed in one amazing 4hr night at the historic Paramount Theatre in Oakland. Not only did the directors bring together 5 significant Gospel groups of the time, but also 7 camera operators, a DP and an editor who are now all very accomplished and sought after in their respective fields. Rewatching the camera moves, and realizing the film was all created in one special night, I was so impressed with the footage and the feat accomplished that I was brought to tears. Gospel music in itself is very moving, and the stories Fred told us about each of the groups who performed helped me to enjoy the film in a new way.

As with any artform, the more we learn the greater our appreciation; in the world of film making, I now have a deeper appreciation of all that is involved in the making of a movie, the artistry and ingenuity that goes into every shot, edit, and sound of the stories told.

Mark Berger said during one of his lectures to us last semester that he highly recommends that we live our lives high up on scary cliffs, close to huge drops, being brave, taking risks, and using all of our senses to help guide us through each moment. Mountain faces come in many different shapes and sizes; to all you fellow climbers out there, may your journey be satisfying, may you reach heights you only hoped for, and may luck, and the love of it all, accompany you all the way.

Our world was created by the dreams of many, and many dreamers are on their way.

Welcome to our family at BDFI! It is a pleasure to have met some of you and am looking forward to meeting the rest of you. You are all in for a great treat. I know that the first week is truly a unique and exciting experience…well -guess what….it gets better! Would love to hear all about your adventures so get blogging! Enjoy your weekend!

I have learned so much in the last 30 weeks, and appreciate tremendously the amount of talent and love that pervades this industry. I look at films now with fresh eyes and ears, appreciating the fine art of what has gone into every visual effect, each layer of sound, the scriptwriting, and the art of every edit.
Highlights: Mark Berger’s excellent classes on sound magic. What I hear will never be the same. Also, the life lessons Mark Berger taught correspond so nicely to sound application. The possibilities are tremendous; could it be that few of us even notice the power of influence that sound has in our lives?
Another highlight: Fred Ritzenberg’s classes on scriptwriting for film and the art of storytelling on screen. How do we create a story that lures our readers and viewers in, that first piques their curiousity, and then speaks to their intelligence and heart? Or, taking the other route, gives them one hell of a wild ride, taking them out of their present lives and into a satisfying world of adventure and adrenaline? I have seen my scripts go through many changes, and I appreciate the quality of Fred’s comments and insights. I really had no idea how to even begin to write scripts, and now after these 2 semesters at BDFI, I have finally begun to tell my story, one I have waited to tell for about 30 years.
Patrick, you have been there to encourage and inspire, educate and organize this awesome program. I would not be here if it weren’t for you; you are most generous and supportive. Thank you Patrick!! By the way, how do you do it all?
Sharif, I love your world, and am so grateful for all you have taught me about editing on Final Cut; you deliver with energy, clarity and mastery. The world you have shared with me feels so comforable and inviting; I am looking forward to spending many creative moments in the Final Cut driver’s seat!
Another highlight: My shoots! I love to film! The Mallorcan disco scene in 1976 with the Creepy man went fabulous. It was like catching one of those waves you hope is coming, and you know has got to be out there somewhere, and then you’re on it and flying. That’s how that disco scene was for me. Thanks to my friends Sarah and Chris for their most amazing home disco that I think they built just for me! Thanks also to Shy and Nick for assisting with sound and DP!
Brian, you sure know how to bring in the actresses. What a talented group you teach!
And last but so very extremely and completely important, thank you Eric and Jon for speaking so sweetly the language that only computers can understand. In computer language my accent is strong, and computers seem to scoff at my attempts worse than the French at my French.
Whatever you two do, and however you do it, you are priceless!!! Thanks a trillion. Most sincerely, Tasha

Every now and then there are moments when time seems to stop, and I know I’ll remember them forever; today I had one of those moments. Mark Berger retrieved his footage from Apocalypse Now and had it convection dried, and transferred to digital format so that he could present to us, for the first time in 30 yrs, some of the magic and mystery of the layers of sound he used to create this sound masterpiece. Mark Berger is an exceptional lecturer, and educator, as well as sound prodigy. The artisty with which he is able to grab my attention by assembling an inspiring number of layers of sound, and suck me into the story, even when I am trying my hardest to be an observer, speaks to the power of his talent.
Patrick, thank you so much for making this all possible! I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to learn from the best teachers and individuals I could ever hope for! If you see me stuck in the editing room, like a bear to honey, now you know why.
Hope your dreams are as sweet and sticky as mine,

So tomorrow is my second shoot. I think I’m prepared, I have a great crew lined up and great actors. The location is in a hotel room in Berkeley, where the staff have been so helpful and kind. It always amazes me how much pre production work there is to do. I feel pretty confident that all will go well. Today one of my friends visited me at home and was confused. He stated that I seemed calm. He expected me to be freaking out! Well we shall see if I sleep at all tonight. I am so excited and nervous at the same time. The support that I have received from everyone around me is so amazing. I am so fortunate to have great friends and comrades! Wish me luck!

A new semester at Berkeley Digital Film Institute and another production under my belt. I spent alot of time writing and rewriting my script, not to mention all the time I spent working with my producer Peter Burns on putting the production together. After lots of planning and prep we finally had the actors, location, and crew scheduled and ready to go. I got almost an hour and a half of sleep the night before production. We spent a day in prep for the shoot with just the crew and setup and it paid off, despite my lack of sleep we had a great day of production. My crew (Jodie Martinson, Jules Kobelin, Marcelina Cravat, Tasha Isolani, Rob Dewitt, Karen Dea, Peter Burns, Liz Devon) were fantastic. They’re hard workers and gave me all they could to help me realize my vision for this project. Thanks, guys and gals. I couldn’t have done this one without all of you.

I am thoroughly enjoying Protools classes with Dan Olmstead; the possiblities of sound enhancing, cleaning and composing are limitless. The power speaks directly to the heart, and there is nothing I enjoy more than speaking to that part of humanity.
Mark Berger made it clear how many layers of sound have actually gone into editing films such as The Talented Mr Ripley, and the tremendous amount of artistry that goes into the creation of each layer.
Last Thursday, David Bergad went into further depth about many of these layers, as well as techniques to aquire the best production sound possible. I would never have noticed so many tones and elements in production sound, if David, Dan, and Mark had not tought me what to listen for in their classes; thank you !!!!
Mike had a very challenging shoot for sound on Sunday, as he wanted to use lavs instead of a boom; he had several long dolly shots with wide angles.
David, I have never noticed clothing sound until now, and if you had not warned me to ensure that we record 2 extra sound takes of all the lines, with minimal production sound, Mike would not have had the necessary sound footage. Thank you so much! You came in the nick of time!
Can it get any better than this? Thank you Patrick! I know you work hard to make this school what it is. We all appreciate your time, instruction, talent, and the heart that you give to this program.

Colin’s shoot went exceptionally well; not surprising considering the talent, crew and direction of such a remarkable young director. I learned alot about lens choices, gels, dolly moves, and smooth direction.
Colin has great artistic vision, and the best attitude. His shots were well planned, and we completed an amazing amount of material in a very short time. Eric was awesome as the reliable DP; Kate, Valerie, Toni, Mike, Rob, and I as crew, and Peter as the best ever producer!!! What a group!
Colin also chose great talent; Eric, Peter’s brother, was Jared. He played his role so well, if Colin told me he had written the script for Eric, I would have believed him!
Valerie’s shoot on Tuesday also went exceptionally well. She is a very talented director with a profound understanding of script writing, lighting, and quality of acting and set design. She is also such a loving and warm person, it is a pleasure to work with her and for her. Jonathan and Mike are both reliable, efficient, hardworking, and very talented crew. I can’t wait to see the footage!!!
Patrick, you sure know how to pick’em!!! .
I remain ever grateful, Tasha

There are certain people who continue to save me when in dire need: Eric, Jonathan, Jules, Mike, Marcy, and Colin! Thanks you guys!!!!!! You have all helped me more than you could know!
Also, I want to admit that when I am in the editing room, I lose myself completely, and all sense of time…so absorbed am I in the moment..If only I could stretch my own time while editing! The truth is that I do not usually like to be indoors, beneath a roof, much less in a room with no windows; while at BDFI I am so absorbed in all that I am learning, even though there are many windows, most are not necessary. The editing room, and the screening rooms, are the first rooms in which I enjoy the windows that peek into the artistic world of visual and sound creation.
Okay, I am deeply intrigued by sound editing. Mark Berger blew me away with the world of layers upon layers of sound. I am looking forward to 6 more weeks with Mark. Thank you Patrick!
Dan Olmsted is also amazing; such a talented and kind person, with so much knowledge and love of sound, I am grateful to have him teach us on Mondays, and look forward to school every day!
How lucky I am!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday we held auditions. It was so much fun! The actor’s even helped me to develope my script. I just wanted to thank everyone for supporting each other. You all have made this week fun and easy. Joel thank you for making us laugh so hard we cried, and to the rest of the crew who put in tons of effort to help there fellow classmates.
I’m sure everyone wants to thank Peter for all of his help. Yeah, we talked about you behind your back! Your great!! If anyone needs help with there auditions or shoots please let me know! Thanks for being so awesome!