Most filmmakers spend their lives  dreaming about strolling down the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France.  Jeremy White (‘05) saw the flash of the papparazzi and met the stars at this prestigious event, all at the age of 22.

White earned this privilege when his short film, “Committed,” produced with co-director Austin Reynolds, was selected to be screened at the event.

Majoring in American history at Emory University in Georgia, White graduated in 2009 and was accepted to the University of California Los Angeles film school.  This wasn’t a random switch of interest—White majored in history specifically to get his start in filmmaking, saying that some of the best writing is inspired by historical events.

“A lot of top film schools don’t go after people who have taken a lot of film courses in undergraduate school,” White explained.  “Their philosophy is that ‘we can teach you how to make a film, we have the technology, but the creativity is yours.'”

White’s interest in film originated in high school, where he was the director of the senior video and a technical director and writer on Whitman Shorts.

“I was about 15 or 16 when I started just shooting random stuff, whatever I wanted, and making my own little shorts,” he said.  “I knew I wanted to get into film even before I graduated high school.”

White’s father, Steve, has watched his son develop ever since he was a freshman.

“It’s amazing to see how hard he works for what he wants to do,” he said.  “I’m really impressed with the amount of skill, talent and commitment it takes to complete a project like making a movie.”

The majority of the films White makes are dramas that incorporate comedic elements. Some of White’s ideas come from personal experiences, but most stem from observations he makes from day to day.

“I’ll just think of a theme and everything else will come to me,” he said.  “There’s something very liberating in just letting your mind wander.  I realized that the more I try to control what’s going on in my head, the worse the product.”

White also draws inspiration from other filmmakers, which he said is mostly unconscious.  When he shows his films to his friends, they point out the similarities of the way it’s filmed to other movies.

“I get filmmaker envy,” he said.  “At some point though, you have to shut that off and do your own thing, but that’s where everyone starts.”

While at both Emory and UCLA, White wrote and directed many different independent short films including “Committed”—a short film about a couple locked in a loveless marriage dealing with the burdens of remaining faithful.

The film was shot in one day and was submitted to the Campus Movie Fest at UCLA.

After winning Best Drama at two different levels in the Campus Movie Festival, it was selected for the International Grand Finale at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.  It received a nomination for best director, best movie and best drama, as well as winning best actor.  “Commited” was the one out of five films from the whole competition that then got selected for the Cannes film festival, one of the biggest festivals in the world.  It was screened as one of the top 16 movies of 20,000 films selected for the festival.

Despite all his achievements, White remains modest about his work.

“I’m at the bottom of the feeding pit right now,” he said.  “I’m still in film school and there’s a huge mountain to climb to really get where I want to be in the industry.”

But being in the filmmaking industry is not always as glamorous as it seems.  Though White is able to live in a city that centers around what he loves to do and even sees celebrities daily (Johnny Depp bought him a drink once), achieving his goals in the industry is challenging.

White keeps a positive attitude, though, explaining that he’d rather be shooting a film out in the desert, which he did for his most recent film “Left and Gone,” than working nine to five in an air conditioned office.  Film classes are long and students have limited free time outside of school, but building a career in the film business is worth the sacrifices, White said.

“It’s really hectic and we’re constantly pushing deadlines,” he said. “But how could you complain about making a movie?  It seems like the most glorified job in the world for me and there’s just no room for negativity.”

Though he’s already directing, White hopes to write a feature film to enter in festivals and competitions.  He said his goal is for the movie to be picked up by a major studio for theaters.

“You have to remember in this industry, most of where you see yourself is dreaming,” he said. “If you don’t set your goals high enough then you’re never going to reach high enough.”

White said his experiences at Whitman contributed to the success he has achieved thus far.

“If Dr. Goodwin hadn’t let us run around the halls of Whitman shooting scenes for Whitman Shorts and the senior video, there’s no way I could be where I am today,” he said.