Film: College Admission Essay Sample

My friends and family have always known that I'm a person with high aspirations. But aspirations matter little unless they motivate hard work and action. I don't think I surprised my parents the day I announced I would become a filmmaker. They glanced at each other and smiled politely. What they did not realize was that my passion for filmmaking wasn't just a phase and that I wasn't just dreaming about making it my career.

Just a few short years later I found myself pacing back and forth within the confines of Raw Productions studios. My pacing, I soon realized, was the aftermath of caffeine consumption and sleep deprivation. But I was sleep deprived for a reason-it's hard to find enough hours in the day while filming a new reality TV show. I always had something to do, whether it was using my interpersonal skills to secure locations or get people to sign talent release forms, or using my video expertise to capture candid moments on camera or edit footage on Final Cut Pro. It was only the second week of our thirteen week shoot, and our team had already run into several roadblocks. I was stressed out, tired, and anxious-but somehow, I loved every minute of it.

My extensive video background earned me the privilege of being part of the crew for this reality TV show. This opportunity was a long time in the making. I set foot into a video production class for the first time during my sophomore year and didn't stop taking video classes until the day I graduated. For those three years, I was totally immersed in my studies-all I did was eat, sleep, and breathe film. I completed two student films; the first was nominated for best cinematography and best movie and the second won best screenplay at my high school's Final Cut Film Festival. Additionally, I created several news segments for our student-run news program, worked on multiple live switches, and made a twenty minute show counting down the top five most influential artists of all time. I had been out of high school for half a year when I spotted an ad posted on a bulletin board at Palomar College for an experienced videographer to film weddings for a company called Golden Tree Productions. I responded, and within a few weeks I had filmed my first wedding at a Temecula winery. By the age of twenty, I landed my job at the 13 Weeks reality TV show. Finally, I had the chance to put my skills and prior knowledge to the test.

Production has ended for 13 Weeks, but my passion for working in the field of film is now stronger than ever. Currently, I am writing out a business plan for the establishment of my own video production company, called Pennyroyal Productions. Pennyroyal Productions will film weddings, birthday parties, and other special events. I will capture my customers' memories with two Panasonic DVX - 100B cameras. Moreover, I will edit the videos to customer specifications with the latest version of Pinnacle Studio Media Suite. Though this entrepreneurial venture is exciting, I plan to use the video production company as a stepping stone to higher, ultimate goals like shooting documentaries and directing feature films. Moreover, I plan to spend a summer semester studying abroad in my original hometown of Prague, Czech Republic. Once there, I aim to take film courses at FAMU, one of the premier film schools in Europe, in order to establish valuable connections and creative dialogue with leading minds in the film industry. But I am confident that I can find inspiration in a place much closer than Prague: as a future film student at San Diego State, I would greatly enjoy studying under Professor Timothy Powell because of his innovative filmmaking techniques. I am particularly interested in learning about the new film time-code process used in his 1998 film, Riding with James Dean and hope to gain some of his insight into filming documentaries.

Though I find the study of film itself fascinating, I plan to put the knowledge I acquire to good use. I will apply my education at the San Diego State film program to the real world by becoming a director. I aspire to make films that carry power and meaning even outside of the movie theater. The study of film is much more than just learning the techniques and theory of film. Film, when used correctly, is perhaps the best tool we have for study and analysis of our culture and of our own lives.