Carnegie Mellon University: They forged a tight friendship in the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University. Years later, they decided to pool their talents and form the production company Before the Door Pictures.Now Neal Dodson (A'00), Corey Moosa (A'00) and Zachary Quinto (A'99) await the announcement of the winner for Best Original Screenplay at the 84th Academy Awards. Their first major motion picture "Margin Call," starring Kevin Spacey, is one of the nominees.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Oscar Night
Carnegie Mellon University: They forged a tight friendship in the School of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University. Years later, they decided to pool their talents and form the production company Before the Door Pictures.Now Neal Dodson (A'00), Corey Moosa (A'00) and Zachary Quinto (A'99) await the announcement of the winner for Best Original Screenplay at the 84th Academy Awards. Their first major motion picture "Margin Call," starring Kevin Spacey, is one of the nominees.
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5 comments:
It's great to see so many companies both large and small being formed out of CMU alums and really making a name for themselves in the business. It's especially exciting to see this happening both in theatre and in in film, PigPen and In the Basement being other great examples. I think the fact that companies and ensembles like Before the Door are formed out of CMU just speaks to how strongly our school encourages collaboration and creativity among its students. Through Playground and other activities, we actively encourage students to take on ideas of their own and go somewhere real with them. Just look at how many Playground pieces have gone onto the NY Fringe Festival and other locales, and one sees that our school believes in the professional promise of its students, and that what they have to say deserves to be heard worldwide.
Everytime I read articles like this, I am completely amazing and reaffirmed in the belief that CMU truly encourages and creates bonds that will be with us for the rest of our lives. To be honest that was one of the things that drove me to come here. I feel that the connections that we not only make here, but make by just attending this school, are phenominal. When I was down in Florida for the summer, a CMU lighting alumni saw that I was from CMU and said that after I graduated to give her a call. No where else is the world is this possible. And this is the only place it can work because of the immense collaboration we have in place. Like Becca said perbiously, Playground is essential to forging these long lasting and professional relationships with people who come from a wide range of specialties in the industry.
This makes Playground mean so much more to me. I don't think I've realized fully until this moment how much the connections you make with those you work with here will mean for your future. Its great to see that something that seems so small like Before the Door is now nominated for an Academy award. And lets not forget how incredibly impressive the list of Emmy and Tony award winners is. I think we could all use little bouts of inspiration like this article every now and then. Amidst the chaos of classes and crew, the light at the end of the tunnel can grow so dim. These reminders brighten it back up.
What is so wonderful about this article is the way we see relationships form out of the school of drama that make a lasting impact on our future careers. It is also nice to know that the constant drilling and the never ending group work trains us for moments like the ones described in this article. It is so important to collaborate and to make connections with your peers. It will only help you and whatever you may want to work on in the future. It also makes you desirable and it makes others want to help your initial idea, regardless of how crazy it may seem. Right now, working on two different group projects at once, I understand first hand what goes into the art of decision making. There are long talks, there are arguments, there are debates, and sometimes new ideas sprout out of the old ones. I'm just happy to know that it only helps each member grow.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm humbled every day by the amazing work that comes from current students and alums of this program. It's great to see that this small CMU-formed company is taking off with their first film!! What I found most interesting in this article was Neal Dodson's point about the importance of knowing when to walk away. We never think now about the fact that someday we might have to be making those types of business decisions, even decisions that pertain to our personal careers as a whole (as opposed to a single project), but that is a big part of reality and I'm glad that Dodson brought that to light. I certainly want to learn more about how the industry works, and we are obviously learning a lot about that here at CMU, but it seems like that sort of training kind of has to happen on-the-job. It's great that these alums are having that opportunity and are not only learning about the industry but succeeding in it.
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