The SunDeis film festival played host Saturday evening to a panel of five notable alumni: Sam Weisman '73, best known for directing George of the Jungle and episodes of Family Ties; Tom Phillips '74, a composer for many PBS programs; Ellen Friedland '80 and Pearl Gluck '93, who have written and produced numerous documentaries; and Labid Aziz '99, who has produced and directed several films and music videos. Speaking for an hour and a half in the Shapiro Campus Center atrium, they patiently answered questions from the audience about the strange world of show business, and even debated a few issues of their own.One of the most passionately-explored subjects was the conflict between personal politics and work. In the film business, professionals constantly decide whether to violate their own beliefs in the interest of a project (or money, which might then be used to finance a better production).

"You learn something," Phillips said, favoring a practical outlook. "You treat them like a professional, put your politics aside, hope for the best and move on."

Others felt that a composer could afford to be more subjective than a director or producer. Friedland stressed the importance of placing limits on assignments.

The alumni also gave advice on getting one's foot in the door as a beginner. For securing acting roles, one thing was definite: Do whatever the director wants.

"I try to give an actor a chance to prove what he can do," Aziz insisted congenially. "I let them ask questions."

Weisman, who had stated earlier that "the worst thing to say in art is 'I don't know what I'm going to do,''' disagreed.

"Never ask questions," he said. "Just go in and do it."

The pointers given to aspiring producers and directors were more consistent.

"One thing you learn is that everybody in the country didn't go to Brandeis," Weisman quipped. "You make a movie, who's going to see it? And how are they going to get to see it?"

Gluck was insistent on the importance of the latter point: "Great, you've got a distributor... but how many marketing dollars are being put behind it?"

In the end, however, success seemed to rely on the individual's nature. To Aziz, "passion, self-motivation and a positive attitude" are the three best qualities a filmmaker can possess: "If you have it, you have it. If you don't, you don't."

Friedland added that in a business where a lot of people have different skills, you have to be sure of what yours are, and be ready to put them to use.

Overall, the outlook was optimistic.

"Nothing's a total failure-think about your lowest moment and what you can learn from it," Gluck said. "You've got to make every moment work for you.