AUGUST
99
FROM BAINBRIDGE TO FSU TO HOLLYWOOD, CANNES
By Katrina Miles
Staff writer, Florida State Times
Thomas Wade Jackson, 32, has always
dreamed of making movies.
"But I wanted to make movies about where I grew up and the
people I grew up with," he said.
It was a dream that tormented the Bainbridge, Ga., native for
almost two years before he was finally admitted to the Florida
State film school.
And it paid off. He is the first FSU student to win a Student
Academy Award.
His three-minute film - "Slow Dancin' Down the Aisles of
the QuickCheck" - placed third in the national competition.
From Tampa to Turkey, Jackson's film has taken top prizes
at film festivals all over the world.
However long his dream was deferred - the years he struggled
to get admitted to the film school, completing the program once
he was admitted and making the short film that was to win so
many awards - he said it was well worth the time.
"I have a lot of life experience now and I'm able to identify
who I am," he said.
He talked about getting married and divorcing young, his many
jobs and life choices, and waiting so long to finally follow
his dream.
"And I guess I have something to write about now."
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JACKSON
Jackson has lived in Bainbridge most of his life, leaving
only to study at Florida State (bachelor's in creative writing
in 1993) and attend the film school (master's in fine arts, 1998).
"It's my hometown, and it's where I intend to stay and make
films if I can," he said of Bainbridge.
But he's in Tallahassee now, doing post-graduate work at FSU.
Bainbridge is a small town with a population of about 26,000.
The main industry is the textile factory.
A clock tower, which rises like the sun at dawn the closer
you get, is the main landmark in the center of town. "It
is just a small Southern town, and I was raised there,"
he said. "There are people interested in the arts there."
After completing his undergraduate studies, Jackson immediately
applied to Florida State's film school - and was denied.
So it was back to Bainbridge. He drove into Tallahassee daily
to a job.
"The 45-minute commute allowed me plenty of time to think
about the movies or songs I wanted to write," he said.
"Sometime after I applied, I got a letter asking if I
would like to work on some thesis films, and I said, 'yes,' that
would be cool," he said.
Jackson took vacation leave from his job and began his career
in film, although he didn't think of his informal training that
way.
"As a volunteer I was able to work as still photographer,
boom operator, best boy - you name it, I did it," he said.
He applied to the school again and was rejected again.
"I was devastated," he said. "I didn't even get
an interview."
After doing his volunteer work, Jackson went back to his life
in Bainbridge.
And he began writing songs.
That summer he jammed when he could, and in the fall of that
year, when student thesis films began screening, he was invited.
"My heart was breaking," said Jackson. "Man, I
was aching - watching all these student films I had worked on
- and they were so good, and the students are great.
"And I really wanted to be at FSU. I kept saying to myself,
'man I really want to be here.' "
One day while he worked on another job - as a manager at a soap
factory - Jackson got a call from the film school.
"They said if I could be there for classes that Monday
morning, I was in."
"For me, coming to the film school, quitting my job, leaving
my house - all these things - I was taking this gigantic leap
of faith," he said.
"But I decided long ago that I want to tell stories that
have a sense of place, I want them to be funny and I want to
fill a void where there are no Southern filmmakers."
Jackson was invited to the Cannes Film Festival in France as
part of the student showcase, a non-competitive event.
Furthermore, the Student Academy Award is the highest honor
bestowed upon a student film production.
In many ways, Jackson's life mirrors those of the characters
he creates for the big screen. They're ordinary people in an
extraordinary moment.
"One thing I can say about the FSU film school is when you come out, you know how to make a film," Jackson said.