Yaania Bell

We asked our scholars for updates on their educational careers and we’re so thrilled to hear about their amazing accomplishments. We see the impact their voices, talents and commitments are having on the community and this is our opportunity to share their updates with our partners and future candidates.

Television and film Student at New York University Tisch School of the Arts

“My favorite class was certainly Storytelling Strategies, simply because it gave me the opportunity to watch and analyze films and scripts; plus the professor was just as passionate about talking about film as I was and was really refreshing to engage with.”

Hope everyone and their families are healthy and safe during these lamentable times. Personally, this year has been very trying for myself and my family. We lost my grandmother in early November, a devastating loss to my mother and I. This of course was during my first semester at NYU Tisch, where I am a film and television major. Fortunately, all five of my professors were fairly understanding and supported me during that time, resulting in me ending the semester quite successfully. It was hard but rewarding and truly informative. By that I mean, I really feel like I learned a lot, a feeling I’m no stranger to given my privileged educational background; but what made this semester and its scholarly spoils so much more gratifying was the fact that it was in the field I’ve loved and been compelled by for years: film. 

I took five courses this semester, four of which were requisites, and the fifth, my ‘Gen-ed” or general education course, which I got to choose. The four courses required for my major were Writing the Essay, a sort of analytical English course,  Sound and Image, a class on sound in media, Performance Strategies, a directing class, and Storytelling Strategies, a Screenwriting class. For my gen ed, I chose Topics in Classic: Persuasion, a course studying the history and relevance of rhetorical practices. My favorite class was certainly Storytelling Strategies, simply because it gave me the opportunity to watch and analyze films and scripts; plus the professor was just as passionate about talking about film as I was and was really refreshing to engage with. However, I enjoyed my other classes immensely as well. 

In writing the essay, I learned the importance of telling a cohesive and compelling story, and how you can break the traditional structure of essay writing in order to represent your topic more appropriately. In performance strategies, I learned how to truly direct, meaning how to collaborate with actors and really evoke a noteworthy performance. This was another class were I really appreciated the materials we had to watch and read. Whether it was learning terminology or techniques, I left that class wanting to direct, now knowing more of what that position entails. My gen-ed was probably my hardest class, yet the most relevant given the times were are presently in. We discussed debate and politics from Greek antiquity to modern politicians, learning what makes an argument persuasive and more importantly, the ethics behind rhetorical practices. Again, the work was hard, especially given the remote nature of these classes, but it was beyond enriching for me as a young filmmaker. 

After the semester had ended, I was really looking forward to return to my personal projects, specifically the poetic documentary I started shooting last summer which explores femininity in young black women. I had successfully interviewed all of my subjects and am now going over my footage, beginning the processing of structuring the first draft of the piece.  During the semester, I also had the pleasure of being asked to contribute to Lincoln Center Theater's PIPELINE web project, answering some questions about my creative work and activism. This provided my documentary with its first public platform which was very exciting. Overall this semester has taught me a lot, reinforcing my adaptive traits and reminding me of my present purpose. With all that is going on in the world today, political art that educates and elevates marginalized voices is imperative; which is why I feel so blessed to be honing my craft in film school in order to make such contributions. Once more, hope you as well as your loved ones are well and safe.