Tag Archives: Harley Page

Student Focus July 2014: Danesha Holmes

Before coming to the Digital Film Academy, Danesha Holmes tried many different career paths. She always knew she wanted to work in entertainment, but didn’t know in what capacity. As a result, in addition to trying acting and stand-up comedy, Holmes spent time in retail, in customer service, as a personal trainer, and even as an EKG technician.

Finally, she came to grips with the fact that TV was what she truly loved, and decided to do what she had to to make it her career. Before she knew it, she was googling film schools in the New York area. When she discovered the Digital Film Academy, she knew it fit the bill.

Times Square, home of the DFA.
Times Square, home of the DFA.

“The DFA was the best of all available choices, and it got my foot in the door,” Holmes says. Their one-year program was a good fit for her and, most importantly, she was able to receive financial aid. “I got a scholarship, and that really made the difference. Without that, I wouldn’t have been able to go.”

Part of Holmes’ financial aid package involved working off her tuition both by blogging for the school and by working as a receptionist. You can check out her blog posts here, under her pen name, Harley Page.

Most importantly, though, her experience with the DFA helped Holmes decide exactly which job in entertainment was right for her.

Editing raw footage from hit shows like Monk in class helped Holmes find her career path.
Editing raw footage from hit shows like Monk in class helped Holmes find her career path.

“By the time I graduated, I knew I wanted to be a video editor,” she says. “I enjoy that environment, enjoy seeing the final product come together, and the creativity and the work that goes into it.”

Throughout her DFA courses, Holmes was given the opportunity to work with rough footage from hit TV shows like Monk and Hell’s Kitchen. She got to put together cuts from multiple cameras to create a finished product. She also completed a co-thesis with another student, Jazmin Young – a web series called Sabotage. The trailer and logo can be viewed below.

She now works for Leftfield Entertainment, transcribing and logging shows such as Pawn Stars, ESPN 30-30, Blood, Sweat, and Heels, and United States of Stuff. She recently interviewed for a promotion to assistant editor.

leftfield

But her long-term goal? “To be a video editor and to own my own business,” Holmes says with confidence.

“The DFA changed my life completely,” she says. “It helped me choose my career path. I’m definitely going for the stars now. Thank you guys!”

 

By Digital Film Academy Blog Manager Sara McDermott Jain

Return to blog homepage.

Do Movie Scoring Sites Affect What You Watch?

A few weeks ago, I started thinking about the impact of movie scoring sites on society’s decisions to watch films. Sites like Rotten Tomatoes, Flixster, and Metacritic.

In my humble opinion, most movies these days lack the emotional content to create a worthy film. We are in the age of remaking, rehashing, and blowing things up. Every movie seems to be superheroes, animation, and action-filled nonsense.

A perfect example: after much wearing down, my mother got me to watch The Expendables. FINE, MOM!

Sly Stallone in The Expendables
Sly Stallone in The Expendables

Before agreeing, my first thought was to look at my Flixster app to see if it was worth watching based on the percentage of likes. Against my better judgement, I decided against those results, watched it, and, to my chagrin, thought it sucked. It was another plot-less movie masked with big bangs and bigger muscles.

I have to say that before coming to DFA, I would probably have thought this movie was as awesome as my mother did. Film school has really changed the way I view movies. My mother has no concern for the plot; she just likes the action.

I immediately went to Flixster and it agreed with me. This movie was not well-liked by the critics, but more than half the audience liked it. Another movie that is actually one of my favorites is called Teeth. In that case, the audience did not like it but the critics rated it very well. Then there are movies that both audience and critics love, like Dr. Strangelove.

An iconic moment from Dr. Strangelove.
An iconic moment from Dr. Strangelove.

Once the movie industry spots a trend, they jump on it like zombies on flesh. So, I asked some DFA students whether they value the opinions on scoring sites. Most said no, but they believe a non-film student would because film students have a different thought process and different taste than the average viewer. My view now parallels the critic’s percentage versus that of the audience when it used to be the reverse. I’m looking at the editing, the effects used (example: Mr. Disappointing Monster in Cloverfield), and the execution of the story.

Let me know what you think.

 

By Digital Film Academy Student Blogger Harley Page

Return to blog homepage.

The NBC Shortcuts Experience!

short cuts logoIn August 2013, I attended the NBC Short Cuts film festival. This is an event that was created to showcase the work of a variety of artists from diverse backgrounds who might not otherwise get much exposure.

At first, I was wary of anything NBC. The last time I’d been involved with them was for Stand Up for Diversity, a comedy event giving each comic one minute to make an audience laugh and impress the executives. If you impress everyone, you move on and go to their reality show for comics.

Standup-for-Diversity-Logo.jpg.600x242_q100

Any stand-up comedian would know one minute is pretty difficult. My dark humour did not go over with the judges. I guess they didn’t like pedophile and wheelchair jokes. Especially the guy in the audience who was in the wheel chair about whom I made the joke.

I digress. I’d never been to a film festival before and since it was my favorite price – free – I decided to give it a go. First thing that caught my eye was the bar with no bartenders. I found this odd. Just display drinks. So, in a moment of thirst, I stole one.

Once inside, I watched incredible short films. Since each film was a different genre, I went through a series of emotions. One film would have me laughing, and the next would have me horrified. By the 7th film, I had a taste of what it was like to be manic depressive. I had hit the spectrum of emotions lottery. Therefore, each film was effective.

Craig Robinson (center) with festival finalists.
Craig Robinson (center) with festival finalists.

At the ending of the films, I went back into the lobby. As if run by a Suddenly Salad commercial, there were snacks and bartenders. I then realized I had stolen free soda. I got to talk to Hannibal Buress, a comedian, and Steve Caple who was the recipient of the audience award for his incredible short, “A Different Tree.” I am starting to use Twitter for contacts, and I ended up tweeting back and forth with Hannibal Buress, asking him for a reference so I can get an Internship at Comedy Central. I have yet to convince him, but will keep on trying.

All in all, I will definitely go again next year and glad this program exists. Any young filmmaker in NYC should take advantage of the opportunity!

By Digital Film Academy Student Blogger Harley Page

Return to blog homepage.


® GI Bill® Is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at www.benefits.va.gov/gibill