I Look Forward to Going to Class
I just started the 10 week Summer Intensive Program at the Berkeley Digital Film Institute and I love it!
I checked out ALL the film programs in the Bay Area, searching for one that would give me hands-on experience and enough knowledge to walk away confident in my skills as a Producer and Director.
Other traditional film schools were not for me because I wasn’t interested in learning film theory and the cost and long term commitment freaked me out. And the shorter classes offered by other schools didn’t seem to be worth the cost, nor did they appear to have a proven track record for their graduates. I was beginning to think that what I was looking for did not exist in the Bay Area!
Then I learned about the BDFI summer program.
It has a hands-on emphasis, an impressive faculty, and it was the perfect length to fit in with my commitment phobia. My interest is in making documentaries so I wasn’t sure if I would fit in. I spoke to a few documentary filmmakers for advice. They all said that it is important to develop your storytelling skills and what you learn by doing fiction is transferrable to making documentaries.
So I made a last minute decision to go for it and was really nervous about it. But on the first day I knew immediately I made the right decision!
The teachers are working professionals in the industry so they can tell you real stories of being on set and offer real world advice. The classes are small so you get individual attention.
And I like the unique collaborative atmosphere with all the students in the school. So not only are you crewing on your classmates films, you are also getting peer advice from students ahead of you.
The summer program just like it’s name is indeed intensive. You start pitching ideas and writing your script right away. I enjoy the pace because I want to “do” not just talk about it. I look forward to going to class (never thought I’d say that!). Anyway, back to working on my script. See ya…
Lyn D.
