Columbia College Essay
Note: Scribd editor did not transfer my indents, paragraph breaks, grammatical corrections, etc. It just scrunched up my words and I sadly can't correct it.
Content
Like the many remarkable visionaries before me, I have been blessed to witness t heir chilling take of an emotional scene, the zing of an arranged song attuned t o a moment of a film that emotes the perfect feeling, and the purposely difficul t camera shot for the sake of being the first to do it, to which has not only pl easantly pleased my eyes but the filmmaking community’s eyes aswell. And as much as I want to use Kaufman or Anderson’s surrealistic quirkiness, the trademark p aced Steadicam tracking of Kubrick, or the political ideologies of Godard, I kno w that it wouldn’t be me as it would be more of a imitative contribution to thei r legacy. Considering that and the fact that every possible camera technique has been done before, it has become a good stress for us filmmakers to ponder on wa ys to stretch and push our creativity, however burdensome it can be. And unlike my fellow current filmmaking classmates, I have no interest in plots that consis t of glorifying explosions related to some ploy of defeating terrorists or recre ating maneuvered Star Wars light saber fights. My ideas and concepts are quite d ifferent from theirs, I want my ideas to instill thoughts that stay within peopl e’s mind. Thoughts of consciousness that we can’t resist to ignore anymore; the thing of which I‘m talking about is reality. I think the current difficult phase the cinema society is facing has to directly do with the general movie audience . We are literally like a market economy as to where if we don’t satisfy the nee d of a viewer, then the direct phase of our career could be impeded. Not only is our career under strain, but the freedom to express our artistic form is halted by the meander demands of a meander mind. To elaborate specifically, we are in a huge contradiction of what we want. I believe that most humans have a problem with addressing reality, resulting in us creating surreal realities for ourselve s or believing in a specific medium that helps us delve away from reality(Fictio n, Religion, Television, Film). Movies being one medium at which we delve oursel ves into. We enjoy movies because it doesn’t have to be reality, it can takes u s away from our current stresses in life and be relayed on another character at which we are amused by. So by taking a plot, and allowing the antagonist to win, which is a slice of reality in seeing as not all good guys win in life, we the screenwriter are thwarting the viewers experience as they were expecting the pro tagonist to rise to some impossible feat to destroy the bad guy. Which allows fo r the viewer to now be angry, as they feel they’ve been duped or wasted when it was just a day ago that they were complaining that movies are too expected. I wa nt my films to entail grief and suffering; not purposely to move people to tears but to ascent that grief and suffering are apart of the human psyche, and I wan t people to notice that the suffering or grief is experienced in every single pl ace. I want to show people how we as society address such suffering and ultimate ly show them the ultimate outcome of our ignorance, and by seeing such feats it could possibly influence people to do more for other people. I essentially want to reach the people who choose to ignore the news viably because it’s just alway s negative. I’ve got news to those people, yes, the news is negative, but it’s o ur world. Our world consist of unfortunate circumstances that happen to people, and by ignoring unfortunate circumstances your abiding to let them suffer. I wan t my ideas to evoke the fact that ignorance isn’t bliss. To explore my creativit y I want to heavily delve my films into the perceptions of color and cinematogra phy. I want each and everything on the screen to be embarked with bursts of vibr ant colors that exalt such wondrous things we choose to ignore or take for grant ed in everyday life think, Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain times a 1000. I f eel color is such an important part of our lives, as we are engulfed with it dai ly through our senses, emotions, and impulses. It impedes our choices, and beco mes a speculative science. By impounding my film with detailed cinematography as well as bleeding colors, I am emphasizing certain emotions and visuals that woul d thus emphasize the viewers ability to recognize their certain feeling for a sc ene. I think that my creativity could also be pushed by not succumbing to a majo rity choice of CGI. Just because something is technically difficult doesn’t exac tly mean that everything must be overtly doused with Common Gateway Interface. A lthough, it is an amazing technology that has otherwise blessed us from consenti ng to a la Land of the Lost toearly-Doctor Who effects, it has also stunted our ability to practice other creative ways in creating such same effects. CGI has b
ecome such a commodity to our industry, that it can either enhance visuals or hi nder the storyline. To use astounding CGI is great, but to find a genuine way to recreate a motion or movement in other alternatives could also add such sinceri ty that I feel could make a film:it’s own film. Furthermore, if my ambitions for my films were met, I can assure that an audience would see my pension to create good and bad characters and I would ensure that people understand that these ba d or good characters don’t just become good or bad. It’s not James Bond, where a man with an eye patch is just obviously criminally insane because he’s just cri minally insane. I would make sure that people understand that good or bad charac ters grow up to be what they are because of the influences inflicted around them . I want my good characters to have imperfections and I want bad characters to h ave bouts of moral consciousness in them. I want my characters to be real. And i f more of my ambition could be addressed, I’d make the scenery be anywhere. Spac e, a suburban ranch, or the edges of Nepal. I believe that not everything has to be American, for somebody to get it. Love, sorrow, hope and fear are universal things that all humans experience. The ideologies of a tribe in Africa could r elate to the ideologies of a small church in Wyoming, the suffering of a woman w ho has been forced to give up her baby can be related to a mother in China who h as to give up her baby aswell, and the sentiments of a person to strive to good can be related to any person anywhere who strives to be good. With all of these ambitions, I can honestly say that all of them haven’t exactly been practiced. M ost of them being because of resources to do such things, but I have had the cha nce with my current videography class to inscribe my personal short with my idea s with color. My current short is called In Lucid, and exist around a “Dream Res earch Facility” giving a tour of their company to Japanese investors because of recent inclinations to avoid paying subsidies and federal taxes. My film deals w ith the concepts of the activity of Lucid Dreaming, and how people use it to avo id or manipulate reality. I’ve captured all of the short through a normal GL2 ca mcorder, and have during post-production engraved it with an effect called Thres hold, which allows for the video to be presented in a very grainy black and whit e filter. Followed with that I’ve also singled out important items which I have left in color, for the idea for it to pop out, and accompanied with the rest of the short are segments of stop motion. This has to be my most ambitious project yet, and still I know for a fact that it will not receive and awards at our scho ol’s film festival as it is up against, not one, but four movies based on RPG-mi litary games. Plus a movie called, Murder Rogue. If accepted to Columbia College , not only would your establishment help me achieve my ambitions for my concepts but it would also further what I’ve been longing for, for so long. Currently en rolled in a videography class at my school district’s technology complex I have come to an ultimate impediment of my learning, as I was yearning to understand t echniques and hone my directorial skills. When in actuality, I have succumbed to working with only video, boys who think that it’s weird that a girl would be in terested in film, and the nuisance of having to learn basic camera movements on my own. The absence of a dolly or tracking system also doesn’t help me aswell! B y attending Columbia, I would be able to actually learn the basic concepts of ci nematography as well as understanding the importance of story when assimilating a screenplay. I think I’d actually meet people who share my same sentiments towa rd films, and I think I’d cohesively learn how to direct correctly, which is wha t I look forward to seeing as my current directorial skills consist of me nervou sly asking someone to stand on a certain spot only for them to do it wrong, and me being so nervous to direct a person the same age as me that I just viably let them do it there way. Columbia College collectively has what I am looking for i n a film school, and all I can ask for is that I am hopefully what you guys are looking for in a film student, and in all a Columbia College student. I know tha t a lot of my interests are splattered, as I have an interest in cinematography, screenwriting, and directing. A quite auteuristic ambition, yes, I know. But I am willing to attain such abilities with time, and because of that, as of what I want to do first at Columbia: it would be to study cinematography as I feel it is the most important key to my concepts. To be a director and to share the same specific ability as your cinematographer, I feel would not only help the relati
onship between the two, but could also solidify a groundbreaking visualization t hat I hope can one day twinkle in another aspiring filmmakers eyes.
ecome such a commodity to our industry, that it can either enhance visuals or hi nder the storyline. To use astounding CGI is great, but to find a genuine way to recreate a motion or movement in other alternatives could also add such sinceri ty that I feel could make a film:it’s own film. Furthermore, if my ambitions for my films were met, I can assure that an audience would see my pension to create good and bad characters and I would ensure that people understand that these ba d or good characters don’t just become good or bad. It’s not James Bond, where a man with an eye patch is just obviously criminally insane because he’s just cri minally insane. I would make sure that people understand that good or bad charac ters grow up to be what they are because of the influences inflicted around them . I want my good characters to have imperfections and I want bad characters to h ave bouts of moral consciousness in them. I want my characters to be real. And i f more of my ambition could be addressed, I’d make the scenery be anywhere. Spac e, a suburban ranch, or the edges of Nepal. I believe that not everything has to be American, for somebody to get it. Love, sorrow, hope and fear are universal things that all humans experience. The ideologies of a tribe in Africa could r elate to the ideologies of a small church in Wyoming, the suffering of a woman w ho has been forced to give up her baby can be related to a mother in China who h as to give up her baby aswell, and the sentiments of a person to strive to good can be related to any person anywhere who strives to be good. With all of these ambitions, I can honestly say that all of them haven’t exactly been practiced. M ost of them being because of resources to do such things, but I have had the cha nce with my current videography class to inscribe my personal short with my idea s with color. My current short is called In Lucid, and exist around a “Dream Res earch Facility” giving a tour of their company to Japanese investors because of recent inclinations to avoid paying subsidies and federal taxes. My film deals w ith the concepts of the activity of Lucid Dreaming, and how people use it to avo id or manipulate reality. I’ve captured all of the short through a normal GL2 ca mcorder, and have during post-production engraved it with an effect called Thres hold, which allows for the video to be presented in a very grainy black and whit e filter. Followed with that I’ve also singled out important items which I have left in color, for the idea for it to pop out, and accompanied with the rest of the short are segments of stop motion. This has to be my most ambitious project yet, and still I know for a fact that it will not receive and awards at our scho ol’s film festival as it is up against, not one, but four movies based on RPG-mi litary games. Plus a movie called, Murder Rogue. If accepted to Columbia College , not only would your establishment help me achieve my ambitions for my concepts but it would also further what I’ve been longing for, for so long. Currently en rolled in a videography class at my school district’s technology complex I have come to an ultimate impediment of my learning, as I was yearning to understand t echniques and hone my directorial skills. When in actuality, I have succumbed to working with only video, boys who think that it’s weird that a girl would be in terested in film, and the nuisance of having to learn basic camera movements on my own. The absence of a dolly or tracking system also doesn’t help me aswell! B y attending Columbia, I would be able to actually learn the basic concepts of ci nematography as well as understanding the importance of story when assimilating a screenplay. I think I’d actually meet people who share my same sentiments towa rd films, and I think I’d cohesively learn how to direct correctly, which is wha t I look forward to seeing as my current directorial skills consist of me nervou sly asking someone to stand on a certain spot only for them to do it wrong, and me being so nervous to direct a person the same age as me that I just viably let them do it there way. Columbia College collectively has what I am looking for i n a film school, and all I can ask for is that I am hopefully what you guys are looking for in a film student, and in all a Columbia College student. I know tha t a lot of my interests are splattered, as I have an interest in cinematography, screenwriting, and directing. A quite auteuristic ambition, yes, I know. But I am willing to attain such abilities with time, and because of that, as of what I want to do first at Columbia: it would be to study cinematography as I feel it is the most important key to my concepts. To be a director and to share the same specific ability as your cinematographer, I feel would not only help the relati
onship between the two, but could also solidify a groundbreaking visualization t hat I hope can one day twinkle in another aspiring filmmakers eyes.
