The Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema is taking itself into certain director to mold the minds of future filmmakers.
Founded in October 2015, the public graduate film school is part of Brooklyn College, a senior college within the City University of New York. It is the only public graduate film school in the United States located on a working film lot.
Under the direction of new executive director and two-time Academy Award nominated producer Richard Gladstein, the school takes the next step in evolution to shape the film students of today.
LRM Online’s Gig Patta contacted Richard Gladstein about the school via e-mail to give us more details about the graduate school.
Gladstein received two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture of the Year for The Cider House Rules and Finding Neverland. His other films produced included The Bourne Identity, The Time Being (also co-wrote the screenplay), Paper Man, Killshot, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, She’s All That, The Nanny Diaries, HurlyBurly, The Crossing Guard, and amongst others. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Producer’s Guild of America, Leadership Committee of CreativeFuture, and the board of mentors at University of Southern California (USC) Perter Stark Producing Program.
In addition, Gladstein is a frequent collaborator with Quentin Tarantino. He recently produced Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and executive produced his first three films of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and Jackie Brown.
Gig Patta: In your words, can you tell us your main objective for students at Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema?
Richard Gladstein: Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema educates a diverse student body in the art and craft of filmmaking, music-making, and storytelling in a hands-on, collaborative environment that mirrors the professional world. The extraordinary faculty and staff, made up largely of working members of the film, media, and music industries, encourage students to discover their authentic and distinct voices, and facilitates their access to a wide variety of careers.
Gig Patta: How is this school distinguished from other film programs?
Richard Gladstein: Our student body is more diverse than virtually any other film school in the country – more than 50% people of color – and our tuition is one third ($21k) of that NYU and Columbia (over $60k). Our facility is first rate. Our facility at Steiner Studios has:
- Seven Avid Everywhere post-production suites;
- Four DaVinci Resolve color grading suites;
- Recording, foley and ADR studios;
- Mixing rooms;
- Wardrobe, dressing, and green rooms;
- Construction shop and prop rooms;
- 80-seat 4K digital cinema screening room;
- Four soundstages, including one 4,000 square foot soundstage.
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Gig Patta: With a recent conversation with Gus Van Sant, how often will you bring in industry people to guest lecture students?
Richard Gladstein: In any given week, there are several industry guests in our classes and in our school, such as Ted Hope of Glen Basner in producing classes or Fred Elmes doing an ASC master class in cinematography. And in addition, I will bring a well-known, award-winning industry guests monthly for school-wide seminars, master classes, and screenings. Such as I did with Gus Van Sant, The Queen’s Gambit filmmakers Bill Horberg and Scott Frank, or Reggie Hudlin. Then there are new Artist-in-Residence month long workshops with the filmmakers behind HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness with Terance Nance, Kelley Robins-Hicks, and Jamund White.
Our Advisory Council, made up of renowned filmmakers and creators include Steven Soderbergh, Stephen Daldy, Robert Richardson, Rachel Morrison, Neema Burnette, Franklin Leonard, Randall Poster, Maryse Albert, and Effie Brown. Each of them will be assigned to a specific thesis film and mentor these students in several intimate sessions through their filmmaking process.
Also, our Advisory Council consists of festival leaders such as Joana Vicente (Toronto Film Festival), Kerri Puttman (Sundance Film Festival, and Leslie Klainberg (Film Society of Lincoln Center and New York Film Festival).
Gig Patta: Explain how students have opportunities to have hands-on experience through the school with actual productions?
Richard Gladstein: Students will make a minimum of 4-6 short films during their education in our programs, culminating in a thesis film. Our classes are held on our four sound stages with first rate equipment.
For more information of Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema, visit its official web site at Brooklyn College.
Also, Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema provided an exclusive clip on part of the recent conversation with renowned Gus Van Sant as he addresses one of his previous films Psycho.
Watch the exclusive clip below. Let us know what you think.
Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
