The classes I have the most and the least experience in

On Wednesdays I have 2 classes. In the morning Film Production 1 and in the afternoon Acting for Directors. In both classes it's just the 5 of us. (#6, a guy named Brian, bailed at the last minute so really just the 5 of us.) One would think the production class will be the one we bond most in because film production is what we're here for. I don't think that's going to be true though. I think Acting is where we'll end up becoming friends (or not, but I think yes).

For production we're starting out with actual film, which is very cool as I've not shot film before. Not moving film anyway. Though so far my still film background is helping in that we were discussing how it works physically: emulsion and the chemical reaction of silver halide to the sun and that sort of stuff. It all made sense to me from what I already knew. Have to write a treatment for our first project to turn in on Monday. I think I have an idea so I just need to write it up. Will try to get that done before the weekend. I don't mind leaving myself reading to do on the plane, but I'd rather not have the pressure of getting writing done while I'm otherwise stressed.

And then acting. I'm not sure what to say about acting. We did exercises. He talked a lot, but he's kind of funny so that's all right. At the end we did a sort of scene. That would have been more painful if there was any expectation on me to be a good actor. But there's not so the fact that I sucked was fine. 10 years ago that would have been the most anxiety producing class ever, but now it's just fun. He was very surprised when there was only the 5 of us there. We really are the smallest class they've ever had. But after he thought about it he was pleased because we'll be able to do more things with a smaller group because you don't have to wait so long for everyone to have a turn at whatever.

Tonight for my Masterworks class I'll be watching Birth of a Nation by D.W.Griffith (1915). I understand why it's important; it's one of the first films to do narrative storytelling in the way we now understand it for film. Or probably more accurate to say we understand narrative storytelling because of this film. I don't anticipate enjoying the story though. It is at it's core a white supremacist propaganda film.