Is Film School Worth It? What Actual Employment Data Reveals

In this concluding section of our survey, alumni share how they secured their current positions and offer a realistic look at what they love and hate about their daily grinds

What is your current filmmaking job?​

Editor

DP

Production Coordinator

Assistant Editor

CAA

Writer (freelance)

Line Producer

Head of Production

Department Chair of a top ranked film school

Film Course Lecturer

Production Office Coordinator

Video Editor

Op

Camera man for local sports

Post production executive

Production Assistant

Lead AI filmmaker

Rigging gaffer

I mainly work as a gaffer these days – sometimes camera op, sometimes produce

Camera Rental House Owner

Freelance Production Assistant

Sustainability Coordinator

Key Grip/ Gaffer

Location Manager & Scout

Archival Producer

Contract Administration Analyst

2nd AD

writer

Adjunct Professor

Union Key Grip

Showrunner / Director

Director of Photography

Unscripted Editor

Assistant Editor

2nd AD on micro budget feature

Exec story editor

Adjunct Professor

Executive producer

Showrunner's Assistant

Animation artist

Assistant Art Director

Assistant Editor / Additional Editor

Producer

Visual media specialist

Assistant Professor of Film/TV Production

Freelance DP / camera op

Animation artist

Commercial writer

Set Dresser

Associate Producer

Development Assistant

Freelancer - Editor/Videographer/Photographer/Producer

Executive Producer

Editor

Sales Executive for a financing and distribution company

Executive Story Editor TV

writer but freelance, almost earning nothing

Entertainment journalist, writer/producer for social media

Please go into detail on how you got your current filmmaking job:​

A production company I was working with closed down and a former client reached out to hire me.

Someone I knew from Sphere left their many and referred me for the role.

I applied and interviewed.

Got in touch with a Thai film student at Loyola Marymount through friends. He ended up returning to Thailand and was looking for someone who could teach in English at his faculty. I joined him in the program and has been teaching for 6 years.

I’m freelance

Brother worked at local Stadium

Applied in accounting at the studio. Made connections and worked my way up

Since uni I work as an editor. Sometimes I have more work sometimes less. At the moment I already finished 3th movie and till end of the year I will finish another 3 movies

I got my current job as a production assistant through a connection I made during my internship, who referred me to the team looking for help on their project.

Hustle. I made spec ai films when industry was slow. Got hired at ai studio

I was hired by a DP I've worked with for years.

Brother connection with upm

I freelance, it’s not a full time ‘job’ per se — I get my work from peer referrals or online job listings

Same as my facebook answer.

I moved to LA, my friend whos already lived in LA a few years took me to a film set where they were good with bringing on a PA for $50 a day.

Kept working and moving up.

Transitioned from another company and received a promotion

Internships led to jobs and friendships that led to where I am
agency

I was gripping to make ends meet and realized it could be a good career

It was a result of my previous work as a writer for the same production company, and streaming platform (Prime Video).

Peer from school who had got me my first job was also getting me freelance work with this production company, who eventually hired me full time after a a year or two at my second job.

Editing peer referral

After working as an editor at the commercial facility I wanted to get into TV and film. So I left and started contacting everyone I knew. I had to go backwards a bit and become an assistant. But I got in the union and much more upscale projects started to become available to me.
someone who was friends with my boyfriend recommended me for an AD job on a short. That producer brought me in to AD on another short years later. The director on that short brought me in to AD on this feature.

I have been teaching part time to supplement film work. But ever since film work slowed down, I've now taken on design work to supplement all of that. So I'm using 150% of my time if I also have film projects happening during the school year.

I worked for some executives at this company. I ended up pitching them a show they got Green lit, and we made two seasons of it. When the show wrapped up they offered me an overall deal and I took it.

Friend I met in my career hired me to work with them.

I've simply hopped from project to project for Boardwalk. Then I feel in with a particular director team that worked with them and I've been looped in with their whole slate of projects.

Friends of friends of friends

Someone I’ve known and worked with as an independent producer for over a decade started working with this company. A few years later, he needed someone to hire and chose me, since we work well together. I wouldnt have this incredible role without all the past work and networking I’ve done throughout my career.

Built up experience from my previous academic positions

Networking

Worked in field before film school

Climbed the ladder and made good connections

An alumni friend of mine needed help on her short with fundraising and hopefully soon, production. I offered to help as an associate producer. It is a volunteer role, but it's a credit.

All of my jobs for the last 6 years have been via referral.

I'm a freelancer, so every gig is different. I get most of my work through social media, film school peers, and general word-of-mouth.

Referrals from people I’ve worked withwon some awards and my reps found me

Just saw the job on LinkedIn and applied

When I was an assistant editor for music videos, I digitized all of the footage for the editors and organzied it and sunc it in the way that they wanted it to be sunc. My work impressed editors that I worked with so sometimes they had me do the changes on their edits. I also must have impressed the people who ran the post house - or at least I kept promoting myself - and eventually I got to edit really low budget projects. An editor who I worked with got to edit a feature so he brought me on as an assistant editor. The producer of that independent film brought me on as an editor on another one of his films. I kept doing other editorial projects at the post house and eventually worked on a television show. I must have impressed the producer and she was shocked to find out how much I was being paid (not much) and she poached me into unscripted television where I've been working quite steadily and doing quite well for the past 18 years knock on wood.

What did you love the most and dislike the most about your current filmmaking job?​

Great employer's and work-life balance. Pay is okay and business can be slow

Amazing work, credits and people. Building high function teams is an aspect of my role I love. It's chaotic but great environment to work in.

It’s amazing to run a film school. Academia is under attack.

I love teaching what I know to students and see them go on to successful careers or find themselves. I dislike the low pay and the time commitment which takes my time away from doing my filmmaking endeavors.

I’m freelance

Simple but that is also the downfall of the job our were also cut due to camp positions becoming offsite/automatic so to say

I love the talented people I work with and problem solving. The contstricting budgets and stagnant salaries are frustrating and the slowed upward movement

I like the most that I'm working on great projects and independents. What I hate is amount of work (need to start work more with assistants) and lonelyness. After this projects that I'm finishing right now I want to fully focus on my directorial debut that I'm already developing for 4 years now.

I love the collaborative environment and learning opportunities in each new project. However, I dislike the long hours and occasional lack of job security that comes with being a production assistant.

I like creative experiments. I don’t like working for other people or sitting at a computer all day.

I still love production. The thing I dislike on this one I'd the pay. It's a low budget job.

More consistent days

Gaffing is fun because it’s a marriage of the creative and technical — and when you bring your own kit, you get a nice bump to your rate

Same as my facebook answer.

I love that im on set interacting with all the cast and crew. I dislike the toll it takes on the body and sometimes the lack of autonomy.

The pay, the creative input, the problem solving

Fun projects but would love longer term jobs for stability

I like the money I make, I don’t like the long hours or how physical it is

Love working with the people, with high end cinema gear such as ARRI, and a 1 ton grip and lighting truck. We work on the biggest stuff in town more often than not. Nothing to dislike, other than I want to live elsewhere than boise.

Love its remote, the content is fun.

I love post production. But I want to be editing not assisting.

This is the first time I’ve 2nd’ed and I love the paperwork but I miss actively being a part of set. I also hate carrying tents but I love being on a small team.

I love working with students and I absolutely despise administration and academic politics.

Working on the corporate side is a bit less creatively fulfilling

Working with people I love and making money.I dislike the fact that it is computer based and mind-numbingly boring.

Again, wish I was paid better. I also want to work in scripted, but my current projects are all documentaries. They're also pushing me to do more editing work even though I'm an AE, and I'm not sure if I want to do that.

However, I like the team a lot and it's relatively steady work.

Very hard to make meaningful income from indie features, crew day play work usually pays much more

Such an awesome crew to work with and a supportive company

California location is nice, pay is minimal, varied group of students, some financial support for film projects

Still love it all

Dumb clients.

Love the high pay and high schedule flexibility, hate the unpredictability and current lack of work

It's alright, but it's a volunteer position that will end once production is over. Ideally, what I want is a full-time job where I can be paid but not burnout completely after.

Indifferent.

Answered earlier

I love the freedom, creative expression, flexibility, and variety. I don't love how much pay varies, the inconsistency, and how important self-promotion is.

The pay is great. The content is a little boring

I only want to write, but films take decades to get made so I'm not getting paid much. Also writing novels.

I love taking a massive amount of raw footage and figuring out what to do with it. I love finding little soundups and shots that help tell the story. I love that in unscripted I'm basically writing the show. I don't like dealing with network notes lol.

Please elaborate on your filmmaking goals​

Get produced

I would like to grow in my company and hold a higher job title

There's always room to move up. I enjoy the corporate environment.

I am still regularly making work, around a film a year. I’m also running a film school, which is rewarding.

I still want to return to the US and make a feature film there, but things are taking much longer than expected and with the deteriorating immigration situation, I'm re-aligning my goals to maybe pivot to making a foothold in my country if my US plans don't work out.

I stated previously more directing gigs would be what I would prefer

To continue in my career in this industy

I worked on succesfull projects that are awarded and screened all around the world.

My filmmaking goals include growing into a director role and working on more narrative projects, while also developing my own stories and vision.

Directing features.

Become a film director with own porjects

Ultimately, I’d like to direct and produce scripted comedy — but in film, the struggle to find meaningful paid work is meddles with your long term goals

Aspiring feature film director. I'll keep working until the day I die to achieve this goal.

I already have.

I will produce an Oscar winning film

1st AD

I am paying the bills, living a good life, and saving $$; that’s more important to me now than the title

I want to mostly work as a director, and currently I have to alternate this job with my projects as screenwriter and showrunner, a field in which it was easier to break in and I have more experience.

I want to work on Independent and studio feature films in the camera department. Currently I mainly work on commericals and documentaries.

Would love to consistently be editing feature or series documentary

I want to edit the best TV and Movies in the world and also write and direct a few of my own.

Directing my own shorts and features.

I'd love to make more of my own work. The only actual goal I have is to make something that is mine at least once a year. I'd love for that to expand into potentially directing a feature, but I don't want to force anything at the moment and just see what I can come up with.

I have learned to be flexible about what my future goals are. I could never predicted the strange winding path. My career would take. So I’m open to taking it into new direction in the future. I used to think I would only be a director or a creative, but I have learned that I am a good executive.

My goal is to move from “freelance” to being in-house at a production company.

I want to be a writer/director.

Production Designer

I want to work professionally in scripted TV or feature films. I'd also like to eventually become an editor, able to pick and choose my own projects.

Make big movies

Getting paid and not hating life

Feature docs with production company/grant/financial support

My goal was to build a career making movies. This is my 30th year, I've done that.

Want to direct a narrative feature.

It's been great for ten years and now I might need a new occupation entirely

I am pushing for a full-time production/development job.

I mean I worked on a Nolan film… enough said.

I want to produce scripted television

I'm working adjacent to the film industry (music videos/commercials/occasional indie film work). Long-term, I want to pivot into the film industry.

Feature

I’d like to edit a large budget scripted series

TV showrunner

write screenplays and novels

Being a paid screenwriter