Film at Grinnell

Whateverittakes
Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:29:09 +0000

Well, since you have so much perspective (prospective student?), you might be disappointed with Grinnell’s resources. Sorry for picking on that. I am a current Grinnell student, and in all seriousness, Grinnell isn’t the right place if you are currently thinking about taking film classes, or might even want to major in it. If you have other viable options, I would consider those first.

Last year I had two internships within the NYC film industry over the courses of four months. It changed the way I thought about things, and changed the way I thought about my education. At Grinnell, there is virtually no community of people interested in making films (besides those interested in making joke films for titular head), and the AV center equipment is 5-10 years outdated. I don’t know how excited any film student is to use a Mac G5 and a Canon XL-1 in the year 2010. (if you come here, my secret tip is that the theatre dept. does have some nicer equipment). I’m transferring, if I can, for precisely this reason, that this opportunity isnt available at Grinnell. Grinnell has a lot of other opportunities available, but this isn’t one of them, so think about whats most important to you, and prioritize a bit.

The one film professor here has the hopes of starting a whole department, but there is no way that any significant progress will be made in the next four years. Maybe a few more classes? But I dont think that the administration is seriously considering any wide expansion of the program. Additionally, she specializes in film theory and feminist theory, so you won’t receive any of the introductory, production, or history classes before jumping into the highly-academic stuff. From my experience in class with her, she isn’t the type of professor that will appeal to most students.

Good luck, let me know if you have more specific questions. You might be able to find some opportunity to make your own films, especially if you have your own camera or dont mind using an older one, but forget about other serious film equipment, or any decent selection of courses. Look at your other options if you want to major in film, but if you think you might want to major in something else, then you should consider Grinnell.