Digital Video Intensive:
Student Success
Emanuele Persico
Italian filmmaker, Emanuele Persico: 2 Films for the Price of 1
(And a soundtrack CD to boot!)
Fall '09 DVI grad Emanuele Persico set out to make his feature drama Tanguero in 5 weeks. But while filming in Argentina, the crew was so enthusiastic that they shot extra material for a second film, the documentary: Milongueros (The Men of Milongas). During post-production, he even managed to release the feature film's soundtrack CD in stores.
What made you decide to travel to the U.S. to study filmmaking?
In my opinion the U.S. has the best methods for producing movies. When you are in pre and post production, you can be a little flexible with time and money. You can even adjust your calendar if needed. But in the production phase you have a cost-per-hour which can not be ignored! It's very important to know what you can accomplish and more important to know what you can't. As a former computer science engineer, I wanted to learn the most efficient process in filmmaking. And guess what? I learned it!
How did your experience in the DVI influence your approach to feature filmmaking?
My DVI experience has been fundamental in building and consolidating my approach to feature filmmaking. I've learned how to use the software tools to speed up the entire process. Our teachers were very kind and always available to help us in any matter. I think they remember me for the number of questions I asked! I was the only foreign student among the ten accepted that semester and we teamed up, reinforcing also our relationships.
What is your film Tanguero about?
Tanguero is a metaphor of life and rebirth that echoes the journey from Europe to Argentina made over 100 years ago by the immigrants who created Tango. It is the story of Omar, a Tango instructor, who is forced to return to Buenos Aires by an urgent phone call. Once there, he discovers an unrecognizable city, meets relatives, old friends and, finally, his childhood friend Veronica. Remembering the time they had spent together years before, they decide to take on a difficult challenge. As a result, Omar rediscovers himself through Tango.
Tell us a little about the planning of Tanguero.
The movie was produced by my new company, Pesca Production, with a 5-week shooting plan organized as:
- 1 week in Italy (where the story begins)
- 3 weeks in Buenos Aires (where the story is established and ends)
- 1 week EXTRA in Buenos Aires (in case of any delays)
Because I'm a former engineer and, of course, because of Phil's DVI Producing classes, we finished shooting using only the 3 weeks I planned in Buenos Aires. The extra week could have been spent relaxing but we decided to shoot extra material for the documentary. It's important to point out that we stayed in budget the entire time.
What will be your next film?
The screenwriter with whom I wrote Tanguero is now working on the script for our next feature (inspired by a short story I wrote). The location will be Vancouver or San Francisco. I will start pitching to investors in September.
What advice do you have for new filmmakers, including those attending the DVI?
Of course attending DVI it's a MUST! You will learn the right way to do things, optimizing time/effort and therefore money! Once you are in the DVI, ask questions and have an "attack attitude." Grab a camera and try to tell stories. Use the equipment as much as you can. You are in there to rock! I still miss that classroom and the two extra hours spent daily after class!
You can learn more about Tanguero and view the trailer on the Tanguero movie website.
Albert Austria
Albert Austria was destined by bloodline to become a chef. After completing his culinary arts degree and working in the field, he realized that it wasn't the right profession for him. He wanted to work in film and video. With his his AA and BA degrees completed he wanted practical training. In the fall of 2009, Albert enrolled in SF State Extended Learning's Digital Video Intensive–and never looked back.
Shortly after completing the DVI, Albert contacted the program director who connected him with the company he had targeted for his career. He now has a desk at the international television network, ABS-CBN where he is interning and positioning himself for his future in television.
We caught up to Albert on the third day of his internship.
How did you find yourself in pursuit of a career in film and video?
After receiving a bachelors degree from CSUEB, I had the opportunity to film and edit several plays that were written and performed by students of the Filipino club on campus. This was an annual event called P.C.N. (Pilipino Cultural Night). I fell in love with the process of filming, editing and being my own director. The feeling of completing projects and having people see what you have accomplished is indescribable.
But I put my passion on hold to follow in my father's footsteps in starting a career in the culinary arts. I enrolled at the California Culinary Academy of San Francisco and decided that being a chef would make my father proud. Upon graduation, I worked at several fine dining restaurants as a line cook. I soon realized that working in a restaurant wasn't as glamourous as the Food Network or commercials advertise it to be. Working in a restaurant might be perfect for some people, but it wasn't for me.
Being a chef was more my father's dream. I wanted to do something that I enjoyed and do it as a career. I wanted to go back to school to learn more about film/television and to follow MY passion.
What was it that attracted you to the DVI?
The curriculum and knowing that you would be done in just one semester. I also liked the fact that there were no prerequisites. The DVI pretty much gathered all the tools that you needed in the real world into one semester.
What can you tell us about your internship?
It's at ABC-CBN International in Redwood City, CA. I am currently working for MYX which is a channel that focuses on Asian-American youth. It is pretty much like an MTV for the Asian-American community. You can watch MYX on DIRECTV, Comcast stations, as well as Youtube and their website MYX.TV. I just started on Monday, but I'll keep you posted on my progress.
What would you like to do with your DVI training in the future?
I have several things that I would like to do. I would like to incorporate my love for music and film and be a music video director and one day start my own video magazine. I'd like to work for a television network in either post or pre-production. But my ultimate goal would be to edit feature films. I could edit hours on end and not get bored. I LOVE IT!
Jenn Dorn
After earning her Bachelor's in Film Studies from North Carolina University in 2004, Jenn Dorn moved to San Francisco where she was accepted into the SF State Extended Learning Digital Video Intensive that fall. In addition to the rigorous DVI schedule, she also accepted a job working part time for San Francisco's BATS Improv.
After finishing the Intensive, Jenn put her new skills to work for Flying Moose Pictures; shooting and editing for the Impossible Film Project, SF 48-Hour Film Project, and Piano Fight Productions. She earned her first feature film credits as assistant editor and associate producer on the documentary Girls Rock!
In 2007, Jenn went to work full time for the creative department of the international sustainability company, Saatchi & Saatchi S. While there, she flew to London to shoot a training doc and worked on productions for Walmart in Kentucky and Missouri, and won their X Intergalactic Film Festival award.
Since her departure from Saatchi & Saatchi S, Jenn has taken on a variety of projects in video and still photography. Pursuing her love for the genre, she directed, shot and edited White Dove, the new music video for the psychedelic rock group Sleepy Sun. She also rejoined her DVI alumni for the 2009 Stern Grove Festival summer concert crew; filming several shows as well as editing performances of Seun Kuti, Egypt 80, and Rupa & the April Fishes.
Most recently, she directed, shot and edited marketing videos for the newly published book Zombies for Zombies (zombiesforzombies.com) by David P. Murphy and drawn by illustrator, Daniel Heard. In particular, Jenn created a TV commercial for the faux dating service for zombies, Stiff Competition, featuring the special effects makeup of Elizabeth Fox.
Jenn is currently enjoying working freelance and on her own productions. You can read more about her and see samples of her work at jenndorn.com.
Kristina Hontalas
In 2006, Kristina Hontalas earned her bachelor's degree in Theater Arts from UC Santa Barbara with an emphasis in writing. She loved theater and story telling and was even commissioned to write a play for the Magic Theater. But her desire for creative expression and the ability to craft a career seemed to be leading her in a different direction. She dreamed of working in film and video.
In the fall of 2008, Kristina quit her day job at a local marketing firm when she won the SF State Extended Learning Career Makeover Contest and enrolled in SF State Extended Learning's Digital Video Intensive (DVI). It wasn't very long before she fell in love with the craft as a perfect avenue for her creative expression.
After completing the program that December, she took additional classes from SF State Extended Learning's Multimedia Studies Program in order to enhance her skill set. Her first career decision was to freelance in order to get a taste of all the different areas in which she could use her newly acquired abilities.
She shot, edited, designed, and wrote work for a variety of companies and organizations including Haggin Marketing, Good Night Moon, The Non-stop Bhangra Collective, Stern Grove Festivals, and The Bridge School. In addition, Kristina worked grueling hours on a couple of feature films including “All About Evil,” and still managed to slip in some of her own personal projects.
Kristina now works full time at a local concert venue juggling her duties in public relations, multimedia and, of course, video production. Still connected to her stage background, she also sits on the board of a local theater group.
When did you first become interested in filmmaking and multimedia?
I first became interested in filmmaking because I love telling stories - and in filmmaking, there are an unlimited number of ways to do that. The technology involved keeps evolving and I find that so fascinating and exciting to be part of. It never stays the same. I always knew that I had a lot to say to the world, and what better way to say it than to create an informative documentary or tell a story through a movie.
What was it like working on a feature film?
Working on a feature film was almost like witnessing magic, but being able to see the secret behind the tricks. We learned so much about the movie-making process during the DVI, but seeing it as a reality was the best way to learn it. But it was also like learning a foreign language, so thank goodness for the DVI where we learned that film language! I lost touch with reality many times. I would get home at night, or early in the morning and dream about what was happening in the movie... then get up and go right back for 12 hours.
Any advice for current or potential students?
What I would say to current students is to really take advantage of the equipment and resources that SF State has to offer. Use the cameras as much as possible - make your demo or portfolio! Because the moment school is over and you don't have all of that at your fingertips- it's harder to get started. So get started while still enrolled!
For potential students - career changes are scary, but take a risk! I dropped everything and went back to school and I haven't looked back since the day I enrolled in the DVI.
Tony Sondag
Top 40 DJ, Sculptor, Musician, & Now Video Pro
With a multitude of films to his credit, Tony Sondag has made a name for himself in the commercial, non-profit, and music arenas.
With his life as a Top 40 DJ and professional bass player under the belt, Tony Sondag's next adventure was to earn his MFA in sculpture from the California College of the Arts. While there, he attended a seminar on video production with hopes to use the medium to highlight his work. It was at this time he discovered his love for filmmaking. The instructor turned out to be Chris Gee who, after leaving his full time position at the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), attended SF State's Digital Video Intensive.
After earning his MFA, Tony himself attended the DVI which led to his internship with the program's director, Craig Abaya.
Today, Tony's credits include “Crossroads in Nihonmachi”, a documentary that spans the 100-year history of San Francisco's Japantown. Originally stepping in to assist the inexperienced crew, Tony's skills quickly elevated him to the roles of co-producer/director, co-editor and director of photography. The film premiered at the Sundance Kabuki Theater in December 2007.
Since 2006, Tony has served as camera operator and editor for San Francisco's annual Stern Grove Festival. The performances, interviews and press conferences feature international celebrities and music legends. Artist conversations and musical performances are available on iTunes and at Sterngrove.org.
Tony was selected as editor and one of the camera operators for Radio Alice's “Return to the Studio”, which premiered in April 2008.
These and many more projects make up the long list of credits that Tony has earned in a very short time. As he adds to his list, he continues to work closely with the DVI and CEL, where he got his start with his new first love, video editing. For more information about Tony, visit: http://tonysondag.blogspot.com/
Paul Hoffman
DVI Grad Tells the Story of One Homeless Man's Triumph
In 1989, Paul Hoffman a young Chicago Cubs fan, was moved by the passion in a homeless man's victory cheer at Wrigley Field. That homeless man is Ronnie Woo Woo Wickers. After getting to know Ronnie, Paul was further taken by Ronnie's amazing personal story and was determined to someday share it with the world.
Paul, now a graduate of our Digital Video Intensive program, makes his debut as a documentary filmmaker with his feature length film, WooLife. WooLife was released on Opening Day of the 2008 baseball season.
Monica with her award from the miniDV Film Festival
Monica Daniel
After receiving her bachelors in psychology from University of California, Davis, Monica turned to the DVI to prepare her to pursue her love of film. In addition to her work on classmates' films, and the various exercises, she produced 3 shorts in the DVI. This includes her final project, All That Now Has Left Your Reach, which went on to take the BEST MUSIC VIDEO award at the Hollywood DV Festival.
After the DVI, Monica went on to a paid internship at Digidesign (in Daly City) followed by internships at Studio Funny Films and PlasterCity Digital Post (both in Hollywood).
She was then hired by E! Entertainment where she has become editor and color corrector. Monica also continues to work on indie films. Her work has also appeared at the Cannes Film Festival.
See a sample of Monica's video work.
Mary Ann Cotter
DVI grad Mary Ann Cotter was awarded $25,000 through Google's Android Developer Challenge. Her company, Cooking Capsules, features interactive cooking videos for smartphones.
Eric Herzog
Congratulations to DVI graduate, Eric Herzog, on his new position at Lucasfilm.
Matt Goldade
Matthew Goldade took a hiatus from his job at Oracle to take the DVI. He return to Oracle for a while then eventuallly set his sites on the Southern California, where he landed the position at Yahoo! Media Group.
"A month ago I moved on to FOX from Yahoo! and owe so much to your program for helping me go in the right direction. I'm doing things today I didn't think were possible—walking on the FOX lot watching various shoots, working with the FOX Sports guys on video creation, working in 'Nakatomi Plaza' (FOX Plaza) from Die Hard. :)"
Ben Pierce
Ben Pierce retired as principal dancer for the San Francisco Ballet when he decided to learn how to make films. In addition to his personal projects for the DVI, The Dying Swan (featuring Muriel Maffre of the SF Ballet) and a Mini Cooper commercial, Ben directed the class project which made it into the 48-Hour Film Project international tour.
Ben is currently on staff at San Francisco PBS station KQED, working on its celebrated arts program, Spark, consulting with other PBS affiliates around the country. Ben is developing new ways to use digital video to revolutionize stage production.
Dia North
Multitalented author, motivational speaker, and management consultant, Dia North attended the Digital Video Intensive in the spring of 2007.
"I wanted to add something new to my telling of stories. Because of the great interest in YouTube and other video-based websites, I decided to learn about the complexities of filming with professional video equipment, along with the technical intricacies of digital non-linear editing, budgeting, screenwriting, producing and directing. The DVI exposed me to all of these things and even more including hands-on experience doing special effects and effectively preparing video for the web. I went into the DVI with a strong desire to learn new ways to tell stories. I received these skills and much, much more. After just 16 weeks, I now feel prepared to produce and direct my own video productions and work confidently with cinematographic professionals. I have been interviewing people for my new book and now feel qualified to take high-quality videos of these interviews. Thank you, Craig, Phil, and all of the instructors in the DVI."
-Dia North, Author, “Lovers at First Sight: Real People Living the Fairy Tale”
Jonathan Reed
After studying Maya 3D in one of the DVI's sister certificate tracks at SF State Multimedia Studies Program, Jon realized that his primary interest was in live action filmmaking and was accepted into the DVI where his elaborate final project found his crew and himself filming an outdoor desert scene as well as cutting open a Chevy van to get the right angles and lighting. He was kind enough to include a testimonial in his closing credits: "Special Thanks to the DVI, the best 10 grand I ever spent!"
After graduating from the DVI, Jonathan moved to Southern California Hollywood where he was made Senior Producer with E! Entertainment. Making the switch from TV to films, Jon left his position at E! to work for Sample Digital. He continues to direct independent projects, often hiring his fellow DVants along the way.
"The program is amazing and its existence makes so much possible for those who go through it."
Randy Spencer
After graduating from the DVI and serving on the summertime Stern Grove Festival concert film crew, Randy moved to Southern California where he started his first Hollywood job, like many of his fellow DVants, working for E! Entertainment. He moved on and is currently working as online producer for Online Nation at The CW.
Dave Hurley
Dave Hurley, a self-proclaimed "computer geek", is a professional roto-artist, editor, Apple-certified Final Cut Pro trainer, and Adobe-certified Photoshop expert.
He graduated from the Digital Video Intensive during its inaugural semester and has 15 years of corporate marketing experience with large corporations including Discover, First Nationwide Bank, and Pacific Bell. Dave also works as a production boom operator and has taught courses in Unix. Dave specializes in corporate videos and short films through his companies, Syfer.net and Hurleymotion.com. His clients include Macromedia, Nintendo, the De Young Museum, PeopleSoft, and Family Violence Law Center.
Doug Nunn
School teacher, Doug Nunn, wanted to take his eclectic skills to the next level by learning digital filmmaking. During his time in the DVI, he put to use his voice talent and writing skills by creating a parody of the West Wing using action figures.
Nunn has worked as a comic in Europe and the USA, having appeared on CBS' Murder She Wrote, BBC's Combing the Fringe, and Comedy Central's Win Ben Stein's Money. He has coached improvisational theatre extensively in the US & Europe, where his book Show Up-Theatrehandbook for Shows with Teens is published in German-speaking countries.
If you've seen The Simpson's Movie, you've seen the screen credit for his After Effects work. You can learn about his company, Large Child Productions, at www.dougnunn.com.
Lisa Colvin
Lisa Colvin is an independent filmmaker, linguist, and ontologist. She recently completed her work as assistant editor on the documentary Knocking for nationwide broadcast on PBS. More info at www.knocking.org.
Ariella Quatra
Ariella has always had a passion for film and had some first hand exposure to the industry in her former occupation as a paralegal and in non-creative areas of the entertainment industry. After attending various lectures and screenings, she decided it was time to take the plunge and learn how to make films herself.
In the spring of 2004, Ariella joined the Digital Video Intensive. Her final project, Parent Voices is a heart wrenching account that brings to light the seriousness of childhood asthma and the need for teacher training in the subject.
Shortly after completing the DVI, Ariella was hired by Edelman Productions (History Channel, HGTV, etc.) where she currently serves as field producer (among other things).
Amy Spadacini
After much searching for an intensive program to train her in digital filmmaking, Amy Spadacini discovered the DVI on the Web.
In addition to her Aesthetics project, Amy produced two final projects for corporate clients Lufthansa Airlines and NextBus for the DVI. In addition, she served as camera seven operator for the Bruce Hornsby Live at Villa Montalvo, the DVI concert film for DIRECTV.
Amy resides in Cernobbio, Italy where she produces documentary, broadcast and promotional films from her home studio.
"I thought of you and the DVI and thanked my lucky stars that I happened upon you guys. I really will never be able to thank you enough for the training and help you have given me over the years. I am so grateful!
Jay Levine
After selling his successful business, Jay was determined to pursue his life long dream of making films. His final project for the program, The Hope, earned a $25,000 grant from the Gates Foundation.
In the summer of 2006, Jay traveled around the U.S., filming footage for a documentary he had planned.
Sadly, we lost Jay to aggressive forms of cancer. "During his final months, Jay's overwhelming desire was to complete his film, even posthumously," says Craig Abaya (DVI Director). "However, his life is a great triumph. He came to me at 61 expressing years of regret in not following his dream to study filmmaking at 18. I told him that technology had made this a much more exciting time to make films than 1960." Jay finally became the filmmaker he had dreamed of becoming.
Upon entering the DVI, he stated: "My Life Begins Today."
For more information about the Digital Video Intensive, please see their website at http://dvi.sfsu.edu/.
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