maddenmd

My son has just committed to USC for film production and I thought it might be nice for other parents of students going to film school to have a place to talk to each other. I am relieved the decision has been made, happy he will be at his first choice school, sad it is 3000 miles from our home, and relieved the application and decision season is winding down. How are the rest of you doing?

And thanks for all the help and advice from the experienced parents here: madbean, digmedia, and many others.

For us "newbies": Let us know where your child is going (or considering) and how YOU are doing.

And for you "oldtimers": any good advice for helping our kids make the transition: special equipment, things to bring, advice, etc...?

OCELITE

Not sure how I should put this in terms of advice without coming across or to sound alarming after the latest news. Good luck to your son and remind him to be careful and stay safe for the next four years at USC. Don't stay out late, hide all valuable gadgets, etc. In case you haven't heard the latest news, two USC students were shot and killed yesterday. A couple days ago UCLA was on the news also, someone got robbed at gunpoint for an iPhone. It's very sad. Just an FYI.

Two USC Students From China Shot, Killed Near Campus - ABC News


UCLA Student Robbed At Gunpoint In North Village CBS Los Angeles

jtmoney

First of all, congratulations, what a great opportunity. Second, my daughter has spent the last two school years at LMU, and has worked on sets all over the city, alleys, late night convenience stores, abandoned buildings at all hours of the day. she's not naive anymore, but I don't think she has ever been worried for her safety. The world is a dangerous place, and there are scary neighborhoods everywhere. Sitting alone in a BMW late at night could get me killed in at least 15 cities in Washington state, let alone LA. Do not fear the city.
As far as advice, be prepared to deal with your child being on set constantly. They will love it, but the teachers of their Gen Ed classes may not understand why you have to miss Friday classes to work on sets.
Have their tonsils and wisdom teeth out, get a flu shot, scope out how your medical insurance works in a faraway land.
You will need a large external hard drive. Or two.
They will need to buy gloves, gaffer tape, etc. Lots of little things add up.
Prepare now for the summer coming soon when they want to stay in LA to work on sets in the summer instead of coming home.
Avoid the car if you can, but eventually it is a necessity in LA.
Plan for increased expenses as the films get bigger, don't know how USC deals with film costs, but kickstarter is an option, esp. if you don't have a deep pockets relative.
You already know this, it's about enthusiasm, hard work, be nice, not a jerk, those school contacts are your in to the profession.

OCELITE

In addition to the subject of safety, remind him to never walk alone at night or in dark places. Always travel in a group. If a robber demands something, give it up, life is more valuable.

As for what to bring to college, here's a thread with some very good advice. Hope this helps.
List of important things to bring to college (boys)

madbean

Congratulations to maddenson! I agree with jtmoney that your son has a lot of cool adventures in store so get ready to watch him take off.

The film business is very exciting, exhilarating and not for the faint of heart. There are lots of hills for them to climb--getting into film school is just one of them (and paying for it is another!!)-- but the strong and the gifted are rewarded. I wish for all our creative kids that they continue to develop the wisdom and stamina to outwit the challenges ahead in college. They will need that strength and their street smarts more, in the long run, than their filmmaking know-how.

maddenmd

OCELITE: What happened near USC is tragic, but we live near Washington DC which until recently had one of the highest homicide rates in the country, yet we do go to DC regularly, I grew up not far from Ground Zero in NYC, and yet we still visit there, and one of the most publicized killings of a teen occurred in a "safe", "patrolled" gated community in Florida recently. Unfortunately horrible things happen everywhere. I think that any University student needs to be aware of their surroundings and cautious of where they go and when. While some Universities like Chapman are in more quiet surroundings, certainly crime can happen anywhere. Another scary and tragic event, The Virginia Tech shootings occurred on one of the most placid campuses around. I think the benefit of being in a city environment is that the student KNOWS from the outset that they need a certain level of caution and care, whereas the student at a more placid campus can relax their guard more- yet danger can find you anywhere. Some like cities, some like suburb, some like rural. I have studied at Brandeis (suburban to rural outside of Boston), The University of Maryland (Suburban) The University of Pennsylvania (very similar neighborhood to USC) and At George Washington (inner City DC) and worked at some hospitals that can only be described as in the least safe parts of a city. Would I trade any of those for Safer locations? Not in a minute. If we determine our choices only by safety we limit ourselves greatly as there is danger everywhere.

As far as your advice: don't stay out late, and hide your valuables- the first is unrealistic (heck, we used to just start going OUT at 11:30 when I was a student- now I can't even stay up that late LOL), I would change that to only stay out late ON CAMPUS or in a large group (at ANY SCHOOL) the second I wholeheartedly endorse: at any campus- hide your valuables.

JT: great set of advice! Have the two 3 Tera Byte hard drives... will work on the rest.
PS he already did a kickstarter for a film he is just completing: what a ride that's been; and last summer was spent in Montreal working of the set of the recently released Mirror Mirror - I thought I'd have a few more years of family vacations, so I share your pain if that's what your daughter is doing: she sounds like a real dynamo

Madbean: Streetsmarts: such a good asset! Hope that continues to evolve for all our kids.

Keep that advice coming....

gladiatorbird

I'm in!
Pleased as punch for you, maddenmd, and looking forward to sharing this journey with all of you and our wonderful, creative, splendiferous kids!

digmedia

Congrats to your son, maddenmd. I truly believe that he will be one of the success stories coming out of USC. I told Wes that your son was in LA filming his movie, and I think that he wanted to stop by and say hello. I knew how busy that time was (and the fact that your son may have already left LA), so it didn't happen. But perhaps in the future...

StantonMom

My son was accepted to FSU undergraduate production program, so he won't officially start film classes until sophmore year, fall of 2013. We live in Jacksonville, so very excited for him; will keep you posted..

madbean

Congratulations StantonMom, and of course gladiatorbird, on being film school moms. Just in case scholarships might be appealing right about now, here is an article that may lead to some $$ for your talented students:
Consider These Scholarships for Film Students - The Scholarship Coach (usnews.com)

OCELITE

maddenmd, Congrats to your son! I'm sure he'll do well at any place. You're pretty hilarious ....are you endorsing people to go out at midnight in a gang infested neighborhood? As the saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. As I'm sure many of us are wondering what those students doing out that late? I'm wondering if the parents of the Chinese students even know what USC and the surrounding area look like at night. In China, they probably think the area is safe because there's a university. What can go wrong? Surely if they knew the area, those kids wouldn't be out there at 1 a.m. Unfortunately their children paid the price. It's unwise to be out that late, unless something is that important and can't wait, but at least ask for a security escort, especially in a high crime neighborhood.

For kids to be streetsmarts, this is where what you don't know may hurt you. For those who are not familiar with the surrounding area of USC, the neighborhood is not the Las Vegas Strip or the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where you'll find crowds of people walking around that late. Keep in mind while we live in a dangerous world, and sometimes things happen which are out of our control, but knowingly going out into an unsafe neighborhood at midnight, that's asking for trouble. It never hurts to be warned. Let's hope the lessons learned from the Chinese students will help save some lives.

gladiatorbird

JTmoney: We are heading out to LMU Preview Day this weekend. We've appreciated and read all your posts about D's adventures there. Son likes the intimate, creative feel of the program and the animation faculty.

He's attending three admitted students' days over the next week and then it's decision time. This is all a lot of fun!

Welcome StantonMom and thanks for the scholarship link, Madbean!

maddenmd

Dig: I have had the pleasure of meeting you son, and would happy to see him again, anytime, anywhere. What is he up to these days?
Gladiatorbird: Have you committed to Chapman? So exicited for your son- what a great school and facilities- and their filmmaking village sounds so great as its there new production company: a really exciting time at Chapman let us know when he had decideed
StantonMom: At USC they don't officially do film until second year either: FSU is a FABULOUS program: congrats to your son: I think this is one of the top programs in the nation
OC: glad to give you a laugh- no endorsement of gang infested neighborhood, just a realization that kids stay up late at every campus in the nation- and I've been in China, not always safe there either, sorry to say. I've followed and enjoyed your great support of Chapman. I know your love of that school, and it's well placed. That is a FAB program with some very talented students and faculty and a dynamic program. I see why you love it and champion it. Well deserved adoration.

FilmerMom

Hi. My DS is still deciding between USC and NYU (both film production). Maddened, was it a tough decision for your DS, or was it USC all the way?

gladiatorbird

maddenmd:
DS has not committed to Dodge quite yet. He wants to do the preview days we already had scheduled (LMU, Chapman, USC Explore). Each of these programs has much to offer and he likes them all! He's not talking much about UCSD these days, though they appear to have an interesting Visual Arts dept. We just can't find out much about it.

Great options and exciting for the whole family, truth be told.