Today is a historic day for me. And here's why. I just received this wonderful email:
April 24, 2008
Dear Applicant,
Thank you for your recent application for admission
as a major or minor to the Media Arts program at Brigham Young University.
We regret to inform you that you have not been accepted into the Media Arts program. Competition for the limited number of student openings is keen. Such decisions are reached after thorough and thoughtful review of the applications while considering the availability of faculty and resources.
You may apply to the program twice. The next application period is Fall 2008. The faculty generally recommends that if you choose to reapply, your new application should reflect serious consideration of the elements of the application, including five creative projects, ten most significant books and films, the film analyses, creative sample and your commentary on the creative sample. The deadline for Fall applications is Nov 10, 2008.
We appreciate your interest in the Media Arts program and wish you success in obtaining your personal and academic goals.
Sincerely,
Theatre & Media Arts Department
This marks my second rejection to BYU's Film Major. I'd go for another rejection but unfortunately two strikes and you're out. No questions asked. And don't expect any feedback because they they refuse to offer it. So where did I go wrong? I guess I'll never know. Maybe one of the faculty has something against me? Maybe there's no logic to it whatsoever? Maybe they draw names out of a hat... that would actually make a lot of sense. Whatever the case, I feel they've made a mistake. It all could have been avoided had they let ME draw from the hat.
So is this the end of the road for all my film aspirations? Of course not! First of all, I don't need a degree to make films. And second of all, I rather enjoy the drama this adds to my normal life.
7 comments:
hello Aaron,
My name is Tyson Maughan and my wife came across your blog and thought I should check it out. Though I am sorry about BYU destroying all your hopes of gaining a film degree, I agree with your attitude about pressing forward. You are right, a degree in film doesn't make you a filmmaker. You have every chance of being a successful filmmaker with out it. I got a film degree just to beable to tell my children that college is important. I was very passionate about filmmaking years before I decided to go to art college. Looking back I paid for contacts and the use of equipment more than the education. I already knew going in that I had an eye for composing a shot and telling a story. The real reason I am writing you is because as you have probably guessed I am a cinematographer and just recently moved to the greater salt lake area. I have been out of school for about a year now and have shot everything from commercials, web content, VH1 Music videos, extreme sports for ESPN 2, Reality Television, street magic, and the occasional short film when the script speaks to me. I am educated in 35mm but primarily shoot HD probably being that I own and operate an entire HD camera system. I have been reading your blog for about a week now and feel we have the same passion for storytelling. If you're interested I would enjoy the opportunity to sit down with you and discuss collaboration possibilities. You can reach me at my email address dp24fps@yahoo.com, looking forward to speaking with you.
-Tyson Maughan
Maughansterfilms.blogspot.com
i know how you feel. i got the same letter twice as well. i weaseled some advice out of sharon after the first rejection and the second time she told me exactly the opposite of what she told me before. i'm not a real advocate of basing acceptance into an academic program upon the faculty's perception of my creative potential. what happened to hard work? what happened to grades? what happened to volunteer projects? they tell you to do all these things, but they don't matter... sorry, i stumbled upon this and needed to vent as well.
Yo dude,
Congratulations on your rejection from the TMA program. I'm serious, actually; I just spent the last several years of my life jumping through their hoops and playing their silly games, and you know what? Now, months away from graduation, I really wish I had gone a different direction. For certain kinds of filmmakers (or certain kinds of people), BYU's TMA program really just isn't very good.
Not only do you not need a degree to make films, buddy... in a lot of ways I think you'll be better off without one. Just focus on your own creative drive and tell the stories you can in your way. The stories and productions currently coming out of BYU are frankly not very impressive anyway. You can do better by yourself!
Just go to the U. I actually transfered up there from the Y for the film school. BYU technically doesn't even have a film school, where as the U you get to work in 16mm - which was most enticing. Besides when it gets down to it it's how you it do not where you do it.
Aaron, way to be positive about your rejection! Luckily I made it into the dance program with my second audition. I'm not talented or smart enough in anything other than dance to do a different major.
shawnandjordanmetcalf.blogspot.com
Hey Aaron, maybe you can do a 5 min trailer for my book (already published) and that would put you in the map of perhaps other schools. Remember, "history is not destiny. Where you've been or what happened to you has absolutely nothing to do with where you could go and what you can achieve."
So bud, hold your head up and time for plan B.
Aaron, this is Landon Buie from the mission. That's awesome you want to get into film like me. I'll be applying for several film schools, and I'm debating which ones I want to go, but it seems like the good ones are very difficult to get into to. I had a couple questions about the application-it said five creative projects and tens films and novel. Do these have to be films or can they be screen plays, stories, etc... Anyway I hope you are doing well with everything and maybe eventually we might work on a project sometime. Who knows.
Post a Comment