Hello all,
I've posted on these forums before a while back, but now I'm back again. So I'm currently taking my first steps towards studying filmmaking in the USA (I live in Israel), and hopefully in one of the leading schools in the field (I'm looking at all the usual suspects - USC, Tisch, UCLA, FSU, Chapman, etc). I'm aiming to start studying in Fall 2010 (I'm released from the army in February of next year), but I figured that it's never too early to start working on the applications, especially because there is a lot of work to do, but also because I read somewhere that it is recommended for foreign students to send in their applications as early as possible, because of the longer time it takes for correspondences to take place.
Anyway, I've already done the first stage which is taking the SAT - Got 2140, which I guess isn't bad at all, but it's not really THAT important in film school as far as I know - and I will of course also have to take the TOEFL at some point, but there's no rush as you don't have to study for it. In any case, I would rather shift my focus to the more difficult aspects of the applications, about which I have a few questions and hope that I can get advice from fellow applicants/current film school students/film school alumni. If there are any foreigners around here who went to a US film school who could help me out and give me specific advice about their own applications, I'd really appreciate it!
So each school has some variants in their application requirements, but most of them have a few common themes about which I was hoping to get some advice/information. So let's just go through all of them:
- Letters of recommendation. Is there anybody in particular I should ask for letters from? What are the admissions offices looking for in the letters? I can get letters from my two former film teachers from high school, but that only covers that aspect. What else would they like to see in the letters?
- Personal essay. A lot of emphasis is placed on this on the film school web sites, and the build-up makes me pretty nervous about it. So what are they looking for in these letters? Just an autobiography, or something more specific alluring to aspirations in filmmaking? How can I express ambition without being arrogant? How can I be humble without coming across as self-loathing?
- Portfolio. Most of the schools ask for original creative writing examples tailored to their specific requests, but others (Tisch for example) also ask for prior creative work in any artistic field, including but not limited to filmmaking. Thing is, they have some pretty strict limitations on these portfolios, for example, no more than 10 minutes of filmed material, no more than 6 pages of creative writing, and no more than 10 photographs or drawings. Since I haven't painted/drawn anything substantial since I finished art school in the 9th grade, since my photography is at an amateur/hobby level and nothing more, and since my writing is... underdeveloped to say the least, I think that my best chance would be to go with something I filmed during my film studies in high school (as I already mentioned; being in the army, I don't really have much time to film anything). Thing is, the only thing I made that I feel is REALLY worth showing is my "final" film, and the problem is that it's 25 minutes long. So what do I do? I want to show them that I not only know how to point a camera or light a scene but also that I can tell a story. So, do I cut it into a 10-minute version that touches upon all the major plot points but will still be somewhat incoherent? Or do I make a sort of "director's reel", taking the most impressive shots/sequences of all my previous movies and edit them all together? Or wound that be too pretentious?
- Creative writing. Some of the schools request to send an example of original creative writing, which is usually some variation of dramatizing an emotional event from your life. I was just wondering if there are any specific recommended ways of writing this piece: First person? Third person? As an essay? Screenplay? Does anything go, or are there limitations? Most places aren't very specific about it.
I know there are plenty of contributors to these forums who are either in their applications procedure, enrolled in film school or have graduated from film school, so any and all advice you guys have to offer would be humbly appreciated and obliged. Thanks in advance!
I've posted on these forums before a while back, but now I'm back again. So I'm currently taking my first steps towards studying filmmaking in the USA (I live in Israel), and hopefully in one of the leading schools in the field (I'm looking at all the usual suspects - USC, Tisch, UCLA, FSU, Chapman, etc). I'm aiming to start studying in Fall 2010 (I'm released from the army in February of next year), but I figured that it's never too early to start working on the applications, especially because there is a lot of work to do, but also because I read somewhere that it is recommended for foreign students to send in their applications as early as possible, because of the longer time it takes for correspondences to take place.
Anyway, I've already done the first stage which is taking the SAT - Got 2140, which I guess isn't bad at all, but it's not really THAT important in film school as far as I know - and I will of course also have to take the TOEFL at some point, but there's no rush as you don't have to study for it. In any case, I would rather shift my focus to the more difficult aspects of the applications, about which I have a few questions and hope that I can get advice from fellow applicants/current film school students/film school alumni. If there are any foreigners around here who went to a US film school who could help me out and give me specific advice about their own applications, I'd really appreciate it!
So each school has some variants in their application requirements, but most of them have a few common themes about which I was hoping to get some advice/information. So let's just go through all of them:
- Letters of recommendation. Is there anybody in particular I should ask for letters from? What are the admissions offices looking for in the letters? I can get letters from my two former film teachers from high school, but that only covers that aspect. What else would they like to see in the letters?
- Personal essay. A lot of emphasis is placed on this on the film school web sites, and the build-up makes me pretty nervous about it. So what are they looking for in these letters? Just an autobiography, or something more specific alluring to aspirations in filmmaking? How can I express ambition without being arrogant? How can I be humble without coming across as self-loathing?
- Portfolio. Most of the schools ask for original creative writing examples tailored to their specific requests, but others (Tisch for example) also ask for prior creative work in any artistic field, including but not limited to filmmaking. Thing is, they have some pretty strict limitations on these portfolios, for example, no more than 10 minutes of filmed material, no more than 6 pages of creative writing, and no more than 10 photographs or drawings. Since I haven't painted/drawn anything substantial since I finished art school in the 9th grade, since my photography is at an amateur/hobby level and nothing more, and since my writing is... underdeveloped to say the least, I think that my best chance would be to go with something I filmed during my film studies in high school (as I already mentioned; being in the army, I don't really have much time to film anything). Thing is, the only thing I made that I feel is REALLY worth showing is my "final" film, and the problem is that it's 25 minutes long. So what do I do? I want to show them that I not only know how to point a camera or light a scene but also that I can tell a story. So, do I cut it into a 10-minute version that touches upon all the major plot points but will still be somewhat incoherent? Or do I make a sort of "director's reel", taking the most impressive shots/sequences of all my previous movies and edit them all together? Or wound that be too pretentious?
- Creative writing. Some of the schools request to send an example of original creative writing, which is usually some variation of dramatizing an emotional event from your life. I was just wondering if there are any specific recommended ways of writing this piece: First person? Third person? As an essay? Screenplay? Does anything go, or are there limitations? Most places aren't very specific about it.
I know there are plenty of contributors to these forums who are either in their applications procedure, enrolled in film school or have graduated from film school, so any and all advice you guys have to offer would be humbly appreciated and obliged. Thanks in advance!