WOW! What a great website. I am so happy to find a place like this were fellow writers can assist each other. I am currently applying to USC as a cinema major. These are my short answers. I was hoping to get some feedback. Thanks so much for your help. What goes around comes around. I am always willing to proofread other works :)
Deadline Feb, 2 2009:
1.) Tell us about an activity that is important to you, and why.
Some maddening portion of my brain is committed to working overtime, twenty-four hours a day. Like a machine, it continuously analyzes, evaluates, processes, edits, and comments on everything I think or do. This can become severely distracting and rather tiresome. When I am improvising, this portion of my mind shuts off, and I am forced to react strictly to what is presented in front of me. I feel a strong connection towards improvisation because it has positively shaped my life as one of the most important activities that I practice regularly. Because the nature of improv is so spontaneous, it forces me to react directly to any situation that my character might undergo. It is this moment of uncertainty-this naturalness that makes improv so special. As a result, I have learned to think one step at a time, and if I approach situations from a direct, logical standpoint I will be able to navigate through them with much greater ease. I am an avid improviser and it truly inspires and drives me to succeed.
2.) Describe your academic interests and how you plan to pursue them at USC.
A long day of filming was finally complete and it was now time for me to edit the first film I ever directed. I must have dumped about an hours worth of shaky, poorly lit and ill-rehearsed footage onto my computer, but it was my crappy movie and it deserved to be completed. Hours into the night, I sat before the glow of my computer screen, weaving together my creation. I trimmed, spliced and pieced together footage, added music and sound effects; and when I was done, I made a discovery. I realized that with a combination of editing, creativity, and strong coffee I could turn an hour's worth of mind-numbing, unwatchable garbage into an entertaining, coherent storyline that actually evokes some emotion. That night, I had discovered the magic of movies. At USC, I plan to take full advantage of your broad gamut of film programs. With a well-rounded understanding of film I can produce higher quality material. My fervent love for filmmaking resides not only in one nook of the art, but seeps deep into every aspect of movie making. Because USC's cinema students are required to take courses from the full spectrum of the school's offerings, I believe I can adequately cultivate my filmmaking skills and grow into the blossomed filmmaker I aspire to be.
3.) Why are you planning to transfer to USC?
In the summer of 2006, I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to your cinema department's summer program for my feature length screenplay, "Poker." It was not until I attended the classes that I truly got an impression of the school's character. After walking around the red bricked campus and taking in the environment of the department and its movie poster wallpaper, I grasped a sense of excitement and zeal within the faculty and students that was distinctively rare and invigorating. I can recall when David Weitzner, the summer program director, came to speak to us about the department and was so elated and passionate about what he was saying that it made me realize the school must truly be unquestionably great. It was this passion-this honor and enthusiasm demonstrated by all those individuals, which attracted me so deeply to USC. I look forward to actively participating in class and pushing myself to be the best I can be.
4.) Optional:
I have been sitting in this bologna stenched school bus for three and half hours, wedged between a Dora the Explorer backpack and a screaming eight year old. My legs hurt, my head is pounding, I am shocked the bus driver has not pulled over for a restroom break two hours ago. I am an Israeli Scouts counselor and this was me on the way to our first camping trip. I knew these kid's parents had willingly handed over their most prized possessions to a pimple-faced teenager; and it was now my responsibility to return them home unharmed and with a newly acquired knowledge about nature and the world around them. For the next week, I endured a test that was both mentally and emotionally challenging. I was forced to diplomatically handle crises that began with the phrases, "He flicked his boogers at me!" It was my responsibility to educate my campers about the night sky and how it can be used to guide us. Yet, do you know how hard it is just to get 15 sugar-fuelled kids to stand in circle? The task was a challenge, but an immensely rewarding one. I stayed in command, maintained control and actually had some fun. That week, I learned the invaluable skill of leadership. A skill I plan to carry with me to movie sets in Hollywood. As a director, leadership is a vital role to managing a set and searing a production toward success.
