The Paperwork

Have PowerBook, Will Travel

I spent the entire day at USC. Whee.



I'm sitting in the Commons typing this because at 5:30 the first year GSPers have a big, huge, GIANT important meeting with the head of the program. I guess he wants to clear up some of the problems we've been having lately.

I had lunch with a few GSPers today; there are a lot of problems. You know there are problems when people start listing what it would take to get them to drop out of the program, and it wouldn't take much.

The problem, by the way, is not the quality of the education. The problem is the bureaucracy. The problem is that people in their mid-20s and older are being treated like retarded kindergarteners.

Can you tell that I'm still pissed off about not being allowed to take episodic writing next semester? Yes, I'm going to say something, because the power structure as set up (that I'm paying through the nose for) sucks.

Lunch was a blast. We talked about Production class, which we'd just come from. We talked about one student whom everyone has taken to imitating and satirizing blatantly. We discussed our various internships -- what we have to do, like photocopying, research, running errands -- and the program.

I mentioned who I thought would be the first student to drop out of the program -- not because he can't do it, but he's not into it. He doesn't come to class, he bitches about the classes all the time, he has no interest in being here. Everyone at the table agreed with me. Someone else added that this student thought that getting this degree was a guarantee of a job, and because it's not he might leave. Hello? A law degree isn't a guarantee of a job, why should a film school degree?

Glenn said that if a producer's assistant job became available at the company he's interning at and he got it, he'd drop out of the program. "Why are we here? To make contacts. To get into the industry. I have enough debt."


Tonight the writing class is meeting at David's house to watch some short films and discuss structure. The writing teacher met with all individually yesterday to discuss our projects and what we should work on until the end of the semester.

His main comment to me was that I need to develop the story from other characters' points of view; I need to work on the antagonists' motivations more.


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Last Updated: 20-Nov-96
Copyright ©1996 Diane Patterson