Wow, thanks. This is some of the best feedback I've gotten in a while... and I'm excited to watch that film.
In response to your question on how many shots I take—only a few. Every time I take more than a few shots I find myself spending so much time trying to pick the "best one" (which just seems silly / time consuming). All of the images start out as sketches so when it's time to do the shoot I know exactly what I want and it only takes a minute to get it.
I know the schools I'm applying to are highly competitive, but if I'm going to pursue an MFA, those are the only schools I'm interested in. I know that absolute rejection is a high possibility but I'm willing to take that risk.
Thanks again for the feedback, I need to sit with it for a little while.