What a day… And it’s only going to get more intense over the next couple of weeks!

Today in P&D, Patrick went over the Hollywood coverage paradigm again, but more specifically as to how it relates to our first project. He explained in depth how angle and lens selection directly communicate emotional intensity and intimacy. It makes sense. We went on to watch scenes from Pulp Fiction and Se7en to help illustrate the proper way to shoot “2 Guys in a Booth.” No joke, it really doesn’t have to be boring! We then did some script vetting, which is really helpful and instructive; it gets you working on your own script subconsciously while you address your classmates’.
Right after that, we had a follow-up casting seminar with Molly from Casting Connection, and Peter, wherein they took a look at our casting calls in preparation for posting them tomorrow, for our first casting session Monday. Great stuff; very practical advice.
I then had to immediately go into 202, to continue cutting my ballistics project. It went more slowly then I would have liked– mostly due to two distinct but instructive problems: having extra material to sort through on the one hand, but not enough of the right coverage on the other. Lesson learned. I had a pretty good idea towards the end of my session today which I believe will help it to move along tomorrrow evening– after class, and after helping Yauna cast. Zoinks, here we go again…

Whew!

First week at Berkeley Digital Film Institute… Wow, what can I say? It’s all a bit overwhelming at first. The classes are definitely intensive; these guys know their stuff! It’s certainly intimidating to begin to peel back the layers of the masters’ work, and realize just the magnitude of thought that goes into these types of projects. It’s true, I’ll never watch film the same way again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still inspiring, but standing at the bottom of the learning curve, and gazing upwards at a near-vertical wall is a humbling experience. I still aspire to excellence, to stand on that summit, and sooner than later, but I am going to more than work up a sweat. I’m training for the ironman.

Even though the instructors are the smartest guys in the room, they are all completely accessible. Serious, yes, but they treat us all with the utmost respect. I already feel like a colleague, although admittedly the least experienced by far. It’s hands on from day one. In Producing and Directing, we were breaking down David Fincher’s work in “Se7en,” and analyzing it scene-by-scene for blocking and coverage.

Cinematography had the camera in our hands and shooting by the end of the day! Screenwriting brought endless recommendations of films to watch and scripts to read, and our first assignment: pitch our first project by next session. And you better have backups; “What else have you got?” is par for the course in this business. I have taken an editing class before, so I don’t feel lost in those sessions, but Sharif is a working professional. not just as an editor, either, but also as a director. He will impart to us BDFI’s proprietary theory & technique of editing, the “Ballistic” style, so we know we’ll have professional grade skills in our quivers. That’s comforting to me, as I know that good editors always work.

Friday was Improv Acting. Becoming an actor was a dream of mine when I was in High School, but, surprise surprise, it is not a skill that comes naturally to me. However, I know intuitively that this will serve as an invaluable tool when it comes to directing actors.

Overall impressions? Well a wiser man than I once said, “Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it.” No, it really is pretty much what I hoped for, and, at the same time, expected. It is a very powerful thing to be actually endeavoring to make your dreams real. It’s crazy, exhausting, exhilarating- you name it- the full range of emotions. But, underneath it all, that niggling little twinge of restlessness that used to nip at the corners of my psyche, urging me onward, refusing to settle, seems to have curled up and dozed off. I feel I have belonged here all along.