BY KELLY KURTIN
College students have long jumped at the chance to flee from their natural habitats and take a semester abroad. Some jet off to England to research The Bard and nosh on the obligatory paper-sacked fish-n-chips. Others brush up on their Spanish–and the fine art of the siesta–in Mexico or Spain. The students at Chicago’s Columbia College, however, have an alternative program available to them. At this institution, which is known for having the nation’s largest film/video department, it is ever-so-fitting that the most popular "semester away" program offered is located in Los Angeles, Calif.–the movie capital of the world.
Columbia’s "Semester in L.A."–a program launched in June of ’99–was born out of its Producing Concentration, thanks to a suggestion from ex-production manager and Columbia professor Bob Enrietto. Realizing a need to introduce students to the fast-paced Hollywood biz (and let execs take notice of Columbia College in the process), Enrietto set up a series of five-week long intensive workshops focusing on the film business centered in the heart of the CBS Studio Center.
"I hate to call it boot camp, but well…that’s kind of what it is," Enrietto jokes.
The groups, which average 15 students per term, maintain full-time student status earning 12-16 credits. Courses explore the various elements of producing including: Concept, Pitch and Sales (learning how to shape an idea and find the right collaborators and how films are marketed and sold to major studios) and Studio Producing (the "ins and outs" of the studio system with topics ranging from scheduling to budgeting for various sized projects). Students also have the opportunity to develop independent projects as well as intern at The WB, Village Road Show or USA Films, to name a few. Site visits are made to Central Casting, Consolidated Film Lab and various studios. Speakers range from writers to producers to other professionals that discuss, as Enrietto puts it, "things that they might not get in school."
Enrietto adds, "You know, [the students] might not know what it takes to set up something like a tax haven off shore. They go from the small idea, and this gives them the bigger picture."
The workshops culminate in an opportunity for each student to pitch a story idea or a screenplay to studio executives. "Last semester, [the executives] took two screenplays away to run through their mill," Enrietto says. "Those two are still floating out there."
Even given the extraordinary chance to go face to face with film heads, it remains a long, hard process to break into the business. "We say it takes 10 years to get where you want to get," says Enrietto. "This program is bound to cut a year or two off that count."
Mark Wolff is one student that recently completed the "Semester in L.A." program. Choosing to focus on production (writing is another option, with animation and costuming programs pending), Wolff learned about the particulars of the business, thanks to the carefully planned curriculum. "We read the Hollywood Reporter every morning to start knowing the industry," he explains. "And the speakers…it’s the stuff out of real life, not out of a textbook."
To close out his semester, Wolff pitched a screenplay–a teen coming-of-age story, of sorts–to the execs. While he claims that adolescent dramas are not a huge sell with studios right now, he’s not about to give up on his plans to push the idea forward. In the meantime, he’s landed a plum internship with Studio Entertainment Group, a relatively new distributor and production company. Other alum have fared just as well, with some now boasting stints at places like Mandalay Pictures and Variety on their resumes.
"To get there is a long road, but this was such a good opportunity," Wolff says.
For more information on Columbia College Chicago’s "Semester in L.A." program, call 818/ 655-5228 or visit www.filmatcolumbia.com/la.html.
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2001 College Yearbook