Name: Dashiell EnosClass: Junior
Sport: Men's Diving
Major: Cinema and Media Studies
Minor: Entertainment Industry
GPA: 3.12
Aubrey Kragen (AK): Can you tell me a little bit about your major and what makes it different from other majors within the film school?
Dashiell Enos (DE): I would describe Cinema and Media Studies as studying and getting to know the importance and impact of film. Really how the content on screen impacts society, how it has had a role in society in the past and also how society plays a role in what's being created. There are a lot of classes like history of American cinema, I took a comedy class. Things like gender in film and TV. It's different from others like production or writing, where there are more projects where you're actually creating things. This is more studying and analyzing.
AK: What do most people do with a Cinema and Media Studies degree post-graduation?
DE: It can be very helpful. You can definitely be a film or TV critic. But you can definitely still direct, you can be in production, because you can take those classes along with this major. That's what I plan to do. I took this major because it's more flexible with my diving schedule, whereas the other more project-based majors, you can't be away. I plan to start doing more production classes because I want to be in editing.
AK: How did you decide that you were interested in film?
DE: I just remember when I was looking into colleges, I wasn't really sure exactly what I wanted to do when I was older. I knew I liked writing and I also loved playing with cameras. Me and my brother when we were younger, we would always play around and make videos and I loved to hold the camera and record stuff. But I got recommended to take this major through a teammate of mine who's graduated now, but his name is Jordan Gear. He talked to my mom and said the film school is great and that if I were to be in the film school, this major would probably be the best.
AK: What have been some of your favorite classes in the film school and why?
DE: One that I really enjoyed was a class all about Hitchcock, which was taught by Prof. Drew Casper -- he's a pretty well-known professor in the cinema school. I liked that one a lot because I'm into the thrillers and kind of horror genres of film, so studying Hitchcock -- he's at the top for that genre. It was great to learn about his films and about him personally. From beginning to end, we just learned a lot about him.
AK: What are a few of your favorite films and directors?
DE: Definitely Alfred Hitchcock. And some of my favorite films: when I was younger, I saw Moonrise Kingdom. I think that was one of the first films where I was like, 'Wow, I really liked that. I want to watch that again.' I always say that that's one of my favorites. I also like the film Prisoners and Lights Out. Those are more of the horror genre.
AK: How has going to USC and being a student-athlete at USC helped you network and make connections in the entertainment industry?
DE: There are definitely a lot of opportunities in the film school. They send out emails to students inviting us to screenings, maybe of a film that an alum made, or a pre-screening of something that's going to be released. So I've gone to a couple of those. It's just watching the film but you also get to meet the people there. There are workshops, Q&As -- I went to one Q&A where it was all about editing and that's what helped me kind of decide that editing is where I want to be. And through athletics, there were three teammates of mine who had the same major.
AK: Did they offer much advice on balancing your major with your athletics schedule?
DE: Yeah, I've asked them quite a few questions. When I was applying, I actually had to apply three times to get in. And it was on the third time that I was accepted. After the first time I was denied, I asked Jordan Gear, 'Man, this is hard. Should I try something else? Is it really worth it?' He told me I should really try again. He said, 'Usually getting in on the first time is pretty rare.' So he kind of comforted me with that. I told another one of my teammates how I'm into horror and thrillers and he told me he had a classmate who interned with Blumhouse, which is a production company known for horror films. And he gave me her contact info and now I can ask her questions that I have.
AK: Lastly, what goals or aspirations do you have during your time at USC and in the future?
DE: I'm a junior, so I have one year left, and it's kind of snuck up on me. I'd like to get to know more people, make more connections and so far I haven't done many production classes, but now that I've covered most of my major's requirements, I'm going more into production. I'd like to get more practice in editing and start working with cameras to kind of build up those skills for myself before I'm done with school here.
