Ok, so my dream is to direct movies, wether it be straight to dvd or in the big theatre, i have been talking with my dad and he said is it worth it for me to go to community college for 2 years to take my general ed courses or if i should just go straight to film school, is film school going to help in pursuing this career for how expensive it is? I mean i've learned a lot on my own but being in film school would give me people that are interested in the same matter to collab with and get actors and what not, just want some help figuring out what the best option is for me. Any help greatly appreciated
I need some advice career wise
- Thread starter peter917
- Start date
I went to community college first, it saved a lot of money and was helpful too. I maxed out the number of credits I could take each semester, and took a lot of photography classes in addition to general ed. The photography classes really helped a lot when it came to cinematography later - so I'd say you might want to see if they have courses like that which could be useful to you. Many community colleges also have active theater departments, and I'd bet you could find quite a few actors there who would be interested in being in your film projects. So a lot may depend on what resources the school has - I actually went to one that was a little farther from me than others so that I could get the classes I wanted.
Dreams are nice but make sure you can still afford to eat and pay the rent.
Piece of advice number one - use proper spelling, capitalization, punctuation and grammar. The ability to utilize language properly is one aspect of presenting a professional image. It is also needed for clear and concise communication. You may be an absolute genius, but poor language skills make you look like an idiot, and no one wants to work with an idiot; you almost never get a second chance to make a good impression.
A well rounded education gives you perspective. It does not necessarily have to be a formal education. Take it all in - politics, economics, history, the sciences - as well as subjects that pertain to filmmaking. Also, sidereal subjects can have a very positive influence (for example - painting and still photography teach you about composition, perspectives, use of light and shadows, etc.)
As with most things you get out of it what you put into it. I always suggest that fledgling filmmakers get out there and work on films, and make some films, before going to film school. First, you may find that you don't like filmmaking, so you won't waste all that money. Second, you will have a greater appreciation of the subject matter and how it relates to the real (reel? LOL!) world if you do decide to go to film school.
Decide on a specialty that can earn you income. It does not have to be media related, but if your money gig keeps you involved you have more opportunities for networking/connections/opportunities.
A well rounded education gives you perspective. It does not necessarily have to be a formal education. Take it all in - politics, economics, history, the sciences - as well as subjects that pertain to filmmaking. Also, sidereal subjects can have a very positive influence (for example - painting and still photography teach you about composition, perspectives, use of light and shadows, etc.)
As with most things you get out of it what you put into it. I always suggest that fledgling filmmakers get out there and work on films, and make some films, before going to film school. First, you may find that you don't like filmmaking, so you won't waste all that money. Second, you will have a greater appreciation of the subject matter and how it relates to the real (reel? LOL!) world if you do decide to go to film school.
Decide on a specialty that can earn you income. It does not have to be media related, but if your money gig keeps you involved you have more opportunities for networking/connections/opportunities.
Even if you go right to a university film school you are still going to be doing two years of general education courses. Your freshmen and sophomore year is mainly general education courses then your junior and senior year is mainly your major courses which would be film production. Doing your general education courses at a community college then transferring to a university saves money!
IMO I WOULDN'T EVEN GO TO FILM SCHOOL! During my senior year of high school I did a lot of research on film schools before I made my decision not to attend and I am glad I did not go to film school. I would read what I have to say below before you make your decision. It's pretty helpful advice and could save you a lot of money.
During my research I came across several people who all said the same thing. They said that film school today is a horrible investment and there's not many advantages to attending but film school back in the day was a good investment and had advantages. You see back in the day during the 60's, 70's, 80's and some of the 90's before digital filmmaking came out making films was more expensive. The equipment was expensive most people outside of Hollywood could not afford it. So for a lot of people going to film school was the most affordable way they could access equipment to practice filmmaking. And back then film school was a lot cheaper than it is today. It was a great investment because you were using equipment and making films that cost a lot more than what you were paying to attend. Today though in this era it's the complete opposite. People are paying a whole lot more to attend film school than what it costs for equipment and to make a film. You can get a very good DSLR camera or prosumer camcorder for around $1,000-$5,000. A lot of these top film schools use prosumer camcorders around this price range. You could get Final Cut Pro X editing software for $300. Most film schools use Final Cut Pro X. For good sound equipment(mic, boom pole, recorder) that cost would be around lets say $1,000 maybe even cheaper. So you could get your basic equipment(camera, sound, editing software) you need to make films for $6,000 or less and your films will be professional high quality! In this day you could make a low budget indie feature film for the cost of one semester of film school! I have no clue why most people today go to film school and rack up $100,000 or more in student loan debt when they could skip it get a $8 an hour full time job and have at least a few thousand saved up within a year to buy good equipment to make short films! They'd be saving there selves a lot of money!
Most people who attend top film schools like NYU, USC, Columbia say that they attend there because these schools have connections to the industry and they can build connections and having a degree from there gives them an advantage. First off having a degree in film production from a top film school is not going to help you get into the industry and does not give you an advantage. There's no educational requirements for the film industry it's all about talent! You don't even need to go to film school to build connections. A lot of these kids go into these top film schools thinking that the short films they make will get them a contract with a studio to direct a feature length film immediately after they graduate. Well this really never happens! The truth is most film school students are unemployed after graduation. There's a lot of them that end up going into a different industry. Most film school grads don't end up with there dream job! The film industry is very competitive! I remember reading an article I found on the internet and a teacher at one of the top film schools I think it was NYU said that a majority of the film school students won't make it into the industry there's only a couple who have the talent. What I did was I looked up the bibliography's of several of the top directors in Hollywood who went to film school. I looked up there bibliography's to see how they got into the industry and I noticed a pattern. A few years to several years after graduating from college they raised money to make a low budget indie feature which was there first feature film and then they submit it to popular film festivals and it gets selected and the feature film gets them noticed and they get into Hollywood.
My advice to you is don't go to film school and get a full time job. It does not need to be a high paying job just a job that pay's around minimum wage $7 or $8 an hour. If you save most of the money you make in 6-8 months you'll have the basic equipment(camera, sound, editing software) you need to make films. You could even get a part time job but it would take you longer to save up the money to get equipment. Buy a few books. Buy one on directing, one on editing, one on cinematography, screenwriting and sound. Practice making films. Make short films which shouldn't really cost you anything to make. Submit them to film festivals and hope your work get's noticed. It seems like the main way to break into Hollywood is by getting your work noticed at a popular film festival. Or you can go the film school route and have $100,000 or more in student loan debt and if you don't get into the industry then your really going to have a struggle. If you were to do two years at a community college first then transfer to a university you'll have at least $50,000 in student loan debt when you graduate. Film school is still a rip off.
Save up $3,000-$6,000, buy your basic equipment and make shorts films
or
Rack up $50,000-$100,000 or more in student loan debt to make short films at a film school
I don't know about you but I rather pay $3,000-$6,000 to make short films instead of paying $50,000-$100,000
I'm not totally against film school. I'm against the COST of it! Taking a few film courses at a community college wouldn't be bad since it's cheap.
IMO I WOULDN'T EVEN GO TO FILM SCHOOL! During my senior year of high school I did a lot of research on film schools before I made my decision not to attend and I am glad I did not go to film school. I would read what I have to say below before you make your decision. It's pretty helpful advice and could save you a lot of money.
During my research I came across several people who all said the same thing. They said that film school today is a horrible investment and there's not many advantages to attending but film school back in the day was a good investment and had advantages. You see back in the day during the 60's, 70's, 80's and some of the 90's before digital filmmaking came out making films was more expensive. The equipment was expensive most people outside of Hollywood could not afford it. So for a lot of people going to film school was the most affordable way they could access equipment to practice filmmaking. And back then film school was a lot cheaper than it is today. It was a great investment because you were using equipment and making films that cost a lot more than what you were paying to attend. Today though in this era it's the complete opposite. People are paying a whole lot more to attend film school than what it costs for equipment and to make a film. You can get a very good DSLR camera or prosumer camcorder for around $1,000-$5,000. A lot of these top film schools use prosumer camcorders around this price range. You could get Final Cut Pro X editing software for $300. Most film schools use Final Cut Pro X. For good sound equipment(mic, boom pole, recorder) that cost would be around lets say $1,000 maybe even cheaper. So you could get your basic equipment(camera, sound, editing software) you need to make films for $6,000 or less and your films will be professional high quality! In this day you could make a low budget indie feature film for the cost of one semester of film school! I have no clue why most people today go to film school and rack up $100,000 or more in student loan debt when they could skip it get a $8 an hour full time job and have at least a few thousand saved up within a year to buy good equipment to make short films! They'd be saving there selves a lot of money!
Most people who attend top film schools like NYU, USC, Columbia say that they attend there because these schools have connections to the industry and they can build connections and having a degree from there gives them an advantage. First off having a degree in film production from a top film school is not going to help you get into the industry and does not give you an advantage. There's no educational requirements for the film industry it's all about talent! You don't even need to go to film school to build connections. A lot of these kids go into these top film schools thinking that the short films they make will get them a contract with a studio to direct a feature length film immediately after they graduate. Well this really never happens! The truth is most film school students are unemployed after graduation. There's a lot of them that end up going into a different industry. Most film school grads don't end up with there dream job! The film industry is very competitive! I remember reading an article I found on the internet and a teacher at one of the top film schools I think it was NYU said that a majority of the film school students won't make it into the industry there's only a couple who have the talent. What I did was I looked up the bibliography's of several of the top directors in Hollywood who went to film school. I looked up there bibliography's to see how they got into the industry and I noticed a pattern. A few years to several years after graduating from college they raised money to make a low budget indie feature which was there first feature film and then they submit it to popular film festivals and it gets selected and the feature film gets them noticed and they get into Hollywood.
My advice to you is don't go to film school and get a full time job. It does not need to be a high paying job just a job that pay's around minimum wage $7 or $8 an hour. If you save most of the money you make in 6-8 months you'll have the basic equipment(camera, sound, editing software) you need to make films. You could even get a part time job but it would take you longer to save up the money to get equipment. Buy a few books. Buy one on directing, one on editing, one on cinematography, screenwriting and sound. Practice making films. Make short films which shouldn't really cost you anything to make. Submit them to film festivals and hope your work get's noticed. It seems like the main way to break into Hollywood is by getting your work noticed at a popular film festival. Or you can go the film school route and have $100,000 or more in student loan debt and if you don't get into the industry then your really going to have a struggle. If you were to do two years at a community college first then transfer to a university you'll have at least $50,000 in student loan debt when you graduate. Film school is still a rip off.
Save up $3,000-$6,000, buy your basic equipment and make shorts films
or
Rack up $50,000-$100,000 or more in student loan debt to make short films at a film school
I don't know about you but I rather pay $3,000-$6,000 to make short films instead of paying $50,000-$100,000
I'm not totally against film school. I'm against the COST of it! Taking a few film courses at a community college wouldn't be bad since it's cheap.
Last edited: