Film School VS No Film School

[patchoooli]

If anyone wants to debate the pros and cons of gaining a film school education vs, say, the value of working your way up on set ...heres a thread for you to have that debate.

 

[Cortezbros.]

Can someone please argue why film school is the wrong direction for a filmmaker?

It seems like one of the main arguments against film school (outside of how expensive it is) is that a filmmaker learns by doing (i.e on a set) not by sitting in a classroom. However, USC and NYU students both make films constantly-- likely more regularly than someone who works freelance. I'm in the boat that film school is the right move obviously, but I really would like to here another perspective.

Thanks!

 

[Chris W]

is that a filmmaker learns by doing (i.e on a set) not by sitting in a classroom.

You learn by doing but you learn even better by doing by having smart and knowledgeable creatives critiquing your work in an academic setting.

Learning while doing is also much safer in school... As mistakes don't cause you to get fired.

But a good storytelling sense can be learned anywhere. Read tons of books... Watch tons of movies... Analyze them... However it's a lot more fun to do that with peers and film school easily allows that

 

[coffeeteaandme]

If anyone wants to debate the pros and cons of gaining a film school education vs, say, the value of working your way up on set ...heres a thread for you to have that debate.

I think the only disadvantage of going to school is that there is the possibility of coming out in quite a bit of debt. If a person wants to pursue film in LA or NYC where the cost of living is high and the industry pay is low, it could present a challenge. But I'm a firm believer that you can find a way to make it work if you want it enough! That is the only thing I could possibly think of - there are so many benefits of going to school like building your portfolio, collaborating with classmates and learning from awesome professors.

 

[Chris W]

I think the only disadvantage of going to school is that there is the possibility of coming out in quite a bit of debt.

Ding ding ding! Sadly however I know a bunch of film school undergrad graduates $120k in debt and no film career. I also know a lot of people who are doing quite well.

Regardless.... correct me if I'm wrong but there are only a couple of careers where it is absolutely REQUIRED to have a degree in that field for licensing and credentialing:

• Medical (dental, medicine, veterinarian, psychiatric, pharmacy)
• Law
• Teaching

Then there are the degrees where it is probably HIGHLY recommended to have degrees in your field due to career paths etc:

• Engineering
• Computer science
• Business?

Film certainly doesn't fall into the first category and probably not the second category as I know people in this industry who never went to film school. But A LOT of us did.... and that's because we love film and were interested in filmmaking so obviously we wanted a degree in film.

But Film School does not automatically mean Film Career. Again - I know a bunch of people who left and are not working in the business at all.

 

[patchoooli]

But Film School does not automatically mean Film Career. Again - I know a bunch of people who left and are not working in the business at all.

It pretty much is the same for all these creative careers. I did a Masters in Acting first and there are plenty of people who love to tell me Jennifer Lawrence didn't go to acting school. Ha! No she didn't. And i love her, she's great. But i wanted to act and get better at it and that was the only route for me. And now I can confidently call myself a professional actor with that training under my belt and siting nicely on my CV. It also introduced me to a lot of people who ended up hiring me afterwards!

 

[Comedynerd]

Ultimately, I look at film school like taking a bet on yourself. Just going to film school isn't going to get everyone a job but are you willing to bet that you will make the most of the experience? Will you be one of the hardest working in your class? The most dedicated? Will you make friends and do anything you can to help those friends who will in turn help you? Are you so passionate in your field that you can't imagine being happy in a different career path? If yes, then maybe it's a good bet.

But you're always taking a gamble, no matter what.

 

[Nick02]

Ding ding ding! Sadly however I know a bunch of film school undergrad graduates $120k in debt and no film career. I also know a lot of people who are doing quite well.

Regardless.... correct me if I'm wrong but there are only a couple of careers where it is absolutely REQUIRED to have a degree in that field for licensing and credentialing:

• Medical (dental, medicine, veterinarian, psychiatric, pharmacy)
• Law
• Teaching

Then there are the degrees where it is probably HIGHLY recommended to have degrees in your field due to career paths etc:

• Engineering
• Computer science
• Business?

Film certainly doesn't fall into the first category and probably not the second category as I know people in this industry who never went to film school. But A LOT of us did.... and that's because we love film and were interested in filmmaking so obviously we wanted a degree in film.

But Film School does not automatically mean Film Career. Again - I know a bunch of people who left and are not working in the business at all.

Be careful you might be labeled as pompous and entitled by some folks here for saying "But Film School does not automatically mean Film Career." "But but, I went to so and so" XD

 

[patchoooli]

Be careful you might be labeled as pompous and entitled by some folks here for saying "But Film School does not automatically mean Film Career." "But but, I went to so and so" XD

For what it's worth, I've heard industry people say the same things about going to film school as you talked about too, Nick. "You should just get out there and get a foot on the ladder' or "you should take the money and make your own feature" etc...
When i hear them say that, I ask myself, who knows what their route in was? Maybe they were born into a family of industry connected people? Great! Maybe they are born into wealth and can afford to make their own projects while doing other things? Wonderful! Maybe they just worked plain hard and we're lucky enough to get a break working their way up on set...? Good for them! But maybe they don't realise, these days, competition for those breaks is tougher for every year that passes. And besides, I just want to go. So who cares what they think, haha!

 

[Nick02]

For what it's worth, I've heard industry people say the same things about going to film school as you talked about too, Nick. "You should just get out there and get a foot on the ladder' or "you should take the money and make your own feature" etc...
When i hear them say that, I ask myself, who knows what their route in was? Maybe they were born into a family of industry connected people? Great! Maybe they are born into wealth and can afford to make their own projects while doing other things? Wonderful! Maybe they just worked plain hard and we're lucky enough to get a break working their way up on set...? Good for them! But maybe they don't realise, these days, competition for those breaks is tougher for every year that passes. And besides, I just want to go. So who cares what they think, haha!

YESSSS!!!!

 

[Chris W]

XD

XD?

 

[Nick02]

XD?

Laughing out loud with your eyes closed. It was a joke.

 

[Chris W]

Laughing out loud with your eyes closed. It was a joke.

Huh... Not familiar with that one. I must finally be getting old. I did just turn 40 this year after all.

Kids these days!

 

[IndecisiveElle]

Disclaimer - My post can be surmised as do what's right for you.

My perspective as a PA and AD is I've worked with pompous directors and producers who went to film school and ones who didn't - snobs are snobs regardless of if they go to school. People are rude to crew or nice to crew as a reflection of who they are as people. And each school has it's own personality and culture. I learned very quickly what schools I didn't feel like I would be a good fit for based on people I've worked with who attended them.

As a crew member on a wide variety of movies both big and small, I can say why 'working your way up' matters is because it teaches you the need to respect your crew. Not everyone requires personal experience to understand that conceptually but to truly empathize, you should experience being a PA or some type of assistant or crew member at least once. That experience can come out in the world or in school, but everyone should have that experience.

Every individual learns differently, I think school works for some and not for others because of this. Being thoughtfully self-aware of your skills, learning type, current network, and creating realistic goals is the only way to know if film school is right for you. When I left undergrad I never planned on attending grad school, now it feels like an important part of expression my passion (I love working in education in addition to filmmaking). Set goals and deadlines, but be open to what direction life points you in.

 

[Point Break]

Disclaimer - My post can be surmised as do what's right for you.

My perspective as a PA and AD is I've worked with pompous directors and producers who went to film school and ones who didn't - snobs are snobs regardless of if they go to school. People are rude to crew or nice to crew as a reflection of who they are as people. And each school has it's own personality and culture. I learned very quickly what schools I didn't feel like I would be a good fit for based on people I've worked with who attended them.

**statements biased towards writers**

Well said! Seems spot on and very honest. I agreed with everything you said before I applied.

The toughest suggestion I urge everyone to consider is to try and separate the school culture and personality from the people attending. Or at least try to separate these two initially lol.

I personally felt I wasn't the right fit for my school before attending, but I took a chance on them the way they took one on me. I'm not the average USC student by any means. But I learned a lot of structure, failed miserably, gained worthwhile experience, and eventually filtered out what didn't work once I discovered my process/voice.

'Working your way up' really is the best way to go about any career (especially production). Can't disagree with that.

Some final thoughts of encouragement during this crazy admissions season: some great writers apply, don't get in, then find other ways to learn more; other great writers apply, get in, and then find other ways to learn more. It doesn't end with graduation, but the network and exposure sets many graduates up for a better run at their careers.

Film school is what you make of it, because screenwriting (or insert your respective field) is what you make of it. If you're a good writer and a good networker, it's a matter of patience and resilience. If not, film school gives you direction, mentorship, and networking practice that people like myself desperately needed. Yes, everything in film school can be learned on your own, but writing is already a lonely vocation. It's more fun to connect with a community of emerging talent.

**statements biased towards writers**