Input needed Feedback requested on Film School Alumni Employment Outcomes Survey

[Chris W]

Hello everyone,

I'm thinking of creating a Film School Alumni Employment Outcomes survey to send out to past members of the site (we have over 16,000!) to getter a better idea of how film schools prepare students for employment and the success students have had outside of film school. Eventually I'd love to have a database on this built into the site but as that takes time to do and $$$$ to do right I figured the best way to get it going would be via a Google Form. After all, the application database started over 10 years ago as a Google Sheet.

Here is what I'm brainstorming for the survey and the questions. Please respond with any feedback or what you'd like to have included.

Film School Alumni Employment Outcomes Survey​

Demographics Information​

• Email address (required)
• FilmSchool.org username (required)
• When your data is posted on FilmSchool.org, do you want to: (required)
  • Associate data with my username
  • Remain fully anonymous
• Gender (optional – dropdown or multiple choice with “Prefer not to say” + “Other / please specify”)
• Race / Ethnicity (optional - same as above, multi-select allowed)
• Sexual Orientation (optional - same as above)
• Undergraduate film program / school name
• Undergraduate degree (e.g. BFA Film, BA Cinema Studies, etc.)
• Year of undergraduate graduation (dropdown 1990-2026)
• Age at undergraduate graduation (dropdown ranges: 18-21, 22-24, 25-27, 28-30, 31+, Prefer not to say)
• Graduate film program / school name (if applicable)
• Graduate degree & duration (e.g. Directing MFA 2 years, MA 1 year, etc.)
• Year of graduate graduation (dropdown)
• Age at graduate graduation (same ranges)
• How many years has it been since your most recent film-school graduation? (dropdown: <1 year, 1–2, 3-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 20+)
• What was your primary career goal while in film school? (single choice)
  • Director
  • Screenwriter
  • Cinematographer / DP
  • Producer
  • Editor
  • Production Designer / Art Director
  • Other (please specify in next box)

Employment Timeline​

• At what point after graduation did you first land any paid film-related work?
  • Immediately (within 1 month)
  • 1–3 months
  • 3–6 months
  • 6–12 months
  • 1–2 years
  • Never (still haven’t)
  • Other / please explain
• What was that first job/role? (free text response)
• What was the primary factor that got you the job? (multiple choice - select one)
  • Alumni network from film school
  • Peer connections from film school
  • Cold emails / personal hustle / self-promotion
  • Internship / assistant gig that turned into paid work
  • Agent / manager / union
  • Family / non-film connections
  • Other (please specify)
• Have you ever worked full-time, freelance, or on a project basis in a film role that was differentfrom your primary area of study?
  • No
  • Yes → What role(s)? (free text)
• 5 years after your most recent graduation, were you still working in film? (Yes / No)
• If Yes, What was the primary factor that got you the job? (multiple choice - select one)
  • Alumni network from film school
  • Peer connections from film school
  • New connections made from film work
  • Cold emails / personal hustle / self-promotion
  • Internship / assistant gig that turned into paid work
  • Agent / manager / union
  • Family / non-film connections
  • Other (please specify)
• 10 years after your most recent graduation, were you still working in film?(Yes / No)
• If Yes, What was the primary factor that got you the job? (multiple choice - select one)
  • Alumni network from film school
  • Peer connections from film school
  • New connections made from film work
  • Cold emails / personal hustle / self-promotion
  • Internship / assistant gig that turned into paid work
  • Agent / manager / union
  • Family / non-film connections
  • Other (please specify)
• Are you currently still working in the film / television business?
  • Yes → What are you doing now? (free text)
  • If Yes, What was the primary factor that got you the job? (multiple choice - select one)
    • Alumni network from film school
    • Peer connections from film school
    • New connections made from film work
    • Cold emails / personal hustle / self-promotion
    • Internship / assistant gig that turned into paid work
    • Agent / manager / union
    • Family / non-film connections
    • Other (please specify)
  • No → What are you doing for work now?
    • Are you between projects or have you left the business permanently?
    • How long has it been since your last paid filmmaking gig? (dropdown: <3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 1-2 years, 2-5 years, 5+ years)
    • If you are between projects, do you currently have any leads on the next one? (Yes / No / Not actively looking)

Role-Specific Achievements​

• Have you done paid work in roles outsideyour primary career goal (including PA work, general crew positions such as Gaffer, AC, Electric, Grip, Sound, etc., or other departments)?
  • Yes
  • No
  • If Yes, explain.
• Did you end up primarily working in a different track/role than your original career goal while in film school?
  • No - I am mostly working toward or in my original goal
  • Yes - I shifted to a different primary role
• What is your current or most common primary role now? (free text or dropdown with the same list as the original goal question + “Other”)
• Briefly explain the shift: What led to the change? (e.g., opportunities, financial needs, enjoyment, networking, burnout from PA/crew work, etc.) (paragraph text)
• How satisfied are you with this shift?
  • Very satisfied
  • Somewhat satisfied
  • Neutral
  • Somewhat dissatisfied
  • Very dissatisfied

Directors

• Number of commercial/feature films you have directed (numeric)
• Number of television episodes / shows you have directed
• Number of independent films you have directed
• Number of other projects (ads, music videos, shorts, etc.) you have directed

Screenwriters

• Number of commercial/feature films you have written for
• Number of television shows / episodes you have written for
• Number of independent films you have written for
• Number of your scripts that have been optioned or sold
• Number of your scripts that have been produced and released

Producers

• Number of commercial/feature films you have been the producer on (numeric)
• Number of television episodes / shows you have been the producer on
• Number of independent films you have been the producer on
• Number of other projects (ads, music videos, shorts, etc.) you have been the producer on

Cinematographers

• Number of commercial/feature films you have been the cinematographer on (numeric)
• Number of television episodes / shows you have been the cinematographer on
• Number of independent films you have been the cinematographer on
• Number of other projects (ads, music videos, shorts, etc.) you have been the cinematographer on

Editors

• Number of commercial/feature films you have edited (numeric)
• Number of television episodes / shows you have edited
• Number of independent films you have edited
• Number of other projects (ads, music videos, shorts, etc.) you have edited

Production Designers

• Number of commercial/feature films you have been the production designer on (numeric)
• Number of television episodes / shows you have been the production designer on
• Number of independent films you have been the production designer on
• Number of other projects (ads, music videos, shorts, etc.) you have been the production designer on

Was Film School Worth It?​

• To what extent did film school help you break into the industry?
  • Extremely
  • A lot
  • Somewhat
  • A little
  • Not at all
• If choice is choose “Somewhat” or higher → In what specific ways? (free text)
• Did you take out student loans to attend film school?
  • Yes →
    • Total amount borrowed (ranges: <$20k, $20–50k, $50–100k, $100–150k, $150k+, Prefer not to say)
    • Are you still in debt? (Yes/No)
    • If yes, approximate amount remaining (same ranges)
    • When do you expect to pay it off? (free text or ranges)
    • Was taking out the loans ultimately worth it? (Yes / No / Mixed) + explain
• What do you wish you had done differently while in film school? (free text)
• What do you wish you had done differently after graduation? (free text)
• Would you recommend your film program to someone starting today? (Yes / No / It depends) + explain
• On a scale of 1–10, how prepared did film school leave you for the business side of filmmaking? (1 = not at all, 10 = extremely)
• What was the single most valuable thing you got from film school? (free text – networking, technical skills, confidence, etc.)
• Any advice you would give to current film students about career outcomes?
• Anything else you’d like to share?

Anything you think I should change or add?