<p>I thought I was the only bears.
it kind of hurts me that achaean wise/gentle man calling someone else by my name so dearly…</p>
<p>Sorry bears, I mixed you up with SwimNSchool.</p>
<p>Ok, I am the only lowercase bears, then? even though bearstronaut is lowercased as well?</p>
<p>I never flirted in middle-age long life, so this is what internet does to people.
I have few favorite old (maybe not literally but sounds like from their posts) sages around here and keeping eye on them, hehehe</p>
<p>Nester,</p>
<p>Do you know anything about that USC summer class? It looks as if it is not exactly part of their high school summer program but just allows high school students to enroll in a summer film class at USC. Is that right?</p>
<p>My son just graduated from college this year and is now working in the film industry. When I think back to high school, there was a mix of summer activities. The year between sophomore and junior year, he participated in an Advanced Animation program at Digipen Institute of Technology in Redmond, Washington. That was extremely useful and he learned a lot. The summer between junior and senior years, he made films. In high school, he created a “Film Club” which not only catered to people who wanted to make films, but also to actors, writers and others who just liked the excitement of working on a set. He directed and edited two narrative shorts and a documentary, and those became centerpieces of his portfolio dvd.</p>
<p>Allie’s mom – The student I know who took a USC film school summer course during high school lived in Greater Los Angeles and commuted, so he wasn’t an official part of the USC summer high school program, living in the dorms or having group activities etc. Given that there are high school students living in USC dorms and participating in a formal summer program, though, I would expect that an out of area student taking a summer film course would be able to somehow piggyback onto the high school program in terms of living arrangements, dorm food, etc. But I’m not certain, please call USC and check.</p>
<p>Filmermom, the summer programs are a great option, but they aren’t a requirement. My S is a film student at Chapman. Like your son, he had this focus early, which really helped. My S also made films during the summer. We did lots of research on film contests and festivals which were open to entries from high school students. S entered his films in some of those and won several awards. Here is a book which was helpful to my S:
[Amazon.com:</a> Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts (9781932907049): Troy Lanier, Clay Nichols: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Filmmaking-Teens-Pulling-Your-Shorts/dp/1932907041]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Filmmaking-Teens-Pulling-Your-Shorts/dp/1932907041)</p>
<p>He really loves his school and his classes and can’t imagine doing anything else.</p>
<p>Thanks Nester, Timely and Digmedia for the answers. My son went to CSSSA last summer (and loved it), but this summer wants to just make his own films for the whole summer. It’s what he loves to do, so he just wants to do it all summer long.</p>
<p>And I guess I was just looking to make sure that was ok, that he doesn’t have to do anything… organized. There is so much you can do/spend your money, and I have no clue what film schools might look for in “experience”.</p>
<p>FilmerMom -</p>
<p>One overarching suggestion for the summer filmmaking (besides those in the excellent reference that timely suggested): Make the entire production/set as “professional” as possible:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Get the best actors you can get. If there is a theater nearby or a college, make use of that. Many are willing to put in a stint for a film for free. Do actual castings - have people read for the part and choose the best. Using available friends is NOT the way to go.</p></li>
<li><p>Have a polished script ready to go and a shooting schedule before filming begins. The main complaint people have on-set is the waiting around. Be efficient in the use of your actors’ and crew’s time. And FEED the cast and crew during production. Investing in some pizzas and chips and drinks will go a log way towards having a happy set of folks on-set.</p></li>
<li><p>Be especially careful with sound design. With all of the HD cameras and professional-type post-production software, almost any film can look good. But what lets the audience know that it’s seeing a quality production is SOUND. You know what I mean - that kind of sound that a videocamera microphone picks up vs. that made with good sound equipment. Make sure any music is appropriate and the editing flows with the music (and visa versa).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>When my son was making his summer films, his lights were actually those construction lights on a stand that he got for about $30 a set, and the booms he used were extendable paint poles for about $15 each. He did invest in some mid-quality shotgun mics for about $100 each (2 of them), and that made a big difference.</p>
<p>Just strive for (a) a GREAT STORY and (b) QUALITY, QUALITY, QUALITY.</p>
<p>dig</p>
<p>What great guidelines, digmedia!</p>
<p>My thought is that unless a student has some exposure to a very organized hs class or film shoot before setting off on his/her own, attending a summer program that offers lots of experience making little films might be a way for the student to find out that many of the considerations raised by digmedia are even issues. This was certainly the case for my kid, who felt much more equipt to organize and make shorts prior to film school after attending summer programs that touched on issues of script, sound, organization etc.</p>
<p>Yes, thanks digmedia. That was great advice. </p>
<p>I told my son that he needs to write up a “project proposal” for his summer work, including a script, a shooting schedule, budget, etc. That will hopefully give him lots of experience just thinking about what he needs to do, and also lead to less wasted time and annoyed actors, as you pointed out. Your advice will come in useful for his proposal, he really liked the extendable paint pole idea.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi</p>
<p>Thanks for great tips.</p>
<p>I’ve always had a question about UCLA’s film school. I know it’s a great program. But I always hear the best three film programs in the US are AFI, USC, and NYU. UCLA’s is hardly compared with these three. I know that both UCLA and USC concentrate on industry filmmaking and blockbusters. Besides prestige, can you compare and comment on the curricula and other aspects of the film schools of USC and UCLA?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>^____ I’m not an expert by far, but I think that UCLA is not really concentrated on “industry filmmaking and blockbusters.” I think UCLA is more aimed at the independent filmmaker.</p>
<p>Are you thinking about applying to the two programs? If so, remember that UCLA does not accept freshman applicants, but requires two years of college before applying.</p>
<p>Yea. You’re right. UCLA is more concentrated on independent. I was only thinking about USC last night. =)</p>
<p>No, I’m a freshman applicant. I’m transferring for junior level. Since USC only accepts transfer students based on available spaces, it’d be harder to get in than UCLA’s, even though UCLA only has a 6% admission rate for the film program last year. I just thought it’d be better to consider and compare the two programs together.</p>
<p>Digmedia –</p>
<p>Great advice! My S has been taking film classes locally and last summer he did shoot his own movie. I think his planning took most of his time. I was quite impressed. I had to take him scouting for film locations because he couldn’t drive yet and he was very conscious of background noises, plane and car sounds etc. We rented equipment from the place where he took his classes and he didn’t have the equipment for long so he had to be organized. He planned every scene and every shot. The actors were theater kids who he knew from school who were thrilled to be in a “movie”. That was probably his weakest link. The film was very well shot and edited but the actors could have been better. Great idea to get college kids. And we did feed them. I think that ensured that they came back!</p>
<p>Great thread, Charlie. However, if I may suggest, interest in making films falls into several categories: directing, camera work, script/creative writing and animation. Animation, in turn, falls into two specialties: 2d and 3d animation. Thus, when recommending top schools, you need to categorize the schools among these categories.</p>
<p>Although I can’t speak for most of these categories, I did do a lot of research on animation for my daughter. Let me mention a few of these:</p>
<ol>
<li>CalArts: This is considered the top 2d program in the US. It is very well known</li>
<li>Ringling: This is considered the top 3d university program in the US</li>
<li>SCAD: Although I can’t believe I am saying this, they have an increasing reputation in sequential art and are deemed good for most other areas of animation. However, I don’t know about their contacts in the industry .</li>
<li>SVA: Strong animation and cartooning program. Great NY contacts.</li>
<li>USC and UCLA: Decent animation program,but I never got the feeling that they are as good as those listed above. Great contacts , however, in California. Also, UCLA is having their financial woes; thus, I don’t know what effect this has on the animation program quality. I will say that I wasn’t impressed with the building and facilities that housed animation.</li>
<li>Laguna College of Art: Supposedly good animation program,but I have not visited there nor do I know about their contacts.</li>
<li>Gnomon: This is a trade oriented school. You won’t get a degree. However, considered best in US for 3d computer graphics overall.</li>
<li>Animation mentor: This is strictly an online program. Also it only deals with character animation and NOT with any other aspect of the animation pipeline such as lighting, rigging, skinning, modeling, texturing etc. However, for what it does, it is considered top notch.</li>
<li>Sheridan College in Canada: Widely considered to be one of the best animation programs in North America rivaling that of Calarts or Ringling</li>
<li>Seneca College in Canada: Also considered to be very good,but I know little about them except by reputation.</li>
<li>Art Academy University (AAU) in Sanfrancisco. Supposedly strong animation program; however, I have heard mixed things about the school.
Miscellaneous: Pratt Institute and Syracuse University both have repudable programs in computer art and animation. I don’t know much about them or about their contacts in the industry.</li>
</ol>
<p>Note: NYU is not widely considered to be one of the better programs for animation. I don’t know why. Perhaps further investigation would clarify this.</p>
<p>^— Great post taxguy. Where is your daughter now?</p>
<p>Thanks taxguy for the shout out to Sheridan. I have industry-working relatives who were Sheridan grads and can attest to its excellence. Cheap date for those of us in U.S. too!</p>
<p>My daughter is majoring in digital design at University of Cincinnati. This major is very broad-based and is mostly about interactive design but with some training in motion and 3d modeling and animation, which is what my daughter eventually wants along with any motion work.</p>
<p>Filmschooler: Thanks for starting this thread! Are there any film festivals or competitions that you would recommend a high schooler submit films to if they are planning on applying to film school? My S has made several films, but has so far, only submitted locally.</p>