Film School: The True Story of a Midwestern Family Man Who Went to the World's Most Famous Film School, Fell Flat on His Face, Had a Stroke, and Sold a Television Series

by Steve Boman

One L meets You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again

In this comic and moving and completely true tale, Film School reveals what life is like at the elite school that trained Hollywood’s biggest names.

When Midwestern journalist Steve Boman applied to the University of Southern California's vaunted School of Cinematic Arts, the world's oldest and most prestigious film school, he had more than a few strikes against him: His wife was recovering from thyroid cancer. His beloved sister had just died of leukemia. He lost his job. He had three young children. He was in his late 30s…. And he had no experience in filmmaking.

As Boman navigates his way through USC's arduous three-year graduate production program, he finds that his films fall flat, he's threatened with being kicked out of the program and he becomes the old guy no one wants to work with. Defeated, he quits and moves back to the Midwest to be with his family. After he is urged by his wife to reapply, he miraculously gets in for a second time...only to have a stroke on the first day of classes. But instead of doing the easy thing—running away again—Boman throws caution to the wind and embraces the challenge. He slowly becomes a gray-haired Golden Boy at USC with films that sparkle. And then he does the impossible: While still in school, for a class project, he dreams up a television series that CBS catches wind of and develops into THREE RIVERS, a primetime Sunday night show.

This story of challenge and triumph—and what it takes to make it in the world’s most famous film school—is a must-read for anyone aspiring to become a Hollywood great or anyone just looking for a good story.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Film, Ebooks, Media Tie In

352 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2011

Reviews

[Camy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. It was good. It was, however, not what I was hoping for in a memoir...but it was a good enough read.

I bought this for several reasons:

1. I really like stories that showcase people facing disruptions, alterations, disasters and disillusionment thrust on one by Life --Life/The Universe et al over which one has no control -- and of these people growing from such. I enjoy reading of these people's determination, their triumph, and their eventual achievements that sometimes barely resemble their goals at the onset.

2. I have experienced several elements featured in the blurb. I have completed an MFA programme, I have quit grad school and returned, I have borne illness and had to just keep going, I have relocated for the pursuit of education etc. so I was interested in reading this account.

3. It was discounted at Amazon.

4. I was on the bus one day and this cute little boy about three years old sat in the seat in front of mine. His school bag had a picture of an action figure on it that I can't even recall now. What I do recall was looking at that bag and thinking that in the '80's, when I was a child, it would have been He-Man's picture featured. Then I started shipping He-Man and Skeletor in my mind, wondering why no one ever gave that a go as a fanfic! At that point I decided it might be time to cleanse my palate a little bit.

But, above all, as stated in one of my updates, when I read memoir I am seeking interiority. I don't just want a catalogue, a charting of events. I am after analyses, meaning, discernment, lessons learnt, understanding implemented, not because I am unable to make meaning of my own life, just the opposite in fact. It is because I analyse as much as I do that when I enter someone else's life I want entry beyond that which I am able to perceive externally.

A memoir invites access to the real person, to how that person processes the circumstances in which they find themselves. This memoir did not. I gleaned some interesting knowledge of film and Hollywood; I pondered the sort of marriages that some people have and remain within; I was amused by some of the antics of the students that were relayed; I held my breath a bit when little points of tension (will he or won't he finish the student film in time?) rolled around; I was annoyed by some of the oblique prejudicial comments; I had moments of diversion looking online for some of the characters mentioned in full name, but I was never moved. I never gained access. I never got a story with depth.

When I reconciled myself to the very odd and amateurish narrative structure that made attempts at creating links and meaning and reconciled myself to the fact that this was less internal journey through challenges and more superficial/topical in its focus, I was able to let go and enjoy the book somewhat. It is a solid enough read, after all.

Notwithstanding, it didn't really live up to what I wish for from a memoir.

[SeaBae · Rating 5 out of 5]

True confession time: I, too, went to USC film school, albeit many, many moons before the author and as an undergraduate Critical Studies major instead of a graduate student in the Production program.

In a few places, I felt like the book could have been written when I was there. I cracked up at the scenes with Dr. Casper. Apparently he has not changed his teaching style one iota (nor his classes: I, too, took Hollywood Musicals and The Films of Alfred Hitchock from him.) However, Boman doesn't mention the omnipresent polo shirts (the better to show off Dr. Casper's - at the time - impressive biceps.) So apparently there has been some sartorial concessions to time's passage.

(I did take exception to Boman's assertion that foreign cinema and historical filmmaking conditions in other countries were not taught at the film school. A few Drew Casper courses are not representative of the entire Critical Studies curriculum, Steve. You should have sought out Dr. Michael Renov for those conversations - he's great.)

But some things have changed drastically. I also laughed when the author described USC as a bastion of champagne socialists. When I was there, the membership of the Young Republicans outnumbered the Young Democrats by a margin of about 450 to 1. The student body booed Walter Mondale so vociferously, he had to quit his speech and leave. Nice to see they've come around in the intervening years, so much so that now conservatives are complaining.

As for film school itself, it was and still is a microcosm of Hollywood. That's why USC is the best. It's not so much the education - although there are some very good instructors - as it is the preparation for a career in the entertainment industry. Any school can instruct you how to frame a shot, how to edit for pace, how beat out a scene, how to coach a performance out of an actor.

USC teaches all that, PLUS how to survive in the real world trenches. Film school is competitive and cutthroat and a time suck? Not getting enough sleep? Classmates causing disruptions and needless emergencies? Wait until you work on a real set. Or in a real studio office. You'll only wish you still had Dr. Casper's lectures to look forward to.

But enough of my rant. Steve Boman tells a smart, witty, extremely well-paced, and honest account of his three years as an atypical film school grad stud. He goes back to school in his late thirties, with three small children and his former breadwinning wife recovering from her bout of cancer. It took extreme chutzpah to take on the staggering amount of debt that is six semesters of USC to get a degree in a field as crapshoot as film and television production. No wonder 'SC accepted him - this is the type of personality one needs to survive in the business.

And even so, Boman bombs out. When his second year is shaping up to a disaster - he's paired with a student who wants to make a zombie musical for her portion of the all-important 308 core production class - he leaves school and returns to Minnesota. Only to realize a few years later that, no, what he really, REALLY wants to do is direct (and write) and he returns to Southern Cal (the geographic region, not the school. USC is NOT called Southern Cal. East Coast college football pundits, as usual, are wrong.)

Only to immediately have a stroke. A literal stroke. On his first day of class.

Not even Hollywood would buy Boman's story. A little too on the nose, as he is the first to admit. There's a triumphant comeback, and the type of ending that most film students only dream of. But it's all true. And Boman's experience is why thousands of would-be filmmakers apply to USC every year, and why film studies programs are springing up all over the country. We all want to believe the Hollywood magic will touch us, too. (Second true confession: I was the only person in my Critical Studies graduating class to land an entertainment industry job right after graduation. Boman is correct: there are no guarantees when it comes to employment, not even after spending 100K on tuition.)

I enjoyed the book wholeheartedly. Now I kinda want to go back to school. But only kinda.

[Mediaman · Rating 2 out of 5]

What could have been a fascinating story is turned into a long, bloated retelling of his dull, normal grad school years. In movie terms, this is a sleep-inducing eight-hour art house cinema verité snoozer that would have been much better told as a two-hour film leaving us wanting more. Namely, he needed to edit out at least half the unimportant everyday college stuff that adds nothing to the story and focus on a couple of major life events that get glossed over.

Boman is supposedly a writer but he bombs big time here with no sense of what's important or unimportant. At least half of this is trivial minutia from his grad work at film school. He overly details every single project he does. Who cares about any of this? None of us can see the works and unless you are going to USC this won't apply to you since all college programs operate differently. Twice he almost is kicked out for breaking stupid USC "rules" that involve using a child in a production and placing a cameraman on the back of a motorcycle. I get the need for the school doing things realistically and safely, but USC goes too far and all it does is make the author look like an incompetent loser.

Boman seems totally unqualified for film school. I'm still unclear how he beat hundreds of other applicants to get in--he was an NPR reporter for Minnesota Public Radio in small-town Rochester with zero background in film or even television. Once he starts his school projects it's obvious he doesn't have a clue what he's doing, with no educational training to understand moviemaking.

But he brags about how great he does. He introduces stories about his very short projects that are typical college fluff, and my thought is "well, something big is going to happen." Nope--never. It's always normal bland nit-picky minor stuff until he suddenly pulls it off at the end and everyone adores his work. Yawn!

Underlying this all IS an interesting life story that he glosses over dramatically. He marries a woman who becomes a doctor--and when he's reaching middle age, has three kids, and they have plenty of money in Minnesota, he jets off to spend almost two years in L.A. for grad school without his family. Then he and his wife survive a couple of major medical issues (he even has a stroke!) but the dummy continues to stay away from his home responsibilities to make his career dreams come true. He even doesn't go home for Thanksgiving, though he has four days free, and ends up staying with his undergrad Gustavus Adolphus pal Peter Krause (who by then had become a big TV star).

You'd think his knowing a couple of big names would make this interesting, but he fails again to do anything with it beyond saying they meet for lunch or to play ping-pong!

Some may find this aspect of the book charming; I thought it only proved how out of touch well-off people are by abandoning their children while irresponsible adults follow their own selfish dreams or (in the case of his wife) care for others. Take care of your own family first, then see if you can make your dreams come true for yourself and others.

There are two great parts to this book--in the last fourth of it he learns how to pitch ideas, comes up with a great one based on his previous job as a heart transplant delivery boy, and sells it to CBS. This happens while he's finishing up grad school. It's a great behind-the-scenes story that you don't hear often regarding the creation of a television series. But it's extremely incomplete--he rushes through the process, pilot and series with almost no details. This should have been the main focus of the book, in addition to his interesting personal history, but it feels like a tacked-on ending.

I can't figure out why so many Hollywood insiders seem to like this guy who lacks experience or understanding of the business--maybe he was so unthreatening due to his sensitive physical condition that the studio, agent and network gave him a chance others would not have? Or maybe it was because he was almost 20 years older than other students? Whatever the case, this is a unique story that few film school grads would ever duplicate.

The other great part is the shocking four-page revelation that Boman leans a bit conservative in his philosophy and openly condemns the lop-sided leftist propaganda coming out of the show business and academic communities. Skip the first 100 dull pages and go right to page 108, where he calls out the "reverse discrimination" and certain groups getting mocked that happens with professors and the media. Straight white males, blue-eyed blondes, Mormons, conservatives, and religious Christians are heckled and scorned.

This is written in 2011 and he's absolutely right that Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, New Agers, blacks and liberal thinkers are never seriously criticized while those that are politically incorrect are open game. Things are even worse today, though pro-Jewish voices have moved to the negative list for some. It's amazing to hear from an insider who saw discrimination clearly being done from the initial start of a student's training, affirming what half of America knows about the biased and bigoted fakes in show business and universities.

He goes on to slam academia and Hollywood for claiming to be for justice and equality, yet "it is ironic that in this bastion of wealth and privilege and luxury, I hear almost unrelenting criticism of the society that creates all this wealth and technology and freedom of expression." These supposed "socialist" supporters are in truth selfish and want the government to pay for others instead of giving of their own earnings. It's all about self-preservation, hidden in PR that claims they're for the disenfranchised. I'd add that both industries build up their own success through misuse of natural resources, wasting money on imagery, and failing to actually use what they have to help the needy. Namely, they're total hypocrites.

I'm not say Boman outs himself as a Republican or anything solidly right-wing (he did do material for NPR, after all, which I did too long ago). But he's extremely fair in his view of Hollywood and the liberal elitists. I only wish he could have dedicated much more space to his perspectives on the real issues involving colleges and show business, pointing out much more that needs to be changed, instead of using hundreds of pages complaining about a partner that doesn't show up on time for a school project, equipment not working, teachers enforcing rules, and all the insignificant things that happen in the unrealistic world of film school.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This memoir was difficult to rate. (I love memoirs.) I vacillated between 3 and 4. It is not literary prose or deeply reflective therefore compared to other memoirs I’ve read it leans toward a 3 or less. The writing style may be in part attributed having written for television which relies on an economy of words and is completely different than great literature. (I’m also a big fan). However, the book is NOT trying to be great literature and in this case it shouldn’t be. It is the story of a man on a mission to get a specific education at a specific school. It is a straight forward telling of the author’s mostly day to day experiences while going to USC film school and the academic and personal challenges endured while doing so. The perseverance of the protagonist kept me reading to the end which is a feat in itself and for that I give the story itself not the writing a 5. The author gave a very good account of what courses were taken and their requirements. It is a great book if you’re thinking of going to USC or other film schools and because of that I would give it a 4. My own experiences as a Midwestern, regular Jill in Art school and Advertising school and later graduate school were similar- highly competitive, having to deal with elitism, sexism and ageism. What makes this book compelling to me are the details of going to USC, specifics such as course assignments and how the assignments were completed. I especially liked the accounts of the Pitch class. and the experiences with CBS and the pilot process. If the book were too entertaining I wouldn’t find it credible. I am sure there were more salacious experiences the author could have written about but they would not be good for his career at the time of writing.

There are so many ways this book could be written. The author’s wife’s story is as interesting! A doctor with three young children endures her husband’s mid life pursuits across the country. Why not a TV series about their relationship? I would think there would be a lot more conflict- there was none in this version of the memoir. The author missed a lot of precious time with his kids going to school and writing the book- but he did spend time with them while his wife pursued her dream- which is another reason the story of the couple is even more compelling. How did they make it work? Are they still married?


I did not appreciate some of the descriptions the author chose to describe women in the book especially since he was insecure about his age throughout the book. For instance the use of “old bag” to describe the person responsible for enforcing child labor laws, was just one of several descriptions tinged with misogyny. It would be better writing to let the reader decide what type of person is being written about based on their behavior, their dialogue or a physical description. The description of the woman wanting on top floor at the Monte Carlo was also a poor choice. The author criticized USC students and instructors for being elitist only to come across that way himself. The woman was fat and therefore low class to be asking for a high floor at a cheap hotel. Fat doesn’t not equal low class or stupid or … there are plenty of fat Hollywood producer’s. Again, it would be better to describe the person with a richer word choice and let the reader figure it out. The author wants us to relate to his disadvantages or age and circumstance but that on occasion became difficult for me when reading parts of the book when describing and interacting with women.

[Lois A. Johnson]

Survival of the Fittest

This book reminded me of the experiences our son had while his wife attended USC School of Social Work from 2006-2009 and they lived in LA.

They were gobsmacked by intensity of her program and lived in a fairly challenging neighborhood. Our family visited several times during the 3 years they were in LA and we worried about their ability to survive as 22 year old kids from a homogenous country lifestyle!

They had a thrilling time from 2006-2009. It seems like the author had an eye opening time living in LA as he attended USC Film School.

The book is thoughtful and well written. I really enjoyed reading it and knowing that the author survived the school and went on the write a network show!

[Michael Cohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of what it's like to attend USC's legendary film school and learn the craft of moviemaking as a change of career after years spent in journalism (and a stint transporting human organs for transplant recipients). The story takes you through Steve Boman's experiences, from his initial confusion to his growing comfort and familiarity with the tools of filmmaking and appreciation of his fellow students. As a longtime journalist who dreamed of going into filmmaking at a young age, but never tried it, reading this book is almost like a vicarious wish fulfillment. However, there are also plenty of anecdotes of disappointments, family emergencies, medical concerns and near catastrophes along the way to keep you guessing how it's all going to turn out. A really inspiring book to read and entertaining to boot.

[Blake McCarty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly it was interesting hear about the protagonist’s tribulation and perseverance, but i just couldn’t relate and got bored almost immediately. I spent most of the time rolling my eyes and forcing myself to read just so i would know how it all ended.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fish-out-of-water story of a reporter turned film student at one of the best film schools in the world. There are multiple things I enjoyed about this book. First of all, the topic was interesting and I learned all about what it is like not only to go to film school but to learn all the aspects of film making. Second, Boman has a great pacing. Let's put it this way. I bought this book on Friday afternoon and had it done by SUnday afternoon. You really get to root for Bowman as he navigates the logistics of grad school. A really fun read. He has a nice voice/sense of humor and he gives you enough background knowledge so that you aren't thinking (re: technical issues) "I don't know what he's talking about." Enjoyed it!

[Jorge Akef Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is good if you're wondering about the lifestyle that a USC graduate film student harbors, but there are very few tips on how to actually make a film. It's a smooth and entertaining read that will leave you feeling hopeful and light hearted, for even when Steve describes some of his most horrid experiences during his time at USC, he manages to write them in a way where you never lose hope for him or take it gravely serious. He laughs at himself, and you join in for the chuckle.

[Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, enjoyed the narrator's ride in the one of the country's most prestigious film schools. You can't help but root for him and since I know the school, the area, it was easy to imagine it. I read this in a couple of days and truly enjoyed it. It's not a literary masterpiece but it's not meant to be. Well written and the narrator's voice is welcoming, funny and interesting.

[Lauren Glowacky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book. It was an interesting reading of the author's stuggles through film school and all that was involved. One of my son's graduated with a BFA in Film Production and he is currently stuggling to "make it" out in California. The book helped me have insight into some of the things my son had to go through.

[Aaron Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this as a kindle daily deal from Amazon because the short description and cover made me think it was comedy in the vein of National Lampoon's Vacation. It is not that at all, but the author's story of success through difficult circumstances is compelling. He has obviously enjoyed his life and work, and reading about it makes me want to succeed.

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

The full title should be preceded by "spoiler alert", but that quibble aside this was an enjoyable book. I was mostly drawn to it because my daughter is considering cinema as a course of study, but also because I am a big fan of the show Three Rivers. I wanted to learn about the show's development and back story.

[Monique Gonzalez]

Absolutely HYSTERICAL!! Reminded me of a lot of "personalities" I've known. Definitely recommend for someone who doesn't know ANYTHING AT ALL about the industry. It's a good LIGHT, but insightful introduction to how people approach things in a realistic way.

[805josh]

This book was a great memior. IT was thrilling, seemed very real and had great and specific details.It was the best memior ive read so i would highly recamend it

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to read about sane, hard working people in Hollywood instead of the usual self indulgent prima donnas.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me of some good times in college, but over all seemed a little self-aggrandizing.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating man and suspenseful book for someone in film school. Couldn't put it down.

[Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent retelling of the USC Film School experience. A worthy read.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, fast moving and very entertaining. Enjoy it on the beach or at the cabin this summer.

[Erina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat entertaining but it didn't keep my attention. Didn't finish.