The unspoken struggle of Dodge screenwriters

Graphic by Easton Clark, Photography Editor

Getting yourself into Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is highly competitive and for most, including myself, something you frequently pray for. 

Wanting to get involved in the film industry is a risk in itself, with no guarantee that you will succeed or not. What definitely helps is attending a top four film school that provides the network and skills necessary to give you a boost into the industry. My current internship is one I got through a Chapman internship call, and without resources like that, I would have to work significantly harder. 

My decision to come to Chapman and study screenwriting was based on the opportunities that came with the name and the network; however, one thing I wasn't aware of before coming to Chapman was the segregation that the writing for film and TV majors face within the Dodge community. 

Now, I know that pre-production and production are two distinct areas of filmmaking, but how can a freshman in college fully know what they prefer? Freshman year, Dodge College makes most film majors take an intro class for all areas of film, sound, editing, writing and more. 

Writers only take a class called Intro to Visual Storytelling, where you learn about what different elements it takes to make a film, and then you actually make a short film every week. That class was genuinely the highlight of my three years so far at Chapman, and I would kill to have that class now because the skills I've learned over the three years would allow me to use it to actually add projects to my portfolio. 

When it comes to major, minor and general education (GE) requirements, there isn’t much room to just decide to take an editing class — yet I have to take a History of Film and Television class where I get talked at for three hours and don’t get any hands-on experience. 

To make it even worse, a rule that has recently changed is that writers are no longer required to be used on intermediate productions (IPs), advanced productions (APs) or thesis films. These projects, which are supposed to bring the community and their skills together, continue to do so, but with the exception of writers. 

In recent years, directors have decided that they have the knowledge to write their own stories — and let me tell you, it's always evident when a trained writer wasn’t involved. The only solution that has been implemented is the Script Bank, to which we are constantly told to submit — but no one is using it, and it’s, truthfully, a waste of time. 

Being on set is such a pivotal part of understanding filmmaking and building a rapport with your peers. Set has resulted in amazing partnerships and networks that are then reused. However, screenwriters have to work their connections heavily to even get on set, and students with class requirements will always take priority. Those projects feel like a way to uplift the community, and in doing that, the writers are being put down, and no one seems to really care.

The only way you can be a writer in Dodge and be signed on to projects, plus have people who are willing to take time out of their jam-packed weeks, is if you are in a Dodge-specific community — whether it be friends, roommates, the film society DKA and so on — and they are willing to give you the time of day. 

As an international student, my main community didn’t come from Dodge; it came from international orientation. The industry may be about network, but a school that is trying to set you up for success shouldn’t force you to tailor your main friend group around which cinematographer likes you enough to take time out of their weekend to film a project for you.  

For all screenwriting majors, it is super evident to us that we aren’t Dodge's first priority. They get more out of putting effort into the directors and producers, because if they make it, Chapman benefits. A writer’s name isn't recognized unless their name is next to the director or producer. 

Chapman also removed a major that encompassed writing and production three years ago. That major forced its students to learn the skills to write, but also to understand the world of production. The biggest disservice they could have done to all the incoming screenwriting students is removing the major and pushing us to focus solely on writing. Success in any industry comes from understanding all the moving parts, and having a production and writing background is like a gold card for a writer trying to make it. 

At the end of the day, a story starts with a script. Writers have the ability to imagine in ways that other people don’t, and they constantly take on the challenging task of crafting complex narratives, often with visual directions included. We’re always told that we won’t make it, over and over again; the only thing we have to rely on is passion. 

At an institution that is supposed to support you and give you the stepping stone to a future career, Chapman does not go beyond the bare minimum for screenwriters. The first time I realized that directors and producers were considered more important than me as a writer happened in a home that was supposed to remind me of my value; instead, it made me question it.