From David Lynch to Jim Jarmusch: the five best student films ever made
There are certain filmmakers who have jumped straight into the directorial deep end without any formal training or education, and others have studied the medium extensively. Both approaches to filmmaking can work – after all, when cinema was in its infancy, directors basically had to invent the medium themselves.
Take someone like Agnes Varda, for example, who is widely considered one of the most important filmmakers of all time. She barely knew anything about cinema before she made her first film, La Pointe Courte, using her background as a photographer as a guide instead. Clearly, you don’t need to study cinema to make good movies – if you’ve got an innovative, creative mind and dedication to the cause, you’re halfway there.
However, many celebrated directors have studied the medium before making their own movies, learning vital skills. By becoming aware of the rules of filmmaking, you know exactly how to break them. Boundary-pushing film students such as David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch absorbed everything they needed to know about cinema before bending the rulebook, leading them to become highly acclaimed directors known for challenging conventions.
From Lynch’s early experimentations with the surreal to Lynne Ramsay’s poignant snapshots of life-altering moments, here are five of the best student films made by successful directors.
The five best student films:
5. Small Deaths (Lynne Ramsay, 1996)
Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay has made some incredible gritty dramas such as Ratcatcher and Morvern Callar, as well as transitioning to a larger audience with the popular thriller We Need To Talk About Kevin. Yet, before she was one of the most important Scottish filmmakers of our time, she was just a film student at The National Film and Television School.
Her graduation film, Small Deaths, was the first indication of her talent. The 11-minute film follows a girl through three pivotal moments in her life, starting when she’s a child, witnessing an interaction between her parents. When she’s a teenager, we see her discover a grisly scene involving a cow, and then, as a young adult, in a dilapidated block of flats, she’s subjected to a cruel joke. It’s a simple concept, yet Ramsay really allows us to connect with our protagonist, using subtle camera movements and close-ups to show these moments’ lasting effects.
4. The Alphabet (David Lynch, 1968)
David Lynch is known for his surreal and often confusing works of cinema, from the body horror Eraserhead to the stylish mystery Mulholland Drive. His perplexing work has garnered him a cult fanbase, leading to a collection of his early short films to be released on DVD, showing his first attempts at honing his distinctive style. Out of all of these, The Alphabet, made when he was a student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, is one of his most captivating works.
In this film, the alphabet is chanted by a woman with a white-painted face, with quick cuts between each letter showing her in different positions. Animated elements are incorporated into the narrative, and the sound design is bizarre, too. Quite simply, it’s really creepy.
3. Permanent Vacation (Jim Jarmusch, 1980)
Known for making films like Mystery Train, Dead Man and Only Lovers Left Alive, Jim Jarmusch has been a huge champion of indie cinema since the beginning of his career. He began studying filmmaking at New York University’s School of the Arts after spending some time in Paris and discovering a range of foreign and avant-garde films that he became obsessed with.
His graduation film, Permanent Vacation, was released in 1980. It follows Chris Parker’s character as he walks around Jarmusch’s beloved stomping ground, New York, encountering a range of interesting people and considering what it means to be alive.
2. The Steamroller and the Violin (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1961)
Sometimes, it’s hard to imagine what film school would’ve been like in the 1950s – before some of the most important cinematic movements and movies had happened. Andrei Tarkovsky, who went on to make classics such as Solaris, Stalker and Mirror, studied filmmaking at the State Institute of Cinematography in Russia. While he was there, he made several films, with The Steamroller and the Violin arguably being his best.
It served as his graduation film and followed an unlikely pairing – a young violinist and a steamroller operator. The movie was well-received, even winning Tarkovsky a prize at the New York Student Film Festival. A year later, he went on to make his impressive first feature, Ivan’s Childhood.
1. What’s A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This? (Martin Scorsese, 1963)
When Martin Scorsese entered film school, ditching initial plans to become a priest, he made a series of short films that have been long admired by other burgeoning directors. At the Tisch School of the Arts, he made several works of cinema, but What’s A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This? shows Scorsese at his most creative.
The film features both live-action and animation, with Scorsese experimenting with many techniques to make the movie formally interesting. Scorsese also met Thelma Schoonmaker during post-production, who helped him cut the negative. They subsequently started a creative partnership, and Schoomaker has edited most of his films ever since – even winning three Oscars.