Alumni inspire Iowa students in Zoom film class
Two University of Iowa alumni urge Hawkeyes not to wait until they get to Hollywood to make their filmmaking dreams come true.
“To get your foot in the door, you just have to believe in yourself,” Scott Beck says. “You’re already at the University of Iowa, you’re in film classes, and you know all these people. Raise each other up. Find your collaborators. Make things happen. Please don’t wait for someone to make them happen for you.”
Beck, along with his directing and screenwriting partner, Bryan Woods, spoke during a May Zoom session with about 45 students taking Department of Cinematic Arts courses including sound design, fiction, modes of film and video production, the business of filmmaking, screenwriting studies, and screenwriting: short form/long form. Beck and Woods, both 2007 Iowa communication studies graduates, are best known as the screenwriters behind A Quiet Place, starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, which they conceived of while they were students at Iowa.
“It meant a lot because we are in the same position that Beck and Woods once were,” says Tony Luna, a fourth-year student from Joliet, Illinois, who is working toward a mechanical engineering major and minor in cinema arts. “For them to take the time out to speak to us and what their journey consisted of was authentic and serves as a reminder of the path ahead. That it can be hard but not impossible.”
Kate Gibertini, a fourth-year student from New Lenox, Illinois, majoring in cinema arts and screenwriting arts, agrees.
“It is honestly so inspiring to be able to talk to successful alumni, whether it’s through a video call, in the classroom, or at a screening and Q&A at FilmScene,” Gibertini says. “They used to be sitting in our exact seats learning how it all works. It’s special to have them come speak to us and let us know what it’s like reaching for opportunities after college.”
Students questioned the filmmakers on a wide range of topics, from their inspirations, how they develop characters and collaborate with other artists, to how they approach sound design.
Beck and Woods credited classes they took at Iowa for influencing their work.
“Every class informed our art in some way, but one of the most important ones was a nonverbal-communication course,” Woods says. “It made us think about how much people say without saying anything at all. It informed our work with actors too. What does performance mean when you’re not speaking dialogue? What goes in those parentheticals when you’re writing a script? That class was really informative for us even though it wasn’t a film class. It taught us things we could apply to filmmaking.”
“If there’s anything Bryan and I really took away from graduating and trying to forge a career in the arts, it’s to make your own opportunities and not wait for something. We encourage everyone out with a hunger to make movies to start writing, start designing, start doing whatever you can to really find your own voice and forge ahead.”
The University of Iowa Department of Cinematic Arts approaches film from a critical and creative perspective, in relation to the other arts, and within an international and interdisciplinary frame. The department provides students with the critical tools necessary for the theoretical and historical analysis of cinema as well as the creative skills required for the production of film, video, and digital media.
Beck also called out the world cinema courses they took for broadening their horizons and inspiring their future work, including discovering French mime and filmmaker Jacques Tati, whose work influenced A Quiet Place.
“I also still have a syllabus from an incredible German film class we took,” Beck says.
Luna says he especially appreciated hearing the two speak about how cinema not widely known in the United States affected their careers.
“I took it as going outside your comfort zone and using new experiences to grow,” Luna says.
Students also asked the alumni about the best way to get their foot in the film industry door.
“Forging a career in the film industry can be an uphill battle,” Beck says. “If there’s anything Bryan and I really took away from graduating and trying to forge a career in the arts, it’s to make your own opportunities and not wait for something. We encourage everyone out with a hunger to make movies to start writing, start designing, start doing whatever you can to really find your own voice and forge ahead.”
Gibertini says it was helpful to hear that success may not come right away, and that it can take a few years of writing, pitching, and rejection before something sells.
“What’s important is that you keep writing, making films, and sending your work to film festivals,” Gibertini says. “It’s about involvement and networking. Do what you love and meet the people who are doing the same. I really took that advice to heart because it is very easy to have impostor syndrome overpower your progress—especially as a student—but the best advice is to be persistent.”
Beck and Woods haven’t slowed down since the release of A Quiet Place, co-writing its sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, which is set to be released Sept. 4. They also recently wrote and directed an episode of Quibi’s 50 States of Fright, which was executive produced by Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi. Raimi also will produce the pair’s upcoming untitled sci-fi thriller, which was sold to Sony Pictures.
The alumni say they are always honored to speak with students at their alma mater, especially during this time via Zoom.
“It’s a very intimate experience being welcomed into your homes,” Woods says. “Thank you for inviting us.”
