DM: Well, we have a VES department, and if you want to learn film, you have to take a VES class, which you won't get into. Unless you're a VES concentrator. Or you beg. Or they like your looks...whatever they're judging on these days. My friend just applied for a class and submitted a video tape of some previous work, which should help, and didn't get in. So he went to the professor and said "So, how'd you like my video tape?" And the professor "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't get a chance to watch it." But isn't that part of the process, trying to find talent?

JG: Unfortunetly, the big thing about the VES department -I'm a film concentrator-is that it's one of the few honors concentrations at Harvard. And because they call themselves that they have the ability to only have a small number of faculty, really devote classes to a small number of students and be very specific in their training. And unfortunetly, Harvard does not supply the rest of the community with a significant outlet. That's the problem. It' s not necessarily the VES department not taking students outside their concentration-they would if they could.

DM: We have the HRTV, which people go, Oh, HRTV, which provides professional quality digital cameras and sound equipment, steady-cam juniors, professional editing equipment, everything you want to go out and do it, and no one does it. Maybe it's HRTV's fault, but the point is that kids aren't going out and using it.

JA: Well, also, if I were to go pick up something from the HRTV to use it, I wouldn't know how to use it except to press play or record. You need the kind of training you can get over in VES. I think the biggest problem is that there's a huge demand for these courses and Harvard doesn't give you enough funding. If there was enough funding, you could have enough professors to teach enough courses. Introductory film should be just like Introductory English, where as many people as want to can take it.

DM: Music is the same way. You have this electronic music studio, which only ten people each year can use. There are all these resources, but they are all so limited.

SH: Like Jim was saying, people could benefit from more theater training. There are what, four or five acting classes? Which have 20 people in them each, and everyone has applied for them. It's difficult.

DM: But the thing that always gets me about VES is that not only do they refuse to provide equipment for people, but-

SH: That they're not providing it snottily?