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SF Digital School Saves Analog by Monica Peck
The Bay Area has always had a great independent film community, but has taken quite a few hits in the past two decades. From local gentrification to the SF Film Commission hiking its fees, from notorious rents to the dot-com boom-and-bust, from skyrocketing cost-of-living to often-predatory practices of visiting film companies, it has become significantly more difficult for actors and other film professionals to make ends meet in this neck of the woods (let alone fund their dream projects).
The lure of Los Angeles or New York has always drawn talent away from Fog City, especially those aiming for the big-time. The filmmakers who chose to stay put have been forced to come up with creative solutions to the big money problem. Some, like South of Market’s film co-op Mad Cow, have literally pooled their resources to keep their dreams alive and on the big screen.
For others, the solution came with digital video. Toney Merritt is an award-winning experimental filmmaker, instructor, and long-time member of the Bay Area film community. Merritt’s viewpoint echoes many in the local community, as he explains, “The saving grace for a lot of us was that we didn’t have to use celluloid anymore. We can use digital. I’m not going to work for five years to fund a project that isn’t going to make any money. When digital came along, things became so much more affordable. We can spend time working on a project, without the worry of going bankrupt.”
Docmakers were arguably the first filmmakers to take digital into the mainstream, since shooting hundreds of hours on celluloid often wasn’t even close to feasible. Many felt justified in accepting so-called low-quality digital images, because of the importance of putting the content before an audience. San Francisco has always boasted plenty of doc filmmakers, from Amanda Micheli (La Corona) to Sam Green (The Weather Underground), among a long list. So, when the bottom dropped out of so many other sectors seven years ago, digital technology helped to maintain the filmmaking culture here.
Since then, digital has become much more aesthetically acceptable as a medium – and the Bay Area film community can take credit for that too, considering that some of digital filmmaking’s architects call San Francisco home, including Kevin Monahan, who co-authored Final Cut Pro, The Orphanage’s Magic Bullet Suite, and many others.
Local film schools lent momentum to the movement when they began teaching digital filmmaking, foregoing the classic film school training in celluloid media; San Jose State University’s program is a prime example, with its own film studio, South Bay Film Studios. (See October CineSource)
An entire generation of young filmmakers doesn’t even consider working in celluloid, for the simple reason that they haven’t learned the craft. For some, that’s a great loss to the art. Others argue that although digital can never capture the same feeling of warmth and depth that comes from a film image, it shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for film, but rather as a whole new medium with its own limitations, advantages, and numerous possibilities – all within reach of a tight budget.
With the evolution of higher-quality digital technology, more filmmakers are comfortable with the final product. Not only that, but as the visual quality has improved, actors have become much more comfortable presenting themselves on a digital screen, when they know the product will carry their image in a more filmic and appealing way.
And so, for the first time in ten years, the film industry is beginning to show a positive trend in the Bay Area, in spite of the last decade’s tough economic conditions.
Kalina Jazuk moved to San Francisco to attend SFSDF. photo Monica Peck
A busy place where movies are made
One place this trend can be seen is in the bustling halls of the San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking (SFSDF), where aspiring filmmakers produce two hundred short films a year and four features every two years. As icing on the cake, one of those features, Around June directed by SFSDF film instructor James Savoca made it into this year’s Mill Valley Film Festival – and screened to a sold-out audience.
As with all filmmaking, there’s plenty of elbow grease involved, but Celik Kayalar (director of SFSDF’s Film Acting Program) has an air of confident enthusiasm that comes from knowing his students are headed in the right direction. “We’re training the next generation of cutting-edge filmmakers,” Kayalar says, “and mastering the digital technology.”
The school was founded only three years ago by Jeremiah Birnbaum and Stephen Kopels, but it has grown exponentially, attracting talent from the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest. Rumors about classes costing an arm-and-a-leg are also unfounded: tuition is on par with most local private institutions.
SFSDF’s Industry Showcase
Last month, the six-week ‘Industry Showcase’ course wound up with an evening-long showcase event. The course, led by Warren David Keith and Celia Shuman, featured meetings with talent agents for real feedback on students’ auditions, resumes, and overall image.
A select group of twelve student-actors presented themselves to three top representatives of major local talent agencies: Dee Dee Shaughnessy (J E Talent), Rowan Brooks (Nancy Hayes Casting), and David Silverman (Look).
“I’m extremely nervous,” explained Chicago native Crystal Bush, with a laugh. Bush moved to the Bay Area recently to pursue an acting career. “I can’t show it on the outside, but inside I’m a nervous wreck. I feel like tonight I can really make something happen as an actor. This is one way to make it. I have a friend whose doing it a different way – she’s starring in a short film and using it as a reel in LA, but I felt like I wanted to do it through this showcase.”
And Bush knocked it out of the park – Rowan Brooks called her “very professional.”
“The casting process is so quick,” explained Brooks. “We’re looking at 150 reels a day, so this showcase can be a time-saver for us. The school has already done a lot of weeding out and these actors are obviously very prepared.”
Another student-actor, Kalina Jazuk, commented that she found SFSDF “a nurturing environment” for those willing to put in the work. Jazuk traveled from Washington state to attend SFSDF, believing it to be “the best in the Bay Area in providing actors with not only the tools they need, but the know-how of the industry.”
Chasing Crystal Chicagoan Crystal Bush performs a monologue from Chasing Amy. photo Monica Peck
When asked about the talent-drain to LA and New York, agent Dee Dee Shaughnessy remarked, “There’s always going to be a natural attrition to those cities, but there’s also a wealth of talent in the Bay Area. Schools like SFSDF – and courses like these – really help to establish professional standards.”
A Bright Future
And so the future looks bright for Bay Area filmmakers; perhaps we should wear shades. Another SFSDF feature, Moonlight Sonata (directed by Kayalar), wrapped last month, and they’re waiting to hear from Sundance. Still, with all the talk of professionalism and career, their program doesn’t seem to be about ‘making it big’ – and perhaps it never will be about that for Bay Area filmmakers. For those who stay, the interest always seems to be elsewhere: in the process, in the craft, in the art of acting. And that may be the primary difference between the Bay Area film community and those in LA or New York – the concern isn’t about fame or fortune, but in capturing the inner vision, rather than a larger piece of the celebrity pie. Posted on Dec 04, 2008 - 01:18 AM