It’s amazing to think about, but I only have four weeks left at UCLA Film School. This is because I decided to graduate a year early, partly for financial reasons, partly for love, and partly because I was ready to move on. Like thousands of college graduates unfortunate to have been [...]
Author Archive
May 4th, 2012 - 12:22 pm § in Film School, Filmmaking
Funding A Thesis Film
I’m sorry to have been away for so long, but I’m happy to say that I wrapped shooting my thesis film in March and am well on my way to completing it. I’m also very excited to announce that I received the DAAD Artist Study Scholarship I wrote about a while ago, so I will [...][...]
December 12th, 2011 - 4:53 pm § in News
Why Download-to-Own Sucks
One of the most publicized corporate blunders this year began with Netflix’s realization that consumers still like DVDs. A lot. Netflix’s response, including raising subscription prices and its failed Qwikster spinoff, severely compromised Netflix’s subscription base, consumer trus[...]
October 9th, 2011 - 12:53 pm § in Film School
The Seven Components of Film School Strategy
A while back Short of the Week Editor Andrew S. Allen told me I should write about my thoughts about film school strategy. Here are the seven things I came up with that I find essential to any successful film school career: 1. Find Your Voice This is a murky territory that a lot of [...][...]
October 1st, 2011 - 4:17 pm § in Filmmaking
The Drake Doremus Route
I’ve been following the success of microbudget filmmakers for some time now and I have to say it’s exciting. This week Nofilmschool creator Ryan Koo raised $125,000 for his first feature film man-child (almost enough money to pay for 3 years at UCLA). He joins an impressive group of film[...]
September 23rd, 2011 - 10:13 am § in Screenwriting
Having An Unlikeable Protagonist
One of the big words you’ll hear bandied about in LA when talking about main characters is “likeability.” “I don’t like him enough.” “I can’t track him.” “We need a ‘save the cat’ moment here.” This problem was very well s[...]
September 17th, 2011 - 10:53 am § in Film School, Filmmaking
Great First Features for 250K and Under
About a year ago I wrote a piece called the thesis film in the era of the microbudget. In brief the post talked about the evolution of the microbudget feature and its effect on the role the thesis film plays in launching careers. You can read the post by clicking here. It seems I underestimated the[...]
September 12th, 2011 - 6:38 pm § in Film School, Filmmaking
Good Enough
One of the great unspoken tragedies of film school is that many students never finish their films. The reasons for this are manifold; disappointment with the work, the potentially high costs of postproduction, and the desire to shoot pickups come to mind. If I look back on how long it took me to fin[...]
August 7th, 2011 - 12:41 am § in Contemporary Short Films
5 Shorts That Launched Features: Where Are They Now?
About a year ago I wrote a post about 5 directors who successfully launched feature films based on their shorts. You can see the films and read the post here: http://jasonbkohl.com/archives/2010/5-shorts-that-launched-features/ I thought that after a year it would be interesting to check in where th[...]