Directing Talent Reflection

So, going into this class I knew I’d be experiencing like basically no one has before my in the master’s program at Full Sail due to the class being moved entirely online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was right. Sadly, I feel like this class lost a lot due to this change as otherwise we would’ve had significant time in the soundstage and working with talent. Due to being by myself in quarantine, I wasn’t able to film the at-home versions of the major assignments and instead did the alternate script editing versions of the assignments which made this class feel like an extension of Scriptwriting back in March (which was also affected by the pandemic, but I feel wasn’t hit as hard as this class). I did find those assignments helpful especially in identifying subtext in dialogue that I had written and by adding subtext to neutral dialogue. 

            The lectures were interesting, but it was noticeable to me that pretty much everyone in my cohort has lost something by being forced off-campus and online as our discussions really died down as this quarantine progressed. I felt bad going through this class as I know that it could’ve been a lot better, though no one could have expected it to be exactly what it is meant to be given the circumstances. As for the actual content of the lectures, I did find it interesting getting more details on things talked about in previous classes such as casting and, as I mentioned, identifying subtext in a scene as well as characters’ objectives. Other than the lectures and assignments, I did enjoy the increase in number of guest lecturers (especially since we could join other classes’ zoom sessions with said guests). Steven C. Miller was an especially great guest as he seemed very open to being a useful contact once we graduate and are trying to get in the industry. Davey Jay was also a great guest as she was very knowledgeable on entertainment law and gave us a lot of useful legal info. All in all, this class had some good highlights, but depending on how the rest of this program goes, I’m highly considering auditing it in the future once things are more normal and I can get the most out of what this class was meant to be.