Thursday, May 14th, 2009Thank You Film Club This probably sounds petty or disingenuous, but I seriously just feel like I went through a breakup. After five solid months of Film Club, it's done. No more weekly Tuesday meetings. No more crazy weekend hours filming stuff all over town. No more cleaning up soda cans from the warehouse, wondering how it is possible for so few kids to consume so much soda in such a short amount of time. No more storyboarding, scriptwriting, editing, exporting. No more trying to find someone with black pants to wear the Robot Star Pony costume.
What I miss most of all are the kids. I didn't foresee how attached I would get to everyone's personality, let alone how much I'd miss them all once it was done. It has only been a couple days since our wrap party, and I can still feel the bump I got on my head that night, playing hide and seek in the warehouse. But I'm very conscious of how quickly those couple days will turn to weeks, and before long it will have been a couple months since our semester ended.
I have never really been able to comfortably answer the question "what do you want to do with your life?" My responses usually tend to focus on particular jobs or a line of work. I used to want to be a movie director. Then I wanted to be a graphic artist. Then I wanted to have nothing to do with graphic arts.
With Film Club, for the first time in my life I feel totally fulfilled with what I'm doing professionally. Not only am I making movies (which has always been on my list of "what I want to do with my life"), I'm helping kids do the same thing. Filmmaking is very intimidating to kids (and adults too!), but with a little guidance and technical support, these kids have been able to produce movies that are on a level far above what many college-level students are doing. It has been very gratifying to watch the students gain knowledge and confidence that has helped them over the hump of
wanting to be filmmakers. They
are filmmakers.
I'm not sure where my job will take me from here. I would love to explore the possibility of having some sort of film class where I could work with students on a daily basis. I don't have a teaching certificate or degree of any sort, and I'm also unsure that I even want to be a classroom teacher. Who knows.
What I do know is that I am dying to start Film Club back up next school year. It's going to be a long summer.
I just want to thank all the awesome students and adults that made Film Club a huge success. You all mean the world to me, and I miss you like crazy. I can't wait to get those lights shining again in the fall.
Maybe to help ease your withdrawal symptoms over the summer, you could teach Film Club for adults for those of us who admire and envy that talent but have zero knowledge and/or ability. You know, just a thought. You sleep on it.
Job well done to everyone involved! Premiere night totally rocked my socks!
Have you researched grant funding for a school film program? You might be able to create your own position if you can find funding.
I heard Jamie Lee Curtis speak in Atlanta last year. She said something that has really challenged me this past year. She said, "Do the thing that scares you the most." So this past year I decided to go back to college after 17 years and enroll in a doctorate program. I've done thing out of my comfort zone like meet new people such as in film club and also being part a movie and I am really a shy guy. There's more on this list. However, the only regret that I have a year later is that I didn't start believing earlier in life that I could do some of those things. It has been a great year and what I thought would scare me has actually made me a much happier guy. You've given this group of kids a new perspective on themselves and what is possible. By any measure, that is not a small accomplishment!
p.s. I'm so glad you've found such purpose with the kids. Seeing you with them and seeing all the things you all have accomplished has been really cool, and I can't wait to see it again next year!!
2ndly... i'm glad that i was laid off & lost my job. me leaving led to the District moving you into the job that you were obviously meant to have. not only have you brought magic to the District's website & other mediums, you've opened the future to the kids in film club.
dave, what you do is so amazingly inspiring.
quite simply, dude... you rock!
Thanks for the nice note. I plan on keeping the Film Club going strong, so when your daughter's ready, we'll be happy to have her.
I also appreciate the fact how Steve, Joe and you pretty much bent over backwards for us kids for everything. Especially the extra effort you put in to make me look creepy in Partly Cloudy. =P My aunt and uncle get a kick out of that every time they see it.
But if you ever need me over the summer for insane stunts or someone really strong then just leave me a message or a call (If my phone gets turned back on). Thanks again for EVERYTHING Dave!