1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:14,560 Welcome to Students Incorporated, a podcast exploring the topics of business, education, 2 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:16,160 technology and design. 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:17,600 I'm your host, Mr. Jason. 4 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:23,960 Join me weekly as my team and I produce content that's informative, positive, fun and uplifting. 5 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:28,440 Episodes include student conversations, interviews with thought leaders and inspirational stories 6 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:29,800 with an international flavor. 7 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,000 This podcast is created and produced with the help of students from the International 8 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:40,280 Community School of Bangkok. 9 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,800 In today's episode, we'll be talking to an alumni who's currently enrolled in the Cinematic 10 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,480 Arts Master's program at the University of Southern California. 11 00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:51,360 He's pretty special to me as he happens to be my eldest son. 12 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:54,920 He's quite the busy guy though right now, but we thought we would bring you some news 13 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:59,280 about ICS alumni from time to time, what they're doing and where they've landed. 14 00:00:59,280 --> 00:01:03,160 Before we jump into our conversation with Mr. Coleman, let's hear our quote of the 15 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,800 day and get some headline movie news. 16 00:01:05,800 --> 00:01:08,200 Our quote of the day comes from Malcolm X. 17 00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:13,200 His quote is to have said, education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs 18 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:15,720 to those who've prepared for it today. 19 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,880 This quote implies that education provides individuals the opportunity to move on to 20 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:21,240 a successful future. 21 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:26,560 It also suggests that individuals who invest time and effort in their education today are 22 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:32,200 the ones who will be well prepared to navigate the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. 23 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:36,760 Education plays an important part in shaping a brighter and more promising future for individuals 24 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:38,320 and society as a whole. 25 00:01:38,320 --> 00:01:40,760 Here's some top movie news out of Hollywood. 26 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:46,800 We go back to the 80s for our first news piece adapted from the 1981 TV series Fall Guy. 27 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:51,840 The new 2024 movie The Fall Guy features the main protagonist Colt, who is an aging stuntman 28 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:53,400 working on a film set. 29 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,880 When the main actor for the film disappears, Colt decides to investigate the disappearance. 30 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:01,960 The film will feature actors such as Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, both prominent and 31 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:03,240 award-winning actors. 32 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,160 It's set to release in March 2024. 33 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:10,640 Now, what happens when you mix a panda and kung fu four times? 34 00:02:10,640 --> 00:02:12,560 You get Kung Fu Panda 4. 35 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:16,360 Pol, the dragon warrior, is set to become the leader of the Valley of Peace. 36 00:02:16,360 --> 00:02:21,440 However, he must find a successor as his title for the dragon warrior, and he finds a fox 37 00:02:21,440 --> 00:02:22,440 called Zhen. 38 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:27,840 Additionally, Pol will have to face off against Camillan, a villian who was able to summon 39 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:29,200 past villians. 40 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:34,720 Now, moving on to our last piece of movie news, another new animated feature film coming 41 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,440 to a screen near you is connected to the iconic Lord of the Rings story. 42 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:43,280 This new fantasy film will be titled The Lord of the Rings, The War of Rulmherum. 43 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:50,600 It is set 183 years before the 2002 film The Two Towers and revolves around Helm Hammerhead, 44 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:55,840 a legendary king of Rohan, and his defense against the Duneling army, which is out for 45 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:59,240 vengeance due to the death of their former leader. 46 00:02:59,240 --> 00:03:02,840 And that ends our Hollywood news segments. 47 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:04,560 Thank you for the quote and headline news. 48 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,160 Now let's get into our first segment. 49 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:10,760 I'm joined by co-hosts Premi and Rebecca, and we welcome Coleman, our guest alumni, 50 00:03:10,760 --> 00:03:11,760 for this episode. 51 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,240 Premi will get us started with our first question. 52 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:15,800 Thank you for joining our show today. 53 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:19,080 Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about where you are now and 54 00:03:19,080 --> 00:03:20,680 what you are doing? 55 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:22,120 My name is Coleman Weimer. 56 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,760 I'm a filmmaker. 57 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:32,560 I'm currently at USC in the MFA program studying film and television production. 58 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:38,680 And what I'm doing right now is I'm sitting on the balcony at school after a day of classes. 59 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,840 And it's like 930 p.m. 60 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:44,880 I should be at home probably sleeping. 61 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,880 But the grind never stops, as they say in L.A. 62 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:50,080 The grind never stops. 63 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:57,140 So yeah, so I'm but I'm really excited to be talking with you guys today. 64 00:03:57,140 --> 00:04:03,280 It really is so fun to be able to talk to students at ICS. 65 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:07,960 Now having been out of ICS for a long time, so I'm excited to be here. 66 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,960 Our next question is a little bit lighthearted. 67 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:17,000 What actor would you want to play in a movie if there was a movie made about your life? 68 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:22,280 This is a great, great question to ask oneself. 69 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:25,000 I really I love a lot of actors. 70 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:28,360 So the question is, you know, it's difficult. 71 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:34,240 You know, do you want an actor to play you who would make you, I don't know, more glamorous 72 00:04:34,240 --> 00:04:36,000 than you actually are? 73 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:40,240 Because that's kind of my head went to like, oh, my gosh, I could have anyone, you know, 74 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:44,280 if I could choose anyone. 75 00:04:44,280 --> 00:04:49,800 But honestly, there I always come back to there's a few actors who actors who I really 76 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,920 love to watch. 77 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:57,880 I love Christian Bale and I love Adrienne Brody. 78 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,680 I think both of those actors are phenomenal. 79 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:06,520 And if either of them ever played me, I would be like I would be I would be so confused. 80 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,440 I might even be embarrassed because I'd be like, how could they? 81 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,060 They you know, why would they ever want to play me? 82 00:05:12,060 --> 00:05:13,920 That's crazy. 83 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:15,760 I don't know how they would do that. 84 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,120 But that would be cool. 85 00:05:18,120 --> 00:05:25,520 Maybe a more realistic actor who could pull pull off my vibe would be a lesser known actor, 86 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:27,160 but really, really, really good. 87 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:30,160 His name's John McGarrow. 88 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:31,720 I think he's a phenomenal guy. 89 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:33,760 I would love to work with him one day. 90 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:38,180 He he was in a movie recently called Past Lives. 91 00:05:38,180 --> 00:05:42,680 That's probably my favorite romance film from the past 10 years easily. 92 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:49,400 I mean, it's an incredible film about this Korean woman who falls in love with this guy 93 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:55,800 when she's like a kid and then she has to move out of Korea to the States and she loses 94 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,640 touch with him and gets married to this white guy in New York. 95 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:05,240 And then randomly, this Korean guy hits her up and is like, hey, how are you? 96 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:08,320 And they kind of rekindle a friendship. 97 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:12,880 And then he comes to visit her and it becomes this kind of awkward potential love triangle 98 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,240 with her and her white husband. 99 00:06:15,240 --> 00:06:19,200 And then this Korean long lost Korean boy that she used to know. 100 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:24,640 So John McGarrow in that film plays the white husband from New York. 101 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:30,920 And he does such a good job of being kind of shy and like kind of embarrassed and maybe 102 00:06:30,920 --> 00:06:35,360 a little insecure about, you know, what does my wife think about this this this old flame 103 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:36,360 of hers? 104 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:38,920 Yeah, John McGarrow is great. 105 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,120 And he would probably do a good job of playing me. 106 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:46,680 So that's a long answer to a pretty simple question. 107 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:48,320 That sounds like a very fun film. 108 00:06:48,320 --> 00:06:49,680 And those are great choices. 109 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:51,760 And now here's another fun question. 110 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:55,960 Who is the most famous person you've ever interacted with or have been in the same room 111 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:56,960 with? 112 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,960 Oh, that's tricky. 113 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:06,640 OK, I might I might give two answers, because I've definitely found, you know, being here 114 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:10,880 at school at USC, they do bring in a lot of really great filmmakers and there's a lot 115 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,480 of really cool screenings that happen. 116 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:19,520 Film screenings when they premiere in L.A. oftentimes have kind of a general it's open 117 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,040 sometimes to the public to buy tickets. 118 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:28,620 So for example, I was in the same room as James Cameron, who directed Titanic. 119 00:07:28,620 --> 00:07:33,040 And I was there for that because it was a it was a big screening for the Pinocchio movie 120 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:34,640 he helped produce. 121 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:39,640 So that was a cool thing where you're able to hear the filmmaker kind of talk about producing 122 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:44,660 the film after the fact and kind of be in the same room as them with all of the hype 123 00:07:44,660 --> 00:07:47,640 in the room with everyone watching at the premiere. 124 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:49,900 So that was cool. 125 00:07:49,900 --> 00:07:52,280 But those moments often feel a little less genuine. 126 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,120 You know, there's a distance between you and the person. 127 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:59,600 And not only that, for some of these people their reputation precedes them. 128 00:07:59,600 --> 00:08:03,760 You know, like you can go online and read countless stories of certain directors who've 129 00:08:03,760 --> 00:08:06,560 had kind of thrown temper tantrums on set. 130 00:08:06,560 --> 00:08:10,920 And so you kind of get a certain vibe about them even without meeting them. 131 00:08:10,920 --> 00:08:14,920 And you're in the same room as them and there's a big event and it's kind of it doesn't always 132 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:17,400 feel real. 133 00:08:17,400 --> 00:08:22,760 But some other more real experiences I've had have been really, really good. 134 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:31,360 Like there was a screening I went to at Sundance, the film festival, one year and it was the 135 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,440 film Minari. 136 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:39,040 And I saw one of the premiere screenings of that at Sundance and it just overwhelming. 137 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:40,280 It was so overwhelming. 138 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:41,760 The experience was lovely. 139 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:43,800 I was crying during the movie. 140 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:47,240 It was just a beautiful, it was a beautiful film. 141 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:51,640 And I walked out of the theater still like kind of tears in my eyes still and kind of 142 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:54,400 the post screening days. 143 00:08:54,400 --> 00:09:03,840 And I look over to my left and Josh Brolin, the actor, producer extraordinaire who played 144 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:11,040 Thanos in the Avengers is standing next to me also tears in his eyes, also having just 145 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:14,260 thoroughly loved the movie. 146 00:09:14,260 --> 00:09:19,320 And there was just this unsaid kind of acknowledgement between us of like, wow, wasn't that a powerful 147 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:20,320 movie? 148 00:09:20,320 --> 00:09:24,560 We both loved each other and both of us still were in the days of having walked out of that 149 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:25,560 film. 150 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:32,280 And so that was kind of a special moment too of just unspoken kind of hello. 151 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,200 Wasn't that a great movie? 152 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:42,200 But I guess a more, I had a very typical, I don't want to say typical, but it is a very 153 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:43,500 typical LA story. 154 00:09:43,500 --> 00:09:50,240 When I first moved here, within the first two weeks of being here, I went to this, this 155 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,000 bookstore that was doing a reading. 156 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:56,960 They were doing like a reading, a poetry reading and a book release. 157 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:58,240 And it was a very small event. 158 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:03,780 I just expected I would meet some potential, you know, other friends who were interested 159 00:10:03,780 --> 00:10:07,600 in literature or interested in the arts. 160 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:10,920 And when I got there, I was talking to some folks who were artists and I thought, oh, 161 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:11,920 this is cool. 162 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,100 This person paints, this person sculpts, does like sculpture. 163 00:10:15,100 --> 00:10:17,640 And they said, oh, our friend is going to come over and you should meet them. 164 00:10:17,640 --> 00:10:18,640 And I was like, oh, great. 165 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:23,880 So their friend arrives and I realize, oh my goodness, their friend is a Grammy award 166 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:27,920 winning artist that I've listened to in high school. 167 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:29,680 His name is Beck. 168 00:10:29,680 --> 00:10:30,680 You can look them up. 169 00:10:30,680 --> 00:10:33,080 He goes by Beck, B-E-C-K. 170 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,600 And I'd listened to him for years and I recognized him immediately. 171 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,140 And I was like, oh, you're the friend. 172 00:10:39,140 --> 00:10:42,360 And he looks at me and goes, oh, yes, I'm the friend. 173 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:44,600 And we just kind of started having a conversation. 174 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:48,920 And I was already, you know, having talked to the folks he was there to hang out with, 175 00:10:48,920 --> 00:10:54,800 I was able to really organically just spend some time with him and talk with him a bit. 176 00:10:54,800 --> 00:11:00,840 And afterwards, we all went after the after this reading, this event, we all went and 177 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:02,560 hung out afterwards. 178 00:11:02,560 --> 00:11:04,480 And it's just really cool. 179 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:10,880 A very organic way to meet someone who in a lot of ways would have been you would have 180 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:14,040 had to go through security guards to get to them, you know. 181 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:20,320 But here you was on a Friday night just going art hopping from art show to art show and, 182 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:25,400 you know, just happened to be in the right place at the right time. 183 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:28,880 So things like that happen and it's very fun. 184 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,900 And what I've just been learning in LA is it's when you least expect. 185 00:11:32,900 --> 00:11:39,160 And so it's better to just be always just be yourself and lean on that. 186 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:42,920 So I've been I've been trying to practice that as much as possible. 187 00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:47,240 Going back in time a bit, what are some things that stand out to you about your time here 188 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:50,120 at ICS as a student? 189 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:58,340 The most important thing I learned at ICS was that being a part of a community that 190 00:11:58,340 --> 00:12:03,560 cares for one another is absolutely essential. 191 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:09,240 And it's probably the biggest thing I miss about being at ICS. 192 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:16,760 There's a lot of experiences I've had in other places, like my undergrad experience 193 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:21,760 also had pockets of deep community that I was able to find. 194 00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:24,840 But at ICS, it's a little more immediate. 195 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:31,240 And because the school is smaller, it really does have a sense that everyone knows everyone. 196 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:38,000 And even though there's pockets and kind of clicks within each class, for the most part, 197 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:43,520 you know everyone in your class and you do care about everyone and you hope for the best 198 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:45,480 for everyone that's at school. 199 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:52,240 And that's a really special, really, really special experience that I think as you at 200 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:57,280 least for me, when I got out into the world, I started to realize how much bigger the world 201 00:12:57,280 --> 00:13:02,520 really was and how I was very much known at ICS. 202 00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:03,800 My classmates knew me. 203 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,080 My teachers knew me. 204 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,320 And outside of ICS, nobody knew me. 205 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:16,640 And each step into the world, you become more and more aware of how your belonging to a 206 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:20,780 community really does in many ways shape who you are. 207 00:13:20,780 --> 00:13:26,520 And so at ICS, I was able to really build an identity for myself and become kind of 208 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:28,560 who I am today. 209 00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:33,400 But it was also planting the seeds of how my identity would continue to grow and develop 210 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:34,400 over time. 211 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:40,160 So as I entered, you could say, bigger ponds after ICS, when I entered undergrad, and now 212 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:47,520 that I'm in LA, which is one of the mega cities, and I'm trying to live in an industry and 213 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:54,080 kind of make my way in an industry that is huge, that sense of having roots in a place, 214 00:13:54,080 --> 00:14:01,120 in a community that I was raised in that really cared for me means all the world. 215 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:05,520 There's so many lessons I learned because of that community. 216 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:08,360 Teachers who would pull me aside and say, hey, Coleman, have you ever thought about 217 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:10,080 da-da-da? 218 00:14:10,080 --> 00:14:14,340 Or friends who were checking on me when I was stressed. 219 00:14:14,340 --> 00:14:23,020 Those small things in high school really helped me learn how to be someone who cares in every 220 00:14:23,020 --> 00:14:24,680 other community I've entered. 221 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:29,560 Even though they're bigger ponds and bigger places, wow, I mean, the lessons of when you 222 00:14:29,560 --> 00:14:34,160 see someone who looks like they might need help just asking how they're doing, those 223 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:40,920 things are lifelong lessons that ICS definitely helped me with. 224 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:44,320 The school name, International Community School, I feel like sometimes it gets overlooked a 225 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:49,920 lot, but I think community is such an important aspect to ICS. 226 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:56,680 The community we have here is truly, really heartwarming, and it really is special. 227 00:14:56,680 --> 00:15:01,280 Now fast-forwarding a little bit, what was your undergraduate experience like? 228 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:05,600 What classes did you take, and did they prepare you for your master's program? 229 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:13,280 Yeah, so I got my undergrad degree at George Fox University. 230 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:16,200 It's 45 minutes outside of Portland, Oregon. 231 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,640 It's in a beautiful part of the state. 232 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:26,240 Oregon's in the northwest of the United States, so it's a really beautiful, beautiful area. 233 00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:29,080 Evergreen trees left and right. 234 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:33,460 It's green all year round, even in the winter. 235 00:15:33,460 --> 00:15:39,080 Sometimes it snows, but mostly it's just kind of temperate, ideal kind of weather. 236 00:15:39,080 --> 00:15:47,120 In the summer, it gets maybe upwards of 95 degrees Fahrenheit, but nothing too crazy. 237 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:56,200 So, yeah, undergrad I studied film, so I actually got my degree in cinematic arts, and I studied 238 00:15:56,200 --> 00:16:01,480 all of the basics of the industry and also the art. 239 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:07,320 So I took film theory classes, learned about kind of the history of cinema in the states 240 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,880 and also internationally, and then I also took production classes where I learned how 241 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:19,200 to make films, where it'd be directing actors a little bit, also learning how to use a camera, 242 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:24,360 how to use lights, how to record sound, all of that stuff. 243 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:28,040 But it was more of it at an undergrad level, right? 244 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:33,280 So it wasn't the most advanced, and it was usually just kind of intro to sound or intro 245 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:35,280 to cinematography. 246 00:16:35,280 --> 00:16:40,280 And so I was kind of getting my feet wet in all of the different disciplines. 247 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:46,560 And yeah, my undergrad experience, because I went to a liberal arts school, I was also 248 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:50,200 taking classes in the humanities. 249 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:52,920 So I was also taking literature classes. 250 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:56,880 I also had to take... 251 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:02,820 I also decided to get a minor in art while I was in undergrad, so I studied art history 252 00:17:02,820 --> 00:17:04,720 and I did ceramics. 253 00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:08,720 I studied ceramics also in undergrad. 254 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:14,560 And so I was able to learn a lot from different disciplines, not just in film. 255 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:16,920 And actually, this goes back to a previous question. 256 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:24,360 I had an art teacher at ICS who, when I told him I wanted to be a filmmaker, he said, well, 257 00:17:24,360 --> 00:17:29,880 if you want to be a filmmaker, then while you're at ICS, you need to study 3D art. 258 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:31,360 And that was kind of weird to me. 259 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:33,080 I was like, oh, that doesn't make much sense. 260 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:40,360 Because you explain, and he was just like, well, you make films in the real world, right? 261 00:17:40,360 --> 00:17:41,360 And I was like, yes. 262 00:17:41,360 --> 00:17:47,840 He's like, so you need to understand spatial awareness and how a space is used and how 263 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:54,040 you can frame and move actors through a space, move a camera through a space. 264 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:57,160 So I started to realize, oh, OK, 3D art might be kind of important. 265 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:01,400 So I ended up doing ceramics in ICS. 266 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:05,560 And then when I got to undergrad, I loved it so much, I continued to study 3D art. 267 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:11,840 So some of those lessons carried right over into my undergrad. 268 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:18,200 And I guess the classes I took in many ways prepared me for where I'm at now in the grad 269 00:18:18,200 --> 00:18:19,200 program. 270 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:26,280 I did find my first year at USC in the MFA program, a lot of my technical abilities were 271 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:31,840 very much so advanced in comparison to a lot of my classmates who hadn't studied film in 272 00:18:31,840 --> 00:18:37,240 undergrad just because I had had so much more experience and spent many more hours behind 273 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:41,640 a camera and lighting actors and that kind of thing. 274 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:47,160 So my undergrad definitely prepared me for where I'm at here at USC. 275 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:49,740 But I also took fun classes. 276 00:18:49,740 --> 00:18:54,000 If you go to a liberal arts school, you can take fun classes. 277 00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:57,240 So I did take a poetry class. 278 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:00,600 I took a photography class. 279 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:07,800 I tried taking an entrepreneurship class for a few days and I dropped out because it was 280 00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:08,800 kind of crazy. 281 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:11,960 But you know, it's fun to try. 282 00:19:11,960 --> 00:19:17,320 Trying classes in undergrad is a great experience. 283 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:21,480 What was one of your favorite classes and why? 284 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:28,520 This is a really hard question because I really did love, I loved my professors and I loved 285 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:30,240 my classes in undergrad. 286 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:33,200 I really did. 287 00:19:33,200 --> 00:19:39,840 I would say there was a professor on campus that I had heard about that had kind of a 288 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:42,600 myth about him. 289 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:52,600 And the first time I ever saw him, he was on the stage playing his banjo in our auditorium. 290 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,520 And I was like, oh my gosh, who's this guy? 291 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:55,700 This is cool. 292 00:19:55,700 --> 00:20:02,600 He's playing the banjo like the Kentucky, you know, Appalachian style banjo. 293 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:06,360 And I wanted to know who he was. 294 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:13,600 And so our school newspaper that I was a part of wanted to do this piece about this professor. 295 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,200 And I was like, can I please be the photographer for that for that article? 296 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:18,600 And they're like, sure. 297 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:25,920 So me and one of my future best friends, who we weren't friends at the time, who was writing 298 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:32,280 the article, went up into this professor's office and met with him for the article. 299 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,080 And as soon as I walked in his office, there was just a vibe. 300 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:36,440 There was a vibe in the space. 301 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:40,840 It was just books all over the wall, bookshelves all over. 302 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:45,120 And he was just sitting behind his desk and the way he greeted us, everything, it just 303 00:20:45,120 --> 00:20:49,040 had this, I had this kind of feeling like, man, I'm going to really like this professor 304 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:52,760 and I'm going to have to take one of his classes. 305 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,980 He was a literature professor, so hence all the books. 306 00:20:55,980 --> 00:21:02,200 And he taught his favorite class to teach was poetry, contemporary free verse poetry. 307 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:07,080 And so I had an interest in poetry since I was pretty young. 308 00:21:07,080 --> 00:21:13,480 And so while after we had finished the interview and after I had taken his picture a few times, 309 00:21:13,480 --> 00:21:15,400 I asked him about the poetry class. 310 00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,040 I asked him about poetry in general. 311 00:21:18,040 --> 00:21:22,240 I asked him if he had any recommendations for poets to read. 312 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:23,240 And he did. 313 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:24,240 He gave me some names. 314 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:28,520 And then he also reached up on the top of his bookshelf and handed me a copy of the 315 00:21:28,520 --> 00:21:33,880 book that he had just published of his most recent poems. 316 00:21:33,880 --> 00:21:40,680 And I was just like, totally, you know, I was in awe of this person immediately. 317 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,160 I was like, wow, this guy's published his poems. 318 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:44,160 This is so cool. 319 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,080 And he plays banjo. 320 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:51,240 But at the same time, you know, I knew that I was, you know, not the average student. 321 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:55,920 A lot of people just see a banjo and they're kind of like, cool, I guess. 322 00:21:55,920 --> 00:21:57,200 But for me, I was just riveted. 323 00:21:57,200 --> 00:21:59,080 I was totally riveted by this person. 324 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:00,080 So I took his class. 325 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:06,000 I took his contemporary free verse poetry class. 326 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:22,800 And that class has, by and large, shaped a lot of my personal aesthetics when it comes to how I view art, how I approach telling stories, and also how I approach writing in general. 327 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:26,280 One of the first classes he sat, you know, we were all sitting there and he was talking 328 00:22:26,280 --> 00:22:28,560 about metaphor. 329 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:29,560 And he made this joke. 330 00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:31,560 He said, what's a metaphor? 331 00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:35,000 And you know, we're all looking at him like we don't know what he's talking about. 332 00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:42,400 And he says a metaphor is where you keep the cows in, which I didn't understand the joke 333 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:46,120 at all at that moment because it makes no sense to keep the cows in. 334 00:22:46,120 --> 00:22:47,120 What is a meadow? 335 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:49,080 And then I spelled it out further. 336 00:22:49,080 --> 00:22:52,360 Oh, what is a meadow for? 337 00:22:52,360 --> 00:22:55,080 A meadow maybe meaning like a meadow in a pasture. 338 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,080 I was like, oh, to keep the cows in. 339 00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:58,280 That makes sense. 340 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:03,080 So I was like, man, this guy is going to be ahead of us this whole semester. 341 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,160 And that was really how the class went. 342 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,460 He would give us these kind of tastes of an idea. 343 00:23:08,460 --> 00:23:12,040 He would kind of prompt us with something and then we'd think about it. 344 00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:13,560 We'd stew over it. 345 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:17,520 Sometimes it felt like a riddle or a spell he was kind of casting. 346 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:21,560 But one class he did tell us, he was like, you know, when you're writing a poem, there 347 00:23:21,560 --> 00:23:25,760 is the potential that you might find magic. 348 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:30,040 And when you do, you have to be really careful and you got to use it well. 349 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,880 And there were times when I was I'd be writing and I would just kind of uncover something 350 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:35,160 that I didn't know was there. 351 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,800 And I just go, whoa, I didn't know I could do that. 352 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:43,440 I didn't know I could find a detail or kind of string together a series of metaphors and 353 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:44,920 create an effect. 354 00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,880 It was just completely exciting. 355 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:54,360 And it was how I learned how to edit films was actually by taking his poetry class because 356 00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:58,200 I realized that when you're writing a poem, you're writing images. 357 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:03,080 You're writing this image and then this image and then this image. 358 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:07,960 And essentially, you're creating a series of shots that you're cutting together. 359 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:13,360 And so by learning how to create metaphor between images, you can essentially learn 360 00:24:13,360 --> 00:24:14,440 how to do anything. 361 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:16,520 So huge class, huge class. 362 00:24:16,520 --> 00:24:18,560 I think about it every day. 363 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:20,960 So that's really inspiring. 364 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,520 I feel like that definitely makes sense. 365 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:29,200 Like people might not connect poetry to filmmaking immediately, but like through like storytelling 366 00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:34,600 or like the magic or the way how you tell stories through images, I think that definitely 367 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:36,080 makes sense. 368 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:41,560 And OK, now this next question also ties into the general process for college apps as well. 369 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:46,080 Could you explain the entire college app process you had to go through and what advice would 370 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:51,280 you give to current juniors and seniors at ICS and their application processes? 371 00:24:51,280 --> 00:24:52,280 Such a good question. 372 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:58,400 It's a very important question, especially for anyone who's who's looking at colleges. 373 00:24:58,400 --> 00:25:06,800 For me personally, I spent hours and hours and hours and hours looking at colleges. 374 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:12,480 I put a lot of time into it and I would I would recommend I would recommend that anyone 375 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:18,200 who's looking at college spends a lot of time thinking about it and researching and reading 376 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,880 and looking at colleges. 377 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:25,720 When we would have college fairs come to ICS, I would go to as many booths as seemed interesting 378 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:26,720 to me. 379 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,800 I would seek out the schools that had the programs I was interested in. 380 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:35,480 So for example, we had Maryland Institute College of Art come to ICS and I sought out 381 00:25:35,480 --> 00:25:36,480 that representative. 382 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:37,480 I went and found him. 383 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:38,960 I said, hey, I'm really interested in film. 384 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,600 I want to I want to be a filmmaker. 385 00:25:41,600 --> 00:25:43,600 What is your program like at MICA? 386 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,880 How is how is that program? 387 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:51,120 So I would try to kind of find ways to even while I was in Bangkok at ICS far away from 388 00:25:51,120 --> 00:25:56,000 the states, I was still trying to find ways to meet people in person if possible. 389 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:59,320 So making the most of that, you know, making the most of finding those representatives 390 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,760 who come to ICS for the fairs and all that. 391 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:07,600 I also did, you know, I kind of knew what I wanted. 392 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:12,540 I wanted a school where I could study film and make films. 393 00:26:12,540 --> 00:26:16,040 And I wanted it to be in a place that ideally was beautiful. 394 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,660 So I was looking at colleges in the northwest. 395 00:26:18,660 --> 00:26:23,840 I was looking at colleges in the northeast of the U.S. and I applied to schools that 396 00:26:23,840 --> 00:26:27,900 to me thought I thought, wow, if I got into this school, that would be crazy. 397 00:26:27,900 --> 00:26:31,960 You know, I was applying for some that I to me felt like total reaches. 398 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,640 And then I was applying to some that I felt like would have been maybe I would have been 399 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:39,720 a shoe in for, you know, ones that weren't super risky to apply to. 400 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:45,440 So by kind of applying to that range, you're able to give yourself a sense of confidence 401 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:49,360 of, you know, I might not get into all the schools that are reaches, but I definitely 402 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:52,300 could get into this one. 403 00:26:52,300 --> 00:26:55,520 And also, I gave myself freedom to not choose. 404 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:59,840 You know, I applied to schools even if I didn't absolutely love them. 405 00:26:59,840 --> 00:27:05,400 And I'm really glad I did, because the ones I applied to, I got into most of them. 406 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:10,280 And then it was a matter of choosing, OK, you know, when you look at the scholarships, 407 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:16,120 when you look at how much scholarship money comes in and all that, it really does kind 408 00:27:16,120 --> 00:27:20,880 of shift what your your options are and what you can choose. 409 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:22,560 But I got pretty nerdy at times. 410 00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:26,040 I would get I would get in deep on the research. 411 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,000 There were two colleges I was really trying to choose between. 412 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:37,240 I was trying to choose between George Fox, and then I was also looking potentially at 413 00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:41,780 Bard College, which was in the East Coast. 414 00:27:41,780 --> 00:27:46,800 Before I visited either of them, I just kind of on a gut level felt akin to them, like 415 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:51,900 there was something about these schools, the program, the teachers. 416 00:27:51,900 --> 00:27:57,040 But my heart and what I felt, it felt like a spiritual prompting, a guiding. 417 00:27:57,040 --> 00:28:02,540 I felt like God might be urging me or kind of putting George Fox on my mind. 418 00:28:02,540 --> 00:28:08,520 So when my family when we visited the school one summer, I just kind of realized while 419 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:12,520 I was on campus, like, wow, this place really has a sense of the community. 420 00:28:12,520 --> 00:28:17,200 I felt that ICS, it might be a good place for me to land when I come to the States. 421 00:28:17,200 --> 00:28:20,220 So I kind of followed that that guidance. 422 00:28:20,220 --> 00:28:22,340 And I am glad I did. 423 00:28:22,340 --> 00:28:29,080 You know, I do in some some days I I some days I regret not looking more seriously at 424 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:35,660 Bard College because had I looked more seriously, I would have saw that one of the professors 425 00:28:35,660 --> 00:28:39,000 is a filmmaker who I greatly respect and admire. 426 00:28:39,000 --> 00:28:42,840 And it would have been cool to study under her. 427 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:50,000 But at the same time, you know, nothing really, at least hindsight bias, you know, George 428 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,600 Fox was a really wonderful community for me. 429 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:53,600 So I'm glad I went. 430 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:57,280 So, yeah, number one piece of advice and do the research. 431 00:28:57,280 --> 00:28:59,880 Really look at the schools. 432 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:00,880 It's time well spent. 433 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:02,920 It really is. 434 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:08,760 Because even when you've gotten into undergrad and you're there and you're in college, it's 435 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:13,360 really good to know that at least you know in your heart that you you looked at the other 436 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:17,800 doors and you saw what was behind them and you you gave them the fair chance. 437 00:29:17,800 --> 00:29:24,480 Yeah, and shoot for the stars, honestly, apply to the schools that seem like you never know 438 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,280 because it can happen. 439 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:28,280 Thank you. 440 00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:29,280 That was super helpful. 441 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:34,760 I'd like to ask about the process of getting into USC's Fame Film Program. 442 00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:36,320 What was that process like? 443 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:40,040 And did you apply to other programs as well? 444 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:46,080 The process to get into USC was process similar to applying to undergrad. 445 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:53,720 You apply to schools and the only difference being with grad programs for film, you have 446 00:29:53,720 --> 00:29:58,240 to do interviews and you have to submit films to get in. 447 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:03,760 So I also applied to several other film schools in Southern California. 448 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:10,480 I applied to USC, applied to AFI, American Film Institute, which is a conservatory. 449 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:19,120 I also applied to Chapman, which is in Orange County, a little bit outside of LA. 450 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:21,920 And yeah, the process for applying to those schools was great. 451 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:26,640 I mean, I learned a lot by filling out the application. 452 00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,840 I learned a lot during the interviews, that's for sure. 453 00:30:30,840 --> 00:30:37,560 Some interviewees I met with at the different schools helped me get a better sense of what 454 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:39,480 the program would be like if I went there. 455 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:46,280 You know, and it's like, do I want to have a professor who's like this every day? 456 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:47,560 Maybe, maybe not. 457 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:54,320 So the process to choose USC was tough because it wasn't my only option. 458 00:30:54,320 --> 00:31:00,040 But what I decided on was when I talked to some folks about it, some of my friends who 459 00:31:00,040 --> 00:31:06,040 are older than me, wiser than me, the sentiment was, well, you know, why wouldn't you choose 460 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:07,920 USC? 461 00:31:07,920 --> 00:31:11,080 It is quote unquote the film school. 462 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:15,360 And if it's an option to you, why choose another one? 463 00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:23,160 So I kind of personally have a bend toward not choosing the popular route, just with 464 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:27,560 my personal sense of taste and what I like to make. 465 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:31,440 And so I worried that being at USC would make me too commercial. 466 00:31:31,440 --> 00:31:36,880 But I realized I had to just get over that and choose the school that felt like it would 467 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:44,360 probably best set me up for being in the film industry, even if I end up making really interesting 468 00:31:44,360 --> 00:31:45,720 art films. 469 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:49,880 Our final question for the first segment is connected to the last question. 470 00:31:49,880 --> 00:31:53,000 Could you describe what it was like to have to choose between different schools? 471 00:31:53,000 --> 00:31:55,400 Was that a difficult decision to make? 472 00:31:55,400 --> 00:32:02,540 It wasn't that difficult of a decision once I realized that USC is right in the heart 473 00:32:02,540 --> 00:32:04,780 of L.A. 474 00:32:04,780 --> 00:32:12,240 And after I met the faculty of the other film schools, I felt as if USC had maybe the best 475 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:13,240 of both worlds. 476 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:18,520 It was it would be rigorous and serious enough, but not so rigorous and serious that it would 477 00:32:18,520 --> 00:32:21,680 be at the expense of the student. 478 00:32:21,680 --> 00:32:23,100 And that to me was huge. 479 00:32:23,100 --> 00:32:25,600 So that's part of why I chose USC. 480 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:27,040 And that ends segment one. 481 00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,760 Thank you, Coleman, for telling us that part of your post high school story. 482 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:35,040 We'll be right back with more from Coleman after this short announcement. 483 00:32:35,040 --> 00:32:41,040 Hello, everyone. 484 00:32:41,040 --> 00:32:47,440 This is Amy, founder of the ICS Media Club, and I'm Alpha, co-director of ICS Media Club. 485 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:52,120 We're here to share with you guys about what being a member of our club would look like. 486 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:57,360 To summarize, our videographers from the ICS Media Club will film and edit every big event 487 00:32:57,360 --> 00:33:01,280 such as but not limited to Eagles Camp, banquet and salt trip. 488 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:03,680 If you don't know how to edit, don't worry. 489 00:33:03,680 --> 00:33:08,960 We can teach you how and our video and edit team will edit the final video as well. 490 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,040 These videos will be uploaded on our YouTube channel. 491 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:16,080 For those of you who prefer designing, we have a team for layout design where you can 492 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:20,680 design Instagram posts or YouTube thumbnails for the videos that we will upload. 493 00:33:20,680 --> 00:33:26,640 Make sure to follow our YouTube channel at ICS Media Club 0204, where you can find example 494 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:32,280 videos from last year and our Instagram at ICS Media Club, where you can sign up if you're 495 00:33:32,280 --> 00:33:33,280 interested. 496 00:33:33,280 --> 00:33:38,000 Thank you, and we hope to see you soon. 497 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:39,960 We are back with our second segment. 498 00:33:39,960 --> 00:33:43,480 We are going to hear more from Coleman about his experience at USC so far. 499 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:48,000 We'll be asking some questions about his vision for how he'd like to do film as a career. 500 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:52,120 And we might just ask him about his secret identity as a professional yo-yoer. 501 00:33:52,120 --> 00:33:54,280 Premier will get us started again. 502 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:58,640 Before we get into this cool program at USC, we all want to know about this professional 503 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:00,040 yo-yoer thing. 504 00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:02,680 Yeah, yo-yoing is a huge part of my life. 505 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:08,440 I started yo-yoing when I was in fourth or fifth grade. 506 00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:13,640 And when my family moved to Thailand, I was homeschooled for the first two years of that. 507 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:21,400 And so that gave me a lot of time at home alone to practice yo-yo. 508 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:25,840 And a lot of the friends I made were actually yo-yoers who I met online through posting 509 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:27,360 yo-yo videos on YouTube. 510 00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:28,360 And it's a whole scene. 511 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:32,680 You know, there's a whole scene of people online who love yo-yoing, love making tricks, 512 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:34,020 posting tricks. 513 00:34:34,020 --> 00:34:39,400 So it became a huge thing for me and something to aspire to, something to work toward. 514 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:40,560 And my parents encouraged it. 515 00:34:40,560 --> 00:34:41,940 They thought it was fun. 516 00:34:41,940 --> 00:34:47,820 So a lot of my childhood was, you know, practicing tricks, trying to meet up with yo-yo friends 517 00:34:47,820 --> 00:34:52,080 who if I was going to be in the States in a certain state, I would try to find out if 518 00:34:52,080 --> 00:34:55,840 there are any yo-yoers there and try to meet up with them and then, you know, trade tricks 519 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:57,340 and that kind of thing. 520 00:34:57,340 --> 00:35:01,200 And then, you know, before starting high school at ICS, I actually went to the World Yo-Yo 521 00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:07,520 Contest to meet up with friends and compete and just had a great experience, made a bunch 522 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:10,880 of friends who I've kept in touch with since. 523 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:17,100 And to this day, you know, I'm still yo-yoing all the time. 524 00:35:17,100 --> 00:35:23,840 The team I'm on is for Atmos Projects, which is a yo-yo company based in Singapore. 525 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,800 Really great people, kind people who make really good yo-yos. 526 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:32,560 And it's really fun to be on that team and represent them and still learning a bunch 527 00:35:32,560 --> 00:35:33,560 about yo-yoing. 528 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:39,040 You know, there's only so much you can learn even if you've been doing it for 12 years. 529 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:42,000 So, yeah, having a great time with that. 530 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:45,280 And it's part of my life that's fun. 531 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:46,520 There's no pressure behind it. 532 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:49,800 It can just be fun. 533 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:54,880 And that's really great when I'm in a career-driven time of my life. 534 00:35:54,880 --> 00:35:55,880 So yeah. 535 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:00,160 We want to know about what you are doing now at USC. 536 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:04,340 What program you are in and where that can lead you in the future. 537 00:36:04,340 --> 00:36:11,080 I'm in the Master's program at USC and in the Film and Television program. 538 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:17,860 And it's a program that helps you connect with other students and essentially learn 539 00:36:17,860 --> 00:36:21,520 parts of the craft that you don't know yet, fill in gaps of knowledge that you haven't 540 00:36:21,520 --> 00:36:23,040 gotten to yet. 541 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:27,560 I think the main thing about USC that's an asset is that it's considered an industry-plugged 542 00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:28,560 school. 543 00:36:28,560 --> 00:36:33,840 A lot of schools in Southern California have reputations. 544 00:36:33,840 --> 00:36:41,160 And USC's reputation is one that students who go to USC tend to enter the industry and 545 00:36:41,160 --> 00:36:43,480 find a job, have a career. 546 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:46,120 So it's a huge asset to be at a school like this. 547 00:36:46,120 --> 00:36:47,820 It's an immense privilege. 548 00:36:47,820 --> 00:36:55,280 In terms of what USC has to offer students, it's we have industry professionals who come 549 00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:57,800 into class quite often. 550 00:36:57,800 --> 00:37:04,120 And people who have the ability to kind of potentially give you a job are often coming 551 00:37:04,120 --> 00:37:05,200 into the school. 552 00:37:05,200 --> 00:37:07,840 So it's pretty cool for that reason. 553 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:09,880 It's very close to the industry. 554 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:11,400 It's in the middle of everything. 555 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:17,120 So for someone who wants to be a commercial filmmaker and actually make a living by making 556 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:21,680 movies, hard to pick a better school to go to. 557 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:24,160 We'd like to know more about the program itself. 558 00:37:24,160 --> 00:37:27,160 So what are some of the classes and overall environment like? 559 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:29,200 How many students are in your cohort? 560 00:37:29,200 --> 00:37:31,920 What's a typical week look like for you? 561 00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:36,920 The environment here at USC is really good for the most part. 562 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:41,800 You know, like any school, you can find yourself in potentially the wrong crowd. 563 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:45,640 You can find yourself in toxic environments if you put yourself there and if you allow 564 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:49,080 yourself to kind of get swept up into it. 565 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:53,200 But for the most part, I've made some lifelong friends here at school who want to collaborate 566 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:56,400 with me and I want to collaborate with them. 567 00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:58,840 There's 60 students in my cohort. 568 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:03,400 So every semester they take 60 new students in the spring and the fall. 569 00:38:03,400 --> 00:38:05,480 And my cohort has 60. 570 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:10,320 Typical week is go to classes almost every day. 571 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:13,520 This semester I'm at school four days a week. 572 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:19,960 And then the day I'm not at school, I'm usually writing, working on homework, in production 573 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:22,440 on a film, et cetera. 574 00:38:22,440 --> 00:38:29,080 And yeah, my classes, it depends on the semester, but every semester, no matter what, I'm going 575 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:30,360 to be working on films. 576 00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:32,040 I'm going to be making films. 577 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:34,320 I'm going to be running sound. 578 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:37,160 I'm going to be a cinematographer. 579 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:40,480 I'm going to be getting practice behind the camera. 580 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,960 I'm going to be working with actors. 581 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:48,200 Every semester I've been at USC, I've had practice in all of these different areas and 582 00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:49,840 that's been really great. 583 00:38:49,840 --> 00:38:53,080 How did USC become so popular for this degree? 584 00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:59,800 USC became a very popular school because so many students who went here went on to do 585 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:01,160 pretty impressive work. 586 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:07,000 You have students who, while at USC, maybe were considered rebels like George Lucas, 587 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:11,480 who once they went into the field, made Star Wars and then everyone said, wow, the greatest 588 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:12,640 filmmaker. 589 00:39:12,640 --> 00:39:19,200 So it really does have a reputation for putting out incredible talent, whether that's the 590 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:24,080 fault of the school, whether the school can take full credit for that or not is a really, 591 00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:28,920 no one really can say for sure because George Lucas had a really hard time making some of 592 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:34,400 his films here, but it has become popular because a lot of great filmmakers have started 593 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:39,280 their careers by coming to school here and learning the nuts and bolts of how to make 594 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:40,280 a film. 595 00:39:40,280 --> 00:39:44,640 And there's just so many grad students, so many undergrad students who've gone to the 596 00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:50,920 film program here who are now working in the industry and it's kind of a mafia and they 597 00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:52,200 talk about it that way. 598 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:57,600 So once you're done at USC, you still have kind of a family of people in the industry 599 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:01,080 who are willing to kind of open the door for you. 600 00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:05,440 I would think that networking with other like-minded people in this industry is part of the values 601 00:40:05,440 --> 00:40:06,560 as well. 602 00:40:06,560 --> 00:40:10,820 So what kind of networking opportunities are you exposed to and do you run into well-known 603 00:40:10,820 --> 00:40:13,720 actors, directors and producers much? 604 00:40:13,720 --> 00:40:16,680 I'm exposed to a lot of networking opportunities here. 605 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,640 Some of them are ones that the school initiates. 606 00:40:20,640 --> 00:40:24,600 Some of them are ones I seek out on my own, film screenings that are happening in town 607 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:26,800 that I hear about. 608 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:29,120 I try to keep my eyes and ears peeled for things. 609 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:36,340 I try to keep, I follow certain social media accounts that post about screenings that are 610 00:40:36,340 --> 00:40:41,560 happening and filmmakers who are going to be doing Q&As and that kind of thing. 611 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:47,080 So a lot of it's, you know, legwork I have to do on my own to stay up to date on what's 612 00:40:47,080 --> 00:40:48,080 going on. 613 00:40:48,080 --> 00:40:55,040 But a lot of stuff USC initiates and they bring filmmakers in and you kind of get a 614 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:57,640 distanced chance to meet them. 615 00:40:57,640 --> 00:41:03,580 The previous semester, one of my professors invited a filmmaker from Laos to come speak 616 00:41:03,580 --> 00:41:09,040 to the class and she makes these really cool, creepy films. 617 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:11,000 Her name's Maddie Doe. 618 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:17,080 And I went to this director's talk and afterwards the professor invited everyone else out to 619 00:41:17,080 --> 00:41:19,760 go get food and drinks afterwards. 620 00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:27,880 And so, you know, the handful of us who were left joined her and Maddie to go to the bar 621 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:29,560 to get food and drinks. 622 00:41:29,560 --> 00:41:34,100 And it was a really casual way to get to know this filmmaker who otherwise I probably would 623 00:41:34,100 --> 00:41:35,980 have never met. 624 00:41:35,980 --> 00:41:38,440 So certain things like that are just really special. 625 00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:41,780 You know, you're able to connect with someone in an organic way. 626 00:41:41,780 --> 00:41:47,800 For example, at some of the screenings I go to in town, I'm able to walk up to a filmmaker 627 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:52,800 who's there to present their work and just honestly say, hey, I really liked your film. 628 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:54,520 And they're like, hey, thanks. 629 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:55,520 What's your name? 630 00:41:55,520 --> 00:42:01,360 And immediately you can kind of jump into a casual conversation that is built off of 631 00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:03,920 a mutual appreciation for cinema. 632 00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:06,920 So yeah, lots of networking opportunities. 633 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:11,280 A lot of it can be, you know, potentially scary. 634 00:42:11,280 --> 00:42:18,280 But in all honesty, if you're yourself and you're able to acknowledge what you like and 635 00:42:18,280 --> 00:42:23,120 don't like, it's kind of hard to go wrong. 636 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:30,320 The quote, there's a quote I hear a lot in LA where people say, real recognize real. 637 00:42:30,320 --> 00:42:37,280 Meaning like people who are real and genuine recognize when other people are real and genuine. 638 00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:40,200 So try to follow that. 639 00:42:40,200 --> 00:42:47,120 We all know there's a creative side to producing a film, script writing, storyboarding, cinematography 640 00:42:47,120 --> 00:42:48,120 and acting. 641 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:53,600 We all know it is a business and these entertainment companies have a lot of pressure to make money 642 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:54,760 as well. 643 00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:57,600 What is your favorite part of the filmmaking process? 644 00:42:57,600 --> 00:42:59,680 The creative side or the business side? 645 00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:03,680 My favorite part of the filmmaking process is the creative side. 646 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:08,640 Like I mentioned, you know, there are classes in undergrad I took that I ended up dropping. 647 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:10,760 One of them was an entrepreneurship class. 648 00:43:10,760 --> 00:43:16,400 So business is not really my thing, even though I really tried hard to like it. 649 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:18,920 The creative side is just where I get my kicks. 650 00:43:18,920 --> 00:43:20,980 It's the funnest part for me. 651 00:43:20,980 --> 00:43:24,680 It's where my head naturally kind of occupies that space. 652 00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:31,080 The writing, writing the scripts, thinking about character motivations, thinking about 653 00:43:31,080 --> 00:43:43,160 color, how to frame a shot, man, every creative decision that directing a film requires, it 654 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:44,160 excites me. 655 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:52,320 So I am less fond of the raising the funds to make the movie and, you know, submitting 656 00:43:52,320 --> 00:44:00,440 the film to festivals to get it seen or anything that requires the tedious logistical stuff. 657 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:02,560 It's not my cup of tea. 658 00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:07,780 And to be honest, a lot of the ideas for films I have when I think about them aren't necessarily 659 00:44:07,780 --> 00:44:11,640 the most marketable films. 660 00:44:11,640 --> 00:44:16,120 They're not necessarily the most Hollywood friendly films. 661 00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:20,760 So the business side is not always part of my consideration process when I'm making a 662 00:44:20,760 --> 00:44:21,760 film. 663 00:44:21,760 --> 00:44:25,200 It's usually the last thing I think about. 664 00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:26,200 That's just how I work. 665 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:27,560 Not every filmmaker is like that. 666 00:44:27,560 --> 00:44:33,640 So some filmmakers really care to make sure that the film they're making makes enough 667 00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:35,840 money to pay for the next one. 668 00:44:35,840 --> 00:44:39,080 So they do spend more time on the business side of things. 669 00:44:39,080 --> 00:44:43,520 For me, it just comes down to setting where my priorities are, which is in creating what 670 00:44:43,520 --> 00:44:49,080 I hope to be works of art and allowing the business to kind of come after that. 671 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:52,240 That sounds so interesting and fascinating. 672 00:44:52,240 --> 00:44:53,960 This last question is about the future. 673 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:56,560 Where would you like to see yourself in 10 years? 674 00:44:56,560 --> 00:45:00,440 What would you like to be doing in the area of film? 675 00:45:00,440 --> 00:45:07,880 In 10 years, it would be awesome if I could be making feature films. 676 00:45:07,880 --> 00:45:14,120 Since I was in eighth grade, my dream was to be a director and make films. 677 00:45:14,120 --> 00:45:19,040 So if I'm able to be doing anything remotely close to that, if I'm able to make films, 678 00:45:19,040 --> 00:45:27,560 especially feature films, at any capacity, I'll be pretty excited and proud of myself 679 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:29,320 10 years from now. 680 00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:32,960 It can be really hard to raise money to make a film. 681 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:36,880 It can be really hard to successfully distribute a film. 682 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:46,200 So if in 10 years I'm still doing that, I'll be pretty excited. 683 00:45:46,200 --> 00:45:52,360 Because really that's how it goes, if you're directing films, you make one, maybe it gets 684 00:45:52,360 --> 00:45:56,040 distributed, maybe you make a bit of money on it. 685 00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:59,480 But usually when you're starting out, it's pretty dry. 686 00:45:59,480 --> 00:46:04,200 So you're just making films, you scrap together the funds, you make the film, and you do it 687 00:46:04,200 --> 00:46:11,920 over and over until you're able to kind of establish yourself, until you're able to actually 688 00:46:11,920 --> 00:46:14,280 potentially make a livable income on it. 689 00:46:14,280 --> 00:46:19,360 So yeah, I'm willing to be scrappy until then. 690 00:46:19,360 --> 00:46:24,200 But if in 10 years I'm able to make a livable income making feature films, that would be 691 00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:25,600 pretty cool. 692 00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:27,820 And that ends our discussion with Coleman. 693 00:46:27,820 --> 00:46:31,880 Thank you for joining us from California, and we hope you're able to get all your projects 694 00:46:31,880 --> 00:46:32,880 done this week. 695 00:46:32,880 --> 00:46:36,120 I'm sure it's an intense time of the year with the end of the semester coming up next 696 00:46:36,120 --> 00:46:37,120 month. 697 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:41,320 I hope our current listeners have been inspired by Coleman's journey, and he's an ICS alumni. 698 00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:42,480 It's been a joy. 699 00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:43,480 Thank you guys for having me. 700 00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:48,160 Yeah, it's always so refreshing to touch base with my ICS community. 701 00:46:48,160 --> 00:47:00,000 So I wish you all the best. 702 00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:05,080 As we end this episode, I reminded that education is important, and so is the opportunity to 703 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:07,080 follow your dreams and passions. 704 00:47:07,080 --> 00:47:11,280 Don't be afraid to take a chance on something or step out in faith, not knowing what the 705 00:47:11,280 --> 00:47:12,720 outcome may be. 706 00:47:12,720 --> 00:47:17,480 As always, this podcast would not be possible without the hard work and support of our international 707 00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:19,120 student production team. 708 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:24,860 All music and sound effects are courtesy of Pixabay.com, a vibrant community of creatives 709 00:47:24,860 --> 00:47:28,720 sharing copyright free images, videos, and music. 710 00:47:28,720 --> 00:47:31,120 And we are signing off until next time. 711 00:47:31,120 --> 00:47:45,120 Be your Students Incorporated, because your voice matters.