I'm going into 11th grade this coming August and I really want to go to film school and learn about writing and directing movies. The first thing I wanted to ask is what should I do that will get their (film schools) attention? My school doesn't have many good extracurricular activities involving film. I work alot on my own, but i think that alot of that will go unnoticed because it isn't associated with school. I was just curious about what you guys think I should do?

Also what are some good schools that I should look into?

Ithaca College (www.ithaca.edu) would be worth a look.

Their School of Communications is broken up into several areas, including film/cinema & radio/tv.

I'm probably a bit biased about how great Ithaca is (having lived there for 12 years), but I'd say it is the best city in the US, period.

I have no idea how it rates against other film schools.

If you have built up a little library of your own work that can be used for college admissions, it won't matter if it's not "associated" with your current high-school. Admissions review will be looking to see what you have done/can do, as opposed to a seal of approval from your school.

Ithaca is gorges! - You'll need that punny bumpersticker there ;)

Good luck!

It depends what you're looking for, and where your located. If you want to get some great experiance, there's a little Film Boot Camp up here. It's about $1000 (though there are bursaries and scholarships available), and you make a movie in six days. It's a great way to have something to show, if you don't have much, and you learn a lot, too.

Check out www.giftsfilms.com

Ha, well I just went through that whole experience of applying to film schools. Typically the schools are looking for good storytellers, so if you can write a really great short story, or do so with still photographs, or something like that, it would help a lot. Also be persistent and let them know you exist! The schools that I applied to weren't looking for people with experience, just people with a strong message and a lot of creativity

My friend is at Humber College in Toronto, and says it's very very good. I have also heard the Vancouver Film School is good too.

Zensteve, you lived in Ithica?

I used to live up that way (not in Ithica, but fairly close) and my grandma lives up there now, so im up there quite a bit. What part of Ithica are you from?

BTW, I am in the same boat, Mr. Blone. I am going into my junior year in August, so I will be looking for a film school as well. I've checked out some good schools in Cali, like UCSC and several others. You can try Princetonreview.com and other sites, but that one gives you the best searchs I think for colleges, as well as things like internships and such. Feel free to PM me any time if you want to "compare notes", or you can e-mail me or IM at Jaminme@aol.com.

Take care.