Cinematic Grit and 'Reel' Resilience
Strengthening Legacy: Santa Monica's Film Program and Film Club in Action to Pave the Way to a Bright Future
Since its unveiling in 2017, CMD has been the primary hub for the arts, media, and entertainment programs and clubs. Yet, the campus now finds itself at a critical point, as it’s fallen victim to a bittersweet and inevitable force - ‘Growth.’
Santa Monica College's (SMC) Film Production Program and the student-run Film Club are working to overcome the challenges they face at the Center for Media and Design (CMD) campus.
The state-of-the-art facility space constraints have become more apparent with the growth and success of the Film program. SMC’s film community, which encompasses the Film Studies, Film Production Program, and the Film Club, is actively working to overcome the challenges they face at the CMD.
At the heart of the SMC extracurricular experience is The Film Club, a student-run organization that stands apart from the Film Production pProgram.. As a separate entity, the club cannot access the Film Production Program's equipment and storage space due to its limited availability for enrolled students. To overcome this hurdle, the Film Club secured its own equipment through funding from the Associated Students (A.S), SMC’s student governing body representing the interests and goals of the entire student body. However, storage constraints at the CMD or main campus present additional logistical challenges for the club.
Betsie Garcia, Communications Director for the Club, collaborates with Kathrine Nielsen, President of the Expressive Technology Coalition (ETC), a non-profit founded by Garcia and Nielsen in 2020. They aim to tackle storage challenges, equipment availability, and ADA accessibility to benefit all film community students.
Due to the limited on-campus storage capacity, club members have often stored resorted to storing the Film Club equipment and props at their homes. Consequently, they plan to secure funds for a dedicated equipment rental library through funding from the A.S. “We completely understand, that we can not use the film production space and equipment, entrusting such expensive equipment to students, especially when there isn’t enough in the first place isn’t a risk I would expect the film program to take, that’s why we have our own equipment and props, all we are asking for is a space to put our equipment and if possible to get more for equipment for the club”
The Film Club initially proposed a request for $45,000 in the Fall semester of 2022, but it was tabled with a recommendation for further research. The club is currently working on submitting a revised proposal requesting $60,000 for a rental equipment library to the newly appointed A.S. board before the end of the semester.
Garcia notes that the main drive behind trying to establish a rental equipmental library, was due a wanting a space to store their equipment, being able to have the resources to accommodate the amount of students in the film club who have a passion for film making but also, because she noticed that film program students who were a part of the film production program were also facing equipment access issues within hthe program. Within the film production program students enrolled in the program are only allowed to access equipment during class time.
Film Club President Marco Gamba states that even students enrolled in the film program can only access media production equipment during class time. “The issue isn’t a lack of willingness on the Film Production Program’s part; instead, the department’s limited equipment hinders enrolled students' access,” Gamba adds that the inability to access filmmaking equipment is a roadblock for students pursuing transfer opportunities, particularly when other schools require visual samples, like short films. He emphasized that a dedicated rental library for the Film Club would be the ideal solution to the Club’s limited equipment availability to its members.
The Film Production Program faces similar spatial challenges. Despite, SMC seeing a decline in total student enrollment since before the pandemic, The Fil Programthey hasve maintained a continuous influx of students, enrolling into the program and limited equipment and spaces has made manking it difficult to accommodate all of the students. who come to SMCsmc hoping to be enrolled in the program,This has which leftleave students feeling incredibly frustrated and this is exacerbatedexasterbated by the priority enrollment system at SMC has further exacerbated the problem.
Priority Enrollment is a system that grants certain groups, ranging from seniors, honors students, and students with disabilities to those with military service backgrounds, the privilege to register for classes before the general student body. This system aims to accommodate specific needs, ensuring timely access to required courses for prioritized groups. ThisWhile beneficial for the students that benefit from this system, it has led to a limit on hands-on filmmaking classes due to the high demand of students and a limited supply of equipment and available faculty, which challenges the program's commitment to providing affordable, high-quality education.
Dr. Salvador Carrasco, faculty lead of the Film Production program, emphasizes the need for infrastructure enhancements as the film production program expands, including a dedicated soundstage and adequate storage space for equipment. “Our main challenge is that we’re facing more demand than supply. We are in full-gear expansion mode but don’t have the infrastructure to support our exponential growth rate. Our existing classes fill out within minutes, if not seconds, of being opened online, and we presently cannot offer more sections.” says Carrasco
Carrasco emphasizes the need for infrastructure enhancements as the film production program expands, including a dedicated soundstage, adequate storage space for equipment, and a day-to-day operational budget. Even with the incredible outsourced funding the film program gets from the District, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, and in-kind support from KESLOW Camera, Carrasco notes, “Our day-to-day operational budget is virtually nonexistent. We instructors sometimes pay for things out of pocket because we believe in what we’re doing and the potential benefit for our students. Still, it would be much appreciated to have a day-to-day operational budget at our disposal, especially in the case of filmmaking, where the one thing you can count on is unforeseen, last-minute things invariably pop up.”
Garcia and Nielsen have created two online petitions to secure funding for an accessibility ramp and a free equipment rental library at the CMD. They've created documents outlining the Film Club's comprehensive plans for building the ramp and establishing the equipment library. To meet the petition goal, they aim to gather a minimum of 220 signatures, representing 1% of the student enrollment at SMC (approximately 22,000 students). As of this publication, 154 people have signed the petition for a ramp, and 22 have signed the petition for a new rental library since both petitions launched in October.
“Accessibility is a fundamental right. Students should not have to struggle to access the resources they need or navigate a campus that isn’t designed to accommodate everyone,” Garcia says. The campus's emergency exit, which has stairs but no ramp, underscores the need for accessibility enhancements.
“I have a close friend… who has a disability, and when we were in a production class together, I would occasionally assist her in navigating the campus. This included helping her up the stairs due to the lack of a ramp at CMD and accompanying her in the elevator, which was often unreliable. There was a constant worry about what might occur if something happened on campus when we weren’t around to help,.” Gamba says.
Garcia presented the proposal for the ramp at the A.S. Board of Directors meeting during public comments. She says she hopes to use CMD's emergency map to demonstrate the lack of forethought in ADA accessibility, notably since the emergency exit features stairs.
The current budget deficit of $7.8 million, which has caused budget cuts across the campus, impacting resources, courses, and extracurricular activities, could be an obstacle in acquiring funds for the Film Club. “Lower enrollment means fewer students are paying the A.S. resource fee, directly affecting the A.S. Budget and reducing financial support for student clubs,” says Thomas Bui Associate Dean of Student Life.
Dr. Patricia Ramos, the Dean of Academic Affairs at the SMC's CMD campus, states that it'sits crucial to distinguishing between access and inclusivityeness is crucial. While the CMD complies with state access requirements, there's the acknowledgment that more can be done, such as evaluating the addition of a ramp to Building C for better wheelchair accessibility. Though this process involves time and funding considerations, Ramos says the college prioritizes meeting student needs, as demonstrated during COVID-19, emphasizing its commitment to delivering an optimal educational experience in challenging circumstances. “Inclusivity is an essential value of Santa Monica College,” she says Ramos.
“I will probably stay at SMC until I feel the Film Club has roots at the CMD. But I've been trying to be gradual with everything. I don't want to rock the boat. We might be rebels at heart, but really, we're trying to be diplomatic. It's like a win-win if we both support each other, both sides, the student-run and the faculty.” Says Nielsen.
What is clear is that the Film Club and the Film Program are dedicated to addressing these challenges by seeking funding and advocating for improvements. The passion and dedication in pursuing progress by SMC’s film community continue to shine as bright as the films and acclaim garnered by the Film community.
Priority Enrollment is a system that grants certain groups, ranging from seniors, honors students, and students with disabilities to those with military service backgrounds, the privilege to register for classes before the general student body. This system aims to accommodate specific needs, ensuring timely access to required courses for prioritized groups. While beneficial for the students that benefit from this system, it has led to a limit on hands-on filmmaking classes due to the high demand of students and a limited supply of equipment and available faculty, which challenges the program's commitment to providing affordable, high-quality education.
Dr. Salvador Carrasco, faculty lead of the Film Production program, emphasizes the need for infrastructure enhancements as the film production program expands, including a dedicated soundstage and adequate storage space for equipment. “Our main challenge is that we’re facing more demand than supply. We are in full-gear expansion mode but don’t have the infrastructure to support our exponential growth rate. Our existing classes fill out within minutes, if not seconds, of being opened online, and we presently cannot offer more sections.” says Carrasco
At the heart of the SMC extracurricular experience is The Film Club, a student-run organization that stands apart from the Film Production Program.
Film Club President Marco Gamba states that students enrolled in the film program can only access media production equipment during class time. “The issue isn’t a lack of willingness on the Film Production Program’s part; instead, the department’s limited equipment hinders enrolled students' access,” Gamba adds that the inability to access filmmaking equipment is a roadblock for students pursuing transfer opportunities, particularly when other schools require visual samples, like short films. He emphasized that a dedicated rental library for the Film Club would be the ideal solution to the Club’s limited equipment availability to its members.
“ We completely understand, that we can not use the film production space and equipment, entrusting such expensive equipment to students, especially when there isn’t enough in the first place isn’t risk I would expect the film program to take, that’s why we have our own equipment and props, all we are asking for is a space to put our equipment”
“ Yes, I've had that experience where I've come from, transferring and then coming back here. For some of these folks, this may be their only experience for filmmaking. And if it's not a great experience, they might just completely step out of the industry entirely. And I think that's a lost opportunity, especially when we have so many voices that are not at the table. So that's kind of what drives me. We need more diversity, not just of race, but of thought. We need those different kinds of people with different perspectives to bring that to.”
Due to its long-established presence and available internal resources, the Film Club hopes to lead the way for all creative clubs based at CMD. “
