lasmeninas66

Go, aoezeki!

shakespearefan

Sheesh. Wow. So much going on here.

First, YES, aoezeki, you can puff your chest out a little and be proud you got into NYU Tisch. It is traditionally thought of as one of the top two film schools in the US. Film schools realize that applicants will not have the snazziest techniques. What they are looking for are kids who can tell stories in unique ways. They must have seen that in your submission. I wouldn't go so far as to take it as a "sign" of what may come your way in the future, but whatever you did now earned you a spot at that prestigious school.

Interestingly, my D, also an NYU Tisch film production admit, made much of her female perspective in both the application video she made for Tisch (about a little girl and her invisible friend), and her essays, one of which was on why ALL cereal mascots are male. (OK, take a minute... Think about it... Tony Tiger, Snap, Crackle & Pop ... that Trix rabbit -- the list is quite long. Have you gotten to Captain Crunch and Count Chocula...? Keep going... Frankenberry, even that wholesome Quaker Oats guy... You can't name a single cereal mascot that's a girl, can you? Nope -- even the bees are boys. Now you will lay awake all night until you can get to the cereal aisle in your local grocery store, where you can stamp your foot, shake your head and go, "Well, damn!") So anyway, my D had aspired to be the the first woman to win an Oscar for best director. Then, another woman won that honor before D even set foot into film school. So yes, that landscape is changing and will continue to change. And like the STEM subjects, fewer women apply to film school than men, so you may have already had an advantage getting in, because schools like to have a gender balance. No doubt that talent and experience will weigh more heavily once you are looking for a job. But, as we see, doors are already being opened for you by other pioneering women in the industry. (And fortunately for you and D, it's NOT the type of job like long haul trucking where having male parts actually would be an advantage. Although let's not forget to give credit to that crazed astronaut lady who drove all that way in the space diaper...) But I digress.

If you can't get immediately involved in a film major at UCLA, I'll bet a place that big has a film club. Yes, NYU is pretty darn expensive. Are those your only two, or top two choices?

gladiatorbird

<<...let's not forget to give credit to that crazed astronaut lady who drove all that way in the space diaper...) But I digress.>>

Ok, Ms. S-fan: you almost made me spit up my tea with this digressive closer. Seriously, LOL!

And, yes: Go, aoezeki!!!

gladiatorbird

YA Ya: do you have a source for the film production job placement info you posted (LMU > USC, Chapman, NYU)?

aozeki

shakespearfan! your daughter's essay topic sounds so interesting!! I never thought of that before, but i guess thats completely true! did your daughter end up going to NYU? and lol at the crazed astronaut lady

yeah i wasnt really sure i was going to do this as a major till the last second :/ so the only REAL film school that I applied to was NYU. but I was thinking that if i went to ucla and did my ge i could take more classes and work on a really good portfolio and if i didnt get in to UCLA's maybe transfer?? does anyone know anything about transfer students?

and yeah thanks for all the support guys

aozeki

and as lasmeninas66 said before, I want to go to a good academic school as well because obviously i want to get a good education, especially being so new to a competitive job field

shakespearefan

aoezeki
D is also a high school senior and is currently making her college decision. It's between Chapman and NYU Tisch. Stay tuned... (We have not seen Chapman yet, though she's toured NYU twice. Heading to SoCal later this month.)

I think the UCLA plan you have is a solid one and will save you upwards of $200,000. You are fortunate in that you already know what you want to specialize in, so as you work on your required classes, you can be simultaneously working to beef up your film portfolio. Often, (in HS anyway) you can do class projects in the form of films rather than writing traditional papers. If you don't get admitted to UCLA's tiny film program, you can look into other film schools, (D applied to film schools of various sizes and strengths including UT Austin, Boston U, UNCWilmington, SUNY Purchase, even Vassar has a small film dept.) though I'm not sure which ones accept transfer students in film production, because a BFA film program at least, can be on a very narrow track. So that's another question for you to explore.

Good luck! And don't fret too much. You have been admitted to some amazing schools and will be able to explore all sorts of subjects there.

Ya Ya

I apologize if I put words together too directly and was "cruely" honest. I am an ESL person and my English sometimes is not very "polite". Sorry about it.:-)


gladiatorbird

My D worked in film production during high school and before that she was (and still is) an agency represented actress. I just talk to people on the set. And I talk a lot. ;-)

Since you have a boy probably my "experience" will not help you much because I always asked questions about girls and what would be best for girls.

For girls I kind of knew that we had 2 goals:
1. to get degree in a reputable school the cheapest way possible
2. not to look at prestige only but the way how GIRLS are treated and placed on the job market.

Stepping into "questionable" territory and expecting to make somebody angry again :-) I would say that the most common "career path" in this industry (film production only, not pre-productin, not post-production, not related media areas) is through entry level PA job. I heard a lot of stories how careers were made by simply sleeping with half of the crew. I don't want this for my D. She doesn't want it.

Whatever I wrote here I wrote for a girl. Don't think it will be the same for a boy especially if your S chooses not to be director or producer ONLY but something much more realistic, especially in in pre- or post-production.

Just to clarify our own situation.
My D. did not apply to any NY schools (I never expected we could afford it and my personal demand was - NO LOANS). She applied to several schools in LA, was rejected from 3, accepted to 3 and we are still waiting for finaid packages from 2 of them.
I am pushing my D toward UT Austin. It will be almost free due to scholarships and I don't care about union/non union in this situation. She can transfer later, she can go to Semester in LA program, she can change her mind and go to video game major (much more bread and butter :-)), she can go to graduate school in LA etc, etc, etc .
The main thing - NO DEBT and at UT she will be able to explore opportunities and probably find a niche in this business where she is not going to struggle. Many "production programs" don't give you this flexibility. UT does.

If you want me to share stories and personal stories about different film schools I would prefer private message. :-)

gladiatorbird

Thank you, Ya Ya! Your information will be helpful to many and I'm glad you posted. And your observations about the issues young women can face in the industry might as well just be put out there in the open. Boys are not completely immune to these pressures in today's world, but they will encounter only a *microspeck* of that dynamic, when compared to young women.

I read and hear great things about UT Austin. Son almost applied there, but decided to stick with SoCal schools (since we are here already, as is much of the industry)--otherwise it would have stayed on his list. We've also heard great things about LMU (how personalized its program is and how profs take interest in every student). We sensed that in our visits. Son is deciding between Dodge, USC SCA and LMU.

We are with you on the no debt thing! That's what makes USC a challenge for our family. We can swing Chapman and LMU without debt, thanks to their wonderful merit scholarships!

Son has an open mind about how and where he'll break in/find a niche in the industry. One reason he chose to apply to the digital arts/animation major (besides that he lives and breathes that stuff) is this: on tours at the schools, he was uncomfortable with the...ahem...how do I say this...I'll just quote my son..."French beret-wearing, pseudo-intellectual poser guys who ALL raise their hands when asked, 'Who here wants to be a director?'" He actually came away from initial tours distressed that every guy in the room viewed himself as the next great director. That's my son, LOL. He'd been on the fence about whether to apply to the film production or animation/digital arts major, and that helped him decide. Plus, class sizes for Anim/DA were so small: 20 a year at Chapman, 26 (if I remember correctly) at USC.

Good luck to your daughter in her decision-making! Please keep us informed. Maybe we should start a thread for Parents of Film/Digital Arts kids Class of Whatever. We have a good start here, with you, Shakespearefan, SJRCalderone, and others. There is the wonderful 'After the Launch' thread, which I love and lurk on. But those kids are out of school. If there isn't one already, we may need a new thread for our young whippersnappers.

Ya Ya

gladiatorbird

Of course UT is a great school. Many people are dreaming to get in but don't have a chance. My D is a very lucky girl. She knows it.
A big part of all this "decision making issues" is a teenage high school drama. She told other girls at school she was applying to "Hollywood schools", she told them she was accepted, everyone expects her to go there. And suddenly it's not Hollywood at all but Austin, TX. She expects a lot of smirks and mean comments.
I am trying to tell her it doesn't matter. It will last only one month - May, and after that she will probably never see these smirking girls again in her life. Ten years from now she will probably not remember their names. So she should take all this peer pressure a little bit easier.

I guess aoezeki can have the same issue. UCLA is no big deal at all, she is already in California, but New York on the other hand.... what will the other girls say?

gladiatorbird

Austin is a very VERY cool place. Hipper than LA, many would say. Lucky daughter!

digmedia

Ya Ya...very insightful, I totally agree with your goals (even though I had a son)
And I ESPECIALLY agree with this:
If you can achieve those goals at a quality school, yay for her and you!

gladiatorbird

Yes, Yay for wise Ya Ya and lucky Ya Ya daughter.
(Say that fast ten times. I dare you.)

Ya Ya

Thanks.

madbean

Sorry to come to this thread rather late, but I am distressed at all this talk about how women are treated in the film industry. I mean--what? The numbers of women in above the line positions is only growing. The first woman director won an Academy Award last year. There is a desire on the part of the industry--and on the part of top film schools to bring more women into their programs to better help them enter the field. I have to say I am very impressed with aozeki's response to Ya-Ya's post asserting that "girls" must sleep their way to the top. Oh brother. Not only is this offensive, it's pretty misogynistic. Boys, he says, don't need to worry. Perhaps Ya-Ya doesn't realize just how things are in Hollywood. All young adults will need to use good sense, but this isn't some terrible snakepit!

Perhaps Ya-ya, coming from a different culture, and with a pretty young daughter who is an actress, and standing around with a bunch of men on the crew (think older and Teamster) gets to hear the exaggerated scary x-rated version of the film business. However, despite his worries for his daughter, this is not a career that particularly puts any young woman... or man at risk! Young people starting out, as I'm sure it doesn't need saying, will have to make good choices in their relationships no matter what field they pursue.

I also have to question Ya-ya's assertion that the number of students in a film program will determine how many will get work in the industry. I mean--what? How does that even compute? By the way, USC admits 50 into their production major each year. But no school can possibly guarantee each student will find work. The career paths are determined by many factors, including talent, relevance, personality, attitude, resilience, drive and good fortune. The thing aozeki and other students need to keep in mind is how important it is for any artist to get a full education, develop critical thinking skills, and interact with other creative and deep thinking peers.

To answer her original question, it is very prestigious to be admitted to NYU's film school, but they do admit more students than most other film programs. UCLA is a stellar school (full disclosure: I teach there), and in her case, perhaps being female will give her an edge in applying to their film major in 2 years.