Glenn Batson

Two funny updates from my daughter. We picked her up last night due to holiday weekend. First story is she has to take this social class for freshman. Required money maker. There are like 50 kids. They made teams of four for the year. She said they grouped them on the answers about what they wanted to do in life. Of course Anna said cinematography. She got lumped in with trophy wife, traveller and I don't what I want to do girls. This was the woman who told them her real work is biology. And it is not one of those fluffy sciences you know. I told Anna she thinks cinematogphers are fluffy careers. Second story Phil and Macks will like. So told you there was long story about her national film completion and that they got 20th. We'll talk is going around confirmed by the head guy that there was a mistake in the scoring. Her partner thought maybe it had to do with their film because their viewer count went up unexpectedly went up. I couldn't break it to my daughter that the view count is likely from my actions on this forum. Finally the creative collective head guy wants to do buzzfeed vids. That is why she was not that interested. Off to mow the yard. Hurricane Harvey made my grass grow tall.

Interesting update on women in film. Anna got her first dose of it at school. She searched out organizations for film stuff. School does. It have film program. Well she ended up in a meeting with 14 boys and she the only female. Head organizer was impressed with her editing knowledge. She was not to keen on what they wanted to focus on because they look to just be doing small what's going on at campus clips. She was hoping for more creative approaches to their shooting. Group was called creative collective. Shooting is shooting experience though. . Mom was not to keen about her and a bunch of senior guys since she is freshman. We just read so much on campus rape. Kids and your worries for their protection.

Women in DP My daughter is fully aware of that fact and being a young woman in this day and age, that is motivation for her along with she loves the work. I guess for "me" after looking at the Camera department I see it a lot like why are there not many women carpenters/builders. Just not a job a woman normally went into. As for discrimination based on sex it is going to happen everywhere. For me personally I see it as a generational thing and changing over time. One thing is my daughter is not the lightweight type. About 5'10, played a lot of basketball as a youngster and lifted weights in high school. So I would like to think she can hang with the physical work. Slippery slope this topic. Sony I think someone mentioned about Sony and reliability. My son did the Appalachian Trail Thru Hike last summer. If you don't know what that is it is approx 2000 mile journey from Georgia to Maine from Mar to Sep through the Appalachian Mountains. Something like elevation change would be like hiking Everest 16 times. He is (actually both of us) are amateur photographs. We bought him a Sony A7 for the journey. We were worried about it making the trip but it did. Now maybe he just took good care of it. Normally had it strapped in a chest pack or in his hand. Took a lot photos. Musos Count me also googling that word. This Thread Everyone here I can't state enough how I appreciate the input. AJ that was a great last post. Well back to work.

Thanks David. In a way part of this is what her High School teacher said. When I first had the revelation about the industry I turned to him with the questions more along the lines, if Anna quit school would she have the skills to work on crews now and try to make a go of it. I didn't ask him the film school question directly because he is an educator and I didn't want to put him in that position. He basically said Anna has the skills now and that the only thing she is lacking is working with a real film crew and lingo and set dynamics that go with that. Those things are different per crew to a degree and she would just learn those quiclly on the job. He mentioned she could easily start doing the wedding gigs and local commercial shooting both of which she already has experience in. She shot her first wedding with her teacher and another of her film buddies and she did all the editing (linked below). She has shot two commercials, one with SPCA and one for a local hotel. He said she could get these jobs and then work her way into the gigs she wants. He said he had a friend who went to film school started shooting weddings and local commercials on the side and then was making enough he just decided to quit and do it full time. So when I talk about her quitting school these are all the things she'll have to consider to help pay the bills and move her career forward. The reason I just didn't say ok that is it we are good and I why I posted to this forum is I wanted to hear some more evidence to help make a decision one way or another. Wedding https://vimeo.com/224585092 Thanks again. Dad

Thanks AJ. Yeah this is one of the things I worry the most about. I've held a regular full-time job all my life (last one been for over 20 years) but have had discussions with my mom (though different era and type of market) about my dad's business (air conditioning/plumbing). How their bank account was empty and they had some groceries but were waiting on that 8k payment from a a service they did to get through the next period. Luckily they has some local business men who were dedicated to keep him on a contract type basis. My mom eventually started teaching but that was after my dad decided to go work for someone else for the rest of his life. I'm always amazed that those that strike out on their own and run their own business no matter what it may be. I don't know that college itself, even a business degree sets you up exactly for being a freelancer but I could be wrong. Along with her making her film contacts I think she really needs to make some contacts on running a business (workshops maybe) and have a mentor in that area along with film mentor. All I can do with my experience is just give her the financial and moral support which we are willing to do when it makes sense.

i know it sounds like I'm bragging on my daughter but that is not the intent. AP classes are hard. She was in a very competitive school. My intent with the comment is that even though she was carrying a heavy load her passion was to hang out with her film buddies shooting, collaborating, etc. Spending hours up at her film class (lab) editing. Then she would have to work her butt off late hours for her academics that she could really care less about the AP classes but she kept up and ended up with good grades. Also what I'm trying to get at is also you statement. Yeah I'm dad. Yeah I'm biased but I am a lot closer to the situation. You are not wrong. So in the end I think the motivation is there at least to consider her dropping school and trying to get some work. Time will tell. What no one has said is I looked at her reel and the films you posted and hey your kidding yourself. Based on that alone she is going to get nowhere. So in the end I'm good with your statements and everyone's statements. It is a learning process and we'll have to make our decisions. Yeah on her reading this, if she can't handle it then she shouldn't be going down career path she is choosing. :) Honey your dad loves you :) Macks surely your creative enough to get content from this and working this crazyness into your youtube channel :)

Be pissed at here dad but she'll have to get over it.

No worries. I'm good and have thick skin. I work in the software industry. :) I appreciate you taking the time.

On a funny note, one thing I've learned is as many have said film making is not glamorous as everyone would like to think. So when when my conservative bible belt friends and family down here in Texas complain about the liberal film industry and how easy they got it, I'll make sure to correct them. Luckily I became friends growing up with the son of a gentleman by the name of John Henry Faulk and got dual dose of liberalism and conservationism. I'm somewhere in between but more left leaning. Thanks everyone for the input. Again I love it when people who are in a trade want to give back.

Bruce thanks for an direct post. Whether you'll still agree or not here are my responses. 1. This research is for my wife and I and not my daughter. Maybe I didn't do a good job of explaining that. I do find it hard to not interject myself into the process and hold back where necessary. The problem is I have a vested interest. I don't know when your daughter went through school but it is very expensive these days. The majority of the loans are the responsibility of the parent and not the child. Also I've already made a mistake with my older daughter by not involving myself in the process/decisions that involve my financial responsibility. I'm now paying $800 for 10 years for a daughter who is now an elementary teacher. It is a long story and I will not go into it. Just trust me becoming an informed parent is necessary. So with Anna I will be in the same spot regarding loans. So I'm trying to make an informed decision. Yeah I could just say your 18, goodbye, your own your own, but that is not me. I do expect my daughter to do all the work related to her career and she has so far. The thing is for this year we made the decision as a family that she will go to UTSA for the year and during that time priority one is to make the best grades possible but second is to find every way to continue her pursuit of film making. She will be responsible for her research, networking, etc. I will try to give her solid advice based on what i know. Well I guess that is all. I realize you made the comment in good faith wanting to help. I will take what you said to heart. 2. My daughter has been making films for the past three years now (I hope you got a chance to look at some of them) and at the same time managing a grueling class schedule of AP classes. I think she has the drive and only time will tell. That is her end of it. Again my end was to see financially am I going to be better off working with her dropping out of school and getting a head start while I support her in that endeavor or get in debt for her to finish school and then still likely have to help her because as it is evident it is a grueling and tough business. Note nothing I've heard so far from all the posts is anything I haven't found on my own reading sites, listening to podcasts, etc. It is good to hear what I've read validated and based on a background of my daughters experience. My one concern is people didn't have time to actually look at her work but I will take what I can. 3. Actually we thought Anna would be a writer. Growing up she was an avid reader and her mom would run across little stories in her room that she had written. At the time they were not 10 year old writing level. English was her best class in school and she took AP classes for all of English. When she quiet basketball she almost went the route of school paper because she was courted heavily by the teacher over it. So I think that will serve her well in what she wants to do in any career. So I'm in agreement on your writing comment. As you can tell, I suffer from being poor at it. I hate I wasn't a reader. 4. I hope I've been open that I'm very willing to support my daughter and her endeavor. I'm excited for her. Just when it comes to my money and my future I'm going need to be involved a bit more. She doesn't have a blank check. Finally again thanks for the honest post. As a parent yourself, you have great perspective. Oh and when she runs across your path for work don't hold this against her ;) Dad

Thanks Tyler. My thoughts on college have been Anna is a smart girl. Taking time off to pursue her dream should not take away from her ability to go back to school if film is not working out. I have a son I could not say that about. Thing is I'm also thinking about myself and the student loans. Thing is I'm middle class but i make enough that the government says I have to take on most of the student loans than my daughter. She got some scholarships but not a lot. Another example with my oldest daughter is she went route of being a teacher. Great profession and is is born for it but not any money. So even though the minimal loans she got in her name she can get forgiven eventually due to her profession the ones I have for her can't be forgiven. Sore point. To try and alleviate later burden she is living at home and being a teacher in a small town near us putting all her earnings to the loans as fast as possible. Back to Anna she is smart though and ideally if she goes back to school then she gets the loans not me. I've got retirement to think about in about 15 years. Oh well enough babbling. Those is my thoughts on college. She goes back if her film pursuits don't pan out. She gets the loans and can pay them back with a regular non-film full-time job. Also thanks for watching her films and the nice comment. I definitely am getting a feel for what the industry is like and know it is going to be a long haul with a lot of luck. We are here to support her. I just want to make sure what I'm saying is steering her in the right direction.

Thanks Landon. Yeah Austin is where it is at. In College Station we are about 1.5 - 2 hrs away and she and we have friends we could count on to put her up in Austin for gigs. Speaking of Austin her friend Chris got offered to intern with Linklater (through family connections) but turned it down due to other responsibilities. We were flabbergasted he didn't do it and was like next time he needs to pass Anna's name along. Oh well maybe that is a future contact. We also have some old time Austin-ites (John Henry Faulk fame) that may have some connections in Austin that we can pursue. Got to work all angles I think. We will see. Again thanks for your responses. For me is what is on her work really mean she could step out and do it now. Here teacher thought so. I would like to think so but am new to film industry and just found out a lot by researching the internet. I like learning new things.

Thank you for all of those that took time to view and especially those that responded so far. I've done quiet a bit of research and do understand that there are many answers to that question of college/film school or not. Actually my initial reason for posting was more about the portfolio website versus school/no school question. The lead up to both questions I felt required the background information I provided so I thought why not just ask both. Probably should have stuck with my initial thought. With that said I feel my daughter is very motivated to make it in the industry. While in AVP for 3 years she also took a big load at school but that didn't keep her from shooting at every opportunity. Many nights were spent catching up on school work because she spent her full weekend shooting or doing other jobs for AVP classmates. She loves it. What is interesting is how you find your crew to work with. This happened into school. She gravitated to the kids that loved film and were good and passionate as her about it. The one friend is Chris Greening which is the Melted Media guy and main actor in her recent films. Those two make a great pair along with another AVP friend that did well in their class is also in the mix They watch films all the time together and always seem to be collaborating. It is is almost like those three need to pair up and give it a go themselves. They are going the college route too but have made a pact if school isn't for them they plan dropping out and heading to LA together. Fortunately one of them's parents are wealthy and maybe could help fund that. Our family could not and why I think she would needs to make a go here in Texas (and even Louisiana). So with that out of the way I really would like to change my focus to just with her current skills (if you watch any vids see Dist 2017, State 2017, and the Funded Short teaser) how does she present herself on her portfolio. She'll definitely have a reel. She will have links to the actual films. The part is the bio or how she represents herself in that. Does she just flat out say she is recent student (don't mention school) of film making and wants to get a job in the Camera Department with the goal of one day becoming a Cinematographer/DP. Or does she represent herself as a Cinematographer. Or does she just call herself a filmmaker. She definitely wants to go int he direction of camera work and lighting. This is sort of an elementary question and I guess I really should not worry about it. Even though all the research though i just wonder about that initial break in and how you she represents herself. And if you got time here are some other comments thoughts; She right now is just doing basics and not film. She has gone in with enough credits to almost be a sophomore already. Her partner Chris thought is going to school in New Orleans at Loyola and has taken a beginning film class. They laughed because their one project is to make a 3-4 minute film. Like int he competition my daughter and Chris can whip that up in a out 24-36 hrs. On my daughter and motivation. It is one thing to be good at lighting, be good with the camera, collaborate well with a director and crew, be creative and one thing to be a freelancer and have that pay the bills and do all the business side and hustle that is needed. I'm okay with her going to school because she is only 18 and that year away will hopefully lead to some maturity. She is already seeking out the Video Production department at UTSA. If I have any question about her it is when reality hits in the business side and at 19 next year is she ready for that side of it. One reason I think she will really have to stay home and work in Texas and Louisiana market. Again thanks for the all the responses. It is great to see people give back even in this little way. Dad

I'm a dad who's daughter dreams of being a Cinematographer. She has had some success in here high school AVP class for last three years. The stuff we see her doing seems college level to me and her teacher has been very impressed with her and her partners she works with. Late in the game in relation to decisions on going to college I have come to find what making it in this industry can be like. Without much thought she applied to UT Austin and didn't get in and decided to go to UT San Antionio and look to do a year and transfer to UT and get into their Film program. About a week before her checking into her dorm I started doing research which was an eye opener. To shorten this up I'm at this point thinking after one year of getting her basic (she is actually going in almost a sophmore due to a lot of AP credits) classes out of the way she should quit school and try to get her career started. Saving 40k in student loans. She has idea of moving to LA but I'm trying to convince here that she is going to have to live at home and work the Texas flim market (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antinio). Basically free rent, free car, free food, etc while she tries to get going. Then we just go from there and see what happens. We live in College Station which doesn't really have a film market but is 2 hours from all the places I listed. If it gets to the point she is making some traction I'm even willing to like by her an travel trailer to go stay in these locations on a more permanent basis. Also initially she has family in all these areas that she could use to room with for short periods of time. So what am I looking for. 1) Any comments or recommedations on the above. I realize your going to need to know where her skills stand. I'll try to be short with a summary below. 3 years of High School Audio Video Production classes with a great instructor. Class were two periods long and she was in the top three in this class, all of this while taking a heavy load of AP classes and graduating with a 3.99 HS AVP President her Senior year SkillsUSA competition District (2nd place), State (1st place), National (20th) Now the real stuff, which is her best most recent work where she functioned as Cinematographer and almost alwayst he primary Camera operator with a lot of handheld but also did scripting, editing, just no acting: Demo reel from Junior Year (2016). She is working on updating for her Senior year where her best work has been. SkillsUSA Competition Background 2 person team are given a prompt then have to create a 3-4 minute short based on that prompt. They only get about 24-36 hrs to get it done. They have to have a script and other documetatnion and do an interview with judges that counts towards their score. 2016 District 4th Place http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olKH9FpR49c 2017 District 2nd Place (advance to State) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUCSjZNj4RI 2017 State 1st place (advance to Nationals) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6iGGL2tVJU 2017 National 20th Place (and of course not happy with placing and judging, welcome to life) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3WYQ07pKBM Funded Short (2k budget, hired actors, rented equip) Only have the teaser. Her partner has film and is keeping it off for some reason while submitting to film festivals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us7VuMCnDPw More with her partner http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0qqvAMJnzg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1zoTIDyjuE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik4Fz03mlCk Sorry I know this was a lot of your time. What I'm really trying to get is whether I'm just a dad (with family) who goes wow that is good for High School. A teacher that is very high on her and her partners (Chris Greening, Melted Media). A dad that really doesn't want to go into 40k more of debt. There is probably more you need to know but am I kidding myself about the quit school option and go for it. Note she has a lot to do and plan is to do that while she is in school for this year. Updated demo reel, portfolio website, business cards, getting registered in any contact DB (such as Texas Film Commission), studying on her on, continuing to shoot, start networking. 2) Regarding portfolio website what should she represent herself as? So she wants to be Cinematographer/DP but she will need to start out lower. So what does that mean for her website. How does she represent herself. Does she call herself a Cinematographer? Filmmaker? Storyteller? Camera Assistant/Trainee which is where she'll probably try to get going? She doesn't want to misrepresent herself. Well if you made it this far, thank you so much for your time. I try not to be an overbearing father but I want to help my daughter and provide here with whatever assistance she needs and also try not to steer here in the wrong direction. I know a lot of it is her drive and her responsiblity. In the end I know she'll be fine no matter what happens but would like to hear from you guys in the industry. Dad