It’s all about the Instructors
When they say ten week intensive, they mean intensive. It’s only been two weeks, but I feel like I’ve learned so much and I feel way more productive than I would have been without this program. I mean what else would I be doing this summer?
Probably making big plans to make a crappy movie with my friends and never actually getting around to doing it. At BDFI I am forced to be productive and take action with the hope that all this will be habit forming. As of now, I have pitched ideas to my class and started writing a script. It still needs work, but “writing is rewriting.” I’m also hunting down locations and learning how to deal with a casting call.
Students from classes ahead of us are always around, and they’ve been really helpful in giving us advice. Which is fantastic, because they have been, and are, going through all the things we are doing: pitching, writing, rewriting, location scouting, casting, shooting, editing, everything!
The faculty here is great. Patrick, the dean and our directing teacher, is just the nicest guy. He makes himself available to us students, always there to answer your call and he is very encouraging of our work.
Fred, our screenwriting teacher is another great guy. He’s patient with us, when ask questions and ramble on about our pitches and stories. And he wants to get an idea of what kind of things we are interested in personally, so we can, hopefully find our own voice.
Sharif, our editing teacher, is just fantastic. He’s another one that makes himself available and makes sure we are all on the same page. He really knows his stuff. I mean, I am using Final Cut Pro for the first time ever and I am already feeling comfortable with it. After two sessions, I already feel better about my editing skills. What’s great, though, is that I am learning what I will get the most use out of. There’s no beating around the bush with this guy.
I’ve met some great people so far, too. The small class size allows us to get to get comfortable with one another quick and become a unit.
What’s amazing about this semester’s group is the amount of women we’ve got. With the exception of our T.A., I’m surrounded by bright, ambitious women of all ages and backgrounds who want to make movies!
I hope this is a sign of things to come. It feels like something is shifting for the better in the film industry, but we will have to wait and see.
Samantha Bennet
