Graduate /
Personal Essay - MFA Film school [9]
OK- Here is my current draft, lay into it!
At this point it really needs to lose 11 words to put me at 499, the limit is 500.
thanks,
Joe
In 1988, I received the tragic call that my friend and employer, guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hillel Slovak, had died. We were about to embark a two-year long world tour. The loss hit me personally and professionally. The band went on hiatus to sort things out, leaving me adrift and unemployed.
I called a friend who worked in film, asking him if there were any opportunities for me. Within days he scored me a gig as a P.A. on an Aerosmith video, later he offered me swing-gang work on Alan Moyle's Pump up the Volume. A day of humping-furniture made clear how similar my years catering to musicians was to that of tending the set's needs. Instead of a guitar-roadie, in essence, I was an actors-roadie. My phone began ringing; I worked through the ranks to positions such as Leadman, Assistant Art Director and Property Master. I worked with Production Designers KK Barret, Alex McDowell, Directors Michael Bay, Josef Vilsmaier, Jonathan Davis-Valerie Farris, DP's Harris Savides, John Schwartzman and others.
I had been toiling in the trenches for years and needed structural change. I left L.A. in 2000, settling in Idaho. I began theater classes at the local college, I assistant directed, did sound design, props and acted. Succeeding academically, and knowing my professional background was a solid foundation, I began pursuit of a Masters in film, giving myself a ten-year window. I chose UWM for its experimental reputation and moved to Milwaukee; beginning classes in 2004. Majoring in Production and Film studies, I studied New Chinese cinema, hand-processing, photography and horror aesthetics, while my desire to tell stories grew. I was fortunate to study and T.A with installation-artist Mary Lucier, where I facilitated all technical aspects in class. Working in installation allowed me to see cinema with new eyes, for me the philosophical boundaries between narrative, documentary, still and moving image creation dissipated. Modern technology, changing delivery methods and cultural attitudes allow increasing integration of mediums when making films.
I have deep interests in aesthetics, and ethnographic filmmaking, particularly as related to music. I'm working in issues of sub-cultures-and relationships to community, and environmental and social issues of Puertecitos, B.C., Mexico. I want to study at OU with Julie Turnock because of her work in aesthetics, spectacle and special effects and Steven Ross and Jack Wright for their respective work in ethnographic filmmaking, Cinematography and indigenous music culture.
My personal, professional and academic experiences all provide a solid footing for structuring the remainder of my professional life. I am intellectually curious, collaborative, with experiences relevant to my academic pursuits and to building my career. I know that I will never stop learning about the art of filmmaking. My friend, UWM professor Portia Cobb, has spoken highly of Thomas Hayes' Avid skills, John Butler's audio experience, and OU's graduate program. Professor Cobb has suggested I would be a good fit for the film community in Athens. I see Graduate study at OU as an opportunity to further my technical, aesthetic and professional options as a filmmaker.
