Short Film | PRACTICE

Описание: My application film for the film production programs at USC, NYU, LMU, and Emerson.

EDIT: I chose LMU. SFTV class of 2023!
EDIT 2 (From 2023) - Useful Information that High School Me would have appreciated:

If you specifically know you want to be a DP / Cinematographer, LMU is a solid option. I'm not sure how other schools work, but at LMU there are sets happening almost every weekend for about 11-12 weeks of the semester. There are many opportunities to shoot thesis projects if you put yourself out there as a DP, and the gear the school provides is pretty good. I shot 13 thesis films in my time at LMU, plus many other passion projects & music videos outside of school.

Pretty much everything you learn as a DP is from being on set and online research. You're probably not going to learn much from the actual classes. In fact, if you aren't skipping classes / coursework (in a reasonable fashion) to go shoot jobs, do location scouts, work on projects, etc., you're probably doing something wrong. At the end of the day, you want to come out of school with a solid portfolio/reel, and lots of set experience.

So if you have to make the decision of whether to go to your 3 hour Italian Neorealism film studies class, or attend that location scout with your director and gaffer so you can properly design your lighting plan, you bet your ass you're going to that location scout because that experience is going to be far more valuable and your work will be that much better. Maybe that director will get a music video gig after graduating and they'll remember what a good job you did with the lighting on their project back in school. Boom, you're hired. Your Italian Neorealism professor is 70 years old and isn't making anything. You need to pay rent. If you want to learn about Rossellini and De Sica, you can do that through the power of the internet on your own time when you're 26 and have down time between jobs.

What you're paying for in film school is the networking, the experience, and the overall environment of making movies with friends for 4 years. You have the ability to experiment and fail with far less consequence. When you're being hired and money is involved, you can't be making those mistakes or your reputation is far more at risk.

So is the "fancy film club" worth 80 thousand dollars? Maybe not. I almost dropped out several times. Ultimately, however, I ended up staying, and I'm glad I did. I've met a lot more amazing people and have shot many more projects that were great opportunities.

If you or your family can afford it then great, go for it. If you get a scholarship, even better. But if that cost is a scary number, remember that film school is not a necessity at all. As a DP, not a single person is going to care about my degree once I graduate. Every job is going to be from a personal connection, or someone finding my work/reel/website/instagram/portfolio, liking it, and reaching out to me. You can build those things without film school. Look for filmmaking / video production jobs in your city. If you want to get on bigger productions, save some money and move to a production hub city like LA, NY, or Atlanta. Ask friends of friends or extended family if they know anyone who works in film/TV. Look on facebook groups for work as a PA. Be observant on set. Have a good and helpful attitude. Tell people you'd like to learn to AC or work Grip & Electric. You will slowly make connections, learn, and find jobs. When you're not on a job, go shoot stuff. On your phone, on a dslr, whatever. Keep making stuff. Improve your eye. Share your work. Eventually you'll have a friend that wants to shoot a project with you. Now you're a DP. If that's taking too long, make the opportunity for yourself. Find a friend that makes music. Shoot a video for them. Or make a spec commercial. Just keep creating. There's no singular path.


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NYU Tisch- Accepted
Emerson - Accepted
LMU SFTV - Accepted
USC SCA - Rejected


Credits:

Directed, Shot, and Edited by
Thomas Bolles

Starring
Emilio Luz-Ricca, Nikola Porto, Ethan Spitalney, Alexander Gallin, and Angel Dominguez

Music by
Emilio Luz-Ricca

Music performed by
Nikola Porto and Alexander Gallin

Mixing and Mastering by
Ethan Spitalney

A young trumpet player stays up late practicing and misses practice the next morning.

Technical Specs:

Lenses:
Nikkor 28mm 2.8
Nikkor 35mm 2.0
Nikkor 50mm 1.8

Camera:
Panasonic GH5

Audio:
Zoom H5

Editing and Grading:
Final Cut Pro X