What made you decide to major in CMS?
I have always known that I wanted to be involved in film and entertainment as a career. I was the kid who would make music videos or scripts with friends and fell in love with the process of creating these stories. I knew I wanted to be in a leadership role and took some time in high school to figure out the different positions that interested me. Because of this, I knew going into college that I wanted to be a producer, and knowing this has been the most helpful as I have been able to view my education in CMS through the lens of producing. I was initially going to go to a liberal arts or film school, but the possibility of also getting a business degree intrigued me and I fell in love with the campus. It ended up being the best decision of my life as I absolutely fell in love with this department.
What has been most fulfilling about being a CMS major?
Ever since I was little, I have been obsessed with film review channels on YouTube. I would watch ending explained videos, long-form essays, and other movie content on YouTube and was always astounded by their level of analysis. Now in my fourth year as a CMS student, I can finally say that my inner child is healed in that regard. CMS has really grown my analysis skills and has made me confident in being able to put into words why filmmakers do the things that they do, and what they do that makes a film excel or not. It’s a very fun skill to have, in even more useful for my future career! My favorite thing is to annoy my friends by pointing out details and “ruining” some movies for them, but as a result they’ve also begun to value higher-quality films. They hate me for it, but I’ve never felt prouder.
What are some challenges you've faced as a CMS major?
The biggest drawback to this program is the lack of production experience and education. The courses are structured to help you master the skill of film analysis and criticism in terms of historical context, mise-en-scene, writing, etc., but there are no courses that teach you about the filmmaking process itself. I never learned how to operate a camera, record good audio, never learned how to run a set or how to make a crew. I did not learn how to be a producer, which is what worried me the most. Thankfully, I am blessed to have been able to learn all of this and more during my time with the LUX Production club. They are such awesome students and it taught me a lot about the industry! It is the perfect supplement to fully round out my academics and helped a lot in my film studies courses too.
You're going into your senior... what advice do you have for new CMS majors or people who are interested in following that path?
My best advice is to never give up on your filmmaking dreams, no matter how intimidating it may seem. The film industry is very competitive and difficult to enter. But, if it’s truly what you want to do, then a team of experts, advisors, and professors are there to help you succeed in that. I felt nothing but help and support from the department, and even when I felt like giving up the most, I knew that there was always a crew that had my back. If you are inspired and happy with CMS, then don’t second-guess why you are there. You’re here for a reason! And there are other things you want to learn, then do it! CMS is also very flexible and there are many minors/majors that you can tack on to round out your education.
I know you’re also very involved in the LUX Film Production Club, tell me about the advantages or disadvantages of being a CMS major in the club - have you been able to apply skills that you’ve learned in your classes?
Being a CMS student in LUX definitely has its advantages. As a scriptwriter, you have the unique opportunity with CMS to actually learn how to write a solid script, whereas those classes aren’t necessarily accessible for other majors. There’s also the added bonus of having a library of film knowledge in terms of shot composition and camera tricks, as film students at UW have a lot of practice in analysis. I find myself taking mental notes of the tactics I like and don’t like in movies so that I may use them in the future. For non-CMS majors, it is extremely helpful to get a new perspective not only to the club since it’s run by CMS -majors, but to filmmaking itself. I have found that my non-CMS LUX friends are incredibly knowledgeable on their unique outlook to film, and being able to learn from them has been a treat. For example, my good friend was a physics major, and he taught me a lot about how cameras operate, and how to do some cool tricks!
I also know you’re involved with the Foster School of Business, could you tell me about how this program compliments the CMS major? What benefits have you gained? Would you recommend a double degree in Foster and CMS, why or why not?
There are definitely pros and cons to a double degree with Foster. First, I am very lucky and grateful that I am in the position to be pursuing both degrees, but it a lot of hard work. It took me about three years to get into Foster, and those years were brutal. Now that I am in it, I find that a lot of the subjects do not translate well for entertainment, as movies are a very unique product with its own market structure. I wish that I could learn more about how to interpret what I am learning at Foster to film. With that said, I feel like achieving this goal has really helped with my work ethic. By tackling that dream with such ferocity, I feel like I can do whatever I put my mind to. On top of that, the education at the school of business is phenomenal. The staff and professors are all incredibly talented and I am learning more than I ever thought I would about all aspects of business. For those in CMS that are interested in business, I would recommend applying for the Entrepreneurship minor. I took a few of those classes and found that entrepreneurship is the closest you are going to get to applicable business education for film. It is also very easy to be accepted into the minor, the classes are interesting and not too hard, and it is taught with Foster staff.