Fiona Sheridan Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 (edited) Hey everyone! I am currently considering applying to a Film School. I really enjoy making my own short films and editing, but I am only an amateur. Is film school worth going to? I was wondering if anyone can tell me what made them choose to work in this industry, and what happens after you graduate film school? I spoke to several colleges and they could not give me a clear answer. Thank you for the help, Fiona :) Edited May 2, 2008 by Fiona Sheridan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 what made them choose to work in this industry, and what happens after you graduate film school? I wanted to be an oceanographer but I was hopeless in school, so I had to go into a profession that required little intelligence, skill, or training. Film was the obvious choice. As to your second question, well.....statistically speaking, five years after graduation 90% of film school graduates will not be working in the film industry, sorry. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Bill DiPietra Posted May 2, 2008 Premium Member Share Posted May 2, 2008 (edited) Hey everyone! I am currently considering applying to a Film School. I really enjoy making my own short films and editing, but I am only an amateur. Is film school worth going to? I was wondering if anyone can tell me what made them choose to work in this industry, and what happens after you graduate film school? I spoke to several colleges and they could not give me a clear answer. Thank you for the help, Fiona :) Hi, Fiona. I actually never went to film school per se. I went to Fordham University which had in its Media Studies program, a series of different film and video classes. I took everyone, but I truly enjoyed the theory classes as well (a background that is lacking in many filmmakers today.) I too wanted to work in the industry but I honestly couldn't deal with the egos and the entirely business-minded sense that it seemed to have even in the independent world. Yet, many people in this forum have made it work for them. I am now an Emergency Medical Technician working in New York City for my day job (which I love) and I make shorts on my own time. I have a small company set up and I am also pursuing my MA in media arts...so its worked out for me, but that is not the ideal situation for most aspiring filmmakers. In the end, you have to do what you feel is going to be best for you. A lot of people I know who have dealings with the industry shake their respective heads at the politics. But some still soldier on. I simply would not have the patience to put up with some ego-centric a$$hole...so it depends on your make-up, as well. Either way, Richard is very much correct in that even if you were to graduate into the film industry, you would most likely be a slave to a producer rather than be behind the camera creating something personal. Nowadays, it's something to think over carefully. Best of luck. Edited May 2, 2008 by Bill DiPietra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Dzyak Posted May 2, 2008 Share Posted May 2, 2008 Hey everyone! I am currently considering applying to a Film School. I really enjoy making my own short films and editing, but I am only an amateur. Is film school worth going to? I was wondering if anyone can tell me what made them choose to work in this industry, and what happens after you graduate film school? I spoke to several colleges and they could not give me a clear answer. Thank you for the help, Fiona :) If film school worth going to? It all depends on what you hope to learn by attending relative to what you wish to do with your life afterwards. Assuming from your post that you would like to either Direct or be an Editor, attending a filmschool is a good way to have access to projects (your own and by others) and access to equipment and other resources. That said, know that filmschool alone won't necessarily qualify you to actually do any of the jobs once you graduate. School is a good start, but you should also compliment that theoretical environment with any kind of "real" experience possible. That could be through internships with working production companies near you or by contacting someone within the film industry and asking if you can visit to observe. Find out all you can about what real life is like for those working in the movie business by asking questions on the internet (like you are doing here), by asking people who work near you, and by reading everything relevant to what it is you want to do (see the list of books and other resources on my own book site www.whatireallywanttodo.com). Taking film classes is beneficial, but also take the time to study literature, writing, history, sociology, political science... these kinds of course will not only help you in immeasurable ways in life itself, but inevitably, if you want to make movies, it helps to have a foundation on which to build stories from. Film classes talk about film making theories and some measure of practical technique. But taking the time to study more will give you something to make movies about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saul Rodgar Posted May 3, 2008 Share Posted May 3, 2008 Hey everyone! I am currently considering applying to a Film School. I really enjoy making my own short films and editing, but I am only an amateur. Is film school worth going to? I was wondering if anyone can tell me what made them choose to work in this industry, and what happens after you graduate film school? I spoke to several colleges and they could not give me a clear answer. Thank you for the help, Fiona :) 75% of the people I know who are starting as PA's on film productions have a film degree. So I wonder: why go to film school in the first place? Obviously there are a few people who went to film school, hooked up with the right people in there and started a career long before graduation, but that is far from being the case for most people. Film school is tough, mostly you learn a very general overview of the craft of filmmaking only to discover after graduation that you will have to start from scratch in the industry (if you are lucky) and will have student loans to pay back. Most PA's make way under $15 /hr to start with so go figure . . . That is exactly what happened to me. Actually, I went to Art school instead, but the results were the same. I would seriously suggest you start by getting a job at a camera/ editing shop or something like that instead, or, while you go to film school, if you must do that. Mostly, I consider my college years as lost: Sure, I had a good time, but learned very little real world skills and was saddled with debt at the end of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiona Sheridan Posted May 3, 2008 Author Share Posted May 3, 2008 As to your second question, well.....statistically speaking, five years after graduation 90% of film school graduates will not be working in the film industry, sorry. R, I seriously needed to hear that because these film schools could not give me a clear answer. Thank you :) Thank you Bill, Brian, and Saul, you were all extremely helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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