Screenwriter and novelist Ross LaManna, chair of ArtCenter’s film department, explains a curriculum that builds connections and Hollywood internships.
Screenwriter/Novelist LaManna was appointed Chair of Art Center College of Design’s Film Department as part of the college’s restructuring and expanding of its film program, with a curriculum designed to push the boundaries of traditional filmmaking. LaManna is best known for his spec script Rush Hour, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.
LaManna talks magazine about Art Center’s new camera purchases and editing suite upgrades for the school’s film students. LaManna also shares how the college’s film program emphasizes the entrepreneurial approach to filmmaking, while working to help film students build connections and secure internships with Hollywood productions.
How did Art Center College of Design’s Film Program wrap up 2008?
Ross LaManna: We had a great year. We re-equipped our 10 private editing suites with state-of-the-art 8-core Mac Pros with Final Cut Studio and Avid Media Composer, bought some HDV camera and Panasonic HVX-200 P2-card cameras, saw several of our graduates step into industry jobs brought in some amazing new instructors and had a stellar lineup of guest speakers come to our campus in Pasadena, including Paul Haggis, Frank Marshall, Sam Raimi, Samuel Goldwyn, Jr., Taylor Hackford, Josh Brolin, Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris, editors Jerry Greenberg, Hughes Winborne and Zach Staenberg, cinematographer Robert Elswit, Mark Pellington, Mark Rydell, studio chiefs Jeffrey Katzenberg, Nina Jacobson and Thom Mount, composer Mark Isham, producer/director/actor Tony Bill, super-hot commercial director Tom Kuntz, and many others.
A little over a year ago, you had been appointed to the United States Air Force (USAF) Entertainment Industry Liaison Civilian Board of Directors. Could you share with us the advantages and benefits that this provides for Art Center College of Design’s Film Program, and for your film students?
Ross LaManna: My position with the Entertainment Liaison Board gives our students the opportunity to secure Air Force cooperation on related productions. Also, the Board works closely with a number of big Hollywood productions every year, including Iron Man 2 and Transformers 2, directed by Art Center Film Alumnus Michael Bay. We are exploring various ways to bring internship opportunities on such films to Art Center Film students. What are some new things going on in the Art Center Film Department, as well as with your film students?
LaManna: We are very excited about a new partnership between the Art Center Film Department and powerhouse commercial production company MJZ. MJZ principal David Zander is an awesome, visionary guy, he has made arrangements for himself and his all-star directing team [Spike Jonze; Harmony Korine; Dante Ariola; Tom Kuntz, etc.] to mentor and advise our directing students.
What you would say makes your film program stand out from other film programs?
An executive at DreamWorks Animation recently summed it up nicely: “What I like about Art Center Film is that you understand movies aren’t just shot any more, they’re designed.”
Our goal is to create a new generation of filmmakers who are leaders in their field, through a comprehensive visual arts education, hallmarked by a deep understanding every aspect filmmaking. A close collaboration with Art Center’s world-renowned fine art, design, and illustration departments make us unique among film programs.
While Helping Students Build Connections and Secure Internships with Hollywood Productions
The art of filmmaking demands a far broader range of skills than ever before. Every aspect of our curriculum focuses on students mastering the technical aspects of moviemaking in order to serve the narrative. We also believe filmmaking should be taught by accomplished, working professionals, as evidenced in our faculty list. Class sizes are small, fostering close, mentoring relationships between instructor and student. New students are shooting immediately in HD; advanced students shoot on 16mm, 35mm, the Red One and other professional cameras.
More so than ever, filmmakers must be leaders, visionaries and entrepreneurs. We are here to help them realize their dreams.
Tell us more about your equipment and facilities.
Ross LaManna: While we are able to equip most student productions from our well-stocked Equipment Warehouse, special arrangements with studio rental companies such as Clairmont Camera enable students to rent full, professional 35mm production packages for only the setup fee.
Our state-of-the-art facilities also include several private editing suites equipped with 8-core Mac Pros, 2 terabyte RAID arrays, and diverse media creation programs from Adobe, Avid, Apple, Maya and others. Other facilities include a surround-sound-enabled recording and mixing studio with ProTools and Digital Performer, and a Foley suite. Several fully-outfitted multi-computer labs are available 24 hours. A 5,000-square-foot stage with a cyclorama is available as well as a green screen digital compositing equipment and staging.
The architecturally-striking main building and beautiful grounds on a wooded hillside above Pasadena are amazing places for location shooting and have been used for shows such as FX’s Nip/Tuck, Fox’s Bones, and many motion pictures.
Tell us more about what your school does for film students in regards to film internships.
Ross LaManna: We have placed students in a number intern positions at such companies as MTV and Nickelodeon, and with filmmakers such as Joe Pitka. Our own instructors, when shooting in town, will often bring students into their productions when shooting.
We’re very familiar your work and credits. What kinds of changes and new trends have you seen over the years in relation to screenwriting, and scripts that are bought and produced?
Ross LaManna: When I first started writing in the late 1980’s, you could sell an idea and get hired to write a script from a one-sentence idea. Studios developed original concepts and liked to buy spec scripts. (I sold Rush Hour as a spec script.) Now it is much more difficult to get something started from scratch, especially something original. Studios prefer buying books or graphic novels, or doing remakes and sequels, which they view as less risky than new material. It’s also become increasingly difficult to get anything set up without elements – star, director, financing, etc. – already attached. Accordingly, we’re really emphasizing the entrepreneurial approach to filmmaking: it isn’t enough to know just one discipline any more. Filmmakers, even those wanting to work in the mainstream world of Hollywood movies and network TV, must be prepared to seize any opportunity that presents itself. More importantly, they must have the requisite skills and confidence to create opportunities for themselves.
What kinds of changes and trends have you seen over the years in relation to film education?
Ross LaManna: There has been a lot of discussion in film programs regarding how to train people to create stories for the so-called new media. Our belief at Art Center Film is that from the perspective of the filmmaker, there is no new or old media, there are only alternative modes of distribution and more choices of screens on which audiences can watch stuff. We think that aside from the obvious need to train students to be expert at these new technologies, a solid foundation in traditional visual storytelling skills is of paramount importance to their success, now more so than ever.
What advice would you give to new and aspiring filmmakers and storytellers looking to get their foot in the door and seriously work in the industry?
Prospective filmmakers must take control of their own destiny from the moment they graduate. We expect our directors to have one or more strong short films on their reel. Ideally, they will have developed or written or gotten themselves attached to a good script; the work on their reel should be thematically related to the degree that it demonstrates their ability to direct the script. Our editors, cinematographers, writers, etc. must also initiate projects to the extent they can. They must be ready to seize any opportunity that comes along. Work begets work.
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