What happens to college undergrads that major in Film after they graduate? Where do they go after it? Do they typically go make movies independently, or with the studios? I'm curious.
Thanks.
Thanks.
What happens to college undergrads in Film after they graduate??
- Thread starter SquaretheJon
- Start date
its funny you say that.. this is the exact situation I am in now. I recently graduated from film school and now am on the hunt for jobs. However, I have written a few screenplays that I am looking to turn into films. I have been pitching to studios as well as investors... problem is the economy is in the dumps, so no one really wants to invest.
You basically just have to get lucky.. but I have a few things lined up for me at the moment.
I'll be in this situation in a few years so some advice would be awesome haha.
I basically thought I'd join a film school to get my foot in the door. I thought maybe a studio or a production company would rather put a graduated film student to work over someone who was just starting out but look, I have no idea how the industry works at starting level.
I basically thought I'd join a film school to get my foot in the door. I thought maybe a studio or a production company would rather put a graduated film student to work over someone who was just starting out but look, I have no idea how the industry works at starting level.
I never went to film school, but I've worked with and have become friends with that have. It's pretty much up in the air for them and varies by person. Some start to freelance, some get normal jobs and look for industry jobs or shoot their own films independently, and some get a starting position for a company.
It's all about who you know.
It's all about who you know.
You pound the pavement and send out resumes for weeks on end and get nowhere. Then you pound the pavement and send out resumes in the attempt to find a "real" job for weeks on end and get nowhere. You finally end up as the clerk in a convenience store and after work endlessly talk about all of the great movies you are going to make with a beer or a joint in your hand. After a few years you meet the right person, get married, work a go-nowhere job, have a few kids and bemoan what could have been.
OR
You pound the pavement and send out resumes for weeks on end and get nowhere. Then you pound the pavement and send out resumes in the attempt to find a "real" job for weeks on end and get nowhere. You finally end up as the clerk in a convenience store and after work you work on your screenplays and on your off days work for free on every film set you can find. You work your ass off and learn all of the lessons - good and bad - that you can. You eventually connect with enough people you trust and respect, and try to convince them to do the short film you have been working on for the past two years. It comes out okay, you learn a lot more and try again. Meanwhile, in those copious spare moments, you learn more softwares like Smoke, Flame, Maya, After Effects, etc. and finally land a few paying freelance gigs. After a few years you meet the right person, get married, work a go-nowhere job, have a few kids and bemoan what could have been.
OR
You pound the pavement ... and finally land a few paying freelance gigs. You make the best of your contacts and finally get regular work. You continue to learn your craft on every film set you can and finally to work with a few "name" people.
The rest is up to you.
OR
You pound the pavement and send out resumes for weeks on end and get nowhere. Then you pound the pavement and send out resumes in the attempt to find a "real" job for weeks on end and get nowhere. You finally end up as the clerk in a convenience store and after work you work on your screenplays and on your off days work for free on every film set you can find. You work your ass off and learn all of the lessons - good and bad - that you can. You eventually connect with enough people you trust and respect, and try to convince them to do the short film you have been working on for the past two years. It comes out okay, you learn a lot more and try again. Meanwhile, in those copious spare moments, you learn more softwares like Smoke, Flame, Maya, After Effects, etc. and finally land a few paying freelance gigs. After a few years you meet the right person, get married, work a go-nowhere job, have a few kids and bemoan what could have been.
OR
You pound the pavement ... and finally land a few paying freelance gigs. You make the best of your contacts and finally get regular work. You continue to learn your craft on every film set you can and finally to work with a few "name" people.
The rest is up to you.
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Exactly.
You need to look for jobs ALL the time...Ive taken one semester of film school... i just got on a paying indie film as a grip and may be dropping out depending on where it takes me. having that piece of paper isnt going to get you anywhere...you need to network and look for opportunities all the time. That being said, if you go to one of the bigger schools, you will have the ability to network with more people that are serious about film and alumni. Dont expect to graduate and have a job given to you just because your out of school...the industry doesnt work that way.
Nothing "happens" you still have to make something happen
Sounds about right to me.
Does going to film school make that easier though?
school gives you the skills, but it also give you the debt you have to deal with while working crappy paying PA jobs. The way i see it, just go to a cheaper film school, where you can learn enough and then start networking till you get your first job. 4 years of film school seems like a waste of money to me.
I'm from Melbourne going to film school next year. 50 dollars a year with your health care card
o_O
No way! I know schools in America are wicked expensive, but now Australia seems to be where it's at. Right now I'm looking at schools in Canada. Anyone hear anything about Queens University?
Thanks to my mom being out of work, I was able to attend the University of Arizona, via government Grants. Between that and N.A.U. (Flagstaff), I had several years of production classes.
I've tried looking up classmates on IMDB, but only a couple of us have post-college credits. The sad truth is there is no guarantee. Most people go into another line of work, so it's good to Minor in Business or something that can be useful.
The good part of film school is that you will work with equipment, in the university's studios, etc. that you might not have been able to get your hands on, if self taught. Also, keeping everyone's name is a good idea for the networking phase. I was lucky enough to get some cool photo/video accident reconstruction jobs, through a college friend.
I've tried looking up classmates on IMDB, but only a couple of us have post-college credits. The sad truth is there is no guarantee. Most people go into another line of work, so it's good to Minor in Business or something that can be useful.
The good part of film school is that you will work with equipment, in the university's studios, etc. that you might not have been able to get your hands on, if self taught. Also, keeping everyone's name is a good idea for the networking phase. I was lucky enough to get some cool photo/video accident reconstruction jobs, through a college friend.
I'm from Melbourne going to film school next year. 50 dollars a year with your health care card
$50 a year...? thats ridiculous! Sure there isn't hex fee's or anything?
What school is it?
My course is like $10,000 a year but I've heard of some as cheap as $6,000
"They get eaten by bears."
I don't have to out run the bears.....,
I only have to out run you. ;')
Terry
I don't have to out run the bears.....,
I only have to out run you. ;')
Terry
i too am a recent film graduate. with the economy the way it is, finding anything that is a stable full-time job is rare unless you have incredible connections, got lucky, or are basically the next speilberg. as for me, im production desiging some small indie shorts, and one feature next year. but its all pretty low budget. gotta begin somewhere! just relying on your network connections you made through film school is important. that and working at an office production/marketing type job part time. and i also work at jamba juice part time. thus the life of an artist! you gotta really love it. every waiter in LA is also a screenwriter or an actor!! 