2:04 AM – James Franco and NYU Film School

So the NYU MFA in Dramatic Writing has started…. and I feel like I’m getting my ass kicked.

It’s 204am on a Friday. This is the first Friday I have stayed in… in .. I don’t know how many years. Why? Because school is freaking intense. I have a pile of twelve books sitting next to me, and that’s all for ONE class. I have twelve more plays sitting in my closet… and that’s JUST the reading. Remember folks, I’m in a writing program so I still got a shit ton to write. It’s all good though. It just means making sacrifices like this.

Today’s post is about things I didn’t expect about NYU Dramatic Writing.

One: Playwriting

Yes, I knew that this writing program, other than being a top screen and tv writing program, it was also THE TOP Playwriting program in the country. Which means this, more than half of the kids in the program (11 by my count) got into this program with Plays. Meaning, that these kids are the best playwriting students in the country. Now the twist for me comes when I realized that Playwriting is one of the Core classes and I have to take the GRADUATE PLAYWRITING class with these kids. Now THESE kids ARE THE BEST and I am taking the Graduate level playwriting class with them. HOWEVER, I HAVE NOT SEEN A PLAY in my life (ok maybe one shakespeare one in middle school) OR READ A PLAY.. EVER. So when we were introducing ourselves in class, talking about our playwriting experience, these kids have been produced, had shows here, had shows there, did this special fellowship. Then I got up and was like ummm. I have no playwriting experience. YES. So here I sit in Graduate level Playwriting with the best playwrights in the country and I have not a CLUE what’s going on. I even had to ask the Professor to show me how to FORMAT a play. Like where does dialogue go because I had ABSOLUTELY no idea. Luckily I’m not embarassed. I’m still waiting for the great analogy of what I’m going through.. something like, I’m in the NBA but I’ve never played basketball.

TWO: Forms of Drama

Simply said, this class is the history of ALL drama. Niche, Sophcoles, Aristotle.. the list goes on. Our teacher was like, most of you will have these books. (A list of 14 books) The playwrights all nodded since they are obviously familiar with all of this crap. Me and the other TV kid stared at each other in the back and we’re like, “hmm. I have Office Season 1”

Me and the other TV kid are both in shock since we only really know TV and nothing about anything he’s saying.

THIRD: JAMES FRANCO
FYI: James Franco is at tisch and doing his Masters in Fine Arts in the Film school as well, he’s in the directing program though.

I had no idea how often I would be seeing this kid and how that would actually effect me. I think I’m jealous of the directing kids!! Like I chose to be in the writing school instead because US screenwriting kids are much more likely in modern hollywood to end up ironically as directors versus the directing kids who really only graduate with a short film but can’t really do anything with that. (Us screenwriting kids know how to write and when you can generate your own content, you can attach yourself as a director) But ya, I’m just like man… I wish I had class with James Franco. I see him smoking outside the Tisch building with his Film group. (they seperate all directing students into crews. Can you imagine being in James Franco’s crew) (James Franco has to get a SAG waiver to act in his own student film. HAHAHA) Please be aware, I’m much happier in the writing program.. life wise. haha.

~InsertWittyNameHere

Mr. Franco is the only thing that makes me wish I was in the directing program.

~ by sometimelove on September 6, 2008.