Carrie_OFI
New Member
This could rightfully be called a shameless plug, but I just wanted to share some things about my experience in the Film and Video Production program at Oklahoma City Community College.
After graduating with a Bachelors in English from the University of Kansas, I moved back home to Oklahoma City. Finding neither a job, nor a purpose, I joined the film program here on a whim. And I found my passion in life.
I won't pretend to know much of anything about other film programs or film schools. Maybe some of the things that I'm about to mention aren't uncommon in film schools at all. (I really don't know.) But they've been important to me.
The Film and Video Production instructors here almost all have actual jobs doing what they teach. (A few are only recently retired, after many years of experience). My Film Sound teacher does post-production sound for a prominent local company, my Technology and Equipment Overview teacher has his own grip/lighting/sound equipment rental company, etc., etc. What I'm learning is current to today's industry, and that they're teaching what I really need to know. It also means that the instructors are teaching because they WANT to--Not because they're permanently trapped in academia.
Because the instructors hold these jobs outside of teaching, a lot of the FVP classes here are in the evening or on Saturdays. This has been kind of a bonus benefit to students who want to be able to hold jobs during the day.
Something else I like is that the FVP program here focuses on the hands-on, 'this is how you actually get it done' side of filmmaking. I've heard that a lot of four-year film programs don't cover these aspects nearly enough.
I know one person who graduated elsewhere with a Bachelors in Film Studies and couldn't find any kind of production-related job-- She could analyze the artistic qualities of a film, but she didn't know much of anything about how to MAKE one. So she went through the FVP program here at OKCCC, and now she's actually going someplace!
Not that there's anything wrong with learning the academic/artistic side of things! But since the classes in this 2-year program will transfer to a 4-year program, why not learn the practical aspects of filmmaking as a foundation for that? (Before you can express your vision on a canvas, it helps to have some experience handling the paints and brushes.)
And the equipment here is really top-notch. (Some of the lights are a little old, but they were certainly built to last!) Everything, from the lights to the sound equipment to the cameras to the grip equipment, is all in great condition. The computer systems here are spectacular, too-- OKCCC is a certified AVID training center and has "the largest AVID lab in the mid-continent." (They're really proud of that.) It has 29 AVID workstations, I think. I haven't taken Editing yet, but it's lots of people's favorite class.
Oklahoma City is an awesome place, too. I used to be a little down on it, but that was before I learned what's out there. Plus it's really grown a lot, even in the time since I moved back here. There's a cultural and economic explosion going on. Oklahoma City is not a homogenous place. There are tons of different of cultural presences, tons of things to do and places to hang out, and I assure you that a Saturday night in the Bricktown district will not be soon forgotten.
We've got a low cost-of-living, low taxes, and we've got a huge variety of terrains within a short distance from Oklahoma City. (Drive from the Sahara to an English forest in two hours! How's that for filmmaking convenience?) We're creating a bigger, better infrastructure to support productions. An independent filmmaker couldn't ask for more, and it's only getting better.
I used to think I would to leave Oklahoma as soon as I got a career started.
Now I plan on staying right here. I really want to be a part of this.
After graduating with a Bachelors in English from the University of Kansas, I moved back home to Oklahoma City. Finding neither a job, nor a purpose, I joined the film program here on a whim. And I found my passion in life.
I won't pretend to know much of anything about other film programs or film schools. Maybe some of the things that I'm about to mention aren't uncommon in film schools at all. (I really don't know.) But they've been important to me.
The Film and Video Production instructors here almost all have actual jobs doing what they teach. (A few are only recently retired, after many years of experience). My Film Sound teacher does post-production sound for a prominent local company, my Technology and Equipment Overview teacher has his own grip/lighting/sound equipment rental company, etc., etc. What I'm learning is current to today's industry, and that they're teaching what I really need to know. It also means that the instructors are teaching because they WANT to--Not because they're permanently trapped in academia.
Because the instructors hold these jobs outside of teaching, a lot of the FVP classes here are in the evening or on Saturdays. This has been kind of a bonus benefit to students who want to be able to hold jobs during the day.
Something else I like is that the FVP program here focuses on the hands-on, 'this is how you actually get it done' side of filmmaking. I've heard that a lot of four-year film programs don't cover these aspects nearly enough.
I know one person who graduated elsewhere with a Bachelors in Film Studies and couldn't find any kind of production-related job-- She could analyze the artistic qualities of a film, but she didn't know much of anything about how to MAKE one. So she went through the FVP program here at OKCCC, and now she's actually going someplace!
Not that there's anything wrong with learning the academic/artistic side of things! But since the classes in this 2-year program will transfer to a 4-year program, why not learn the practical aspects of filmmaking as a foundation for that? (Before you can express your vision on a canvas, it helps to have some experience handling the paints and brushes.)
And the equipment here is really top-notch. (Some of the lights are a little old, but they were certainly built to last!) Everything, from the lights to the sound equipment to the cameras to the grip equipment, is all in great condition. The computer systems here are spectacular, too-- OKCCC is a certified AVID training center and has "the largest AVID lab in the mid-continent." (They're really proud of that.) It has 29 AVID workstations, I think. I haven't taken Editing yet, but it's lots of people's favorite class.
Oklahoma City is an awesome place, too. I used to be a little down on it, but that was before I learned what's out there. Plus it's really grown a lot, even in the time since I moved back here. There's a cultural and economic explosion going on. Oklahoma City is not a homogenous place. There are tons of different of cultural presences, tons of things to do and places to hang out, and I assure you that a Saturday night in the Bricktown district will not be soon forgotten.
We've got a low cost-of-living, low taxes, and we've got a huge variety of terrains within a short distance from Oklahoma City. (Drive from the Sahara to an English forest in two hours! How's that for filmmaking convenience?) We're creating a bigger, better infrastructure to support productions. An independent filmmaker couldn't ask for more, and it's only getting better.
I used to think I would to leave Oklahoma as soon as I got a career started.
Now I plan on staying right here. I really want to be a part of this.
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