Words by Drew Casper never cease to amuse me. Drew Casper is the infamous USC film critical studies professor. He knows a lot about film. As a matter of fact his class CTCS190 Introduction to Cinema may be one of the most informative/educative classes in the whole USC film school.
His lecture is an introduction into why western film is the way it is. He is very enthusiastic in talking about the techniques, aesthetics and history behind films and always ends his lecture with a film. Casper loves film.
However the thing is Casper does not just love film. He LOVES film and loves teaching it. His enthusiasm for film overflows every class. He is very theatrical and considers his lectures a performance. In fact every lecture ends with an applause from the "audience".
He began one semester's class by riding a bicycle into class, wearing a red hoodie and with an E.T. doll on the bike's basket, all to the theme song of E.T.
He likes to "get into it".
It seems however, that some students don't take Casper seriously due to his demeanor. Casper and his class has a certain reputation that seems to cause a lot of students to "take his word with a grain of salt". His students sometimes even pick on him.
In a recent class Casper asked a student to make a well-known statement. The student proceeded to say, "Casper is crazy". The student thought he was being funny but Casper was not amused.
In another situation Casper asked a student to ask him a question. The question was, "how old are you?" Casper proceeded to bring the student up on stage and demonstrate film composition by dragging him across the floor.
Are students being disrespectful? Is Casper a bit too eccentric?
The fact is Casper knows a lot about film and is very confident about it. And this makes some if not many film students feel very insecure(I am not referring to film students in general. I am referring to insecure filmmakers/students). It challenges their own knowledge about the craft they are using to tell stories. Because as soon as insecure people are admitted to one of the most prestigious film schools in the world, they begin believing that they are the best. As soon as they see the admission letter, they begin imagining how the red carpet will feel.
The one thing I learned from CTCS190 is how little film students(including me) know about film. Our goal as filmmakers should be to strive to exceed what we know and challenge ourselves when making films. To remain an empty bowl rather than a full bowl. For a full bowl cannot take anything more.
"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." - Steve Jobs
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