I wrote a book about student social life at American colleges

Drew Ott

Drew Ott

Wish I were banned.
Howdy everyone,

I thought some DVXusers from the old days might want to know what I've been up to the past 8 years or so.

I was extremely active on DVXuser as a teenager, and back then I badly wanted to go to film school. After reading dozens of threads about "Is Film School Worth It?" I decided not to go. Not only did I decide not to go to film school, I decided not to go to college at all.

After I made that decision, I started getting into endless debates about the value of college, which led me to ponder the meaning of the "college experience." Basically, what is it about college in America that makes children grow up into adults? Why is this considered a necessary rite of passage that everyone is supposed to undergo?

I decided to go on a big road trip and live with college students around the USA. I spent a year living with random college students at 23 interesting schools, and each chapter of the book tells the true story of one week in the life of a random college student. The book is basically a fun travelogue about me partying with college students, but I hope it's also thought-provoking and insightful about American youth culture.

I did write about one film school-- University of Southern California. I stayed with a senior at USC who was a production designer on an undergrad thesis film. If I'm honest, it is one of the least interesting chapters in the book. USC had always been my dream school, but after I spent a week with seniors at USC, I was glad I didn't apply.

Anyway, I'm not expecting anyone here to read the book. The main market for the book is high schoolers, college students, and parents of both. But I just wanted to share what I've been working on with the forum of strangers who were so influential during my formative years.

Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/Students-Yes...op?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_srp_mb_bdcrb_top
 
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Josh Bass said:
Cool. The big question is...what did you end up doing professionally?
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I've been doing freelance videography. Lots of weddings, as well as corporate work. After I'm done promoting this book I'm going to attempt to raise money for a low budget feature, but we'll see how that goes.


edited to add-- I've never needed any college degree or even high school degree for freelance work. Nobody has ever asked, and I've never even put together a resume.
 
Cool. I freelance to and have been asked for resumes (or even something like IMDB credits to prove you’ve worked on higher end projects with “real” distribution...just look at many of the requirements in the Staffmeup jobs). Degrees, not so much, BUT I have seen full time job ads for production companies or similar entities that do require a degree. It’s always going to be specific to each individual client/job but yes I think it leans heavily toward “no one gives a crap if you have a degree.”
 
Super cool Drew. I am surprised that you aren't trying to produce a documentary about what you wrote your book about rather than beating your head against the indie film narrative rock. A lot simpler and easier to make a documentary than a low budget feature.

I have to say, it must just be me but I find everything I see in theaters and even most of what I see at indie film festivals and on-line bores me, the writing and creativity in high quality TV is so much better than what's in theaters these days mostly.
I really only get excited about documentaries, especially the quirky, interesting and engaging ones about people, places and things you know nothing about. Features are so typecast (Superhero/Comic Book, RomCom, Action, Comedy), I guess I just
find most present day films to be too contrived and too genre following. There are few that are good that do grab me but documentaries can be so much more engaging.

My advice is go make a good documentary about your most compelling subjects from your book.
 
puredrifting said:
Super cool Drew. I am surprised that you aren't trying to produce a documentary about what you wrote your book about rather than beating your head against the indie film narrative rock. A lot simpler and easier to make a documentary than a low budget feature.

I have to say, it must just be me but I find everything I see in theaters and even most of what I see at indie film festivals and on-line bores me, the writing and creativity in high quality TV is so much better than what's in theaters these days mostly.
I really only get excited about documentaries, especially the quirky, interesting and engaging ones about people, places and things you know nothing about. Features are so typecast (Superhero/Comic Book, RomCom, Action, Comedy), I guess I just
find most present day films to be too contrived and too genre following. There are few that are good that do grab me but documentaries can be so much more engaging.

My advice is go make a good documentary about your most compelling subjects from your book.
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I agree about what you say about narrative features these days. Lately I haven't really been watching anything--movies, documentaries, or television. Mostly I enjoy audiobooks for my entertainment.

But I do have a specific narrative feature that I want to make, so I'm going to try to get it made. A documentary is definitely a better business decision, since you can market the documentary to its specific niche audience instead of just the general public. But yeah, I'm going to give it a go to make a narrative feature.

A documentary about the college experience would be pretty interesting. All of my subjects wanted to remain anonymous, so in book form their names are all changed and identities never revealed. If I had made a documentary about the same subject, I wouldn't have got nearly as much good material, since people would be concerned about their reputations.
 
puredrifting said:
Super cool Drew. I am surprised that you aren't trying to produce a documentary about what you wrote your book about rather than beating your head against the indie film narrative rock. A lot simpler and easier to make a documentary than a low budget feature.

I have to say, it must just be me but I find everything I see in theaters and even most of what I see at indie film festivals and on-line bores me, the writing and creativity in high quality TV is so much better than what's in theaters these days mostly.
I really only get excited about documentaries, especially the quirky, interesting and engaging ones about people, places and things you know nothing about. Features are so typecast (Superhero/Comic Book, RomCom, Action, Comedy), I guess I just
find most present day films to be too contrived and too genre following. There are few that are good that do grab me but documentaries can be so much more engaging.

My advice is go make a good documentary about your most compelling subjects from your book.
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+1

Of course... just because "everything I see in theaters and even most of what I see at indie film festivals and on-line bores me" - an opinion I agree with 100% - doesn't mean the OP should do a documentary (although again, I agree insofar as it would be a natural move to make a docu that deals with what you know). It might mean the very opposite - hey, there's no competition, or rather, most of the competition is sh|t - what a fantastic opportunity to make a smashing good feature! The problem has always been, and these days is greater than ever: how do you stand out from the crowd, how do you get noticed? There's your answer - in a sea of mediocrity, make something original and involving! Take it as a challenge! Anyway, whatever the OP decides, I wish the best of luck.
 
If it matters, I will go against Pure here and say you gotta do what you wanna do, what gets you excited (unless of course money/filmmaking “success” is more important to you...seems like it isn’t). Chances of success are low regardless of what you do so why not do the thing that youre passionate for?
 
Drew Ott said:
I've been doing freelance videography. Lots of weddings, as well as corporate work. After I'm done promoting this book I'm going to attempt to raise money for a low budget feature, but we'll see how that goes.


edited to add-- I've never needed any college degree or even high school degree for freelance work. Nobody has ever asked, and I've never even put together a resume.
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Never in 22 years and counting has a client ever asked about my educational background in regards to hiring me.

For all they care, you could have been raised by wolves in the woods until the day you decided to walk out and pick up a camera, as long as you ‘deliver the goods’. And it would actually make you MORE interesting to them. In this image obsessed business who do you think the “cool kids” would rather have, Kevin that went to XYZ State College or ‘the guy that was raised by a pack of wild wolves in the woods’?
 
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Drew Ott said:
Anyway, I'm not expecting anyone here to read the book.
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Do you have any plans on making this an audiobook? There is so much I would like to know (and say to you), haha.

I am interested in hearing your stories & thoughts, but I also strongly believe no one can develop a meaningful understanding of/about the 'college experience' - whether positive or negative, or both! - in a week or two.

An individual truly needs to invest 3-4-5 years of life to develop a highly cognitive understanding and opinion...which of course may only apply to his or her personal journey.

It may only take a few weeks at almost any college on earth to see why people develop serious drinking or substance abuse problems (for anyone that doesn't know the partying that takes place - and has taken place for many decades - is an absolute epidemic, rich or poor), but at the same time it's just impossible to learn about everything else in such a short window.

Do you think you learned about college life or was it more so that you learned about human beings?

And the value of graduating from any Ivy is unquestionable. It doesn't matter what you did or didn't do in 4 years; it's a $240,000 investment for a personal record of attendance in which society will forever look at you differently!

Again, super curious about your takeaway, but one's comprehension is highly influenced by so many variables.
 
NorBro said:
Do you have any plans on making this an audiobook?

Do you think you learned about college life or was it more so that you learned about human beings?

Again, super curious about your takeaway, but one's comprehension is highly influenced by so many variables.
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Yes I have plans to make an audiobook, but right now I can't afford it, so it'll only be in production after I start making money on this book (if I ever do). I tried to do the reading myself, but I only have three different male voices and one female voice. The book has over 100 different speaking roles, or more.

I think I learned a lot about college life just by visiting each school for a week, but you're right that maybe I just learned more about human beings. The purpose of my book wasn't to accurately represent specific universities so the reader knows all about the school. My purpose was just to write a slice-of-life biography about one student each week, mixed in with whatever trouble I got up to.

I would say that I actually think my approach of visiting a school for a week did do a good job of allowing me to have deep insight into the college experience. Each chapter of the book is completely different based on what school I sent to, what my host was studying, and who was hosting me. The cumulative experience of all these one week snapshots adds up to a very insightful look at the college experience, and it's a perspective that no single college student has ever had.
 
Josh Bass said:
If it matters, I will go against Pure here and say you gotta do what you wanna do, what gets you excited (unless of course money/filmmaking “success” is more important to you...seems like it isn’t). Chances of success are low regardless of what you do so why not do the thing that youre passionate for?
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Agreed!
 
Drew Ott said:
The cumulative experience of all these one week snapshots adds up to a very insightful look at the college experience, and it's a perspective that no single college student has ever had.
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But there are experiences you simply did not have or could not have had in a meaningful period of time.

Things like...

- Working with your favorite professors for months/years whom could have had a major influence in your life and/or career (especially if you didn't have very strong family bonds).
- All of the mental, physical and emotional stress you have writing papers and studying and worrying and LEARNING.
- The dorms, day-in and day-out! (so important).
- Activities in the quad(s), day-in and day-out...frisbee, reading, music, just CHILLING!
- The life-long relationships you build and destroy.
- Walking through the same buildings every day.
- Smelling the same smells (good and bad).
- The cafeteria food.
- Studying in your favorite spot(s) at the library.
- The local town and places you frequented for years.
- Any nature or even drastic weather changes that sometimes enlighten people they were born on the wrong coast!
- The sports and supporting your team (football, basketball, everything...even if you hate sports).
- So much more!

Your book - which I am sure is an amazing accountability of your experiences - is insightful from only one point-of-view.

The proposed correlation is like playing sports video games thinking you'd be able to play the sports professionally!

Well, maybe not that drastically, but I think you would learn a lot more if you spent 4 years of your life somewhere else, preferably in a completely different place you're currently in.

Not only do you experience the above but you subconsciously learn about living, surviving for that matter.

Most people pick up many life skills that they don't even think about it until many years later.

Again, not everyone NEEDS college and totally not hating because the fact that you wrote and published a book is tremendous, but just wanted to follow up with those final thoughts.
 
You're absolutely right with everything you listed. I am not claiming that I somehow captured the entirety of the college experience. My book is definitely only insightful from my own point of view, and I'm not claiming otherwise. I am also not claiming that I somehow received the "college experience" by writing this book. I definitely did not.

If you read the book, you'll also see that I come away mostly pro-college, and I talk about all the negative consequences I experienced by not going. The book is very respectful of the college experience, and I am not trying to suggest that young people follow my path. Most young people who read the book will probably want to go to college even more than before.
 
I get it with your narrative film, that's cool, I just think, based upon my limited understanding and experience through colleagues, that the indie film world is so challenging to make something that anyone will ever see beyond friends and family and the doc route seems like a natural segue based upon what you've already accomplished. But we all have our own path and good luck toward yours.
 
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puredrifting said:
I get it with your narrative film, that's cool, I just think, based upon my limited understanding and experience through colleagues, that the indie film world is so challneging to make something that anyone will ever see beyond friends and family and the doc route seems like a natural segue based upon what you've already accomplished. But we all have our own path and good luck toward yours.
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Yeah, getting people to watch/read anything you create (and even pay for it!) is nearly impossible. It's a rough uphill battle any direction you go. I do have a documentary I want to make eventually, and maybe I'll learn that it's better to make docs than narrative.
 
Congrats Drew! We had a couple conversations back in the day if I remember correctly. Glad to hear you're still working towards expressing yourself in whatever way works.

KS.
 
Kegan said:
Congrats Drew! We had a couple conversations back in the day if I remember correctly. Glad to hear you're still working towards expressing yourself in whatever way works.

KS.
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Thanks! Yep, still trying my best. Hopefully something works out.
 
Just read the UT chapter on Amazon. Lots of fun! Even if you change your mind and decide to go to college you had a hell of a gap experience.
 
bill totolo said:
Just read the UT chapter on Amazon. Lots of fun! Even if you change your mind and decide to go to college you had a hell of a gap experience.
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Thanks Bill! Yep, I had an extremely fun and educational experience. Living with interesting people around the country, and spending 6 years writing a 500-page book has improved my screenwriting ability so much. So I feel like it was all good growth for becoming a better filmmaker.
 
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