Published in The Union Weekly March 19, 2012
CSULB movie buffs should be stoked by the fact that Academy-Award winning director Steven Spielberg is an alumnus of our campus, having earned his B.A. in Film and Electronic Arts 10 years ago this May. If you dream of becoming the next Spielberg, you should definitely check out College Beat, which holds their meetings every Thursday at 6 p.m.
Founded back in 1999 and located in a tiny room on the ground floor of the Student Union, College Beat produces several weekly shows for students as well as helps aspiring filmmakers gain experience in video production. Some of the shows they produce include The Wire, which is filmed every Friday and informs students about national and international news events; Long Beach Tonight, another news show centered on entertainment; and Beach Week, which brings students information on campus events that are happening that week.
Students are also free to propose their own segment ideas at the meetings. If several other students like a particular idea, then the executive producers (the students in charge of College Beat) will help that segment become a reality by making sure the crew has the necessary equipment, guiding the editor through the editing process, and overall helping the student filmmakers make the best video they can. Sometimes clips of segments are shown at the College Beat meetings, so not only can students interested in filmmaking gain experience in the filmmaking process, but they can also get feedback from other aspiring filmmakers of what works and what doesn't. It's like a little mini-film school, except everything is run by student filmmakers and you don't have to worry about being accepted to this school's very impacted film program.
Being a huge movie buff and aspiring filmmaker myself, I joined College Beat back in September when I transferred over here from Long Beach City College. During the first few weeks of school, College Beat holds a "boot camp" one Saturday where they train students in the moviemaking process. For my first boot camp experience, I was director of photography of this short video called Mr. Puppy, about a student who is interviewed by this stuffed dog. Even though I haven't finished editing it yet, I'm so thankful for the experience College Beat has given me. In addition I have also gained experience doing sound and the teleprompter for The Wire.
From Steven Spielberg to Steve Martin to Beauty and the Beast screenwriter Linda Woolverton, this campus is full of alumni who have made it to Hollywood. If you have a burning desire to make it in Hollywood, College Beat could definitely be your ticket to making your cinema dreams come true.
No comments:
Post a Comment