You like movies so much, you should go to film school.

It had never even occurred to me. I was flying to Germany on a Fulbright Scholarship at the end of the summer. It clicked. These things exist, I thought, that’s what I should do.

I moved to Dortmund determined to become the next great film director. It was a strange and depressing time; perfect for a little self-aggrandizement. I wrote a script about an attempted suicide and went out on the hunt for actors. The few that I found were less than enthusiastic about my script. No bother. I cast myself and convinced a friend (who had completed film school) to film me in it. I walked around in all black clothing looking depressed.

Roberta Munroe’s book “How Not to Make a Short Film” would have been a big help to me. Of course I was already the next great film director and didn’t really need any help. While editing, and exposing a couple of close friends to my finished product, I realized I needed a lot more time and effort to develop as a filmmaker. I postponed applying to film schools and moved to Berlin, where I worked a variety of internships in production.

I spent another year there before applying to NYU, UCLA, and the University of Texas in the United States. For UCLA, the only school I interviewed for, I sent a statement of purpose, a two page pitch about an ice hockey referee, a resume and three recommendation letters. The rec letters were from a film (theory) professor from college, a professor/employer from Johns Hopkins, and a German producer friend in Berlin.

On February 12th I received the following email:

Dear Mr. Kohl:

I am writing in response to your application for admission to the MFA Directing/Production Program in UCLA’s Department of Film, Television and Digital Media.

For the academic year 2009-2010 more than three hundred applications have been received competing for eighteen positions in the program.  After a thorough examination of all of the materials submitted for consideration, we are pleased to inform you that you are among the select group of sixty-six finalists for these eighteen positions.

As part of the last stage in the admissions process, the Department feels it is important for members of the admissions committee to speak with you directly.  We strongly encourage you to sign up for an interview. We hold the interviews in Los Angeles xxxxx [and] New York xxxxxx. Finalists who cannot make an interview in person can set up a phone interview, but are at a disadvantage.

Please call the Department to make an interview appointment with the Graduate Counselor, xxxx, at xxxxx between the hours of 9:00pm to 6:00pm Los Angeles time. If you like, for this interview process you are welcome to bring videotapes, DVD’s or samples of photographic work.

On behalf of the Department I want to congratulate you on your fine record of past achievements.  We look forward to talking with you.

I flew out to Florida to visit my parents, then flew to New York for the interview, which was very amiable. I sat with two professors, Becky Smith and Rory Kelly, gave a pitch for a short film, discussed my biography and talked about some films that were important to me. The hour flew by and I flew back to Berlin feeling very good. I waited until the date I was informed I would hear, then called once or twice to find out I was on the wait list. I received the following email:

Dear Mr. Kohl,
Thank you for interviewing with the admissions committee for the directing program at UCLA. The interview committee enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with you.  They were impressed with your interview.

I am writing to inform you that you have been selected for the Wait List for the director’s program.  As you know, the directing program can admit only 18 students per year.  Being on the Wait List means that you are a strong candidate and if any of the applicants who were admitted choose not to attend UCLA, you will become eligible for admission based on your Wait List ranking. We had several hundred applicants and you are ranked one of our top 28 selections.  Know that your chances of getting accepted into the program from the Wait List are somewhat favorable.

Please notify me as soon as possible at xxxx or xxxx if you wish to stay on the Wait List.  Please keep us informed as to your plans and your current email address so that we can contact you quickly if an opening occurs.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Devastation. I waited until the 15th, when I was supposed to hear whether I was taken off the wait list. No dice. Out. I said I would stay on the wait list, but expected nothing.

I packed up my film school ambitions for the year with an adequate amount of profanity and frustration. Swore off film school, found a new job for a wonderful production company in Berlin, and forgot all about Los Angeles. Fast forward two months.

It’s July. The day I signed my new rent contract in Berlin. I’m sitting at my new job. It’s about 5 pm. I do a quick check of my emails and discover a short one from a professor. It’s entitled Greetings from UCLA. I knew I was in. Chaos, but I knew that despite all my ranting and David Mamet reading, that I would go.

And now I’m in Los Angeles. I hope this helps for those of you looking at the MFA at UCLA this year. You really do never know.

If you’re interested in applying to film school, or what we do here, I have a number of posts on this blog documenting my time. Some posts that may be of interest:

Applying to Film School: My UCLA Statement of Purpose

Applying to Film School: Paul Reisinger’s Statement of Purpose

Applying to Film School: Submitting Your Best Reel

Paying for Film School: The First Year

Paying for Film School Part 2

John August’s excellent blog also has a post on getting into film school:

How to Get into Film School