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December 1994, Week 3

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Subject:
From:
Jeremy Butler <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 15 Dec 1994 08:58:33 CST
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Author:  (Paul Ramaeker) <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 12/14/94 11:20 PM
 
[Editor's note: This message was submitted to SCREEN-L by the "Author" noted
above, and not by Jeremy Butler ([log in to unmask]).]
 
My own feeling, having gotten a look inside film programs at UC Santa Cruz,
UCLA, and the University of Wisconsin, my present home, is that film school
is important for quite a bit beyond on-set practices. Lots of production
students at UCLA resented having to take classes on film history and
theory. As someone on the other side of that divide, as a scholar in
history and theory, I resented that. Now, pursuing a Ph.D in this at the
UW, I can understand this resentment better. That is to say, if you are
making films, it is hard to think of anything less relevant than, say,
suture theory.
 
On the other hand, and this is also something I understand more now that I
am where I am, the study of film from an academic perspective (especially
history and analysis) can teach one the language of film, and it seems to
me that you really ought to know how the language works before you try to
speak it. You don't need to do this at film school, of course, but it
doesn't hurt either.
 
I agree, largely, with Cal Pryluck- you can get into film production from
any number of pathways, and it should really be a matter of looking at what
each option offers. The history and theory classes on offer at
universities ought to be looked at as a plus, by my reckoning (they seem to
have done right by De Palma and Schrader, to name two who are clearly
versed in film theory as well as production). Film school also seems to
offer quite a bit in terms of support by your fellow students, which is
crucial, even if the production faculty at a given school is lacking (if
anyone wants the dirt on UCLA production faculty, the good the bad and the
ugly, I'm always glad to vent). Film school has its problems, from a
production p-o-v, too. It's all in weighing options.
 
-PBR

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