SusanIsk.com

“I’d rather sleep in my car. Those two options suck.” -My pal Robin

Almost daily, I search the Los Angeles Craigslist listings for a place to live beginning at the end of March that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg (renting a one bedroom in Los Angeles will run me three to four times the rent of a similar unit in St. Louis). Really, I’m looking to secure a place for three months (during the first quarter of my program); which will give me time to look for something a bit more long-term (and something a bit closer to the beach – as someone who has lived only in Missouri, Ohio and Michigan, it’s about time I lived near the sand and salt water).

A few weeks ago, I located a listing from a young man renting out the living room of his (lovely looking) apartment about a mile from UCLA. You heard me a right … a living room. As in, no doors. As in I’d be sleeping on an air mattress (OK, I can’t complain about that one; even if I rent an actual bedroom, I’ll still be sleeping on an air mattress – I don’t plan to drive cross-country with furniture). The price is right, the location is convenient, the neighborhood is safe and the roommate seems nice over the phone and Facebook.

Around the same time, I also located a room that a UCLA grad was renting out a room right by campus in an apartment unit with 4 roommates. The only downside is that it’s a shared bedroom; evidently it’s pretty normal in high-rent areas for 2 people to split a bedroom (as one would a dorm room in college). The building has a pool and a gym and garage parking (for an extra $125 per month … ugh).

Since I’m somewhat hesitant sending a rental deposit to someone with who, I’ve only communicated over the web, one of my friends from my Michigan days, E, who lives in Los Angeles, was kind enough to check out the place with a living room for me on New Year’s Day. The only negative he found was that the front door of the apartment opens into the living room which will serve as my sleeping quarters. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone to get feedback for me on the shared bedroom apartment but I did speak to the girl who’s subletting over the phone and we’ve connected on Facebook.

That’s what happens when one just “goes for it,” right? They must make some sacrifices (privacy and financial in this instance). I think I can handle the privacy concerns for three months, especially considering that I’d be living in a nicer area with a nice roommate and in a space that is (in Los Angeles standards, not Susan standards) affordable.

Course registration for UCLA’s spring quarter opens at midnight. That’s midnight in California, so 2 a.m. in St. Louis. It is currently 1:55 a.m. (I’m publishing this post later), I have a client meeting in 8 hours, yet I am still wide awake (thanks to some chocolate chip cookies and green tea). I’m wasting time by watching tonight’s DVR’d episode of Desperate Housewives and a Duggar TV special on TLC (you know, the family in Arkansas with 19 kids). Rather than waiting until the morning to register, I plan to enroll the instant registration opens. I WANT to get into my first choice classes. The graduate certificate is a 48 credit program and once I start interning (hopefully during the summer quarter), I’ll have to cut back on my course load. I’m trying to load up on classes by taking 16 credits this first quarter.

[Please hold while I attempt to register...]

OK, now it’s 2:15 a.m. and I’m officially registered for the Certificate in Entertainment Media. Unfortunately only three required classes fit into my schedule, so it looks like I may have to load up with four next quarter. My first three classes will be:

Pre-Production and Production for Film and Television
An overview of the real-world aspects of producing as practiced in the various sectors of filmed entertainment from script development through pre-production and production. Topics include the producer’s interface with the writer, director, and other key personnel; pitching and selling ideas; script breakdown and scheduling; budgeting and all the critical on-the-set issues facing the producer.

Cinematography I: Introduction
An introduction to the fundamental tools and principles used by the cinematographer to create digital or film images generated from the context of the story. Curriculum covers visualization, the negative, digital manipulation, sensitometry, filters and lenses, lighting, color, laboratory procedures, camera systems, special effects, and image control, illustrated through video clips and other media.

Story Analysis for Film and Television
The story analyst or professional reader reads scripts and writes coverage, either for a studio or for an independent producer. Learn and practice coverage skills while gaining an understanding of the elements of story. Topics include various types of coverage; how to compose story notes; comparative coverage; and character breakdowns, treatments, and outlines. Through weekly assignments, you are required to practice reading and writing for several formats and to deadline. In addition, the current job market for story analysts and the various expectations of studios and independent producers are discussed. Upon completion of the course, you have written at least two pieces of full coverage that can be used as part of a professional portfolio or to audition for a job as a reader or assistant.