<p>Yes, it is nice to be done. But don’t worry digmedia, I’m not going anywhere, I’m completely addicted to cc! Plus I’ve got DS2 coming up in a couple of years.</p>
<p>FilmerMom: Congrats to you and your son! Nice to know are kids are friends: I feel like we are too. Perhaps we’ll meet at move in? What part of the country are you from?</p>
<p>Hello to you all,
I have been searching this site for information and have found a great deal of help from each of you in various threads so thank you.
My son is just finishing his sophomore year of HS and has recently come to the conclusion that he would like to pursue a college education and career in filmmaking.
His HS has no program or classes in film/video. They have drama and digital design only (he has taken both). On his own over the years, he has made videos for fun, you tube, etc using either a flip camera or cell phone and final cut pro. He is late to this game (and needs to get a real camera), but ready and eager for the next step. And fast!
I have been desperately searching through summer options and literally just missed a couple programs. At this point I am drawn to the UCLA Arts Camp program (Advanced Digital Filmmaking) for this summer. I am looking for a program that can give him a real view into the filmmaking process from start to finish so that he can see if this is really for him. Hoping for a program that feels like mini-film school.
Will the UCLA program give him that experience to help him think about what he wants in the future? Also, the “same” program is offered at Pepperdine with USC instructor. Is one better than the other? Any major differences?
Sorry this is so long, and thank you all for any help you can give me.</p>
<p>H Islandmom,
My son did the UCLA film camp two years ago, and the animation program before that. Film: he found it fun and worthwhile. Upsides: he worked as part of a team, the pace was very fast and bringing the final project in on time was intensive. They were well-supervised, but given a lot of freedom creatively. The faculty leader for film was ‘ok’ according to son. The single ‘downside’ was also related to the team nature of the project: they insist that each kid take a specific, single role (editing, camera, screenwriting, etc) and stick pretty rigidly to it. I imagine this is to ensure that everyone contributes and that no one person ‘takes over’ the team project. This was a bit frustrating for some–especially those used to being ‘one man shows’ in previous independent ventures. (This was certainly true for my son, but I considered the approach a good exercise in discipline.) All in all, it was fun and very worthwhile. The final screening of the films was an absolute hoot.
Our son enjoyed his Animation summer program at UCLA much more, but that’s him. Also–the instructor for animation was far more enthusiastic and hands-on than the film instructor, and the work was independent, not team-based, so son could go hog-wild and do it all his way. He’s a great team player and natural collaborator, but is also very intense in his work, so he enjoyed going all-out, madman-style, on the animation project. :)<br>
The UCLA programs are wonderful and I highly recommend them. I don’t know about the USC program at Pepperdine. I’ll bet it’s good…maybe someone else will chime in.</p>
<p>P.S. The UCLA programs did provide son with a better view of the direction he wanted for his future. It was immersive. It also gives the kids a great view of what living away at college is like–they stay in the dorms, etc. (As an aside: son also garnered a fabulous letter of rec from his animation professor at UCLA’s summer program…proved handy for college apps).</p>
<p>islandmom: are you trying to stick to the West Coast, or is another state an option?</p>
<p>Gladiatorbird: Thank you so much for the info and I will definitely take the “single role” policy under advisement.</p>
<p>Maddenmd: I will send him to the best place available within our financial limits. I had really wanted to send him to the NC program, but by the time I found it they had no more housing available and were only enrolling commuter students. We don’t know anyone in NC so that was out. That said we are in Pacific NW so program like SOCAPA NY looks very cost prohibitive after airfare. Let me know if there are other programs I should be considering. At this point, I have a very comprehensive list for next year including financial aid deadlines. :)</p>
<p>Anybody have a child that attended the program at Pepperdine with the USC instructor and can tell me more? Or have more comments re: UCLA program. All information is a great help at this point.</p>
<p>Thanks again.</p>
<p>my son did the National High School Institute
film produciton program at Northwestern University - otherwise known as the cherubs - and that was a five week program that was very comprehensive and run like a college film school. I would highly recommend that program if your child is deicding whether a career in film is a good fit. They learned production skills, writing, editing, scoring, animation and theory among a million other things. It is very intensive but you will know at the end if this is the right direction for you -</p>
<p>D did Adv Film thru at UCLA thru US Performing Arts 2 summers ago.
Overall, a fairly good experience. Kids are divided into 10 groups of 4 and indeed are divided up into director, DP, writer, editor, but the kids switch in and out of the roles. My D had previously made films that others had written so she was used to the collaborative effort. Kids are supervised intermittently by the UCLA TFT graduate film school students. There are lectures taught by Schreibman, who is a prof at UCLA TFT. The range of the kids definitely varies. The biggest negative, was that for the final night screening, they only showed 6 of the 10 films. They said it was due to time constraints…some important event going on, but I would have been upset if I came out to the final screenings and they didn’t show my kid’s film. All of the screened films ranged from good to great, so definitely a talented bunch of kids, but on the other hand, we didn’t see the other 4. In terms of UCLA experience, you get to go to the TFT lecture halls, work with the TFT grad students etc.
As for Pepperdine, not sure about the program, but upon glancing at the website, it is taught by someone who works in industry, rather than a full time prof, which probably has pluses and minuses. I don’t think that Pepperdine has an undergrad film prod major, so I think that it is set up more as a camp at a college campus.</p>
<p>@Gladiatorbird- was the animation class traditional or computer? Might do it for my S.</p>
<p>Forgot to add in previous post that D loved being able to cast the acting students from UCLA (not sure if they were undergrad or grad students)</p>
<p>YohoYoho: it was traditional animation, pretty intensive, and a fantastic experience both times (he went back for a second summer). Both years son produced full, hand-drawn animated shorts, about a minute long. He conceived, drew and did the sound and video editing. The final pieces were fantastic and he included both in his college app portfolios; he was accepted to every program he applied to…I’m sure they helped. Doug Ward was the instructor. Son loved him and is still in touch with him two years later.</p>
<p>Hi Island Mom - </p>
<p>My D’14 took the Pepperdine program last summer and loved it. Peter Exline from USC was the instructor, and he seemed to give the kids a lot of good creative direction and mentorship. The campus is very contained high up in Malibu, so I felt safe leaving my 14 year old for a week. She made great friends that she still keeps in touch with, and had an overall wonderful experience. I originally had considered signing her up for the UCLA program, but the program administrator (US Performing Arts) told me that a family member of hers had taken both the Pepperdine and UCLA camps and very much preferred the Pepperdine camp (mostly due to the strength of Mr. Exline’s instruction). That said, it appears that UCLA has equipment and facilities that Pepperdine doesn’t. The instructor for the UCLA camp also appears to have changed for this summer, so I have enrolled my D there for the July camp instead of returning to Pepperdine. Best of luck with your decision!</p>