I have been watching short films for a very long time (for several years). I have produced one of my own, although it was quite low budget and filmed on a camcorder with amateur actors. I think this film, The Arsonist, shows why it pays to go to one of the big schools like USC or UCAL or AFI or that Florida school, because there is just so much more sophistication in their products. It pays to go but of course it costs to go, too. Well, didn't Spielberg go to Long Beach State? So it all comes down to the person directing the picture. The sets were great in this, the fire, the cafeteria, the office, the classrooms, I wish I had access to all of this. I think the one thing I took away from this film was the fire, how much of an affect you can do with minimal set design. There was just this furniture on fire and the woman in front of it, but it was so stunning in the film because you had been hearing about it from the woman all through the movie. One final comment: I didn't think the line from George Washington was relevant. Great fun, though!