As the director of student services for the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Marcus Anderson has seen countless students walk through the institution’s halls and into a filmmaking career. He shares his advice for film students in any program—and what land mines they should avoid.
Can you describe your role as director of student services?
After the student is officially admitted and confirmed, they move over from admissions to us. We work collaboratively with admissions; we’re in a shared space. We do academic advising for the school; we manage our student organizations; we have embedded mental health counselors in my office as well for our student body and various student support events and programming. We also work with commencement and academic tracking, and we serve as a centralized hub in terms of connecting students to broader university support services.
What advice do you give students about how to make the most of their time in the film program?
We say the most valuable aspect is collaboration and networking. Form relationships with not just your peers, but the faculty and staff—many of whom are also industry professionals themselves—and really take advantage of the opportunity to build that out while you’re a student. Create lasting relationships.
“Approaching class projects as, ‘I want to be the best,’ instead of, ‘I want our team to be the best and most effective’ would be a mistake.”
Is there a pattern you see among students who go on to have success in the film industry?
[They’re] students who are, again, geared toward that relationship-building component. [“Run” and “Searching” filmmaker] Aneesh Chaganty comes to mind. By the time he graduated, there was barely a staff or faculty member who didn’t know who he was, simply because he introduced himself to anyone and everyone. He was so enthusiastic in sharing what his passions and his pursuits were and where he wanted to be in the industry. It’s someone who has the ability to share their experiences without being overwhelming; a student who [makes it clear] what they’re passionate about, but who doesn’t make [staff and faculty members] feel like they’re being used for forward momentum.
When they’re networking, how can students best display their passion without trying to use others for personal gain?
You need to have a genuine interest in the people you’re talking to, and you need to be genuinely passionate about what you’re talking about. It’s very important to make sure you’re not asking for things, unless that thing is simply to learn more about the person. Part of it is understanding how to be an active listener. That’s something we really think is foundational here, even in our classes. Building that peer-to-peer criticism and feedback loop is part of all of our classes, so that students can get it ingrained that they should be sharing their thoughts, but they should also be welcoming the thoughts of others.
How to Use Backstage to Cast Your Student Film What advice do have for students on how to find their unique perspective while enrolled in a filmmaking program?
A film program is designed to prepare you for the industry, but, ultimately, it’s not the industry. It is the space that you should feel free to fail and fail spectacularly in. Even with your class projects, throw everything you can at the board, because you’re figuring out what your voice is. Outside of class projects, immerse yourself in those extracurricular fields. I know a number of students who grabbed 10 other students and shot films independently over spring break. Create content outside of your classes.
I also think, as a film or television or new media maker, you should be immersing yourself as much as possible in the content that is being released and distributed now. You need to be an active consumer if you want to be a maker. I see students coming into our programs now who say they have a love for filmmaking, but they don’t necessarily have a love for film. That’s something that needs to be cultivated while you’re a student so that you can understand history and learn more about the greats and genres and what might appeal to you while you’re creating your own work.
What is a common mistake you see among film students?
It’s hard to call it a mistake, because this is a competitive industry, but we often see film students who put themselves in competition with their peers. Ultimately, it’s going to be the people you are creating content with as a student who are going to end up taking you with them, and you’re going to carry each other through your careers. Approaching class projects as “I want to be the best,” instead of “I want our team to be the best and most effective” would be a mistake.
This story originally appeared in the Apr. 21 issue of Backstage Magazine.