Today I have received notice that I have been accepted for the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting and I am really excited. The best part is to feel like I am back in a professional environment... To be honest I have felt quite isolated after my changes in status (now a mom) and country (now in Chile).
26 de junio de 2008
24 de junio de 2008
The Right to Write
The following is the statement I wrote for the selection process at the UCLA Professional Screenwriting Program. I think it summarizes quite well my situation and interest in the present.
Right to Write: A Personal Statement
By María Loreto Caro-Valdés
Before I had an image in my head, I had a word. My mother tells me that I was nine months old when I started to talk and have never since stopped expressing myself through words. When our family was forced to leave Chile following a military coup in 1973 and my father’s imprisonment, we migrated to the United States and I, at the age of four, understood quickly how language shapes our worlds. As soon as I learned English, a whole new culture opened up before me. Six years later, when we were able to return to our home country, I experienced the same phenomenon: once I was able to grasp my Spanish, I was able to feel a part of society. During my childhood and teenage years I often found myself in situations where I would switch languages back and forth, creating bridges of understanding between two very different mindsets. That is how I always knew I wanted to be a communicator, even before I knew the practical manifestations.
I chose journalism as my first career and it proved very useful to learn the power of writing in making sense of the world… But, very soon I realized that explaining was not enough for me; most of time what I really wanted to do was to rethink or even reinvent reality. That is why I made my way into the Dramatic Arts Area of Television Nacional de Chile where I was in charge of translating the scripts of local telenovelas for the international market, since these are the most popular and wide-spread Lain American products. After a couple of years in TV, I went to work for the Chilean Ministry of Education, specifically involved in the organization of large scale events for youth. Here I was able to produce all kinds of written materials, ranging from storybooks for small children to complex manuals for teachers.
In 1999 I was granted a scholarship by the Fundacion Andes to pursue a Masters Degree in International Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. While I was there, I took several film courses and simply accepted I loved this form of art. (I never stopped feeling great passion for cinema, but I never dared to dream that I could be a part of it) In 2001 I was admitted for the MFA program at the UT Radio-TV-Film Department. Though I was very pleased in the end with the well-rounded preparation I had in film production, I have ever since regretted having more screenwriting experience.
Now that I am back in my home country, it makes more sense than ever to pick this life-long interest of mine and learn properly about writing scripts. On one hand, it is a skill that is quite rare (here most people involved in screenwriting come from other related areas such as theatre or literature, but very few have had specific and professional training). On the other, I am at a stage where writing fits best with my other roles as a woman. Very recently I had a son that was born with complications and his current condition requires me to stay at home as much as possible (also, he has been an inspiration for worthwhile stories on the beauty of the human spirit). I must add that the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting is especially attractive because it would allow me to keep a link with an industry and a country that I have very deep feelings for; in a way I feel that we can be making history by building narratives across borders.
Right to Write: A Personal Statement
By María Loreto Caro-Valdés
Before I had an image in my head, I had a word. My mother tells me that I was nine months old when I started to talk and have never since stopped expressing myself through words. When our family was forced to leave Chile following a military coup in 1973 and my father’s imprisonment, we migrated to the United States and I, at the age of four, understood quickly how language shapes our worlds. As soon as I learned English, a whole new culture opened up before me. Six years later, when we were able to return to our home country, I experienced the same phenomenon: once I was able to grasp my Spanish, I was able to feel a part of society. During my childhood and teenage years I often found myself in situations where I would switch languages back and forth, creating bridges of understanding between two very different mindsets. That is how I always knew I wanted to be a communicator, even before I knew the practical manifestations.
I chose journalism as my first career and it proved very useful to learn the power of writing in making sense of the world… But, very soon I realized that explaining was not enough for me; most of time what I really wanted to do was to rethink or even reinvent reality. That is why I made my way into the Dramatic Arts Area of Television Nacional de Chile where I was in charge of translating the scripts of local telenovelas for the international market, since these are the most popular and wide-spread Lain American products. After a couple of years in TV, I went to work for the Chilean Ministry of Education, specifically involved in the organization of large scale events for youth. Here I was able to produce all kinds of written materials, ranging from storybooks for small children to complex manuals for teachers.
In 1999 I was granted a scholarship by the Fundacion Andes to pursue a Masters Degree in International Communication at the University of Texas at Austin. While I was there, I took several film courses and simply accepted I loved this form of art. (I never stopped feeling great passion for cinema, but I never dared to dream that I could be a part of it) In 2001 I was admitted for the MFA program at the UT Radio-TV-Film Department. Though I was very pleased in the end with the well-rounded preparation I had in film production, I have ever since regretted having more screenwriting experience.
Now that I am back in my home country, it makes more sense than ever to pick this life-long interest of mine and learn properly about writing scripts. On one hand, it is a skill that is quite rare (here most people involved in screenwriting come from other related areas such as theatre or literature, but very few have had specific and professional training). On the other, I am at a stage where writing fits best with my other roles as a woman. Very recently I had a son that was born with complications and his current condition requires me to stay at home as much as possible (also, he has been an inspiration for worthwhile stories on the beauty of the human spirit). I must add that the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting is especially attractive because it would allow me to keep a link with an industry and a country that I have very deep feelings for; in a way I feel that we can be making history by building narratives across borders.
18 de junio de 2008
Screenwriting: Child-friendly profession
Guionista: Una profesión ideal para madres
Cuando uno se encuentra con palabras o hechos que podrían ser parte de la vida de uno se produce una sensación curiosa: hay por cierto una conexión mágica, pero también puede producir incomodidad. Esto es lo que me sucedioo al leer un articulo sobre 10 guionistas emergentes que vale la pena seguir de cerca según Variety, entre los cuales figuraba una mujer aproximadamente de mi edad que declara que la escritura es probablemente la mejor actividad laboral que puedes tener si quieres ser una madre involucrada en la crianza de los hijos. Por un lado me siento interpretada, ya que yo elegí dedicarme a trabajar como guionista precisamente para pasar la mayor cantidad de tiempo posible con Sebastián. Por otro, siento una envidia profunda, ya que la entrevistada ya supero el obstáculo más grande que existe en esta carrera: tener representación.
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