Name: Jamie Rice
Age: 21
Hometown: Tampa, FL
Year: Junior
Major: BFA Film Production
Relationship Status: Single
Her Campus (HC): Okay so I have to ask you the obvious. With all of the film schools, why choose FSU?
Jamie Rice (JR): This is the only film school I applied to; I knew I had to stay in state. That being said, this film school is one of the best in the country, the student to teacher ratio and the fact that the equipment is provided was really appealing.
HC: Are you satisfied with the experience you’ve gained so far?
JR: Yes, definitely. I wouldn’t have wanted my college experience any other way.
HC: What do you love most about the program?
JR: That we have the opportunity to do every job that would be on a film set at least once, so that once we go into the industry, we’ve had hands on experience to help choose what we want to pursue. All of us work on each other’s sets, it’s a really collaborative environment, very based on each other and teamwork and you have to rely on other people much like you have to do in the industry, so it really helps set us up for success.
HC: That’s sick. So what position have you found interests you the most?
JR: I want to be a First Assistant Director, they’re the ones who know and calculate how much time each task is going to take so that the filming will run smoothly and timely.
HC: How many films have you participated in?
JR: I started volunteering on film sets while I was still taking the required gen-ed classes the fall semester of my freshman year, so all in all I can be accredited for work in about 30-35 films.
HC: Wow that’s a ton. So how many of those did you personally write and direct?
JR: So far I’ve completed 3; 2 narrative shorts and I wrote and directed, and one documentary.
HC: Which are you most proud of?
JR: My favorite is the documentary that I completed last September about an organization that I’ve worked with for the past 7 years called Camp Jenny. Basically it helps motivate children with rough backgrounds that go to school in inner-city Atlanta to work for a spot to attend a 4-day camp full of learning and team-building that’s held yearly. It teaches the students what it’s like to really work for something and earn it. Making them understand that they matter and that they can make a difference in the world is an incredible experience.
HC: Have you been nominated or won any awards?
JR: The documentary about Camp Jenny got accepted into two film festivals so far, we’re waiting to hear back from others. It won an award for best editing at the Black Warrior Film Festival at the University of Alabama.
HC: What are you working on right now?
JR: I actually just completed one that we’re editing now called, “Cindy Finds a Finger”. It’s about a girl who is walking down the street and finds a severed finger and pockets it and goes on about her day dealing with the repercussions of that. It screens on March 5th as well as 27 other films at the SLC!
HC: Wait what?? How did you come up with that?
JR: Well there’s this Louie episode where a bum is following him, and gets ran over and decapitated in the street, so I wanted to create something bizarre like that.
HC: Where do you find inspiration to create your movies? What are your favorite things to expose or make fun of?
JR: Something I really like doing that seems to be a common theme in the narrative films that I’ve made is taking something extremely obscure, and putting it into a more realistic environment; like a grandma smoking weed (which was my first film that nobody should ever watch again ha-ha), or a girl finding a severed finger on the street and pocketing it.
***If you’d like to see her work, you can contact her directly with info below. ***
HC: Approximately how much time goes into the production of each film?
JR: It varies but can take up to 8 months.
HC: Name some of your favorite screenwriters/directors/producers.
JR: Female comedians are great, I look up to them so much, like Mindy Kaling (The Office), Lena Dunham (Girls), Ilana Glazer and Abby Jacobson (Broad City), and Rachel Dratch (SNL). Also, Judd Apatow, and of course all-hail Larry David. No explanation necessary.
HC: Nailed it. Movies or television?
JR: It’s always been an inter-battle within me. I love making movies here at FSU, but it will honestly come down to whichever job I get, because I will apply for both. I think I’m leaning more towards TV, just because it’s a little more fast-paced and you have a lot more time to create really special character arcs, and you have a little bit more freedom to change things up and really get an audience invested, whereas with a movie it’s one final product that you put out.
HC: That’s interesting, what’s your favorite movie?
JR: It’s a tie between Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and the original 12 Angry Men because I love myself a courtroom drama. But I also love how big of a movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was and the organization that had to go into getting together a mass of people that large to participate in the parade scene. It’s the epitome of why I love film.
HC: Favorite TV show?
JR: The Office or Arrested Development.
HC: If you could have any actor or actress featured in a film of yours, who would it be and why?
JR: Amy Poehler, I think that she is the absolute female comedian-genius. She can play so many versatile roles that I feel like I could plug her into any character and she would nail it.
HC: Do you have any other hobbies?
JR: I’m into photography, I’m looking into getting a better camera but it’s honestly a great way for a busy film student to make some quick cash. I like cooking, but I’m not very good at it. Who likes eggs?
***Jamie has taken photos of me and they RULE. Her contact info can be found below. ***
HC: What’re your plans after graduation?
JR: Definitely going straight to New York City, and applying to the Director’s Guild of America trainee program. Mainly aiming to get on any sets that I can and work towards being an assistant director. I’ve visited almost every year since I was a kid because my grandma and a lot of my friends live there. I love the streets and how the city plays its own character in films.
HC: Despite your busy schedule describe your ideal night out?
JR: Anything with friends, booze and food.
HC: If you could be any animal in the world, which would you be and why?
JR: Oh jeez… what can’t get killed by other animals? An elephant?
HC: Do you have a favorite quote or words to live by?
JR: Work hard, but most importantly, be a good person.
Contact information to view Camp Jenny Documentary or for photography: jamiehrice@gmail.com (813) 453-4465