Film School?

It really all depends what you want to do in the film industry. If you want to make ski films, I wouldn't recommend film school. If you want to work on features, direct your own shorts, and network with likeminded individuals I would absolutely recommend film school.

There are two places you need to be if you want to be in the film industry, either California (LA, and SF have huge opprotunities), or New York. In this day and age, that's really all there is. Tisch in new york is an amazing school, and some big names went there. I started film school a few months ago (graduated in 2011, and I never thought I would go to college, but some how I saved up enough$). The opportunities film school presents (atlas imo) are endless, you meet a bunch of people who are aspiring to work in other fields, so it's really easty to put together an entire crew.



Also if you want to be in the film industry, it's not simply filming and editing. It's all abut collaboration, and most of the production is writing. To be successful in film you need strong written skills, because it's all about communication, and telling a story. People don't hire people who make grammatical errors.

Also, one big benefit I see, is the first hand experience from teachers. many of them have worked in the industry, or still are working in ht e industry. It's super helpful when I can email my teacher a cover letter, or script and get proffesional criticism

Film school is utterly worthless unless you go to like a top 10 film school, which is hard as fuck to get into.

I'd say about half of my peers have graduated with a film degree and it doesn't necessarily make them 'better' than someone who hasn't. In the film/freelance industry, experience and connections are #1. Basically go out and find some gigs for super cheap/free/trade, the first ever videos I did for surface I traded for gear and within a year I was getting a small amount of money instead, the next year i was getting paid more, etc. You just have to be patient and put in the work.

Outside of the ski industry you basically have to just volunteer to work on sets until you get hired, I've heard some stories from some friends about how they helped out on a set, met some people and got more gigs from that, etc. Its the same idea but might be a little bit harder to get your foot in the door. This is where film school would help you realistically, but going into a film program in slc isn't going to get you very far, you need to go to LA or NY if you really want to pursue something outside of skiing.

The key to either route is to take every opportunity you can get, don't say no to someone until you have gained a ton of experience. There will be a point in your life where you can set a price, set a schedule, say no, etc, but you're far away from that point. It seems annoying/inconvenient at the time but its completely worth just 'shoveling shit at the circus' to work your way up. People will not value you for your true worth until you can prove it.

The only thing film school is superior for is making connections. The trick is to get an internship or 3, spend as much time as you possibly can on set or in the editing bay, and meet as many people as you can. Some schools have legitimate networking in place that makes getting real world experience a little easier, but you can get a similar book education by watching tutorials and messing around on your own as sitting in a classroom.

I believe NSer MBall goes to LMU. You could try PM'ing him.

No, eheath hit the nail on the head. In film the stuff you can "learn" is the stuff you can teach yourself, for free. The stuff you can't learn in any school or anything like that is what is actually valuable, stuff like talent, work ethic, aesthetic sense, you're not going to get that stuff at some "film" school.

I worked on some decent size films for a bit, the people successful there often have no film education at all. Instead they have the hustle and talent to get where they want to be.

The value of school is connections, it's just an expensive way to make them. I personally know one person who got a "film degree" that is actually competitive with higher level, self taught NS'ers. I know a whole heck of a lot of kids who went and got, or are getting film degrees who can't compete with freaking high school kids on here on any level. A degree is just a piece of paper that says you went to a certain number of classes. You need that to be an engineer or a scientist but you don't need it to tell compelling visual stories.

That said, get a degree in something, heck, get a degree in business, so many filmers would benefit from a solid business sense, freelancing, which almost everyone does at some point or another, is really just hardcore entrepreneurship.

Either get a worthwhile degree and work your butt off filming while doing it, building your experience, knowledge and connections, or go full hog, and just film all the time while working whatever jobs you can so that you can eat.

From the little we've talked on here and having seen your stuff I would strongly suggest that you take the first route, get a degree (even a journalism degree like me, haha) and keep filming on the side as much as possible.

You're young, now is the time to improve and build skills, not fully commit to something expensive with a low success rate. Anyhow, that's my uninformed opinion.

cydwhitThe value of school is connections

Today at work I thought to myself "why did I have to go to school for this?"

HolteI believe NSer MBall goes to LMU. You could try PM'ing him.

I am currently going to be a Junior at LMU. We also have a study abroad program in the film school and I'll be in Germany in the fall. Hit me up if you'd like to hear more about the the program. I looked into it mostly because of Will and also Michael Hibbs and Chris Naum go there.

I agree with what most people said. I'm trying to become a commercial, music video, narrative cinematographer and film school has been great for me. It always has it's downsides but it has allowed me to learn alot with the equipment available to us and through working on student sets. You can always refine your taste but for me that "set etiquette" and knowing the little things like the names of different stands always made me nervous. Because if you're on set (especially as a DP) you should know all of those things. In my 2 years of being there, I've learned alot of that from being able to work on many student films and now I'm more confident speaking with directors and other DPs as I know now the technical tidbits and I can articulate my thoughts about aesthetic and story.

Connections are good... But making the right types of connections is even more essential. Most of my best connections have actually been outside of school. There have been some kids I've really enjoyed working with but it's still all about reaching out to people.

As others have mentioned, it's all about what you are trying to do. Directing, cinematography, editing, writing for narrative. I would say for any of these 4, film school is a great start. It's good to look into various programs and how they run. I wish when I was picking a school there was a list of all the film schools and how there programs ran. For instance, LMU only has 2 cinematography classes. And you can only rent out their gear for student films. LA film school for instance, is an 18 month program and you can rent out equipment whenever you would like after they have taught you how to use it. NYU is pretty similar to LMU for the first two years but then the third and fourth year you actually declare what you want to specialize in. As a senior at USC, there are only 4 students chosen to direct films then everyone must work on their sets. At LMU all juniors and seniors can direct and you own the rights to your film.

I could go on about film school forever. It has it's pros and cons. It's been of great value for me. Being in that environment has shaped my interests and allowed me to take the steps I needed.

If I learned anything from one semester at art school it's this; I paid way too much to have non-dedicated people give me horrible critiques on my work. Everything I learned I could have/ did learn on my own, now I owe then 20 grand. I'm a sucker.

Thank you all for the replies! You gave me a lot of information that i wanted. It seems like film school wouldnt be the best investment for myself..for what id want to do I guess just getting out there and meeting with people and shooting as much as i can would be the best bet for me.

I figured a degree would make things more "legit" when looking for work. But again thanks everyone who has replied! I really appreciate it

Go to Momentum Exposure, my brother went there and met so many people in the Ski Film world and got hooked up!! I went to one at WoodWard, PA (his stories beat mine) I plan on going to Momentum Exposure next year.

Sophomore at Temple University studying Film

isaiah.caryGo to Momentum Exposure, my brother went there and met so many people in the Ski Film world and got hooked up!! I went to one at WoodWard, PA (his stories beat mine) I plan on going to Momentum Exposure next year.

Sophomore at Temple University studying Film

I totally forgot this existed. Ill be going to it next summer for sure! Thanks for the reminder and hopefully i see you there!

Chubz.So i graduated in 2014 and went to my local college and was interested in majoring in communications. I took a little pre-comm course in HS and i really enjoyed it, and thought that it would be a cool thing to study in college.

But i changed my mind while in school and i dont feel like im really cut out for being a broadcaster. And i've always been super interested in filming and editing for the last like 6 years or so. Last year i finally had enough money to buy a starter set up (t2i, few lenses, glidecam etc..) upgrading from a gopro and other action cams. Throughout the season i pretty much fell in love with filming skiing and other things with a semi-serious camera. I got hang of everything right off the bat and its pretty much turned into a passion along with skiing.

I feel like its something I would enjoy doing for a career but i dont really know where to start. I know that theres quite a few serious filmers on here who point cameras at things for a living and im looking for a few pointers on what i should do to get started on this path.
Is film school a good place to get the ball rolling?
What are some schools that have good film programs?
Ive been looking at loyola marymount in LA. I know Will Start goes/went there. Anybody else know more about this school?

And im taking this year off school to do some ski bumming and get the hell out of my home town, the plan is to go to SLC, eheath i know you went to the U, do they have a pretty good film program?

Thanks for the help guys, sorry if I rambled.

Champlain College in Burlington VT has a dope film program. I'm working on set with LA film students and NYU Film Students and our program is just as good if not better then those two. Plus you get to ski all semester. DM me is you have any questions

Side note, fully feel you the broadcast world is no fun

Dub_DigitalThere are two places you need to be if you want to be in the film industry, either California (LA, and SF have huge opprotunities), or New York. In this day and age, that's really all there is.

I'm sorry but I've gotta disagree. As far as work goes Toronto has a tonne of work in film and TV in both production and post. Same with Van but more for post there.

But that being said, everyone is definitely right that it really depends what you want to do. I took a college Video Production program and didn't dig it but fell in love with post and visual effects while I was taking my editing classes. So I took a post grad program in VFX for a year and it really taught me a tonne and paid off. Now I'm working full time for a big VFX house in toronto working on some really fun and high profile movies and tv shows. But a desk job isn't for everyone, I love what I do and enjoy creating but a lot of people prefer being behind the lens. It's all up to where you want to take it. There's so many opportunities in film it's crazy.

Justin.BI'm sorry but I've gotta disagree. As far as work goes Toronto has a tonne of work in film and TV in both production and post. Same with Van but more for post there.

But that being said, everyone is definitely right that it really depends what you want to do. I took a college Video Production program and didn't dig it but fell in love with post and visual effects while I was taking my editing classes. So I took a post grad program in VFX for a year and it really taught me a tonne and paid off. Now I'm working full time for a big VFX house in toronto working on some really fun and high profile movies and tv shows. But a desk job isn't for everyone, I love what I do and enjoy creating but a lot of people prefer being behind the lens. It's all up to where you want to take it. There's so many opportunities in film it's crazy.

Hell ya that's rad man.

Justin.BI'm sorry but I've gotta disagree. As far as work goes Toronto has a tonne of work in film and TV in both production and post. Same with Van but more for post there.

But that being said, everyone is definitely right that it really depends what you want to do. I took a college Video Production program and didn't dig it but fell in love with post and visual effects while I was taking my editing classes. So I took a post grad program in VFX for a year and it really taught me a tonne and paid off. Now I'm working full time for a big VFX house in toronto working on some really fun and high profile movies and tv shows. But a desk job isn't for everyone, I love what I do and enjoy creating but a lot of people prefer being behind the lens. It's all up to where you want to take it. There's so many opportunities in film it's crazy.

I was mainly referencing the US.... and now that I think about it, there's really a third spot in-between new york, and LA, and thats Austin Texas, which has a pretty big film community, and its right in the middle of LA na NY....of course you can't ski in texas though, so who the hell would want to move there

Dub_DigitalI was mainly referencing the US.... and now that I think about it, there's really a third spot in-between new york, and LA, and thats Austin Texas, which has a pretty big film community, and its right in the middle of LA na NY....of course you can't ski in texas though, so who the hell would want to move there

Chicago and Atlanta also have growing film industries

I have never been to an actual film school so i dont know a ton on the matter. Here are my thoughts.

If you have drive and work ethic you can learn and benefit alot from a good film program. But by no means is it the only way or best way to become good at your craft. If you want to do some form of film or art you just have do it. You have to work hard and truly be passionate about what you do. If there is any thing i have learned about working in this field is that you have to love it.

I hear alot of people saying they want to get into film because it seems fun and very obtainable way to make money. Some people see this job as alomost "easy" they feel if they just buy a camera or go to film school they can be successful and make a living. But what they dont see the many painfully frustrating, unpaid hours that allow you to progress your craft. Film school does not instill this in a persons work ethic. For a lot of people it separates work and play. You have set hours you attend school and when your done with school for the day you have your free time. It acts as a normal job. I think this instills lack of self motivation for people.

I would look at why you want to go to film school. What benefits are you searching for that you cant get on your own?

mBallHell ya that's rad man.

Thanks man, I love it!

Dub_DigitalI was mainly referencing the US.... and now that I think about it, there's really a third spot in-between new york, and LA, and thats Austin Texas, which has a pretty big film community, and its right in the middle of LA na NY....of course you can't ski in texas though, so who the hell would want to move there

Ah makes sense, for the US you're absolutely right, I know there's a few other areas down there that are starting to grow too, but I guess being Canadian I'm just thinking about up here. There's a tonne of work up here because of our tax credits, but it's looking like that might not last much longer haha. Fucking politics.

This is cool, I've never seen this topic really come up on NS. Has anyone on here gone through the Emerson or Chapman programs by any chance? I'm applying to schools in the fall and I'm looking for as much alum info as I can get my hands on.

j-calBut what they dont see the many painfully frustrating, unpaid hours that allow you to progress your craft. Film school does not instill this in a persons work ethic. For a lot of people it separates work and play. You have set hours you attend school and when your done with school for the day you have your free time. It acts as a normal job. I think this instills lack of self motivation for people.

I would look at why you want to go to film school. What benefits are you searching for that you cant get on your own?

Spot on Jacob. So many unpaid hours, but if it's your love, you don't necessarily think about it like that because you would be spending your free time anyway studying and learning the craft.

Yes, it will always depend on the person. There are film-lovers who go to film school and learn just about nothing. It's all about putting in the work and utilizing every resource.

Also something that no one has mentioned, going to any college can be a great growing experience. I can say that if I would moved to LA at 18 to try and become a DP, I would have fell flat on my face. Along with the technical things I've learned, I've also had the time to grow as a person and make mistakes in a forgiving environment. I'm very thankful for the way that going to a college has shaped me and I am much more confident in the person I am now moving into this career.

ForcilloThis is cool, I've never seen this topic really come up on NS. Has anyone on here gone through the Emerson or Chapman programs by any chance? I'm applying to schools in the fall and I'm looking for as much alum info as I can get my hands on.

Im not pushing you down, trust me reach for the stars man. But when I was looking for film schools I had all the big names in "my apply to book", like NYU, and USC. Emerson is up there they actually accept less people then NYU as odd as that sounds. Its like a 6% acceptance for Film or something rid like that. Awesome school though.

If you can make it on Americas Funniest Videos though, I hear that you get a scholarship, and if you can get your video on there and talk to Bona, trustee and alum. He'll probably hook you up there.

GOOD LUCK!

ForcilloThis is cool, I've never seen this topic really come up on NS. Has anyone on here gone through the Emerson or Chapman programs by any chance? I'm applying to schools in the fall and I'm looking for as much alum info as I can get my hands on.

I know some kids in the USC program, some Chapman/Ucla alum, and some NYU kids if you're trying to get in touch. Each program offers different assets as I mentioned above.

For me, I'd rather live in LA than OC. LMU location is prime.

i went to "film school" and the education was worthless. I say film school because I got a degree, but the program was a joke. almost every short video i made during my 4 years was better than my professors or classmates work. we didn't have any sets to work on and barely any equipment to utilize.

i loved where i went to school and i wouldn't trade the relationships and life lessons i learned for anything

so i don't regret it, but i have gotten where i have gotten through hard work and networking. I almost never bring up that i went to film school. chris and matt are doing big things at lmu and that is going to help their career ten fold. college is what you make of it and it doesn't necessarily matter where you go, you can always further your career by having a great attitude and working hard.

ICaryIm not pushing you down, trust me reach for the stars man. But when I was looking for film schools I had all the big names in "my apply to book", like NYU, and USC. Emerson is up there they actually accept less people then NYU as odd as that sounds. Its like a 6% acceptance for Film or something rid like that. Awesome school though.

If you can make it on Americas Funniest Videos though, I hear that you get a scholarship, and if you can get your video on there and talk to Bona, trustee and alum. He'll probably hook you up there.

GOOD LUCK!

It definitely makes sense that they accept less people, it's a pretty small school and NYU is one of the largest in the country. I'm pretty curious about the 6% accept rate though, as the figure I found said 1 in 6 get in to the film program. Do you know where you got that number?

LynxNationIf I learned anything from one semester at art school it's this; I paid way too much to have non-dedicated people give me horrible critiques on my work. Everything I learned I could have/ did learn on my own, now I owe then 20 grand. I'm a sucker.

I did two years of a four year BFA in photography at Ryerson in Toronto, horrible idea, doubtful I will even finish. I don't regret trying it, I made some amazing friends and I learned a lot about "life", but anything I learned photographically I taught my self outside of school. Really though, that applies to 90% of all post-secondary programs, so in that regard you might as well just do it in photo/video if thats what you really enjoy. University isn't about the classes, its about living on your own and learning how to manage your life as an "adult".

Yeah, I went to school for videography. It's a great option for networking if you go to a good program, but if you don't, its really not necessary if you're truely passionate about it.

Maybe major in econ or marketing and minor in film/video/photo or whatever... would probably be more beneficial and give you more options at the end of the day.



Worse comes to worse, almost anyone who goes to film school is probably capable of making a porno that outshines all the firehosing handycam stuff out there lol. I do understand that business can be lucrative if you're a certain type of person.

zbphoto

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