Student Snapshot – Max Losson
Max Losson
BFA Class of 2025
Introduce yourself briefly and tell me a little bit about your background. Are you an MFA or BFA?
Hi! My name’s Max Losson and I’m a BFA student and rising senior here at FSUFILM. I’m from Lakeland, Florida, and grew up traveling, skating, and wakeboarding across the American southeast.
Who is your favorite Filmmaker and What is your favorite movie?
My favorite filmmaker right now is Todd Haynes, who I think makes the kind of art that sucks you in and leaves your soul completely dry by the end of it. My favorite movie changes with the month but I just saw the remaster of Scorsese’s After Hours in theaters and have fallen in love with that one.
What are you currently working on?
Right now, I’m developing five thesis films as a producer and cinematographer. I’m primarily serving as a cinematographer this semester, working with directors to hone the overall visual design for their thesis films and discuss how to use visual, cinematic language to tell their story best. But I’m also a producer, helping some through the creative (and logistical) development of their stories, which is my passion.
What does your typical day look like?
Wake up, get ready, eat a quick breakfast, and head to the film school. Once there, I’m usually in meetings all morning long, talking stories or logistics. I might have a class on lighting or a scene workshop to get through in the afternoon. After that, I’ll head home, eat dinner, and watch a movie or relax with friends. Rinse and repeat times infinity!
What has been the best part of film school so far?
The best part of school has been discovering more about myself and my taste. Coming into the program, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or how I wanted to do it. Four years later, I feel like I have an actual plan, and, more importantly, have improved my appetite for cinema and appreciate the form considerably more than I did upon entry. I have confidence in myself that FSUFILM is solely responsible for.
Which faculty member has made the greatest impression on you and how?
This is a tough question because of how many meaningful connections with faculty members I’ve had over the years. There’s a huge list (Mark Vargo, Valerie Scoon, Greg Marcks, it goes on). But, if I had to pick one, I’d have to go with Keith Slade. Keith has taught me more about the technical aspects of filmmaking than anyone else on the planet Earth, but more importantly than that, he is a great person and has taught us to be caring and kind individuals while working, which is so, so important. I’ll always remember running around with him during our F2’s and learning what it meant to be a real gaffer – that is a film school memory I will always cherish!
What do you think someone applying to the program should know about the FSU Film School?
It’s all film, all the time. If this is what you HAVE to do, not just what you WANT to do, then this is the place for you. You’ll work harder than you ever have in your life but it’ll all be worth it. Be prepared for long days and longer nights with the best people on the planet. They’re what make it all worth it!
Favorite Film School Moment?
There are lots of cool ones that I remember, but I think that my favorite would have to be when me and two of my classmates (and some of my best friends), Lauren Mulè and Ethan Elkins, went to Margaritaville 3 nights in a row while making my documentary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We had the restaurant’s playlist memorized and the waitress knew us after we’d been there so much. The restaurant has a photographer who takes a photo of you and prints it out, and I still have the photo of us, looking exhausted but excited, on my fridge. It was the perfect way to end a long day of work and that trip in general was genuinely one of my favorite life experiences ever. Being able to travel and make movies with my friends combined two of my favorite things and was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It’s late, you’re at the Film School working on something you need to finish before tomorrow: where are you and who are you with?
I’m in a small, windowless room on the first floor that has a huge Billy Elliot poster, which is my workroom of choice. I’m with a friend, either Terese Corbin or Caleb Cook, and if it’s late, we are definitely losing our minds and cracking jokes. The work will get done… Eventually!