The Horse’s Mouth Part 2


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I decided to continue my interviews with the rest of the directors in my class. I literally cornered Jon, Fahima, and Rob on separate occasions, pinned them against a wall, and filmed them with my trusty iPhone. Well, it didn’t actually go down like that but it makes a good story…and I am a story teller.

FAHIMA’S INTERVIEW

Can you give me your name?

Fahima Mohamood.

Why did you choose Columbia?

I chose Columbia because it’s one of the largest film schools in Chicago, and I like their program.

Why do you love film?

I love the writing aspect of it. To me, screenwriting is like building a puzzle. So if you like putting pieces together, it’s like putting a story together. And there’s no right or wrong answer—you just put it together.

Can you tell me your favorite movie scene?

I have a lot, but I have to pick one.  My favorite movie is My Big Fat Greek Wedding. So any scene in that is funny. But I guess the scenes where they each respectively meet their parents. So when the guy meets Tula’s parents, he has no idea about Greece.

And if you could only make one movie, what would the title be?

Cultural Clash

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JON’S INTERVIEW

Can you tell me your name?

Yeah, my name’s Jonathan Moeller

Why did you choose Columbia?

You mean aside from the fact that they accepted me. (ha ha) I mean, it’s in Chicago. It’s something different. It’s a bigger city than I’ve ever been in, and that’s an exciting part of it. And it’s an opportunity to make films a lot of people see. An opportunity to make films under a lot of people who will help me and help me make them into good films. And then there will be plenty of opportunities for me to showcase my work. I’ll learn a lot, and I should get a lot out of the program as well.

Why do you love film?

Well, I love film because of the creative aspect of it. The one thing people say about books is that you read a book and it’s like you have a chance to become the characters and you can kind of jump into a world that’s different than yours. I think the same thing applies to film. When you watch a movie you can become those characters in your head, and it’s like you’re experiencing things you can never experience in your own life. For me that’s just a lot of fun.

Can you describe your favorite movie scene?

If I had to pick one, I think it would be the last scene in the first Rocky film. That’s always been one of my favorite films, and I just love that whole underdog story. I guess he doesn’t exactly beat Apollo, but he doesn’t lose either, and that’s the point, so I like that.

If you could only make one movie, what would the title be?

The title would be “The Man with Only One Tennis Shoe” alternately titled “Hitting Home Runs.”

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ROB’S INTERVIEW

Could give me your name?

Yes, my name is Robert Cornelius. (in a British accent…really)

Why did you choose Columbia?

I chose Columbia because it had a really good program in film and really focused on the director-writer aspects of filmmaking. I’m a director, and I’m a writer, and I love storytelling. So it really focused on the individual.

Why do you love film?

The reason I love film is because it’s a very visual medium, but people can really relate to the characters that you make and the stories that you tell, and ultimately I’m a storyteller. I’ve always loved drawing, and growing up I’ve discovered the medium of telling stories in film let’s me reach most people.

Can you describe your favorite movie scene?

Actually it’s a drama scene from “Imitation of Life,” the 1959 remake. It’s where you have the mother and daughter who is cast as white but the mother is black. She comes in and there is a lot of interaction between the two characters. It’s just a very powerful scene. It speaks really to the times and really to what each of the characters wants, and it’s filmed in a way that really captures the essence of both of the characters. So I really love that scene.

If you could only make one movie, would the title be?

If I can only make one movie, the title would probably be “Blue and Gold” symbolizing an obsession with…what we perceive as beauty–blonde hair, blue eyes, or some other colored eyes other than black eyes…yeah.