Do you need good grades in order to get a scholarship to film school?

[Matt Sezer]

Richard Boddington:

 

I've always wondered what happened to your average alum from a "prestigious" film school too and think that the information is extremely useful for people contemplating spending a fortune.

 

I've only been out of school for 6 months. I've mostly been shooting corporate videos and weddings. Occasionally, I get some doc shooting work, but nothing too major. I think I'd be in a similar situation if I hadn't gone to school.

 

The one thing I do know is that if the opportunity every comes around for me to shoot the film of my dreams, it would be a lot better than it would be if I hadn't gone to school. For instance, before school, I knew about basic 3-point lighting and could name films that I though looked good aesthetically, but I had no idea about what specifically was being done and why it worked. Of course, most of that knowledge doesn't matter now if I'm just shooting wedding videos.

 

I actually transferred into NYU for my second two years. I didn't go to a community college, but I know plenty of people at NYU who did. From what I've heard, you really don't make any serious films your first two years anyways. My situation is a bit weird as I'm interested in shooting both documentary and narrative films, but only directing documentaries, so I took a hodgepoge of classes in both documentary and cinematography. I also spent a semester (for credit) shooting a documentary in Cuba, so the amount of time I had at NYU for networking was limited.

[Guest]

I've only been out of school for 6 months. I've mostly been shooting corporate videos and weddings. Occasionally, I get some doc shooting work, but nothing too major. I think I'd be in a similar situation if I hadn't gone to school.

 

That's honest and valuable information to aspiring young people. Your situation is not unique, it takes a long time to work your way up the ladder after film school. This is probably more frustrating for the parents.....you mean after four years of university you got a job as a production assistant making $10.00 an hour?

 

Upon graduation from university I was hired as a producer at the CTV Network in Toronto, where I was stuck for five long years. Oh well, there was a pay cheque every two weeks and I did have a parking space with my name on it. But I sure wasn't making any narrative movies that is for darn sure!!

 

I do know that not a single classmate has ever made a feature film. Pretty sure that so far I'm the only one from my group who has. When I was in university there was a running joke.

 

What did the film school grad say to the MBA?

 

Do you want fries with that?

 

R,

[Gregory Irwin]

That's honest and valuable information to aspiring young people. Your situation is not unique, it takes a long time to work your way up the ladder after film school. This is probably more frustrating for the parents.....you mean after four years of university you got a job as a production assistant making $10.00 an hour?

 

Upon graduation from university I was hired as a producer at the CTV Network in Toronto, where I was stuck for five long years. Oh well, there was a pay cheque every two weeks and I did have a parking space with my name on it. But I sure wasn't making any narrative movies that is for darn sure!!

 

I do know that not a single classmate has ever made a feature film. Pretty sure that so far I'm the only one from my group who has. When I was in university there was a running joke.

 

What did the film school grad say to the MBA?

 

Do you want fries with that?

 

R,

Where did you graduate from Richard?

[Reuel Gomez]

 

I think if you're in it for the money then you're doing it for the wrong reasons, if anything you should be spending money to make them and taking risks. Christopher Nolan started out with nothing, he made 'Following' with a borrowed 16mm camera and worked all year long to fund his own feature film, which he made with his brother and a small crew. The film cost him less than 5k dollars to make, and when he premiered it at Slamdance, he won the Grand Prize. Martin Scorsese worked on his first feature for three years before it was released and discovered by Roger Ebert. You can also read about Stanley Kubrick who funded his very own short documentaries, his first feature Fear and Desire, he made with a few actor friends that he had and did most of the crew work himself, the film helped him raise money for his next film. However, these people I mention were true cineastes, they live(d) and breath(ed) cinema day and night, also Kubrick was a photographer and studied at a community college, and he was quite the genius.You can hear an interview where he mentions he didn't know what he was doing as a director when he made 'Fear and Desire', and it's quite the impressive film. As for great Hispanic directors, there's Alfonso Cuaron and Guillermo del Toro. You may want to look into Cuaron who also did his own cinematography, it's in part why his films are very visual, he sees stories in images, and that's what a great director does, apart from directing actors into great performances. Everyone has to start somewhere, nothing will ever be handed to you.

I don't care about the money. I just want to ONE day, make big-budget blockbusters. Those are really the movies I enjoy and can watch time and time again without getting bored. Sure, I've seen other genres that interest me, like thrillers, movies like The DaVinci Code and its sequel. Romantic comedies like Silver Linibgs Playbook and (500) Days of Summer. And I'd be fine working on movies like that, but someday I'd like to make a fun popcorn film like Now You See Me or The Fast and The Furious Movies.

[Guest]

Where did you graduate from Richard?

 

I can't say what university I went to without it causing a *bleep* storm, it usually does. It's like dropping a bomb into a conversation. :o

 

R,

[Richard Swearinger]

Just to be clear: California State University at Long Beach is not a community college.

G

 

 

Indeed CSULB is an amazing school. Sorry about putting GL there if he didn't attend and sorry if I somehow implied that it's not a full-scale university.

My point remains: community colleges can be an awesome stepping stone because doing well there can get you into some pretty great places. A friend of mine got a BA at a university but then followed that up with TV production classes at LACC which he then spun into a successful 30-year TV career.

Bottom line: if you're a typical kid like Reuel living in this screwed up economy where a four-year degree can cost as much as a house, community colleges (and if they still have them, IATSE training programs) are a great way to get your foot on the ladder.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Richard Swearinger

[Phil Rhodes]

 

 

I don't care about the money.

 

You will.

 

P

[Reuel Gomez]

 

You will.

 

P

As far as me having to eventually look at it as a source of income, yeah, I've known for the longest that that would eventually be the case.

[Gregory Irwin]

Indeed CSULB is an amazing school. Sorry about putting GL there if he didn't attend and sorry if I somehow implied that it's not a full-scale university.

My point remains: community colleges can be an awesome stepping stone because doing well there can get you into some pretty great places. A friend of mine got a BA at a university but then followed that up with TV production classes at LACC which he then spun into a successful 30-year TV career.

Bottom line: if you're a typical kid like Reuel living in this screwed up economy where a four-year degree can cost as much as a house, community colleges (and if they still have them, IATSE training programs) are a great way to get your foot on the ladder.

No worries Mate! No offense taken. And yes! Your community college point is well taken and very correct.

 

G