The Spies; James and The Vampire

It's an unfortunate fact that I can't spend my life at the computer editing videos. But instead I have colleges to look into and all of that stuff.

Simply put, I haven't even finished the ruff edit of all the clips, I'm almost there, but with everything going on I intend to put the video out December 25, on the anniversary of the first episode... Kind of a fail series in that way, but a series none the less haha.

And regarding The Assassins; Layer of The Devil, (Part 3). We were supposed to film that this month, but it doesn't look likely. With the way things go, I'm thinking we'll probably film that in the spring when the weather starts to warm up again. Meaning a possible summer release of the third part, but it might get put off to December as well...no idea right now, just speculation.

Almost forgot, I'm trying to get the videographer job at Tacoma Community College (TCC). So I've been working on my portfolio video, meaning you will probably be seeing that soon....

There's your brief update. Thanks for reading,

Alex D. chandler

UCLA: University of California, Los Angeles

Once again I will mention that this is an essay I wrote to, and for my parents concerning the film school, UCLA.

It should be mentioned that I will have an Associates of Arts & Science by the end of this year, which will give me 90 quarter credits. And thus if I apply to this school I can apply as a junior. Otherwise I would have to apply as a freshman (different application process).

Alex Chandler
College Expedition
UCLA
September 4th, 2011

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

The first thing we should take note of, is that UCLA is the first public school we have looked at. That being said, if I was to go to California, work a job for a year to become a resident, it cuts off 15 thousand dollars annually for tuition. Also mentioning that, there is something somewhere, I read it awhile back, but it basically says that if you can prove that you will become a resident, and stay in State after earning your degree, tuition will cost the same as if you were a resident. I'll look into that more soon.
Their admission process is a little more sophisticated then the last couple schools, you are required to fill out their questionnaire, unofficial college transcripts, and two letters of recommendation. Those are almost identical to the last couple schools, but UCLA also requires, a two page personal essay, a three page critical essay, and a five page creative writing sample. All this basically means is that applying is going to take a lot more time to get ready for....
Whats nice about UCLA, that was quite surprising, is that they have a whole subset of their website all about their film program, which they call, "UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television." Basically there is a lot of good information on their website, that we will get into soon.

Junior and Senior Year:
The only concern I have with this school, which isn't exactly a concern, more of a wonder, but you have to be a junior to get into their film program. On the bright side I'll have already completed two years of TCC, so perhaps I'll be starting somewhere in my sophomore year. They have a sheet in their application packet that you can fill out with all the classes you have taken. I think I should schedule an appointment with my TCC counselor to discuss this....
There are a variety of classes that can be taken during these two years. Unfortunately your Junior year is a lot like your freshman year of high school, a lot of required classes and two electives. But the Senior year is almost all open with some core focuses ... Similar to senior year in high school, except you aren't skipping classes.
If you want to look at the videos on their website, its suggested you get on a computer, cause it takes flash player. But to sum up their school, I definitely think it looks good, and if I'm going for a degree out of California, that's a good place to go.

http://tft.UCLA.edu

Full Sail University (Florida)

Tomorrow I'll post my essay on UCLA. There are so many schools... Lots of researching. Just to recap; this is an essay I wrote to my parents, that reports the findings of my research of this film school.

Alex Chandler
College Expedition
Full Sail University
September 2nd, 2011

Full Sail University

Besides the big cost of the degree, it's everything you could have asked for! There are three different bachelors degree's relating to film; Film, Digital Cinematography, and Creative Writing for Entertainment. On the bright side of the huge costs, they have many different scholarships that they award (they will be mentioned below in a section called "Scholarships").
Creative Writing for Entertainment is obviously a writing degree, not exactly for me. Digital Cinematography is an online program, where as Film is in an actual classroom environment; more of what I'd go for.

Bachelors Degree in Film:
If I went to Full Sail I would take their Film degree program, and come out with a Bachelors Degree. The big cost is less than it would be to attend a four year university in Los Angeles, but it is still 77 thousand. But from what Joseph says, "most people who attend college don't pay the full amount." Instead they get government discounts, scholarships, and all sorts of things to cut down on costs.
The courses taken to achieve this degree cover a vast number of topics in film production. What needs to be researched a bit more, is whether or not some of my TCC classes can count as some of the courses they show, because I have definitely taken some classes that teach the same things; this might cut down on tuition, or even time in college.
You can scour their website for hours looking up facts and information that make their program seem well worth it. They have numerous success stories, and information on how many students worked on movies that just came out. When looking over the Internet the reviews for this school seem to be fairly good.

Housing:
One of the nice things about the Full Sail degree program is that you get your four year degree in 21 months, which means less cost of living. The downside is that you don't live on campus and would thus need to get a roommate and live in Orlando. On the bright side, Orlando has much cheaper rent than LA. While they don't have on campus living, they have a Housing Coordinator, who can help you find a roommate and get an apartment. According to their website, in the surrounding area of the school, Winter Park, there are over 50 apartment complexes. But they also suggest getting started on living arrangements sooner rather than later.

Scholarships:
Simply put, they have a number of scholarships you can apply for, most of which are for about 3 thousand dollars. It appears I am eligible for the merit scholarship, which is a 3 thousand dollar scholarship to students who have achieved over 30 credits at another post-secondary institution maintaining over a 3.0 GPA. There is also the Platinum Dream scholarship, which is awarded to applicants dedicated to the media industry. The Student Success Scholarship is awarded to students of Full Sail, and can amount to up to 3 thousand dollars.
And then of course I'll have to look at other scholarships to help cut down on the 77 thousand dollar tuition fee. But I have also considered that it might be nice to work for a year doing film jobs around our area, and then go to school. That way I wouldn't have to work while in school and can thus put my best foot forward at being viewed as top of the class.

http://FullSail.edu

I have been sending a series of essays to my parents discussing film schools and what I have learned about them. I figure I can share them on my blog with the world.

(as a note, I plan to write another essay on The Film Connection in Seattle...apparently they have one in Washington State that is similar to the one in California).

Alex Chandler
College Expedition
The Film Connection
September 1st, 2011

The Film Connection

The first thing you should know about this school is that there are two different programs, each in different locations. Program one is cheeper than program two and sets you up in an apprenticeship like position with someone who lives within forty five minutes of you. Where as program two is in Los Angeles, and costs more.
This school strikes my interest for a number of reasons. Foremost being that you will be working with real people in the industry who have a minimum of ten years experience. Another benefit is that it is much cheaper than traditional colleges. This trade school also works around you allowing for you to work a job at the same time as you attend. I can't decide if it is beneficial, but it is nice that you are only in the school for six months, and within that six months most students get a job.
A downside to this school is that there is no certification, you just have real world experience, which you won't get at any traditional colleges. Also beneficial is the number of people you will be able to get recommendations from when, or if you do go in search of a job. Granted that you can get teacher recommendations from traditional colleges, but they aren't exactly working in the field.
When searching around the web to check out the validity of this school, it can seem like there are a lot of unhappy people departing the school. But from what seems to be the case, there are those few instances of people not liking what they got and complaining afterward. But the thousands of students who were happy with what they got, didn't go making comments all over the internet about their experience. But when there was a student who was pleased on the forums they were really enthralled with how it worked for them.

Program One:
This program definitely has a big benefit of being close to where you live. The issue being that it is for someone who wants to run their own small production company. Pretty much like what Mom does; or it might show you freelance work in the area. Pretty much you would be looking at making and shooting videos for weddings, TV commercials, and small businesses.
Though this sounds like a lot of fun, I feel like that is something I could do on my own with the help of Craigslist. In fact, if I need to make some money for college next summer, I might be spending a lot of time using Craigslist for just that (would help in making a great portfolio).
More to the point, I have no intention of following this program. I'd rather use Craigslist, or talk to some of moms business friends and work for them.

Program Two:
If I was to go to this school, this is the program I would go with. You are in LA, you will be working on professional films. You will get the opportunity to learn all the equipment, try it out, and get on location experience. The big downside is that it's in LA. Which means you need to really look at the location before moving there and finding housing. As mentioned before, it is nice that you will get the chance to work a job at the same time as your in school.
The real attraction to this school is that you are working with real life professionals while making connections in the film industry. Along with this is the fact that it is likely you will get a job before you are even out of school. Whether or not your a stage hand running around, or running the lights, you'll work your way up and get to try things out as you work. Not to mention, if you show true potential, you could easily become an assistant director on a gig.
The cherry pie is topped, not only by the cheap tuition fee of 13,500 dollars, but once you have finished the program, you get the chance to pitch your idea to a Hollywood professional. Meaning if I wrote up a script and never was able to make it because we weren't skilled enough in high school.... Yes I'm pointing at a script I already wrote that sits in the corner of my bedroom. Besides the point, that's a pretty nice benefit.
To sum up Program Two, you get a one on one learning experience with a Hollywood professional as your mentor. You will make connections in the film industry during schooling, you will likely get a job while in school. You have a career counselor you can always talk to. You get your own website, cheap tuition, and you live in Los Angeles where all the action is happening. Simple as that.


http://FilmConnection.com