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Posts by arbennett
Joined: Jan 23, 2009		 Last Post: Apr 11, 2009
Threads: 2
Posts: 10  
From: United States

Displayed posts: 12
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arbennett   
Jan 26, 2009
Undergraduate / 'I became a quadriplegic and now must get around in a motorized wheelchair' - "Why attend NYFA?" [10]

The promt is very simple, "Why do you want to attend NYFA?" Please don't hold back. I am very open to criticism whether it's positive. Please be very honest.

In the year 2000, I became a quadriplegic and now must get around in a motorized wheelchair.
Since becoming a member of the disabled community nine years ago, I have witnessed how society ignores not only the handicapped persons needs but also the fact that we are people too. I want to make people think about this and change societies perspective on the disabled using humor and drama through screenwriting.

I have been an artist and a writer all of my life and of all of the different mediums that I and other artists have used to send or embody a message, none have the effects of the big silver screen and television. They have the ability to bring people together, to change peoples ideals and ideologies, the way they think. For me, the most amazing thing film can do and has done, is to change the way people live.

I believe the powerful and hilarious stories that I have to tell will show that disabled people are more than a bunch of depressed, weak, do gooders, who feel sorry for themselves while mootching off the government because they have no ambition. The stories that I want to tell will show wheelchair users in situations that they have never been seen in before.

Some of these situations include going to college, abuse, joining the student government of their school, skipping school, doing drugs, struggling to find their identity, being bisexual, applying for internships, applying for food stamps, dealing with Identity theft, having incredible sex, being rebellious, fetish modeling, and so much more.

An example of a powerful story would be this snippet of an article that I wrote for a local newspaper about me gaining my voice back after not having spoken an audible word in five years:

I didn't realize how powerful my voice was at first. I remember the day that changed. I was at my favorite movie theater, (it let's people in wheelchairs go for free), seeing the movie Crash. For those of you who don't know, Crash is a movie about racism, tolerance for, and understanding others. During a very pivotal scene in the movie a woman in the back row said something derogatory and very inappropriate. I looked at my mom, forgetting that I recently got my voice back, and furiously said, "What ignorant [expletive] said that?" It helped that at the exact moment I said that the theater was dead silent. I know that because I heard several people snickering and my mom saying, "You go Rosie".

It was a very liberating and powerful experience for me and when the full article came out in the newspaper I heard from so many people who loved it and were moved by it.

I want to attend the New York Film Academy so that I can learn the skills that I need to become a great screenwriter and to reach a variety of audiences to share my powerful, humorous, thought provoking, and mind broadening stories with through television and film. I have looked at several other colleges and universities that offer screenplay writing programs but none of them have the amount of emphasis placed on the development of and the dedication to writing as the New York Film Academy does. It is this commitment to developing your craft that let's me know that the New York Film Academy is right choice for me.
arbennett   
Feb 17, 2009
Essays / Satirical Essay about embryonic stem cell research [6]

I wish George W. Bush would end up paralyzed and in a wheelchair for vetoing Stem Cell Research. I can say that because I am paralyzed and in a wheelchair. I would love to see it.
arbennett   
Feb 17, 2009
Scholarship / Scholarship Essay, goals for myself in the future [9]

The prompt is: What goals have you set for yourself in the future? What experience do you feel has prepared you most for obtaining these goals?

These are my main goals:

1. Move to New York
2. Graduate from NYFA w/ Screenplay Writing Degree
3. Write & sell autobiographical tv show (HBO, Showetime, Oxygen, etc.)

I plan on using the standard five paragraph essay format where their is an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Before I get started I wanted to know if my goals are too abstract and whether or not I should be more detailed. All other feedback is welcomed and appreciated.
arbennett   
Feb 18, 2009
Scholarship / Scholarship Essay, goals for myself in the future [9]

is your name really Ananda?? That is so cool! Have you read about the history of Buddhism and the important figure named Ananda?

Yes, my name is really Ananda. My parents are hippies. I know a few things about my name. Thank you for your feedback and advice. And I will never be boring. I'm a quadriplegic in a wheelchair with blue, hair, tattoos, and piercings!

And for getting good at writing screenplays, I really recommend watching that hospital show called House. It is SO well-written!

I love House! Sarcasm is priceless!
arbennett   
Feb 28, 2009
Scholarship / Scholarship Essay, goals for myself in the future [9]

Ok guys, here is what I have so far:
...

The top paragraph which has my thesis statement (my goals and the experience that I think will help me reach the them) needs a topic sentence that will encourage the reader to keep reading. I was thinking about incorporating part or all of the the following paragraph:

I have been an artist and a writer all of my life and of all of the different mediums that other artists and I have used to send or embody a message, none have the effects of the big silver screen and television. They have the ability to bring people together, to change people's ideals and ideologies, the way they think. For me, the most amazing thing film can do and has done, is to change the way people live.

The only catch is that the above paragraph is actually the first paragraph of the entrance essay that I sent in with my application to NYFA. I was wondering if that was something that would merit an automatic "No!" in regards to a scholarship.

Also, I am having trouble starting the fourth paragraph (my 3rd goal). Please remind me what else goes in the conclusion paragraph besides the repeated thesis statement. Examples and/or links to examples would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

-ARB
arbennett   
Apr 6, 2009
Scholarship / Scholarship Essay, goals for myself in the future [9]

Actually, I was a writer before I became a quad but what is really cool is that I used to be be bad at math but now I find it easy. In fact, because I can't use my hands to write I do the majority of it in my head.

Thanks for stroking my ego. Here is my finished essay:
------------------------------------------------------------ --------------------------------------------
Ever since I saw my face on the silver screen and heard my words coming from the speakers at my local theater after writing and acting in a local film festival, I knew that I wanted to work in the film industry. As a result of that day, when I think about my future all I can picture is me being on set of the movie I wrote, rewriting scripts to meet directors needs, or receiving an award for best screenplay. To achieve my dream I have set myself several goals. The goals that I have set for myself in the future are to move to New York, graduate from the New York Film Academy with an associate screenplay writing degree, and to start my career as a professional screenplay writer. I have many experiences that have prepared me to obtain these goals but the one that has taught me the most is being a quadriplegic in a wheelchair.

The experience of being a quadriplegic in a wheelchair for almost a decade has given me the perseverance and strength that I will need to move from North Carolina to New York. Once I am in New York there will be an absence of nurses to help with my care until I am approved for Medicaid benefits under New York state law. Depending on loved ones will be very stressful for me and very exhausting for them. I know that we will get through it because my family and I have gone weeks without nursing care before and my family rose to the occasion better than I could have wished for. I know that because of this experience in my life my family and I will be able to handle the transition from the small city of Greensboro, North Carolina to the big city of New York, New York in order for me to attend the New York Film Academy.

I was in the 6th grade when I became a quadriplegic. Despite the difficulty of my new way of life I graduated from middle school with the rest of my class. I went on to graduate from high school at the top of my class with a GPA between 4.0 and 4.5. To accomplish this I had to work twice as hard, twice as long, and sleep far less than any student at my school. Because I was either staying up late at night to finish a homework assignment or dealing with a night nurse who called into work, I was always overwhelmed with stress and/or exhaustion. As exhausting and stressful as it was it did not keep me from getting the things that I needed to finish complete. I believe this experience has prepared me to complete the arduous, exhausting, and challenging curriculum that is necessary for me to obtain an Associates Degree in Screenplay Writing from the New York Film Academy. Upon graduation I will have learned the necessary skills and credentials to start my career as a professional Screenplay Writer.

My life is full of dramatic, humorous, and conflicting moments that could not have happened and would not be nearly as important to share if I was not a quadriplegic. All of these moments will provide me with the material for writing screenplays for film and television but great material is not enough. Great writing is the keystone to a successful movie or television series. I have been writing and working to become a better writer since elementary school. I've taken writing classes in middle school, high school, and college for the soul purpose of developing and strengthening my writing skills. The combination of my experiences and my ability to share them through writing have more than prepared me to become and start my career as a professional screenplay writer.

When I achieve my goal of moving to New York, graduating from New York Film Academy, and launching my career as a professional screenplay writer, it will be because the experience of being a quadriplegic taught and gave me the determination, resilience, sense of humor, confidence, and strength needed to achieve them. My struggle and effort to achieve these goals as well as the other stories that I have tell will entertain, inspire, haunt, teach, and help people from all walks of life for generations to come.

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Please correct any grammar issues and if you think something needs to be corrected or tweaked let me know.
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