It’s the awards season for students who reached the finish line of their courses or the school year, in particular for those who managed to graduate with honors.
Last week my nephew Angelo Deita graduated summa cum laude at The Los Angeles Film School where he completed a bachelor of science degree in film production. Angelo is the son of my sister Amelia and brother-in-law Stephen who are both Filipino-born Americans.
The occasion was relatively short and sweet, punctuated by delighted family members cheering for their kids once their names were called. The ceremony’s keynote speaker Phillip Bladh is an alumnus who won an Academy Award for Best Sound for his work on the movie “Sound of Metal,” which tells the gripping tale of a heavy metal drummer losing his hearing.
As if receiving the trophy wasn’t special enough for a dude who plays in a band and used to make recordings in his home closet, the Oscars on the day he won was unlike no other, held under new normal circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bladh’s speech, which he delivered in a kind of tone rock vocalist Eddie Vedder does when presenting a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer or joking about the black eye he suffered from an accidental Paul McCartney punch, must have resonated with the graduating students.
“I’m an Oscar winner and no one is more surprised than me. I will be for the rest of my life,” Bladh humbly said, informing film students that they should expect to spend 12 hours daily on a set.
He noted, “Hopefully you work on a movie that is part of who you are. A movie about a deaf drummer really spoke to me.”
The production sound engineer who also has a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) worked on a number of interesting films, including Charlie Says (2018), and The Invitation (2015).” In both movies, I have seen and I say the sound is a critical component in pushing the unsettling vibe that made such thrillers effective.
The Whittier, California native pointed out the importance of being there where the action is because of the break which he somehow promises will happen sooner or later. When Sound of Metal came he was fresh from working on a TV show that dealt with deafness.
He shared, “If you’re really trying to climb that ladder, don’t be afraid to read a script and say ‘Yes I want to be a part of this and I don’t care how much I get paid.’”
Located along the iconic Sunset Boulevard, The Los Angeles Film School is a haven where filmmakers’ dreams are cultivated. Its president Tammy Elliott was likewise expected to throw in inspiring thoughts and she did just that with warmth, having said, “The decisions you made on a day-to-day basis led you to come here.
So when you think about your next set of goals, personally and professionally, and in life itself, or when you hit that moment of doubt, please remember this day because you’ve already proven it. You’ve already done it. You have managed all those decisions and you’re going to be just fine.”
Promising Angelo intends to focus on his work as a storyboard artist. I saw his competent sample sketches before his graduation day and I wasn’t surprised he finished on top.
As for Bladh, it is my understanding that he can also provide the sound of other rock subgenres which may lead to another Oscar in the future.