“That’s my alma mater!” director Jack Begert yelled on the Sundance Film Festival’s red carpet premiere of his debut feature, “Little Death.”
The USC School of Cinematic Arts alum, who graduated in 2014, has made quite a name for himself in the music world, directing music videos for Olivia Rodrigo, Kendrick Lamar, SZA and Doja Cat. But his inventive, provocative feature film could not have happened without Leonard Maltin’s Theatrical Film Symposium class.
Begert, who directed and co-wrote the film “Little Death” with Dani Goffstein (’15), lit up when he spoke about USC. They made the film with fellow School of Cinematic Arts alumni Tyler Sobel-Mason (’15), Noor Alfallah (’16) and Sam Canter (’14), with Sobel-Mason serving as the executive producer and Alfallah and Canter as producers.
Once the friendship among these Trojans started, their professional collaboration also blossomed.
“I saw all these boys in the class and they would all get good grades…and I’m like, ‘How do these boys get good grades, but they’re always joking around and not taking it serious?”’ Alfallah said of Maltin’s class, which she took with her sister. “I told my sister, ‘Talk to that boy,’ and it was Jack. We became really good friends, all of us.”
Alfallah said the “boys” then created Psycho Films, a production company headed by Begert and Canter. Then the group created a short film called “La Petite Mort” on a $40,000 budget that was the basis for their feature.
Once Begert’s star began to rise with the success of his music videos, he was signed by United Talent Agency, opening the doors to get the project off the ground. From there, Darren Aronofsky signed onto the project as a producer under his company Protozoa Pictures, and they got to work.
“We had a lot riding on this,” Alfallah said. “We had to shoot it in 20 days. We were trying to scrap together on a small budget. But we did it, and we’re excited.”
Begert and Alfallah both said their time at USC prepared them well for the obstacles they tackled while making the film, and agreed that the Trojan network was what they valued most as alumni.
“The main thing that I got out of being at USC was I met so many talented people,” Begert said. “I think that’s the promise of that program: that it attracts a lot of people that are super passionate and hardworking and have all types of different disparate and diverse talent.”
Even those involved in the project who didn’t attend USC recognized the program’s prestige.
“I love USC, I think there’s a lot of talent,” said producer Andy Cohen, who did not attend USC, but who rattled off the list of alumni involved in the project. “You created a class of geniuses. Whatever the prescription is in that school, keep doing it.”
Begert and Alfallah were also both eager to offer advice to current USC film students. For the director and producer, it all comes down to making connections with fellow students, just as they did about ten years ago.
“Really enjoy class,” Alfallah said. “Don’t rush out. Don’t be the one that signs in just to get the attendance. Really pay attention and make friends with the people in your class. Without my friends in school, I don’t think I’d be here today. Really try to value your friendships and keep your word.”
Begert echoed a similar sentiment, eager to emphasize the collaborative nature of filmmaking.
“Whatever it is you’re drawn to, just try to complement yourself with other people who are more talented than you in those other ways,” he said. “I feel like that’s the cheat code.”
The “Little Death” team were just some of the over 50 alumni whose work was selected to be a part of the Sundance Film Festival, which kicked off on Jan. 18 and concludes on Sunday.