HSK? Grad School?

I've been hit with a bunch of suggestions to look into grad school/applying for grants lately and I've begun to do some research about it. Not that I am going to apply to grad school or a Fulbright or anything like that anytime soon, but I guess it is a good thing to know all the options available to one. So far, I've managed to figure out a few things:

(1) I should probably take the HSK (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi or 汉语水平考试) at some point. Seems like a good thing to have and more proof that I can, in fact, speak Mandarin Chinese. I want to be able to take the Advanced test and I think that with some serious study I could probably do that. Although I just looked at the Basic test instructions (for elementary level Chinese) and I was like - okay, maybe I should actually PRACTICE my Chinese before I get into this ordeal. Well, to be fair, I will be having a few one-on-one speaking sessions with a teacher at the newly inaugurated Confucius Institute at the university where my parents work at (I've become really good friends with the head of the Institute - he's also my Tai Chi (or to call it by its correct name taijichuan - 太极拳) teacher). Also, I'm going to China in March. I'm hoping that being in the Mainland for 3 weeks will help me remember most of my 4 years of Chinese study. Probably will. On that same subject, I've apparently been unofficially invited to do a small series of lectures on Chinese National Cinema which I'm really excited about because it is one of the central focal points in my ongoing film goals and themes (most scripts I write have a sort of heavy influence from China's 5th-generation filmmakers and contemporary Hong Kong Cinema).

(2) I'm not sure if I want to go to grad school for filmmaking. Part of me thinks it is a big waste of time and money - mostly because I get the feeling that anything you learn in grad school for Film Production can be learned by being on set. Also, I've heard varying reports that suggest that Film Production grad schools will box you in too much - about how the creative process goes. I feel that filmmaking, like any other art, does require technique and technical knowledge, but at the end of the day, has a creative flow that no rules can really govern. Most stories are written without paying much heed to storytelling rules - in fact, they tend to go on to define those rules themselves without meaning to. Then there's also the fact that those film production grad schools are notoriously hard to get in to and give you next to no money. My feeling is that if you're going to spend $100,000 ($50,000 per year) on a program that will teach you something that you could learn while getting paid on a set, you might as well take that money and make a movie with it yourself. It would be an extremely low-budget film, but it is definitely doable considering today's technology and filmmaker resourcefulness. And trust me, a lot of filmmaking is about resourcefulness. I think that when I go to grad school I want to do something other than film production. Right now the program that has really caught my eye is MIT's Media Lab research programs. They're doing one called "Camera Culture" which is dedicated to creating the next generation of cameras to be used for film production that could give you a better image, greater mobility, and aid in the development of a more interactive filmmaking and moviegoing experience. There's another one about the Opera of the Future or something like that that experiments with new kinds of music and concertgoing experiences. What I like about the program is that it can be partnered with an Entrepreneurship program so that you come out being both business and tech-savvy at the end. It is a little bit more of a sciency way to go, but I think I will definitely eventually apply to it. I also have looked into Columbia's MFA in Screenwriting/Directing, and the Beijing Film Academy's MA in Fiction Film Directing or Cinematography. The BFA's program is particularly interesting because I think it might allow me to explore different perspectives and themes than the other western programs would. Also it's cheaper, shorter, and I think there are a few grants I can apply to in order to cover the costs. BUT it is also in Beijing....and while I do love China, living in Qingdao for 3 months 3 years ago was really really hard on me. Might be a different situation though...

All of this, of course, comes from the fact that I'm actually currently in the process of completing my application for a Grant for Language Study Abroad (I want to study Dutch in The Netherlands). It is due on Tuesday, but I want to get it in today. I don't know what my chances are, but it would be a good option to have if it comes through. Yay!

Categories: Chinese, film, Graduate School, grants, HSK, travel