The semester is coming to a close (too quickly in the grand scheme of things, but too slowly according to my finals schedule). But to get through, I've come up with some calming messages for you. So get in a zen mode and read some (bad) finals haikus.
It is 4 AM
What am I still doing up?
Oh yeah, that paper
Paper due today Too windy and cold to walk Will just e-mail it
The clock says it's noon I am comfortable in bed Sleep for one more hour
Exam this Friday Out of black ink for printer Wish for snow to fall
Semester ending Graduation three away Now home for the holidays
And best of luck to those of you waiting for ED decisions! I'll be back after finals for some more informational reading.
If you've read any of my previous blogs, you'd know that as a Film and Media Studies major, I love the program. It's afforded me so many opportunities that I wouldn't have gotten, even at some of the bigger programs. So here are some of my reasons why you should be a Film Major here at Hopkins:
1) A good basic knowledge in both theory and practice. With tons of production classes and theory, you learn so much about film history, theory, and filmmaking.
2) The professors. They are very approachable and can answer any question you could have. Production professors have professional experience - narrative shorts/feature filmmaking, experimental films, documentaries, and even TV movies. Theory professors are writing and researching while teaching. But don't think that with all this other work they are unavailable. If you ever want to talk to them, you can make an appointment. Some will even give out their phone numbers so you can call if there is a pressing issue.
3) Hands-on experience early. By the end of your freshman year, you could have made a short film. By the time you graduate, you will have a substantial portfolio of work. With such a small program, there is plenty of equipment to go around, too.
4) Internship opportunities. The program encourages getting real world experience. You are even required to do some sort of internship or independent study to graduate. Any sort of opportunities the department hears about are always sent out via email to film students. I've worked at an entertainment company in NYC and worked with a professor who was shooting a feature film. Some of my friends have done things like write script coverage, working on commercials, or working at the Maryland Film Festival. Baltimore also has a thriving arts community so there are always opportunities to get involved.
5) The Johns Hopkins Film Festival. A film festival for independent filmmakers is held every year on campus. There is a student showcase every year which means you basically have a free pass into a film festival if you produce something of good quality.
6) Pre-registration for film classes. For film majors, you can pre-register for your film classes. Mainly, this is because the classes are so small, in order to guarantee you get the classes you want, you register about a week in advance.
7) Learn on film and digital. Film production courses teach on 16mm film. You learn how to use the medium of actual film. It teaches you how to work with the film as a tangible object and get the most from it. Some classes delve into digital production where you will use resources at the Digital Media Center.
8) Personal attention/small classes. With classes usually under 15 students, you get the personal attention you need.
9) Exciting experiences. There are many opportunities to see guest speakers and films. Recently, David Fincher (director of Fight Club, Benjamin Button, etc.) used Hopkins as a double for Harvard in his current project about the founding of Facebook. Originally a few students were selected to work on the film for the 3 days they would be at Hopkins, but because of insurance issues, that didn't pan out. But, the Film and Media Studies Program did invite him to speak to Film and Theater students. He came along with his cinematographer (Jeff Cronenweth) and actors Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland, Zombieland) and Andrew Garfield (Boy A, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus).
Last weekend, the F&MS program was given free tickets for student to go to a Maryland Film Festival event. The event, hosted at MICA, featured David Simon (The Wire), Barry Levinson (Liberty Heights, Diner), and John Waters (Hairspray, Pink Flamingos) who spoke on filmmaking in Baltimore, their careers, and each others' work. It was so great to be in a room with the three of them and hear them speak about filmmaking. It was also great because the event would have been $125 to attend if not fo r the free tickets.
These are just some of the reasons to think about studying film at Hopkins. My biggest reason for doing it though is because I love it. And that's my advice to everyone out there. Study something that you love. You'll be doing it for the next 4 years so really think about what you want to sit around thinking about.
Well here is what a recent visitor saw at his first meeting of the Student Admissions Advisory Board:
Albert Einstein Height: 0'7" Weight: .04 lbs Notes: tall white hair, blue eyes, olive sweater, moustache IQ: undetermined, estimated between 160-180 Notable accomplishments: E=MC2, Theory of Relativity, redeeming Germans in the 40s, chain of bagel places (founded with his brother)
Einstein hung out by the window taking in the sunset on the Decker Quad before the meeting started. He chatted with Admissions_Daniel about SAAB. Einstein learned that this is the group responsible for all of the Hopkins Interactive projects and products. As undergrads, the members assist Admissions in relating to students currently going through the process and they come up with ideas on how to market and promote the school that they love so dearly to prospective students.
At around 5:30, he took a seat at the table in the Conference Room on the 2nd floor of Mason Hall. He was interested to hear what was going on.
Admissions Daniel walked in with an agenda ready to go. On tonight's schedule: Open Houses, Facebook group, Message Boards, and the Insider's Guide.
Einstein and JHU_Peter showed up with a similar choice of hairstyle. Great minds must think alike (and dress their heads alike)
He waited patiently for the meeting to begin. Other members filed in and took their places. Everyone was excited to have a guest at the table.
Things started smoothly. Calendars for the month of all our upcoming project deadlines and events (such as meetings and Open Houses) were passed around. Einstein thumbed through the documents before passing them along.
With our fall Open Houses just finished, we recapped and brainstormed new ideas to m ake them better for the Admitted Students Open Houses in the spring and for next year. Einstein even threw in some of his ideas, although nobody quite understood what he was talking about. Admissions_Daniel mocked his ideas saying, "Nice job, Einstein."
Next, the Insiders Guide was discussed. For those who don't know (as Einstein didn't - one of the few things he didn't know), for the past 2 years, Hopkins Interactive has put together a book for admitted students that is filled with tons of information and other fun stuff for them to look through - all created entirely by students.
Video ideas were thrown around next. Right now, videos are being created to highlight different student groups. The Cribs series will also be back this year! Einstein is excited.
The final issue on the table was making sure SAAB members were doing what they needed to. Keep the Message Boards active and keep blogging!
As always, we left some time open for brainstorming discussions about new projects - some of our best ideas have come from this.
But people seemed shy to throw out new ideas around Einstein so the meeting was over.
Einstein threw his hands up joyfully, for he had just sat through his first SAAB meeting. He thanked Daniel for letting him sit in and bid all the SAABers adieu. (or I guess actually "Auf wiedersehen!")
So taking 18 credits/6 classes this semester may have been a mistake. I did it in order to make my life a lot easier next semester when I plan to do an Independent Study project and shoot a film (the rough draft of the script is 30 pages - roughly a page = a min in screenplay format). Next semester, I'm planning on only taking 3 classes along with my indepenent study (totaling 12 credits) so that I can concentrate on the pre-production, production, and post-production aspects more fully.
But even though I've had a lot of work to do, I'm getting it done which is a testament to how much time you actually have in college. I'm 100% advocating NEVER taking this many classes. Rather than do that, do something fun with your time.
Even with all this work, I have found time to keep up with TV (with great assistance from Hulu and other less reputable free TV sites). Here are my TV shows this fall:
1) Californication 2) Bored to Death 3) Dexter 4) Entourage 5) Mad Men 6) The Office 7) Family Guy
Other things to let off some steam (that I somehow have little bits of time for): - getting involved (spending time doing things for Film Society and SAAB) - going to the movies (seeing an Annie Hall revival at the Charles, Where the Wild Things Are) - getting in a few good games of Madden 10 with my roommate
So keep this in mind - you'll have time to do all the things you want to do in college. You just have to make the most of your time!
Now for tangential matters ... For those interested:
Here is the trailer for the latest Wes Anderson film along with a funny promo video:
Got a new camera too. I love it. Here are some of the results I've gotten with a few days of playing around with it.
I recently found that after about 15 years of schooling, I have finally learned something. Or rather, I have enough knowledge to take what I've learned and apply it to other situations outside of that class discussion or homework assignments.
Now what I'm about to say really applies to things mainly outside of my major. My film classes, especially production ones, have taught me tons of practical knowledge about the art of filmmaking and the technical craft involved.
But this semester, more than any other, has made me realize how much I've learned because I've been able to take information I've learned in classes and apply them to discussions in other classes. This has never happened before. Maybe I didn't know enough. Maybe I didn't learn anything useful before. Maybe I didn't know how to apply the things I had learned to other situations. But I can do it now.
Let me give you an example:
One of my classes this semester (an anthro class called Visual Economies in the Americas) has been talking about the objectivity of photography and their use in the history of anthropology. With that, I was able to throw in information from another one of my classes regarding an essay by Roland Barthes called Camera Lucida . Now my professor thought I had just done the wrong reading because we had read his essay "Rhetoric of the Image" a few weeks before this came up, but it ended up working out.
I'm also taking a class on Modern and Post-Modern Architecture this semester which has come in handy when around the city. I can see buildings and recognize what sort of style they are or what movement they were influenced by.
It makes me feel actually engaged with the things I'm learning when I can relate them to something else.
So maybe all the education is finally starting to set in. About time, right?
Speaking of about time - only one more week until Where the Wild Things Are!
I'm back! After a long hiatus, I"m back and blogging and...don't have that much new to say. Maybe it's the fact that it's junior year so I've done this back to school thing before. Not to say that I'm not looking forward to things, but it doesn't feel like another year really - just a continuation of college, especially after spending the summer here in Baltimore.
Some updates first. I'm the new Director of the Johns Hopkins Film Society. We plan events like the Fall Film Series (This year we have 2 - one featuring 10 films about Rebellious Youth including American Graffiti, Rushmore, If..., The 400 Blows, The Warriors, Repo Man, West Side Story, The Dreamers, Gummo, and Rebel Without a Cause, and one featuring 3 Stanley Kubrick films in 35mm, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining - on Halloween, nonetheless, and 2001: A Space Odyssey). Planning that and getting the group organized has been a big task. I've never been the head of an entire group before so it's a new experience. Our first screening went really well and we're hoping that will continue. In the Spring, we also put on the Johns Hopkins Film Festival which showcases films from American and international (primarily independent) filmmakers along with films by Hopkins students and a few bigger features that we think people should see.
In other news, the MSE Symposium just tonight hosted an event featuring alums of Hopkins in the entertainment industry. The 4 include: Roger Faxon A&S '71 (Chairman and CEO of EMI Music Publishing, formerly with LUCASFILM, Pixar, and more), David Boxenbaum A&S '91 (Founder and General Manager of A&M/Octone Records, a label featuring artists such as Maroon 5, K'Naan, and Hollywood Undead), Joseph Molko A&S '94 (Senior Vice President for Content Distribution Marketing, MTV/BET Networks), and - the reason I decided to attend - Caleb Deschanel A&S '6 (award winning cinematographer). They talked about a lot of the issues involved in contemporary media including the decline of the record industry and how it will try to cope as well as the dilution of the field of artists because of the internet. It was really interesting and it was great to see alums in the entertainment industry. Other news to come but I feel like that's a good start for the year. I'll keep you posted.
For your enjoyment, my latest film project for a class from this semester. A Photo-Roman (film based on still images).
The first 2 weeks of August are a time I will never forget. I got the opportunity to work on a film my professor was shooting.
The professor, Matt Porterfield, is a local Baltimore independent filmmaker. His first feature film, Hamilton, garnered rave review and acclaim from such people as the legendary filmmaker andBaltimore icon John Waters and New Yorker critic (and author of the Godard biography "Everything is Cinema") Richard Brody.
He set out to make his second feature entitled Metal Gods over a year ago. The screenplay won a grant starting the process. Along with Jordan Mintzer, a longtime friend and producer, Matt started to raise money, cast talent, location scout, and pull together a crew. Unfortunately, because of the economic downturn, plans to shoot Metal Gods this summer were scratched. But with a lot of things in place, he built a scenario originally intended to be a short (although it may be a short feature now). It took the same actors from the original script and built a scenario, Putty Hill, around the death of a friend. The narrative style was developed after shooting a camera test with the RED Camera in anticipation of using the camera for Metal Gods. There is no real script, as most of the dialogue is improvised.
Me and 6 other Hopkins students got the opportunity to work on the film. One got to be the boom operator, one helped with wardrobe, one was an assistant to the producers, and I, along with 3 others, was a grip. For those who don't know, Grips help with rigging lighting and helping the camera crew out. On this shoot, since there was limited crew and it was non-union, we actually put up lights and acted as gaffers (basically the electricians of the film set).
It was probably the hardest 2 weeks of work I've ever done in my life. Call times were usually 9 or 9:30, but some days it was as early as 7:30 AM. Now for me, that is really early on its own. But considering the fact that that means I had to be around to load up the van an hour before call time and the work days were never less than 12 hours long, it was not a good 2 weeks for sleep. Most of the days we'd go from 9:30 AM until sundown. The final day was a treat. 4:30 PM call time. The catch: We were shooting through the night. We wrapped filming sometime around 5 AM andI didn't get back to my apartment until about 8 AM.
That being said, although it was hard work and hectic, it was one of the best experiences in my life so far. Such a small crew that got along and had fun all the time. It was a pleasure working with everyone. (Which is atypical considering the nature of the entertainment industry). And hopefully I'll get a chance to work with everyone again on Metal Gods. I got a chance to meet some amazing people who are working in the film industry as well as make some new friends from MICA and the Baltimore area. Not only were the people great but I got to travel all over Baltimore learning how to get around and seeing places I would have never been to otherwise. I went to Patterson Park to pick up an actor and grab some food at Matthew's Pizza while returning equipment, Hamilton - the area my prof grew up in, Dundalk, the Baltimore Travel Plaza, a skatepark in southwest Baltimore, a trailer park up in Aberdeen, a local bar in Hampden, and a town called Prettyboy way up north in MD. I feel much more connected to Baltimore after the whole experience.
For those artists of you considering coming to Baltimore, do it! The artist community really works to support each other down here. Lots of networking without pressure and competition of huge industry behind it. We got almost all of our meals for free (typically 2 and sometimes 3 meals a day) as donations from local businesses. If any of you are familiar with Ace of Cakes, Ben, from the show actually made us 2 meals. We also received donations from Golden West Cafe, Brewer's Art, Donna's, Matthew's, and a special chili lunch made by my prof's dad with a mac and cheese dinner made by his mom.
So, of more concern for you, for all of those considering Hopkins, for film or otherwise, this is an example of the types of opportunities available. And for those of you thinking about the film program, just another taste of the great things the program has to offer. Great faculty and internships.
You need to personalize your dorm room to make it your own space. That can involve a number of things.
- Putting the furniture in a place that suits you is necessary. Put your desk by a window, have a private area to study, reduce clutter.
- Put up pictures from home
- Get some posters to hang on the walls
- Pick out comfortable bedding that suits your style'
(Picture: The living room of my new apartment)
Those are some of my more general tips. Here are some other (albeit quite strange) things that I do to make sure my room works for me.
- Organize my space so that I can find things when I need them, even if that means knowing what clothing gets thrown on the back of my desk chair. Organizing my bookshelf is a task in itself as I make sure that my books are arranged with the tallest on the outside and the shortest on the inside. On another shelf, I place my DVDs so that one relates to the next in some way (which I occasionally change up to challenge myself with a little game)
- Make sure my safe things are in safe places. Can’t tell you much more or it defeats the purpose.
- Have a place for my computer nearby my bed. I know it’s not the best thing to do, but I use my computer for a lot of things. Typically, I check my email and the weather first thing when I wake up so it’s easiest if it is right there. I also tend to watch TV or a movie on my computer when I am going to sleep so it helps to have a spot nearby for that.
- Place a clock somewhere that I can see from anywhere in the room. This is to make sure I don’t forget about what time it is and helps me get enough sleep.
- Set up a place to entertain. In a dorm room, this typically coincides with your sleeping/studying/relaxing space, but it is necessary to have a place where friends can come over and relax, too. You don’t want to have a place that is uninviting for invited guests.
Obviously, some of these are just crazy habits I have, but do what you have to in order to make your room as comfortable, inviting, and functional as possible for yourself.
Here you have it! A special double-blog! A 2-for-1 special. My treat for not writing in so long.
The past month or so I've been having a mid-college-life crisis. I can't believe I'm a rising junior! Half of my college life is over with. Next summer will be my last before I'm done with school. I know what I want to do with my life, but what will I actually do?
Part of this realization has come from the fact that my days of lounging around in the summer have started to wind down. I spent my days going to movies (saw The Class, The Brothers Bloom, Up, Away We Go, and an advance screening of 500 Days of Summer), reading, writing, and relaxing. I even got to go to a Yankees game and check out the new stadium. Now, after surviving the rainy season in New Jersey (those of you who live up here know what I'm talking about), I'm back to Baltimore, moving into an off campus apartment, and starting to work with one of my professors starting in July. Originally, I was supposed to help him shoot his 2nd feature film entitled METAL GODS. Because of the state of the economy, he couldn't raise enough funds from investors to make the film he wants to make. Rather than make a subpar product and cut things, he decided to postpone the shooting until he could raise the money. Instead, me and some of my fellow film students are helping on another project he has decided to shoot this summer.
Getting ready to pack up all my stuff once again has made me think about all the times I've had to do this before. And with my brother preparing to ship off to college, it makes me remember getting ready to take that leap into college life. If I could live like this over and over, I would. There is nothing like college.
Now that I'm done with the updates, I'll provide you with some advice (continue on to Pt. 2)
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I mentioned the poor economy in the first part of the blog. Here are my tips for dealing with a tough economy in college (and mainly on your parents' dime).
1) Take the meal plan for all it's worth. You get dining dollars and meal swipes, so use them. If you don't feel like eating at FFC or Levering, go to one of the other locations and use Dining Dollars to grab something to eat. At Charles Street Market, you can get great subs, sushi, or things to make a "real" dinner and whatnot. When your parents are in town, get them to take you out for a good meal and take a trip to the grocery store to pick up items that you can snack on so you don't need to go out to other places for food as often. Eating is something you shouldn't have to sacrifice, though. Make sure to eat healthy and well.
2) Collect all the free stuff you can. There are always free things to get in college. Student groups having free meals (Chipotle, pizza, Subway, etc.), free t-shirts for going to events, free water bottles from the Career Center, and much more. So always take advantage of free things. Marketers know that college students love getting free stuff so even outside companies will be getting you to listen to their spiels about test prep companies or other random things by offering you everything from candy to keychains to tshirts.
3) Get a Student Advantage card. Now this isn't a must, but it's a good deal. The Student Advantage Card is for college students. You sign up and get discounts on a number of different things like Target.com, UrbanOutfitters.com, Foot Locker, Posters.com, and best of all for those who travel home by train, 15% off Amtrak. If you use the things offered, it's a great plan to save a little bit of cash.
4) Look for scholarships. Even if you didn't get any coming in to college, there are always scholarships you can apply for to help pay some tuition and ease the burden on your family.
5) Pick up a part-time job. Grab a job around campus or in one of the local stores to get some extra spending money. It usually won't be much extra money since it's hard to balance working more than 15 hours per week unless you are very good at time management (and I would say shy away from working for at least a month into the first semester for freshmen). But look for opportunities early on. You could work at places like a department office, the library, a monitor at a dorm, for AV Services, or off-campus places like tutoring at local schools.
6) Instead of investing in Netflix or Blockbuster, you can always take out free movies at library. They have everything from art house films to Hollywood classics to recent hits. And you can watch it in the library or take it back to your dorm/apartment and watch. And of course, the library has free books, too.
7) Speaking of free movies, always look for free events on campus. There are usually movies on the quad, Film Society screenings. Comedians, speakers, and concerts can come to campus for free or very cheap. Student groups will always have activities to do that won't cost you anything so keep an eye out for those.
8) Books ain't cheap, so look for good deals. Instead of buying from the bookstore which can be expensive, look for books online or find people who have had the course before to give you their book or sell it to you for cheap. Another tip for buying books is wait for professor to tell you what books you really need. If you are concerned about cost of books, wait until classes start to find out what books you actually need. I have had at least 3 classes in 4 semesters that have made me buy extra books according to the textbook list on the bookstore's website that are never used.
9) For transportation, use the free shuttles. The JHMI, Collegetown Shuttle, and JHU Escort Vans are free ways to get around the city and immediate area. You really don't need a car to travel around and rarely need to pay for a bus or taxi.
10) Keep an eye out for student discounts. Student IDs can sometimes get you discounts at certain places, so make sure to carry it with you just in case you see something.
I'm sure there are more ways to save money, but this list is a start.
Size Matters - 11/25/08 - Big enough for variety, small enough for rumors...
The Kids Don't Stand a Chance- 12/7/08 - The only way to survive exams is to follow the Twelve Tips to Triumph Over the Termination of the Term! (Bonus Tip in Special Features menu)
Time to Pretend- 12/31/08 - This Intermediate Film Production project proves to be a masterpiece.
Stuck in the Middle- 1/22/09 - Can Josh learn how to cope with all the extra time on his hands during Intersession?
Right as Rain- 2/5/09 - A reimagning of the October 13th tale, this time describing my spring classes.
Deeper Into Movies- 2/20/09 - Can one Hopkins student conquer 2 top 10 lists of TV shows and Movies?
Hard to Live (In the City)- 3/11/09 - A student and his roommate search relentlessly for off-campus housing.
Lucky Ones- 4/2/09 - A little something for everyone in this age-old story of acceptance, rejection, and otherwise.
Any Fun- 4/19/09 - Film Fest and school works ends leaving one man plenty of time for some very highly anticipated films...
Hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory boulevard. Stay tuned for some summer posts with updates. As for now, I leave you with some fun: 2 trailers for my short film, made for Advanced Film Production. I'll post the full film in my next blog.
