Alex Letts

Film and Media Arts

Spring 2019

Spring 2020

If I were to describe the progression I see in my films it would be something along the lines of ‘slow but steady improvement’. I’ve never been one to shy away from admitting my shortcomings, and when I started making films in High School I discovered I had quite a few of them. But over the years, I’ve tried to slowly whittle away at the pile of weaknesses- no matter how bad a project turned out, I always tried to learn from it. And that’s left me better off than I used to be but far from perfect, and I think two of my biggest weaknesses are my cinematography and my organizational skills. To focus on cinematography first, I feel that while I have in several classes discussed how other directors use cinematography well, I don’t know that I’ve ever been given an instructed opportunity to do it myself, such as an in-class workshop or presentation on how to set up a shot to look as good as it can. I’ve no trouble coming up with shot ideas- I always know what I want the movie to look like, but it’s in positioning the camera and lights to accomplish that look that I falter. And on to organization, there have been few instances in college that I felt like my projects were any different or better than the ones I made in high school in regards to preparation- as in, it’s always just me struggling to do every job on set and scraping together the few friends I have to act in it- often having to act in it myself. No matter how many films I make or how good some of them turn out, I’ve never felt like a professional. Maybe if there were some in-school system for finding help or forming groups to work on projects together that would help. My introverted personality prevents me from searching outside school parameters for that help, as much as I know it would help me- and I know I’m not the only student with that problem. Overall, my weaknesses lie in the fields of production. 

Conversely, I’ve always found myself a natural at several forms of preproduction- I’m majoring with a focus on writing, as that’s a personal favorite pastime of mine. While my screenplay formatting is sometimes less than perfect I’ve always been proud of my dialogue, structuring, and overall concept writing- and I’ve felt that others have appreciated those same aspects of my work. In addition I love utilizing my other creative abilities in regards to my films- drawing storyboards and concept art is something I’ve been pretty good at, and I’ve also been known to score some of my own works to moderate success. In addition, I’m very confident in my ability to stylize my films- I think that in a vacuum my writing would stand out fairly well. 

When I reflect on my time working in film, it’s hard to comment on standout professors as I’ve had so many. A great deal of thanks has to go to my high school film teachers, who encouraged and engaged my ideas well throughout those years. And as for UT, there’s almost too many to count- not that every professor who works here is perfect, but when they’re good, they’re great. I’ve gotten so much support, helpful feedback, and creative growth from the professors here- even occasionally from ones I’ve never had a class with. I can’t speak well enough of the staff as a whole, and I feel that they’ve helped me to get where I am today.

I’ve never been good at planning for the future, and that unfortunately hasn’t changed in regard to my career, but I do know that wherever I am I want to be creating something. I’ve always stood by that my goal in life is to make people smile, so ideally I want to work somewhere in the entertainment industry. Ideally, I’ll get picked up out of college to direct a blockbuster movie and earn a billion dollars- but this isn’t an ideal world. Maybe I’ll find work for some studio, or if I’m lucky, start writing for TV. I’d love to live in the city, but really I’d go wherever I can get work doing what I love. And if my major can land me a job writing the kind of content that I love to consume, then I’ll be over the moon. But wherever I am in five years, I just hope to be happy.