Film Schools Strive On: Part Two
CineSource
Nationally Acclaimed, right in Oakland. photo: K. NzoiwuLast month, we surveyed six Bay Area film schools, mostly big ones, like the Academy and State, and a few boutique, like SF School of Digital Filmmaking, and of the people, Chabot College, see CS archive, cinesourcemagazine.com. We're back with eight more of schools, while pushing the total number to a whopping 21 - not the 19 noted in last month's introduction.
Each school has its own approach and level of funding but even among smaller or poorer institutions, we found interesting practices and philosophies. Each enables at least some students to tackle the difficult tech and art training and, some, the still harder search for funding. As most of us well know, filmmaking is the noble knight-errant's quest - to make art and income despite the dragons of overwork, crass commercialism and cocaine.
Here's how our local cinema masters guide their charges: starting with Youth Radio, San Jose State, and Berkeley Digital Film Institute on this page and UC Santa Cruz, City College of SF, College of Marin, Bay Area Video Coalition and Pyramind, on the jumps.
Youth Radio Rocks Oakland & the World
Right on Broadway in the heart of Oakland is a street-level institution bustling with students and winning kudos and awards across the country for its penetrating reportage, mostly aired on PBS. "Youth Radio" is a show, a media outlet and a school, providing free after-school training since 1992 in broadcast journalism, radio, Web, media advocacy and literacy and now video production, with hopes to expand it.
"Youth Radio is doing great!" says Marcells Reese, staffing the front desk, "Even though donations have slowed, we have many supporters and students that keep Youth Radio in a great standing."
Using on the opportunitiy to air-DJ as a "hook," Youth Radio instructs over 1,300 kids each year, locally and nationally, in the art, craft, and career paths of media. Programs are open to youth ages 14 to 18, with advanced classes for those up to 24, and focus on underserved populations, notably girls (55%), low-income (80%) and kids of color (80%).
The introductory and intermediate programs, called CORE and BRIDGE_respectively, are 10 weeks long, while CAP (Community Action Project)_fosters leadership education for Oaklanders aged 16-21 who have been on probation/parole, or been suspended/expelled.
There's also the Emerging Media Professionals, an advanced training syllabus for ages 18-24. A six-month course, it includes public speaking, group facilitation, networking, journalism, production, and distribution - and can lead to internships_or what YR calls externships.
Run by the talented Jacinda Abcarian, YR is a fun place to work as well as learn, bustling with new trends and ideas. "The girls are into fashion videos with lots of color and current trends in clothing," according to Reese, but everyone is into making "short videos and posting them to the Youth Radio blog about issues effecting their lives and community." Although the film department is small, movies are broadcast online through their Website and YouTube (see http://www.youthradio.org/in-other-words). With their fantastic national radio reputation, YR is an excellent place to get a good media grounding and join in building its probably soon-to-be-famous film scene. - D. Blair
San Jose State: Pro Shop Produces Able Auteurs like Eugene Kim
We featured San Jose State on CineSource's cover last year, due to the fantastic job producer-teacher Barnaby Dallas, filmmaker-teacher Ned Kopp, and department head Dr. Ethel Walker were doing, not only running one of the better departments in the Bay Area, but also Spartan Productions. As the name implies, Spartan produces features on limited budgets and markets them to European television, among other places. Since Eugene "SB" Kim was one of the rock-star cinema kids draped across each other and our cover last year (see "Plethora of Film Schools,' CS archives), we figured we'd feature his personal paean to his beloved alma mater, entitled "This is Sparta!"
It all began when I joined the TRFT (television, radio, film, and theater) department in my sophomore year. I was at an awkward stage in my college career, seeking to fill a void left by a recent break-up with a girlfriend. The TRFT department came to the rescue, in the form of a vigorous internship on the "Kid" music video. Indeed, it introduced me to the path I have chosen to follow the rest of my life.
Eugene Kim, center, draped across fellow SJS filmmakers, Matt Falkenthal and Chris Faulkner, with instructors Nick Martinez, Barnaby Dallas and Ned Kopp (left to right) in back row. photo: CineSourceMany students, such as myself, join film programs with romantic dreams of fabricating art similar to what we see on the big screen. These dreams are crushed year after year when it dawns on us that - unless you're rich or a miracle occurs (other than the credit card "magic" most film students incur) - you probably won't get the opportunity to be the next Tarrantino or Spielberg.
But each summer at SJ State, Spartan Productions, TRFT's very own film production company, allows one standout student to develop his or her screenplay into an actual film, shooting in a professional environment and learning everything from technique to set etiquette.
Joining that department is like a rite of passage right out of a movie. Loyalty is a must. So is damn good writing. A delightful process, it makes much more sense than the numbers game that rules Hollywood. At SJSU, if you pay your dues, your time will come.
After spending the better part of a demanding summer working on Spartan productions, I was pumped up and ready to prove to my peers that I too had a story to tell. I had been involved with the Film Production Society, a club dedicated to producing films, and I had written and directed short films that went on to win awards at various festivals. The time had come for me to take that next step.
I had begun to write a script in a screenwriting class, probably similar to screenplays by other first-time feature writers: vignette of events from my life. After undergoing ample criticism, I was able to find the funding to make it - a fairy tale ending to my "film school" years. When I tell people "No, I didn't go to AFI, USC, or UCLA," the look on their faces is priceless. Indeed, if I were able to do it all over, I wouldn't change a thing.
The department just invested in some new gear, a Fisher 11, Panasonic HD cameras, and assorted grip equipment, and is ready to compete with the best of them. For more info: Barnaby Dallas at . The websites for our most recent productions: liquorstorecactus.com, cheerupsam.com (featured in the Sep08 CS article) and superheropartyclown.com. - Eugene "SB" Kim
A Small, Well-Equipped Place: Berkeley Digital Film Institute
The institute is small wellequipped, including a massive 32-track recording studio, and nicely situated in the Saul Zaentz Film Center on 10th Street in Berkeley. It provides a full gamut of classes, size-limited to 12 students, with pro directors, screenwriters, and cinematographers, some bringing their own equipment notably the Red camera, in conjunction with local cinematographer Jeff Deveraux.
According to founder/dean Patrick Kriwanek, "There's nothing like it in Northern California." The 16-month total immersion program focuses not only on producing and directing narrative fiction, but collaboration and the development of sample work, to raise funds for future projects. With facilities in the Saul Zaentz Center, there's easy access to other professionals.
"I think my students are definitely the coolest in the Bay Area," Kriwanek said, with a laugh, "And this year they have been especially well-recognized." Indeed, Danielle Katvan won 2nd place in the prestigious Eastman Kodak student film competition, alongside students from the American Film Institute; current and former students have seven music videos currently on MTV, with two more in the pipeline with by Bay Area icon MC Hammer, and Lucasfilm hired first semester student Laura Livingstone as a production assistant on "Ironman 2." More info: berkeleydigital.com. - D. Blair
UC Santa Cruz: Cinema by the Surf
UC Santa Cruz's film and digital media department is a veritable paradise within which to explore film. Aside from its lovely location, it is Goldilock-sized, not too big, not too small, and fully equipped. Offering some 20 courses per semester, from screenwriting and production to genre critique and analysis, the department of around 100 undergrads, with graduate course work starting in 2010, is a perfect place to learn high level filmmaking.
Indeed, UC's curriculum integrates cultural analysis with production and narrative. After the culture-wars of the 1980s, students are leaning to the latter, but alternative remains strong with Chip Lord, of the 60s media collective Ant Farm (who did Cadillac Ranch), teaching classes like "Fundamentals of Film and Video Production." Interdisciplinary, program combines media studies with other areas of the arts, humanities, and social sciences to facilitate the cultural overview that film students desperately need to do their job.
The results have been good with graduates screening work at Sundance and the Milan Film Festival, on HBO or Cinequest, and of course in the annual Santa Cruz Film Festival. The department hasn't taken much of hit economically and attendance is increasing. UCSC already WENT HD in 2008. They have a nice theater and green screen, and six edit suites, full lighting, audio, dollies and other gear.
With the department ably directed by the longterm teacher Eli Hollander, and a good selection of teachers from different backgrounds, including Yiman Wang, a scholar of Chinese cinema, UCSC is film school heaven. More at their great site film.ucsc.edu/courses. - D. Blair
College of Marin: Cinema in the Country
In addition to being home to George Lucas, Sean Penn, and, of late, Robert Zemeckis' prolific ImageMovers, Marin County boasts the College of Marin's slightly more modest film/video program. Structured under the Communications Department, the curriculum provides critical theory and skills for those interested in film, television and broadcast production. The current catalog has 16 classes, many hands-on, with emphasis split between aesthetics and tech. Students can take courses that transfer to four-year universities or earn an A.A. in communications, screenwriting or filmmaking.
The Red Berkeley Digital students shoot this highly acclaimed high-resolution camera. photo: BSDFFrank Crosby, a media production professor, said some students simply take classes for the sake of finding freelance work in the media rich Marin scene (see article page one). He also emphasized that their program is changing with the times, now prepping students for all varieties of media, including web, gaming, and hand-held devices. One student, who only completed a few classes, directed a feature for The Disney Channel. Info: http://www.marin.cc.ca.us - D. Schwartz
Cost-Effective SF Education: BAVC
The Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), located in the media gulch of south east Mission District, offers a variety of programs in fields as diverse as journalism and advertising, but they are known primarily for their film/video classes. "BAVC training really redefines film school in a professional context," said Wendy Levy, Director of Creative Programming, and classes are limited to ten students, ensuring students get the attention they need.
The new FUSE program offers training and job-placement to unemployed media professionals. For less than a dollar an hour, students can receive advanced training in Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, as well as the standard After Effects and Final Cut Pro. There are classes in workflow and project design, as well as the aesthetics of design and editing. They even offer free training to qualified local companies and teachers.
This year, BAVC awarded four filmmakers $8,000 in grants as part of the 2009 Mediamaker Awards and announced a partnership with the Dance Heritage Coalition to archive "100 seminal works of dance." Moreover, eight documentary teams recently developed social justice projects as part of the 2009 Producers Institute for New Media Technologies.
Since 1976, BAVC, itself a nonprofit has been serving the nonprofit, alternative and low-budg community, providing professional-quality facilities and friendly helpful service. You can find more information about the FUSE program and others at their Website (bavc.org). - R. Seifert
Pyramind: Right in the Thick of SF
A major production house working with big-money clients, like LucasArts, SEGA, Microsoft, and EA, this state-of-the-art facility, with cool foley room, also trains students in production and studio management, and on a number of high-end visual and audio programs. Training periods varies widely in both scope and intensity. After an 8-month core program, recommended to all students, they "major" in particular fields, like sound or animation, and get certified in programs like ProTools, Logic, Final Cut, Ableton, and WAVES.
Fixtures in their neighborhood, the guys at Pyramind obviously like to have fun and are often producing events for their students. Given their success, it follows that training with Pyramind could lead to real work in industries like video games, animated films, and music. With a swanky space on Folsom, Pyramind is right in the thick of it. See pyramind.com - R. Seifert
So we have reached the end of Part II of our school survey, each offering a different slant on the cinema path, each contributing to the vibrancy of local filmmaking. Join us next month for breaking news on CCA, and reviews of the little known Diablo College, Sonoma State and others.
Laney College: The Heart of Oakland
Laney College has a nice campus (not far from Lake Merrit in Oakland), a heavy history (involving the Black Panthers) and a substantial media program (for a junior college). They offer coursework in broadcasting, acting, directing, video production, music video production, sound design, animation, video production, after effects, and cinematography.
In addition, the campus has its own TV station - Peralta TV, on channel 27/28 and live on the web. Their shows include PTV.Sports, P-SPAN, CINEPOD (Roger Garcia's look at the world of cinema), and a YouTube channel (user name: peraltatv). Last year, they won some notice with the fascinating doc "Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers," narrated by Senator Barbara Boxer. Directed/produced by Jeff Heyman, it tells of the late 1960's in West Oakland, the birthplace of the Panthers (and CineSource, coincidentally), see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGUANebvRao
"I have to admit that Huey and I ran the streets before the birth of the party and wanted to be gangsters," noted Richard Aoki, a former Panther as well as retired Merritt College professor, although the film of course emphasizes the good the Panthers brought, like a sickle cell anemia testing and school lunch programs. With Oakland is an up-and-coming media center, Laney would be an interesting place to go to school. Contact Vina Cera, 510 464 3550, director, Media Communications. - D. Blair
Diablo Valley College: Who the Devil Made It?
For its accessibility and affordability, this community college program, in Pleasant Hill, is one of the most talked-about in the Bay Area. They offer courses in American Cinema/American Culture, American Ethnic Cultures in Film, Digital Editing, Comparative Film Studies, two levels of Scriptwriting, two levels of Fundamentals of Filmmaking, World Film History, and a two-part American Film History. For a community college, it's a pretty darn comprehensive. In other departments, they offer classes like Animation for Animals, Survey of the Short Film and Literature for Drama, Film and Criticism, Acting on Camera, and Sound for Picture.
With free screenings (of good films) throughout the year, often more than once a week, the film forum at Diablo Valley College is a veritable hotbed for creativity. Joann Denning, the Multimedia Program Chair, says that DVC offers "a program of study that introduces students to a wide variety of ways to express themselves using digital media... the DVC Multimedia Program can help [students] to reach personal and career goals."
UCSC Student, Deva Blaisdell-Anderson shooting behind the school - a redwood paradise.photo: photo USCSCity College of SF: Sitting Cinema Pretty
With a two-year degree that emphases in all areas of production, City College of San Francisco is essentially a vocational institution, providing affordable education to the community in the art and craft of filmmaking. The Cinema major takes students through a four-semester program that brings them from the beginning of film and leads them to mastery of advanced skills, from a solid base in film history to production, cinematography and screenwriting, including a class taught by CS author, Denise Bostrum (See "Screenwriting 101" Sep09 CS).
Sadly, the school had to face daunting financial sizebacks this year. "We're not adding any new classes this semester," says former Dean of the Cinema Department, Lidia Szajko, "We're not even able to keep our current curriculum afloat." In response to across-the-board state cuts, the administration directed all departments to eliminate eight percent cut for fall, for example, removing CINE 76 Digital Editing from its program.
Nevertheless, the department will be getting new HD cameras and projectors, as well as DVD-authoring equipment this fall, has the latest Final Cut software, and is continuing with some exciting new projects. Steven Glick, dean of the downtown campus, is organizing a day-long, campuswide event in November to mark President Obama's election as president. The cinema department will be collaborating with three classes to produce short videos about the president's historic first year. Filmmaker Dina Ciraulo will bring her production experience to the department while Szajko is on sabbatical for the next year. - R. Rose
Ex'pression College: Ex'press Yourself
A technical arts school offering career path education via intensive, real-world paced classes, Ex'pression College for Digital Arts sets students on a collision course with their dreams. The school, located right of highway 80 in Emeryville, and the only local art school with a fly pop architecture and design, its Bachelor of Arts programs can be completed in as little as 32 months. While creative can only come from the students, all the technical training person could want they need is offered here, except for actual film production. More like a technical finishing school, majors range from animation and gaming to motion graphic design and sound arts, with working professionals giving Ex'pression's students the knowledge they need to succeed in whatever field they choose. Although it lacks on-set film production, if you're itching to master digital arts in all its manifestations, Ex'pression is an excellent choice. - Reynard Seifert
San Mateo College: A Solid Springboard for Diving into Film
At the College of San Mateo, film history students are taught the basics of film analysis, screenwriting, and production, with a focus on modern digital filmmaking as well. The program allows students to structure their own schedule based on their individual needs. In this way, San Mateo can serve as a solid springboard for further film study and production.
The college added new courses in digital production through the Broadcast and Electronic Media department. And, in July, ethnic studies instructor Lewis Kawahara received a $7,000 grant to host an Asian Pacific Film Festival at the campus next year. The grant was awarded to Kawahara by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program. - Reynard Seifert
UC Berkeley Extension: Continuing or Intro
Continuing or Intro, either way, UCBE is a good option. New this term to UC Berkeley Extension is their class "Sound Cinema Comes of Age 1926-1960," which picks up where another Cinema Studies class, "Silent Silver Screen," leaves off, and obviously providing a comprehensive introduction to film history and art. Also offered are classes in Intermediate Digital Filmmaking, the Art of Film, Video Art, and Photo Storytelling: Exploring Narrative. For those looking for a highquality intro to the essentials without the academic or financial commitment required of a degree program, and right in Lower Haight of San Francisco, UC Berekeley Extension is a good option. - Reynard Seifert
Sonoma State: With a Great Film Society
The highest degree offered by the Film Studies program at lovely Sonoma State University campus in Cotati is a BA in Film History. There's also an interdisciplinary minor, analyzing the history, theory, and practice of film in both Western and non-Western cultures. With three options for emphasis - film and literature, critical perspectives, and fine arts - there little opportunity for the students to get their hands on a camera or write scripts and Sonoma State doesn't offer a whole lot for desperate cinema kids to get their hands dirty. But they would certainly start off with the basics; and really, isn't that all anyone needs to get themselves on the noble path to making movies?
In fact, Sonoma State has the Sonoma Film Institute which screens 50 films a year, since 1973, making it the oldest film repertory in the North Bay. Showing everything from Bollywood to Orson Welles, the avant-garde and everything in between, these SFI provides an inspirational shot in the arm to the film students at Sonoma State. Indeed the programming is devised with an eye for education, as many of the films act as inroads for the philosophies explored in film studies classes. Certainly, putting movies into context can be more important than getting a camera into the students' hands. Especially since, in the age of cheap digital access, they probably already have one. - Reynard Seifert
And so we have reached the end of our film school survey, each offering a different slant on the noble cinema path, each institution offering students opportunity to achieve creativity and freshness, which ultimately contributes to the vibrancy of North California filmmaking. Posted on Oct 01, 2009 - 04:08 PM
CineSource
Nationally Acclaimed, right in Oakland. photo: K. NzoiwuEach school has its own approach and level of funding but even among smaller or poorer institutions, we found interesting practices and philosophies. Each enables at least some students to tackle the difficult tech and art training and, some, the still harder search for funding. As most of us well know, filmmaking is the noble knight-errant's quest - to make art and income despite the dragons of overwork, crass commercialism and cocaine.
Here's how our local cinema masters guide their charges: starting with Youth Radio, San Jose State, and Berkeley Digital Film Institute on this page and UC Santa Cruz, City College of SF, College of Marin, Bay Area Video Coalition and Pyramind, on the jumps.
Youth Radio Rocks Oakland & the World
Right on Broadway in the heart of Oakland is a street-level institution bustling with students and winning kudos and awards across the country for its penetrating reportage, mostly aired on PBS. "Youth Radio" is a show, a media outlet and a school, providing free after-school training since 1992 in broadcast journalism, radio, Web, media advocacy and literacy and now video production, with hopes to expand it.
"Youth Radio is doing great!" says Marcells Reese, staffing the front desk, "Even though donations have slowed, we have many supporters and students that keep Youth Radio in a great standing."
Using on the opportunitiy to air-DJ as a "hook," Youth Radio instructs over 1,300 kids each year, locally and nationally, in the art, craft, and career paths of media. Programs are open to youth ages 14 to 18, with advanced classes for those up to 24, and focus on underserved populations, notably girls (55%), low-income (80%) and kids of color (80%).
The introductory and intermediate programs, called CORE and BRIDGE_respectively, are 10 weeks long, while CAP (Community Action Project)_fosters leadership education for Oaklanders aged 16-21 who have been on probation/parole, or been suspended/expelled.
There's also the Emerging Media Professionals, an advanced training syllabus for ages 18-24. A six-month course, it includes public speaking, group facilitation, networking, journalism, production, and distribution - and can lead to internships_or what YR calls externships.
Run by the talented Jacinda Abcarian, YR is a fun place to work as well as learn, bustling with new trends and ideas. "The girls are into fashion videos with lots of color and current trends in clothing," according to Reese, but everyone is into making "short videos and posting them to the Youth Radio blog about issues effecting their lives and community." Although the film department is small, movies are broadcast online through their Website and YouTube (see http://www.youthradio.org/in-other-words). With their fantastic national radio reputation, YR is an excellent place to get a good media grounding and join in building its probably soon-to-be-famous film scene. - D. Blair
San Jose State: Pro Shop Produces Able Auteurs like Eugene Kim
We featured San Jose State on CineSource's cover last year, due to the fantastic job producer-teacher Barnaby Dallas, filmmaker-teacher Ned Kopp, and department head Dr. Ethel Walker were doing, not only running one of the better departments in the Bay Area, but also Spartan Productions. As the name implies, Spartan produces features on limited budgets and markets them to European television, among other places. Since Eugene "SB" Kim was one of the rock-star cinema kids draped across each other and our cover last year (see "Plethora of Film Schools,' CS archives), we figured we'd feature his personal paean to his beloved alma mater, entitled "This is Sparta!"
It all began when I joined the TRFT (television, radio, film, and theater) department in my sophomore year. I was at an awkward stage in my college career, seeking to fill a void left by a recent break-up with a girlfriend. The TRFT department came to the rescue, in the form of a vigorous internship on the "Kid" music video. Indeed, it introduced me to the path I have chosen to follow the rest of my life.
Eugene Kim, center, draped across fellow SJS filmmakers, Matt Falkenthal and Chris Faulkner, with instructors Nick Martinez, Barnaby Dallas and Ned Kopp (left to right) in back row. photo: CineSourceBut each summer at SJ State, Spartan Productions, TRFT's very own film production company, allows one standout student to develop his or her screenplay into an actual film, shooting in a professional environment and learning everything from technique to set etiquette.
Joining that department is like a rite of passage right out of a movie. Loyalty is a must. So is damn good writing. A delightful process, it makes much more sense than the numbers game that rules Hollywood. At SJSU, if you pay your dues, your time will come.
After spending the better part of a demanding summer working on Spartan productions, I was pumped up and ready to prove to my peers that I too had a story to tell. I had been involved with the Film Production Society, a club dedicated to producing films, and I had written and directed short films that went on to win awards at various festivals. The time had come for me to take that next step.
I had begun to write a script in a screenwriting class, probably similar to screenplays by other first-time feature writers: vignette of events from my life. After undergoing ample criticism, I was able to find the funding to make it - a fairy tale ending to my "film school" years. When I tell people "No, I didn't go to AFI, USC, or UCLA," the look on their faces is priceless. Indeed, if I were able to do it all over, I wouldn't change a thing.
The department just invested in some new gear, a Fisher 11, Panasonic HD cameras, and assorted grip equipment, and is ready to compete with the best of them. For more info: Barnaby Dallas at . The websites for our most recent productions: liquorstorecactus.com, cheerupsam.com (featured in the Sep08 CS article) and superheropartyclown.com. - Eugene "SB" Kim
A Small, Well-Equipped Place: Berkeley Digital Film Institute
The institute is small wellequipped, including a massive 32-track recording studio, and nicely situated in the Saul Zaentz Film Center on 10th Street in Berkeley. It provides a full gamut of classes, size-limited to 12 students, with pro directors, screenwriters, and cinematographers, some bringing their own equipment notably the Red camera, in conjunction with local cinematographer Jeff Deveraux.
According to founder/dean Patrick Kriwanek, "There's nothing like it in Northern California." The 16-month total immersion program focuses not only on producing and directing narrative fiction, but collaboration and the development of sample work, to raise funds for future projects. With facilities in the Saul Zaentz Center, there's easy access to other professionals.
"I think my students are definitely the coolest in the Bay Area," Kriwanek said, with a laugh, "And this year they have been especially well-recognized." Indeed, Danielle Katvan won 2nd place in the prestigious Eastman Kodak student film competition, alongside students from the American Film Institute; current and former students have seven music videos currently on MTV, with two more in the pipeline with by Bay Area icon MC Hammer, and Lucasfilm hired first semester student Laura Livingstone as a production assistant on "Ironman 2." More info: berkeleydigital.com. - D. Blair
UC Santa Cruz: Cinema by the Surf
UC Santa Cruz's film and digital media department is a veritable paradise within which to explore film. Aside from its lovely location, it is Goldilock-sized, not too big, not too small, and fully equipped. Offering some 20 courses per semester, from screenwriting and production to genre critique and analysis, the department of around 100 undergrads, with graduate course work starting in 2010, is a perfect place to learn high level filmmaking.
Indeed, UC's curriculum integrates cultural analysis with production and narrative. After the culture-wars of the 1980s, students are leaning to the latter, but alternative remains strong with Chip Lord, of the 60s media collective Ant Farm (who did Cadillac Ranch), teaching classes like "Fundamentals of Film and Video Production." Interdisciplinary, program combines media studies with other areas of the arts, humanities, and social sciences to facilitate the cultural overview that film students desperately need to do their job.
The results have been good with graduates screening work at Sundance and the Milan Film Festival, on HBO or Cinequest, and of course in the annual Santa Cruz Film Festival. The department hasn't taken much of hit economically and attendance is increasing. UCSC already WENT HD in 2008. They have a nice theater and green screen, and six edit suites, full lighting, audio, dollies and other gear.
With the department ably directed by the longterm teacher Eli Hollander, and a good selection of teachers from different backgrounds, including Yiman Wang, a scholar of Chinese cinema, UCSC is film school heaven. More at their great site film.ucsc.edu/courses. - D. Blair
College of Marin: Cinema in the Country
In addition to being home to George Lucas, Sean Penn, and, of late, Robert Zemeckis' prolific ImageMovers, Marin County boasts the College of Marin's slightly more modest film/video program. Structured under the Communications Department, the curriculum provides critical theory and skills for those interested in film, television and broadcast production. The current catalog has 16 classes, many hands-on, with emphasis split between aesthetics and tech. Students can take courses that transfer to four-year universities or earn an A.A. in communications, screenwriting or filmmaking.
The Red Berkeley Digital students shoot this highly acclaimed high-resolution camera. photo: BSDFCost-Effective SF Education: BAVC
The Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), located in the media gulch of south east Mission District, offers a variety of programs in fields as diverse as journalism and advertising, but they are known primarily for their film/video classes. "BAVC training really redefines film school in a professional context," said Wendy Levy, Director of Creative Programming, and classes are limited to ten students, ensuring students get the attention they need.
The new FUSE program offers training and job-placement to unemployed media professionals. For less than a dollar an hour, students can receive advanced training in Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, as well as the standard After Effects and Final Cut Pro. There are classes in workflow and project design, as well as the aesthetics of design and editing. They even offer free training to qualified local companies and teachers.
This year, BAVC awarded four filmmakers $8,000 in grants as part of the 2009 Mediamaker Awards and announced a partnership with the Dance Heritage Coalition to archive "100 seminal works of dance." Moreover, eight documentary teams recently developed social justice projects as part of the 2009 Producers Institute for New Media Technologies.
Since 1976, BAVC, itself a nonprofit has been serving the nonprofit, alternative and low-budg community, providing professional-quality facilities and friendly helpful service. You can find more information about the FUSE program and others at their Website (bavc.org). - R. Seifert
Pyramind: Right in the Thick of SF
A major production house working with big-money clients, like LucasArts, SEGA, Microsoft, and EA, this state-of-the-art facility, with cool foley room, also trains students in production and studio management, and on a number of high-end visual and audio programs. Training periods varies widely in both scope and intensity. After an 8-month core program, recommended to all students, they "major" in particular fields, like sound or animation, and get certified in programs like ProTools, Logic, Final Cut, Ableton, and WAVES.
Fixtures in their neighborhood, the guys at Pyramind obviously like to have fun and are often producing events for their students. Given their success, it follows that training with Pyramind could lead to real work in industries like video games, animated films, and music. With a swanky space on Folsom, Pyramind is right in the thick of it. See pyramind.com - R. Seifert
So we have reached the end of Part II of our school survey, each offering a different slant on the cinema path, each contributing to the vibrancy of local filmmaking. Join us next month for breaking news on CCA, and reviews of the little known Diablo College, Sonoma State and others.
Laney College: The Heart of Oakland
Laney College has a nice campus (not far from Lake Merrit in Oakland), a heavy history (involving the Black Panthers) and a substantial media program (for a junior college). They offer coursework in broadcasting, acting, directing, video production, music video production, sound design, animation, video production, after effects, and cinematography.
In addition, the campus has its own TV station - Peralta TV, on channel 27/28 and live on the web. Their shows include PTV.Sports, P-SPAN, CINEPOD (Roger Garcia's look at the world of cinema), and a YouTube channel (user name: peraltatv). Last year, they won some notice with the fascinating doc "Merritt College: Home of the Black Panthers," narrated by Senator Barbara Boxer. Directed/produced by Jeff Heyman, it tells of the late 1960's in West Oakland, the birthplace of the Panthers (and CineSource, coincidentally), see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGUANebvRao
"I have to admit that Huey and I ran the streets before the birth of the party and wanted to be gangsters," noted Richard Aoki, a former Panther as well as retired Merritt College professor, although the film of course emphasizes the good the Panthers brought, like a sickle cell anemia testing and school lunch programs. With Oakland is an up-and-coming media center, Laney would be an interesting place to go to school. Contact Vina Cera, 510 464 3550, director, Media Communications. - D. Blair
Diablo Valley College: Who the Devil Made It?
For its accessibility and affordability, this community college program, in Pleasant Hill, is one of the most talked-about in the Bay Area. They offer courses in American Cinema/American Culture, American Ethnic Cultures in Film, Digital Editing, Comparative Film Studies, two levels of Scriptwriting, two levels of Fundamentals of Filmmaking, World Film History, and a two-part American Film History. For a community college, it's a pretty darn comprehensive. In other departments, they offer classes like Animation for Animals, Survey of the Short Film and Literature for Drama, Film and Criticism, Acting on Camera, and Sound for Picture.
With free screenings (of good films) throughout the year, often more than once a week, the film forum at Diablo Valley College is a veritable hotbed for creativity. Joann Denning, the Multimedia Program Chair, says that DVC offers "a program of study that introduces students to a wide variety of ways to express themselves using digital media... the DVC Multimedia Program can help [students] to reach personal and career goals."
UCSC Student, Deva Blaisdell-Anderson shooting behind the school - a redwood paradise.photo: photo USCSWith a two-year degree that emphases in all areas of production, City College of San Francisco is essentially a vocational institution, providing affordable education to the community in the art and craft of filmmaking. The Cinema major takes students through a four-semester program that brings them from the beginning of film and leads them to mastery of advanced skills, from a solid base in film history to production, cinematography and screenwriting, including a class taught by CS author, Denise Bostrum (See "Screenwriting 101" Sep09 CS).
Sadly, the school had to face daunting financial sizebacks this year. "We're not adding any new classes this semester," says former Dean of the Cinema Department, Lidia Szajko, "We're not even able to keep our current curriculum afloat." In response to across-the-board state cuts, the administration directed all departments to eliminate eight percent cut for fall, for example, removing CINE 76 Digital Editing from its program.
Nevertheless, the department will be getting new HD cameras and projectors, as well as DVD-authoring equipment this fall, has the latest Final Cut software, and is continuing with some exciting new projects. Steven Glick, dean of the downtown campus, is organizing a day-long, campuswide event in November to mark President Obama's election as president. The cinema department will be collaborating with three classes to produce short videos about the president's historic first year. Filmmaker Dina Ciraulo will bring her production experience to the department while Szajko is on sabbatical for the next year. - R. Rose
Ex'pression College: Ex'press Yourself
A technical arts school offering career path education via intensive, real-world paced classes, Ex'pression College for Digital Arts sets students on a collision course with their dreams. The school, located right of highway 80 in Emeryville, and the only local art school with a fly pop architecture and design, its Bachelor of Arts programs can be completed in as little as 32 months. While creative can only come from the students, all the technical training person could want they need is offered here, except for actual film production. More like a technical finishing school, majors range from animation and gaming to motion graphic design and sound arts, with working professionals giving Ex'pression's students the knowledge they need to succeed in whatever field they choose. Although it lacks on-set film production, if you're itching to master digital arts in all its manifestations, Ex'pression is an excellent choice. - Reynard Seifert
San Mateo College: A Solid Springboard for Diving into Film
At the College of San Mateo, film history students are taught the basics of film analysis, screenwriting, and production, with a focus on modern digital filmmaking as well. The program allows students to structure their own schedule based on their individual needs. In this way, San Mateo can serve as a solid springboard for further film study and production.
The college added new courses in digital production through the Broadcast and Electronic Media department. And, in July, ethnic studies instructor Lewis Kawahara received a $7,000 grant to host an Asian Pacific Film Festival at the campus next year. The grant was awarded to Kawahara by the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program. - Reynard Seifert
UC Berkeley Extension: Continuing or Intro
Continuing or Intro, either way, UCBE is a good option. New this term to UC Berkeley Extension is their class "Sound Cinema Comes of Age 1926-1960," which picks up where another Cinema Studies class, "Silent Silver Screen," leaves off, and obviously providing a comprehensive introduction to film history and art. Also offered are classes in Intermediate Digital Filmmaking, the Art of Film, Video Art, and Photo Storytelling: Exploring Narrative. For those looking for a highquality intro to the essentials without the academic or financial commitment required of a degree program, and right in Lower Haight of San Francisco, UC Berekeley Extension is a good option. - Reynard Seifert
Sonoma State: With a Great Film Society
The highest degree offered by the Film Studies program at lovely Sonoma State University campus in Cotati is a BA in Film History. There's also an interdisciplinary minor, analyzing the history, theory, and practice of film in both Western and non-Western cultures. With three options for emphasis - film and literature, critical perspectives, and fine arts - there little opportunity for the students to get their hands on a camera or write scripts and Sonoma State doesn't offer a whole lot for desperate cinema kids to get their hands dirty. But they would certainly start off with the basics; and really, isn't that all anyone needs to get themselves on the noble path to making movies?
In fact, Sonoma State has the Sonoma Film Institute which screens 50 films a year, since 1973, making it the oldest film repertory in the North Bay. Showing everything from Bollywood to Orson Welles, the avant-garde and everything in between, these SFI provides an inspirational shot in the arm to the film students at Sonoma State. Indeed the programming is devised with an eye for education, as many of the films act as inroads for the philosophies explored in film studies classes. Certainly, putting movies into context can be more important than getting a camera into the students' hands. Especially since, in the age of cheap digital access, they probably already have one. - Reynard Seifert
And so we have reached the end of our film school survey, each offering a different slant on the noble cinema path, each institution offering students opportunity to achieve creativity and freshness, which ultimately contributes to the vibrancy of North California filmmaking. Posted on Oct 01, 2009 - 04:08 PM
