One small step for four film students, one giant leap for the UCLA Department of Film, Television and Digital Media.
This past year, two new senior concentrations ““ cinematography and animation ““ have developed substantially with the increase of students in the program.
While the new concentrations are primarily an effort of the film department to accommodate the interests of such students, the development of these unofficial concentrations could indicate a significant expansion of the School of Theater, Film and Television as a whole.
In the past few years, there has only been about one student per year in the cinematography concentration, but this year fourth-years Steven Lewis, Abigail Septimus, and Michelle Ruiz were all part of the program.
“I think it would be great if the program expands and they have more classes geared toward cinematography,” said Septimus. “The cinematographer is a very important person on set. (The cinematographer helps) the director create his vision.”
The program consists mostly of graduate level classes and some actual experience working on set. To concentrate in cinematography, one must show an interest and then petition the department heads.
On the other hand, it was not difficult for Eri Hawkins, the sole student with a concentration in animation, to pursue her focus of interest. The administration recognized her specialty when she entered the school and accommodated her focus this past year.
Expanding the range of its programs has required little sacrifice from the department. A number of the courses and programs required of animation and cinematography students are already offered to current undergraduates and graduates. However, for students such as Lewis, it’s still all about the hands-on experience.
“The concentration is more trying to get you to shoot films rather than taking classes,” he said. “The best way to learn how to do this stuff is to actually work on senior thesis films.”
For such thesis films, student cinematographers get a taste of the real deal. They set up camera and lighting choices, working toward creating the director’s vision.
As a result of their experiences both in the film department and on set, Lewis and Septimus expressed an interest in working their way up from an equipment rental office or a gaffer (person in charge of the electric department) job after graduating.
“In film school I’ve learned a little more about the hours on the film set,” said Septimus, “and I’m starting to think about what’s realistic for my future.”
Hawkins praised the experience she gained as well. “The undergrad work as well as the grad work that I’ve done at UCLA has given me a pretty good array of experience,” she said.
Although the increased interest in both programs represents a potential expansion of the school as a whole, the changes are subtle and there are still areas in need of improvement.
“I’d like to see more classes where the cinematographer and the director work together,” said Septimus. “You have to really get the idea of what the director wants, because that’s what your job (as a cinematographer) is ““ to create their vision.”
William McDonald, head of cinematography in the department, already has high ambitions for next year. “I want to do a lot more with next year’s classes … more (of) the advising, the talking, the reviewing, all that work. … Now that I’ve got more people interested, I want to work with them more as a group.”
However, even with the steady expansion of the concentrations, there are still many benefits to maintaining a smaller program. “I’d be thrilled if (the cinematography concentration) kept growing. The thing is, though, I can’t suddenly have 10 cinematographers. There’s got to be enough work for them to shoot,” McDonald said.
In the end, McDonald is open minded about making new programs like the cinematography concentration official if it continues to attract interest.
“I’m just happy to see this great interest in the field of cinematography, and I’m happy to work with as many students as I can accommodate coming my way,” he said.