Today in Patrick’s class we pitched the idea for our first project – a three minute piece done with a locked down camera. As a group, we are feeling a bit more comfortable with each other. It’s interesting to note that many of our story ideas are very personal ones. It will be interesting to see how this personal attachment to a storyline will affect how we each direct our actors.

Melissa helped me develop a stronger scene objective for my protagonist which created a stronger spine for my scene. She is very direct in her delivery and really “cuts to the chase” which makes her a great asset to our group.

One great thing is that Jonathan (a fellow student) is our T.A. He is always available to answer questions about Final Cut and it’s comforting to know that he is my first line of defense when I’m really stumped on certain aspects of Final Cut. This is important since we are all beginning to feel a build-up of the pressure of having to organize and complete our first project.

DAY 1 (PRODUCING/DIRECTING)
Right from the start Patrick set down the house rules — the parameters from which we are to operate. This course of study is a job, he says, and we as students are to act accordingly. Be present. Be on time. If this is a problem, communication is to be done via phone, not e-mails. We are held accountable not only to ourselves, but also to our fellow students. Assignments are to be done on time. He stressed not only accountability to each other, but authenticity to ourselves and to our work – a holistic approach.

The dimly lit room in which we all sit, around a long oblong-shaped table, feels comfortable, relaxing – like a nest – it presents a simulated production meeting of sorts and a safe place to release our creative joys and angst. Patrick is extremely articulate and succinct in his delivery, mixing his academic and film background with the creative efficiency of a hip CEO. His sense of humor is palpable in the many interesting stories he relates. Leadership, he says, is the primary goal of what we are to learn and what he has to teach us. Something I know I direly need in my tool kit! This statement alone made me feel I had made the right decision in coming to Berkeley Digital. After so many false starts, I was finally at home and would be able to finish my life’s dream. With what the school has to offer, I feel there is a world of creative possibilities to discover and experience, and with leadership being its prime target, I have within my grasp the best of both worlds.

The feeling here is collegial and as I look around at my fellow students with whom I will be spending 16 months of creative fervor, I feel a kind of scary and excited anticipation. After our individual introductions, that exemplify our varied backgrounds, I find there is much everyone has to bring to the table and because of the diversity, much to be learned and experienced from each other. Patrick’s very interesting “improv” exercise allowed us to see each other in a different light and helped to lower the initial barriers that may have been present when we all arrived, not knowing what to expect. The most interesting aspect of this exercise was the revelation of theme in each “embarrassing moment” story presented – a fish out of water, walking to the beat of your own drum, sexual tension between parent and child, parental abuse (to name a few) – and the possibilities of story embedded in each. Interesting to note that after a double promotion, how my academic performance vastly degraded year by year. My whole experience in that one school year proved to be a double-edged sword.
Our screenwriting and cinematography instructors are introduced and each gives preliminary notations on what we can expect from their respective classes. The most amazing thing is that our projects are to be overseen through the interconnection of the instructors from the different disciplines. I find this system to be extremely unique and collaborative in the highest sense of the word.

Patrick delineates what classes we will be taking each day of the week, when our first project is due, and explains the timeline for achieving the completion of same. The organization that his “big board” represents is mind blowing. Nothing is left to chance. We know what to expect at every turn. He has given us the blueprint and the tools; it is up to us to deliver the goods.

DAY TWO (CINEMATOGRAPHY)
We are shooting with a Panasonic HVX200 and had a torturous but fun lab trying to remember what we were taught in class. Since the tendon in my right arm is on the fritz, I had a hard time holding the camera steady, but my shots still looked pretty good.

DAY THREE (SCREENWRITING)
I hope to quell my fears regarding writing dialogue, among other things. One of the exciting things we have to do is pitch our stories. This will greatly help later on when we have to pitch in the “real” world. We watched “Tootsie” for lab.

DAY FOUR (EDITING)
Patrick showed us a terrific technique for cutting. Something that was never taught in all the creative editing classes I have taken, nor in the Avid class at USC. Our instructor, Sharif, showed us how to capture. Lab was spent downloading our tapes that we shot on Day Two and capturing to Final Cut Pro.

DAY FIVE (ACTING)
This class was the most anxiety producing for me, but as it turned out, it was a total blast. I know I will learn much since acting is an area where I am the weakest.

Lab was the week’s-end wrap party. Patrick gave a toast honoring us in our decision to change our lives. It was a touching scene, one not too soon