Quiet on the set!!!

After I received my acceptance letter I called to set up my meet and greet with Leah Koppels as soon as possible. I was a little too excited. The meeting was set for Wednesday the 30th of April at 2 PM. After a mental battle as to what to wear (It's film school so no suit and tie but I want to be taken seriously so not shorts and flip flops...) I opted for freshly polished shell tops, jeans, and a long sleeve all-black Ben Sherman button-up. With my Timbuk2 black shoulder bag I felt like I was ready to take on the world or at the very least deliver messages on my bike.

Walking in to SFSDF I was hit with a barrage of "Quiet on the set!!" It started down at the far end of the building and it was relayed down the hall. It was both surreal and comical at the same time. The current class was filming one of their projects and it was interesting to feel the electricity in the air. I'm shown to a seat and in just a few minutes Leah greets me. We move to her office and the paperwork begins. 

We talk tuition. It's a one year intensive program. Class is five days a week with outside classroom work expected. The grand total is right at thirty thousand. They allow a payment program where you break it up into twelve payments or you can apply for a Sallie Mae (damn you dirty whore and your high rates Miss Mae!!) loan. I think we are going to go the payment plan route. In addition to tuition you will also have to spend roughly one thousand dollars on the following: videotape, grip & gaffer tools, craft services, and other materials. 

Grips "move things around, place props, build scaffolds and other rigging for cameras or lights." A gaffer is the senior electrician on set. Craft services is buffet style drinks and snacks for your crew. I was actually happy with this. The day you are directing you are required to feed your cast and crew. Right on!

There are ten people in my program and we will be writing and directing five films. When we aren't working on our own project we will be crew on another students project. Along with student films,  we will also crew on professional films. SFSDF created their own production company, Fog City Films, and they have already completed two films. Whatever films that are in production we will work on and be credited in the film.

While we were working on our paperwork Leah filled out all of her forms in purple ink which I thought was hilarious and moderately cool. You would never see the admissions staff at IU fill out paperwork in purple ink. I like it. We obviously discussed more but it all leaned towards the mundane-everyday aspect of school. I won't bore you. Well, I won't bore you more than I already have.