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“Operation Varsity Blue” Documentary Offers Hints for People

to Reflect Upon the 2019 College Admission Scandal

Yijian Jin | May 30, 2022

Matthew Modine as Rick Singer in 'Operation Varsity Blues' Picture from Netflix

College admission may be a troublesome process for most high school students. However, what

if students may have an alternate path that bypasses all the difficulties such as getting a high

score on all standard tests, ortests or having a diverse portfolio of academic and extracurricular

awards, so that they only have to enjoy the leisure before college.? Directed by Chris Smith, the

documentary “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admission Scandal” reproduced the famous
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college admission fraud which that happened in 2019. With the utilization of filming techniques,

a structured storyline, and the accompanying music effects, Chris Smith was able to reenact the

story of a mastermind behind this scam which who sneaks the rich kids into the top colleges of

the US; not only did this filmit reproduces this the scam from its root to the end, but also it

unveils a rotten system behind the entire college system in the US nowadays. Overall, I believe

this film is very well plotted, and it is trustworthy anatomy of that scamthe whole story. This

film is highly recommended for the ones who heard about the 2019 college admissions scandal

but don’t know much about it, and also it is foras well as students and their parents who are

preparing for college admissions.

The name of this film, “Operation Varsity Blues”, is the actual operation code of the operation

which investigated the entire network behind the admission scheme. By the end of the

investigation, mMore than thirty parents of college applicants got accused of paying Rick Singer

more than millions of dollars just to get their kids into top colleges in an assured manner. Rick

Singer, who is the mastermind behind this scam, used part of that money to bribe college

officials and make modifications to students’the standard test scores in a filthy way. Singer

started this “business” back in 2011, and most families know him as a private college admission

counselor who is able to guides their kids to prepare for college applications. Normally, when

college applicants apply for college, they have to send their applications through the application

portal, where they will pack up their test scores, admission essays, and academic or

extracurricular awards, to the admission office of each school, and the admission office will

examine the potential applicants on whether their ability matches the requirements of the college.

Also, some rich families may donate millions of dollars or an entire building to the top
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universities such as Harvard or Princeton Stanford for a better chance of getting into that college.

However, in almost 8 years, Singerhe unethically sends kids to top US universities in a way

which he calls the “side-door”, which is much cheaper and more effective than directly donating

to colleges. The “side-door” that Singer uses takes the advantages of the flaw inside the

admission process. Apart from changing the student’s transcript and SAT/ACT scores, Singer

transforms the applicant into an athlete in niche sports like sailboat and water polo using fake

documents and photoshops, and he bribe college sport coaches so that the student will have an

assured spot in that college; furthermore, Singer alters the applicant’s ethnicity to a minority race

so that the applicant will have a better chance of getting admitted.

The montage effect has been frequently used in the film. Montage, meaning “editing” or

“assembly” in French, is an editing technique that combines a series of separate video footage to

create a continuous sequence of storytelling. The use of montage is effective in quickly

developing characters through the manipulation of time and space by inserting multiple narrating

perspectives on one object. For example, the director can shape a character through objective

voiceover, third person narration, and the subjective expression of a person’s thoughts. At the

beginning of the film “Operation Varsity Blues: College Admission Scandal”, a series of video

footage was presented showing college applicants’ reactions toward their received admission

decision. Suddenly, the scenes shift to news clips reporting this scam, and the news reporters in

the clips are giving important details such as repeatedly say out the name “Rick Singer” and the

code name “Operation Varsity Blues”, and as well as also giving multiple descriptions of the

federal investigation on this scam as well as its influence on public reaction. Even though the

combined footage doesn’t last two minutes, such a series of video clips is able to provide the
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audience with a general idea of what exactly happens in these events through multiple

perspectives.

The montage effect is also used in developing characters in this film. Rick Singer, the main

character throughout this entire film, has an elusive personality. Also, instead of directly

presenting Singer’s character by himself like depicting his inner heart or direct voiceover,

Singer’s personality is illustrated in other’s words because Singer’s character and personality

may be different in different people’s minds. A big part of this film is driven by Singer’s

conversation with his clients on the phone, and those conversations are the primary force that is

driving the plot. The audiences can know how Singer’s side-door practice evolves over time.

Through multiple conversations with those parents, those parents reveal a sense of trust in Rick

Singer’s ability in what he does rather than humanize Singer. In addition, interspersing between

the progress of the film, there are multiple interviews with people who have some connections

with the events. Through part of those interviews, Singer’s character is gradually beenhas

gradually been built up from different perspectives. For example, in one of the interviews with

one of Rick Singer’shis friends who he used to date with from a dating app, she says “I really

don’t know what made him happy or what his desires really were…It’s almost like a rat on a

wheel, trying to get to a means to an end, and there was really no end in sight.” Just like this,

even at the end of the film, there’s still no proper explanation of Singer’s personality and the

motivation behind his doingaction, but rather there are multiple narrations from other people

depicting Singer. Such effects give the audience a sense of mystery, and it left the audience with

more speculation about Singer as a person. Ironically, Rick Singer is still technically a free
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person and waiting for a court sentence, as compared to one of the last scenes where all the rich

parents walk out of the court followed by the details of their verdicts.

The incorporation of music brings the viewing experience to an even higher level, as well

asaccompanying with the overall color tone of the film. The background music is settled in a

tense tune, which is effective in bringing the audience into the plot more immersivelyimmersive.

One scene in the film that left me with a deep impression is In one scene where Rick Singer is

talking to one of his clients on the phone regarding about how he is going to “cheat” on the ACT

exam, the music tone is similar to the pattern rhythm of heartbeats when people are nervous

about doing something. Combining the cold colors of the scene, the music, and the color is able

to immerse the audience just like they are actually doing such things, bringing the audience a

sense of nervousness. Furthermore, connecting with the plot and the character of Rick Singer, the

rhythmic music and cold color set off the anxiety feeling of the audience with the progress of the

plot, as well as the mysterious and elusive intention of Rick Singer.

Last but not least, even though the documentary itself is documenting a scam as we saw, the

most interesting aspect of the film is that it is able toto implicitly indirectly reflect the reality of

how higher education nowadays became a commodity, rather than simply knowledge. At this

point, the film is bringing itself to a whole new level and depth. There are scenes video footages

in the film where that other college applicants are complaining about how wealth is able to play a

role in the admission process alter the results, and some experts areis explaining the reality of the

ranking system in higher education such as USNews. Those scenes serve as the implicit message

from the film, and that message unveils how “prestige” contributes to the fact that wealthy
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families are voluntarily paying millions to colleges to keep the endowment high, and ironically,

the film exposes that “top universities” actually want that to happen. If famous people and

wealthy families are voluntarily paying Rick Singer for his scam and potentially facing criminal

charges, then such action is worthy, right? The film ends with an open question for the audience

to reflect upon this phenomenon, and everyone may have an explanation for themselves.

In summary, I believe “Operation Varsity Blues: College Admission Scandal” is a very well

presentedwell-presented documentary. The use of the montage technique effectively constructs

the plot in an effective and efficient manner, and it is working well in developing characters such

as Rick Singer. The music and color tone isare fantastic as they are able to levitate the viewing

experience of the audience, which immerse the audience into the film. From my point of view,

this film is highly recommended for college applicants who are preparing or will be preparing for

college applications, their parents, and those who wish to know more about the 2019 college

admission scam.

Score of Recommendation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐