<p>I really want to get into NHSI at northwestern for film. prompt: Write a one-page statement telling why you want to attend the National High School Institute.</p>
<p>my response: </p>
<pre><code>I found myself overwhelmed with exhilaration as I realized what I had gotten myself into. For five days I would be introduced to this new world of cinema, one where I had no prior experience in. Feeling excited yet anxious, I looked around UCLAs studio, which was filled with glorious cameras, high-tech computers, and equipment I never even knew existed. Unbeknown to me, I would be making a silent film with three random people in just four days. It felt like it was all too much, when I remembered Stanley Kubricks wise words, Perhaps it sounds ridiculous, but the best thing that young filmmakers should do is to get a hold of a camera and some film and make a movie of any kind at all. Suddenly, my situation didnt seem so ridiculous. Within those four days, creative ideas permeated through everyones minds, and my group successfully finished a film that seemed impossible when we were first writing it. I felt proud knowing that I had put in any contribution I could have, from yelling at people to get out of the way so they wouldnt be in the background of a shot, to spraying water on the actors during breaks so they wouldnt faint from the heat. I was also finally able to take on my dream role as the cinematographer, as I had been craving to get my hands on a camera since experiencing Jack Cardiff and Frederick Elmess cinematography. With this first film, my eyes were opened to the endless possibilities of filmmaking, and I was beginning to see what filmmaking meant to me- ingenious ideas, execution of those ideas, and more commonly, failure. To this day, I have not been part of a project more beautiful or stressful than making a film. Looking through a camera lens, one gets to see the world with a new perspective; suddenly, everything looks beautiful, everything looks like it should be filmed for the world to see. Editing is not definite; there are so many ways to tell a story that one can dare to experiment. Thus, the stress kicks in. Even when one is limited, it is impossible to say that there is an exclusive way of making a film; more ideas can actually abound when one is limited. However, I believe that I can discover what methods work for me and that I can further my development as a cinematographer and screenwriter this summer at the National High School Institute. I am positive that in five weeks I will learn what I need to know to carry me on and to keep inspiring me to make films on my own with confidence. The stress and exhilaration that I felt the first day at my first film camp is how I have felt about films and filmmaking to this very day, and something that I never want to lose, for I cannot find the same feeling in anything else. As stressful and overwhelming filmmaking is, theres always something to help- the people I make the film with. No one else can understand the feelings that may come about when making a film because they were simply not there, and there is a bond, but it is shrouded in competition because everyone pushes each other. I believe that with the National High School Institutes status, people of caliber will be by my side as I will be on their side, to help each other discover where our true strengths lie.
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<p>My first experience with filmmaking taught me that filmmaking is about going beyond ones own and the worlds expectations of what equipment and a couple of humans can do. I am still learning where I can go as an artist, and I know that continuing my education with filmmaking is dire so I can develop and mature.</p>