I received a comment on the blog today from a gentleman by the name of Garrett. Garrett is wondering where he should go for film school. I figured I would post my answer to Garrett on the blog for the benefit of everyone else reading. Hopefully this gives some insight for others.
Hey Garrett,
The type of program you should do really depends on what your goals are. Different programs have different advantages/disadvantages.
If you go to a shorter program like NYFA of LAFS you will be finished in a year and you can get out there and start working or putting together your own projects right away. You can (hopefully) start making money sooner, and you don’t have to spend money on tuition/expenses over the course of a full degree program. These types of programs will get you the technical skills and practical experience so you know how to use the different equipment, but they are pretty light on the theoretical stuff.
If you go to an actual college or university to do a film degree you will have to wait a while before you finish, and it will be a while before you start actually using any equipment. They will give you a much more intensive theoretical background on film theory, story structure, literature etc. An advantage here is that there are lots of alumni connections available compared to shorter more technically oriented programs. Costs are a major concern with this type of program, and the duration will keep you out of the workforce for quite some time.
You need to be clear with yourself what you want to achieve in film, and whether this is really something you want to do because unless it’s something you are really passionate about, there are other professions with more security, better pay, and a lot less stress. If you’re in it for the money, quite frankly you have a better chance of becoming rich studying business and entrepreneurship. If you’re not deterred by the ridiculously rigorous work you will inevitably have to do for little to no money at times, then you’ll want to look at these places as options (I have listed just a few, there are of course many many more):
Shorter, more technical schools:
-NYFA (New York Film Academy)
-LAFS (Los Angeles Film School)Longer, degree programs:
-NYU
-Columbia
-USC
-UCLA
-UofT (Texas)
-FSU (Florida State University)Another option of course is to just teach yourself by doing it, pick up Robert Rodriguez’s book “Rebel Without a Crew” for inspiration.
There is no easy answer to this unfortunately. This business more than almost any other actually, is about grinding it out if you want to be a success. If you are willing to stick it out longer than the other guy, and continually improve yourself, you have a good shot.
All the best,
Emmet Gibney
FilmSchoolStudent.com
Great post Emmet! Which film school you go to is probably when of the most important decisions you will ever make as a filmmaker. It’s really not about the actual degree – its about learning real world skills that can be applied on set so when you walk onto your first job you know exactly what to do. Plus, who you meet while at school is essential because what you know is as important as you know in the motion picture industry. Check out our blog – we post news and information every day. Keep up the great work!
Left by Film School Student on February 20th, 2009
Great insight.
Left by Jeremiah Daws on February 23rd, 2009
Thanks Jer : )
Left by Emmet Gibney on February 23rd, 2009
Good inputs..practical and viable!
Left by Digital Film School on February 27th, 2009
I think the most important thing, wherever you go, is that you will get out with as much as you put in. Don’t forget that.
Left by Max Marois on April 17th, 2009
Another major advantage to the prestigious established film schools is the quality of contacts. I went to NYU in the early 90’s and while half of the people there were fairly confused and hadn’t quite found their passion, the other half were very talented and a small handful of my classmates are now doing A-List projects we’ve all heard of.
The other big plus is that the name schools matter to some people, and MIGHT open a few doors. Sometimes. Although in my personal view, film school reputations are over rated. What matters to me (and the audience) is how good the film is.
Another film school model is on-line mentorship like my program at aBetterFilm.com. It’s sort of a hybrid between doing it yourself, personal consultation, and film school. And as we move forward there will be more and more new models to choose from which will be awesome for future generations.
Left by Brooks Elms on April 18th, 2009
Emmet that was some really useful info,thanks so much for deciding to share this with everyone.I was glad to see that NYU and FSU were on the long term school list,those are my first two options.
I never really knew much about the shorter program,but that’s not really for me.I need the knowledge behind it all,I’m really lacking that.
I just know I want to become a film director,and I’m doing my best to learn all aspects of film.
Thanks again for sharing,I’m so glad I discovered this site.
Left by Amanda N. on July 24th, 2009
Hey !
That seems like great advice that you gave that guy so maybe you can give this one a wack. I’m a high school senior and Ive fairly recently (in tha past couple of months) decided on film school . It wasn’t as spontaneous as it sounds, I love film and movies and I’ve been dabbling in entertainment my whole life. My kind of ordeal is the exact opposite of Garrett, I want to go to school to pretty much learn the theory, history, take the crit class, that is what i’m predominantly interested in. I don’t want to say I dont have any, but I don’t have a lot of attraction to learning the technical aspect of it, just more-so the art form , I guess? Thus, my confusion. I only bring it up b/c I’ve started to applying to all the big name schools and realized I haven’t made a film a day in my life, but I can ramble off directors,studios, random movie lines for days.
Please some insight if you have any clue about what I am talking about.
Thanks
Left by Tenijah on November 16th, 2009
You might try one of those well respected workshops before you shell out all that money for film school.
Left by Filmmaking Stuff on January 26th, 2010
We’ve found that no matter how much you try to avoid it, the world takes you more seriously if you have some sort of credible training under your belt. It’s always a positive thing to learn “what everyone else is doing” in order to make your own judgments about what you want to do for yourself.
And if you sign up for film school, our site is a great resource for student filmmakers. It allows you to find the type of people who you’ll need to collaborate with, and makes it a lot easier to organize projects, and roles, etc. It’s at filmschooldatabase.com – but that’s of course for film students only at the moment.
We wish any film students who read this the best of luck in whatever decision is made!
-The Film School Database Team
Left by Film School Database on February 16th, 2010