Steven

Here is a question I got from Katie which I though other people might be interested in reading as well.

Hi Steven, my names Katie Beck. I’m thinking about going to Evergreen next year. I was looking in to becoming Director of Photography because I find it really interesting. So I thought you could give me your point of view and what you think about the college. Thnks :}

Hi Katie,

One of the things I like most about studying film and video here at Evergreen is that they aren’t going to teach you to go to Hollywood. None of your professors are ever going to say “Ok, you want to be a DP so you are going to join this group over here and just focus on DP things.” Instead, they are going to ignore most conventions and let you explore film and video for what it is; an art form. They are going to show you how to use the equipment and then let you go experiment with it and do what you want, not make you follow a formula. They are going to give you some tips, show you how to light things and use mics, teach you some history, and show you what other innovators have done but in the end it’s really up to you to experiment. It’s an amazing experience because, if you are still interested in being a DP when you leave Evergreen, you are going to have your own style, you’re going to know how to everything else production wise and you’re going to have an education in SO much more than just operating a camera or framing shots or even just film studies, you will also be knowledgeable about all of the other topics your interdisciplinary program explored.

One thing I tell EVERY incoming student is to try to disregard “what you want to be when you grow up” when choosing your freshman program. We don’t have pre-reqs so you can take whatever you want (for the most part) and so it’s usually very tempting to look for the thing that includes the most film studies but I really try to encourage students to use that first year or two to go outside of your box and take something completely unrelated. Still take something that sounds interesting, but take it because it involves your other interest areas (I’m sure you have some other interests, and if you don’t than this will be even more healthy for you) and not because it is going to get you a foot up for Mediaworks or something (actually, taking something else will most likely look better). Even if your program doesn’t study film, it’s still easy to integrate your interest areas into your program because instead of tests, most programs do research papers and projects so you have the opportunity to research something (could even be film related) and make a short about it. As you go further and further into your education here it becomes harder and harder to explore your interest areas so take advantage of this ability and explore as a freshman, and who knows, you might discover something new that you love doing.

Hopefully this helps,

Steven

~ by cheste04 on October 7, 2009.