Film Podcast

To Be Scene & Heard

AHS alumni begins film career

By Makani Reith Fifita

Greg Kleinschmidt is an AHS Alumni who took Studio Arroyo, an academy that used to reside at AHS. After graduating class of ‘06, Kleinschmidt took a few classes at Chabot College and a few more classes on film. Kleinschmidt soon moved to Pasadena, California where he runs a podcast titled Scene and Heard and is working on writing and directing a few projects on the side while in sunny southern California.

“Well I thought about starting a YouTube channel for a while where I talk about movies or something. It’s always been a big part of my life. I always dabbled in film criticism and film journalism, so that stuff was always interesting to me.” Kleinschmidt said. “My co-host for the podcast, Jackie, we had both worked at the same production company and it was good catching up with her when she left to work on other things. And she had the idea of doing a podcast about the sight and sound list and it looked like no one had done it before at the time. There was already a podcast about the AFI List and a whole plethora of podcasts that are related to film production and theory. So she brought the idea to me.” Kleinschmidt said.

“Oh a podcast doesn’t exist about Sight and Sound, this sounds like something you might be interested in doing.” said Kleinschmidt’s cohost. And so we started the podcast together.” Kleinschmdit said.

Studio Arroyo was an academy at AHS around the early nineties to the early two thousands. But now the academy has now changed to Bay Area Digital Arts (BADA) and now it resides at San Lorenzo High School. One of Guarino’s students is Greg Kleinschmidt.

Over time people can have interests that they would wanna pursue. But since finding an interest at a young age can be the clear understanding on how you would wanna further develop that skill over time into a career.

“I knew ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to be involved and make movies, and I always had it on track since then. My time at Arroyo was really formative because I had teachers like Mrs. Lindsay, Mr. Guarino, and Mr. Andersen because back then that’s where I met all of my good friends through it and it was a big feeling.” Kleinschmidt said.

“Especially with Mr. Guarino because I would stay after school so many times and talk with him about movies, he is always supportive and encouraging. So a lot of that stuff was big and very formative for me. “ Kleinschmidt said.

Growing up all over the country there are multiple different styles and cultures and how they can approach it. Reflecting on what can influence you from what’s different between where you reside to future or pass residences

“It was great, I loved my years in the Bay Area, and I look back on it very fondly. You know growing up just outside of the east bay, outside of Oakland and San Francisco and stuff. It was really helpful to be surrounded by so much diversity and also I miss the Bay Area for the weather honestly, it was perfect and out here in Los Angeles it’s known to get hot. But yeah I love the Bay Area for the weather and mostly diversity there.” Kleinschmidt said.

“I actually grew up in New York City. Where there is a lot more arts and culture. And I didn’t really get to experience that though until I was college age. And It was very nice, you know being a film major and being able to go to a lot of movie theaters and watching a lot of old movies and foriegn movies because this was before streaming and this was before videos and DVDs and VHS tapes, this was really before video tapes. So you really needed these theaters and when I moved to the Bay Area, it was a little disappointing. When I moved in the early 80’s out here, there wasn’t really a number or variety of movie theaters as there was in New York.” Gaurino said

The film and video industry is very competitive and time testing due to where to work and how to find a style that’ll please an audience. It can also be competitive for jobs as well because to find a position you like or want to do, it’ll be hard to get.

“It’s a slow process, it’s an industry known for running on nepotism and it’s an industry of who you know. So they don’t really care where you went to school or what you have degrees in. It’s really about, at the end of the day if you know someone. So after moving to Los Angeles and just trying to make connections and trying to meet as many people as I could, and you know it started with taking very low jobs on film sets and stuff like that, gradually working my way up. But it’s been a slow process, but I feel like I’m finally at the point where I know people and I have enough connections where it’s easier.” Kleinschmidt said.

“Oh it’s a difficult industry to break into because you have to take a lot of low paying jobs and they’re usually contracted. I did an internship at KTVU and that would have required many years of low paying work before you could get into the union. There were a few union positions. But if you really want to break into the film and video industry your best bet is to go to Hollywood, Los Angeles because there are so many jobs out there.” Guarino said.

As seen Kleinschmidt had interest in film for a long time. Guarino who teaches Film Composition and AP English Language was the program manager for Studio Arroyo. It’s always good to express yourself through any art form.

“Absolutely. I think that the arts are important. I think art is important and when I was in high school, not only I was doing Studio Arroyo stuff but I was also doing three different bands with Miyata, so I was doing jazz band, concert band, and marching band. And I feel like being surrounded by so much creativity in high school was a huge plus and yeah the arts are super important and I think it’s important for kids especially during their formative years to have access to the arts and have that encouragement from their parents and teachers. And I really do cherish the resources we were given at Studio Arroyo at that time just because I feel that it was really formative for me, and I think it’s really important.” Kleinschmidt said.

Kleinschmidt’s overall words on pursuing the field, passion, or career that you want to do in life whether it’s style of work. As if you got the support of people around you and having the idea in mind with the resources around you, it’s a way to do it further.

“I would encourage anybody who does have artistic inclinations, whether it was film or music, photography, writing or painting or whatever it is to just do it and put some time in and make the time for it. And I get that everybody’s not creative or has a burning passion to be creative, but it’s just important to express yourself and that you have those resources available and you can make anything happen, if you want it badly enough.” Kleinschmidt said.

Photo Illustration by Makani R ei th F i f t a