Yeah, ever since Spielberg graduated from there a couple of years ago, it's become a lot more competitive. The cost of attendance helps, too.

My friend got in with some pictures also. She wants to do more of the technical stuff--cinematography and lighting--so I'm sure the pictures helped her cause.

In the end, we may never know what made them choose us over the hundreds of other applicants. There were a bunch of applicants from my school with a lot of production classes under their belts who were rejected. Personally, I focused mainly on writing courses at my junior college. I've never taken a single production course, and I've never done any film/video work at all, and I got in. So, I don't know what the hell they're looking for, but I'm glad they found it in me.

ah... could it have been your interview perhaps? You didn't take any film/video classes at your college at all?

quote:

Originally posted by airborne911:
Hey, I'm sorry to have to break it to you, but the Production Option is only open for applications once per year, and only for junior-level transfers and junior-level Long Beach students. In other words, you can't go from the Media Option to the Production Option, and you can't start the Production Option your senior year.

Hey Air,

I was just curious where you heard this? I spoke to a few people from the department today on the phone, and they said that it is allowed and that actually many people transfer from the Media Option to the Production Option. I'll call again to make sure.

If that is the case, I'd be so happy.

That's good news then. I was going by what the catalog, departmental website, and one of the professors at Long Beach said, but if you talked to someone in the department and they said it's cool, then go for it.

Yea. I called a few times again today. They all said that it is perfectly fine and that I can take production courses this year and apply for the production option in January.

Now I just have to worry about getting in .

Use the next year to your advantage then. The admissions committee for the Production Option is comprised of full-time faculty from within the program. Show up, work hard, learn as much as you can, and visit the professors during their office hours. Make it so that when they receive your application, they already know who you are and that you are worthy of admission into the program.

Also, there are hundreds of student films being shot by production students every year. Volunteer to work crew for as many films as possible. You can add those experiences to your personal essay when you apply. Additionally, you can take writing and production courses to help with your creative sample. And on top of everything else, you're going to have to take some critical studies courses, which will help you write an exemplary critical essay.

Those three things, the personal essay, creative sample, and critical essay weigh heavily on the admissions decisions, and can probably help in terms of a lower GPA. You can also use the next year to boost your GPA.

You should look at this as a major positive. Use the next year to your advantage, young grasshopper, and make yourself the best candidate they have ever seen.

The sage has spoken.

Very wise advice air .

Maybe I can work with you! Did you hear back from USC yet?

eff usc. haha too expensive and unnecessary. its more admirable if you make it yourself without a paper that says USC on it. anyways. don't forget sosa, they picked people with high gpa's and writing skills, remember?

any news on accepting the offer to production on mycsulb?

Did anyone happen to visit this campus yet?

I went this weekend, and I have to say... I was a little disappointed. I didn't get the vibe I was hoping for. A lot of the buildings, especially the film department, seemed really run down and very, very small. Some of the hallways in the upper floors were not much bigger than my body. I can't imagine how it's going to be when there's actually students walking around. I hate to admit it, but the conditions are even worse than the community college I'm attending right now. I'm kind of having second thoughts about attending here.

Anyone else feel the same way or am I just being paranoid?

The buildings are trashed. They are old and beat down. The equipment, however, is all in great shape. They have a brand new sound stage and three-camera TV studio. They also have brand new editing bays, sound production/design rooms, and all kinds of other goodies. Remember, you won't be shooting very much within the confines of classrooms. Everything you need for pre and post-production is new and top-of-the-line. Everything you need for production is new and in great shape. They are aware of the condition of their buildings, but being that it is a state school, they are dependent upon the state for funds, and there just isn't any money to go around (UC's just got hit with a 9-10% tuition increase). Tuition at Long Beach is what, about $3,500 per year? Where you park your butt for lectures isn't nearly as important as what you learn in those lectures, and pretty buildings won't make you a better filmmaker.

I like your perspective on things air .

So I recently emailed my previous film professor and asked him his opinion on my decision to attend CSULB and this is what he said to me:

"Going CSU Long Beach would be a horrible choice. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND LONG BEACH. ALL of my students who have gone there have told me that they learned nothing, and those that had interned realized that they knew more than the instructors. As far as their track record, remember that Spielberg dropped out of CSULB. He was given a degree a few years ago, although he did not have to attend more classes to get it. Steve Martin was a Philosophy major, so he did not attend film classes there.


(This part is regarding where I should attend, from the schools I was accepted in, if I don't go to CSULB)
Your best choice is UC Berkeley. I have seen consistently good entries from them as I've judged the student Emmy awards these past five years. After that, CSU Los Angeles is also good, but not in the same league. They are an up-and-coming department with newer equipment and enthusiastic instructors. As opposed to Long Beach, all of my students who have attended CSU Los Angeles have had a good experience."

Gr.... now I'm just really, really confused. My professor and his wife both work in the film industry and have worked on popular T.V. shows, so I think he has a lot of credibility.

Anyone have any further advice or different opinion?

I sat in on a production class at Long Beach a few weeks ago, and everyone I spoke with was stoked about the program. I asked them for their honest opinions, and they all told me that it was an amazing program. The instructors will not hold your hand at Long Beach. They will teach you the fundamentals and then let you go out and make your own decisions (and mistakes). They have a hands-off approach to the actual filmmaking process. They will teach you how to use everything, break you off into groups, and allow you to learn from your own mistakes. They will then critique your work and give you pointers for improvement.

I have two friends who went into film at Berkeley last year, and they both regret their decisions. Berkeley has one production course and one screenwriting course. Everything else is theory, history, and criticism of film. My friends say that 95% of what they do there is critical essays, with the last 5% going to production and writing.

See for yourself. Here's the link to Berkeley's film program: http://filmstudies.berkeley.edu/undergraduate.html

I'm not sure what work your professor is eluding to, as Berkeley admits on their website that they are lacking a real production program. Additionally, I've done extensive research on the faculty at Long Beach. Most of the instructors have MFA's in Production, Directing, or Screenwriting from schools like USC, UCLA, AFI, NYU, Columbia, and LMU. Most also have real-world industry experience. It's hard to believe that students claim to know more than the instructors, and if they do, what are they doing in film school? They should be out getting paid to make movies.

Look, you're not going to UCLA or USC. If you want a pure production program in Los Angeles where you will learn to write, direct, edit, produce, and exhibit your own films, you are left with Long Beach, Northridge, Cal State L.A., or LMU. I've heard that Cal Sate L.A. is getting better every year, but their program is still light years behind Northridge and Long Beach, and their reputation in the industry is far from stellar. I've heard great things about Northridge, but I turned down their offer after comparing their program to Long Beach. LMU has a great program, but it is a minimum 3-year program for transfer students at $50,000 per year (with housing, etc.), and I don't think their program is worth $150,000. USC is still pending for me, and if I get in, it's sayonara Long Beach. Unlike LMU, I feel USC is worth $50,000 per year. If I don't get into USC, I am more than happy with Long Beach.

I want to learn the fundamentals of production, plain and simple. I don't expect Long Beach or USC or Northridge or anywhere else to teach me how to become creative. That's something you are either born with, or you're not. Film is a mother****er of a major in Los Angeles for good reason--you are close to the heart of the industry. Every program in Los Angeles offers internships and mixers with major studios. That's something you won't get at Berkeley. Also, the programs in Los Angeles will allow you to make movies and work crew on other people's movies. After two years in a production program, if you bust your ass and make yourself available to crew on every project you can, you can honestly say that you worked on hundreds of productions. Again, that's something that you won't get at Berkeley.

There's a reason the Film Program at Long Beach is impacted, and the programs at Berkeley and Cal State L.A. are not. There's a reason the Production Option at Long Beach requires so many supplemental materials, while the programs at Berkeley and Cal State L.A. do not.

In the end, you will choose to go where your heart (or head) leads you. Just make sure you think about what it is you really want to do in film. If you want to be on the creative or technical side (e.g., actually making movies), you'll be better off in L.A. If you want to go into the intellectual side of film (e.g., theory, history, criticism), Berkeley would be a great choice. There's always grad school if you end up making a choice you regret.

That's it from me, Kimosabe. Do your homework, talk to students who are currently in the programs you are considering (programs evolve over time, and your professor may not be in touch with current students), and visit all of the campuses you are considering. You may very well decide to go to Berkeley based solely on the fact that it is overall more prestigious than Long Beach, but will you be happier studying other people's films for two years than you would be making your own? That is the ultimate question.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: airborne911,

Daisuke, I thought that your teacher's response was a joke and I kept expecting a "Haha, just kidding. Do what you feel is right." Turns out I was wrong. Anyway, Airborne said many things that I agree with, with the exception of the cost of USC being worth it -- I am not sure about that.

I was looking at either Northridge or CSULB and I am choosing CSULB because I don't want to wait another year while I take pre-req courses at Northridge. After that I'd have to submit another portfolio to Northridge and risk not getting in, which is something that just happened to a friend of mine.

Film school in general is questionable in value, but if you want to go to it then just choose the one that seems to resonate the best with you. My advice is to work on absolutely everything you can and you'll be okay in the end. It all boils down to experience and connections, anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by airborne911:
I sat in on a production class at Long Beach a few weeks ago, and everyone I spoke with was stoked about the program. I asked them for their honest opinions, and they all told me that it was an amazing program. The instructors will not hold your hand at Long Beach. They will teach you the fundamentals and then let you go out and make your own decisions (and mistakes). They have a hands-off approach to the actual filmmaking process. They will teach you how to use everything, break you off into groups, and allow you to learn from your own mistakes. They will then critique your work and give you pointers for improvement.

That could be the course description of any production class, AB911. I don't think any school deserves a gold star for that.

I go to USC, and I've never heard anyone talk about CSULB or CSULA, so I won't pretend to be an authority on either.

I think that theory is far more important than any of the undergrad production cats posting on this site realize. We learn a sh!tload from "studying other people's films."

I didn't make films until I had enough background to be allowed to do so, as dictated by my sleepy undergraduate institution, and my first film has done wonderful things, festival, competition, and scholarship wise.

So, point is, don't be in such a hurry.

All the same, what your prof said, Daisuke...check it out for yourself.

Talk to graduates. Of course people in a class are gonna be stoked.

so airborne got into USC, congrats to him. who else is still goin to LB like me?