Is film school worth it?

[Third Eye Entertainment]

Is film school worth attending, or should someone who wants to get into film just get internships at a studio, and major in something else to fall back on in case film doesnt work out?

I'm considering going to CSULB for Film, but I'm also starting an internship at Raleigh Studios as a gopher, and I'm curious if I should bother to get a degree in Film, or get a degree in something to fall back on, and try my damndest to get into the business?

Also, how difficult is it to get into the film editing business, just doing the cutting, editing, musical additions, special effect additions, etc?

 

[Fellini77]

I´m a camera assistant and all the directors I´ve worked with say that what makes a good director is "experience". If you can get a job at a studio go 4 it and work hard.
Film School is good because you get to know the right people but its not a "job maker", do you know what I mean?
I can give you a list of 100 good directors with film school degrees and another list with no degrees.

So, what makes a good director?

Many factors:

- Show yourself: write many good stories and make your own short films.

- read alot of books about filmmaking and books in general.

- know the rite people. "who you know" is also very important.

- Watch many films you can: old and new.

- learn the basics of filmmaking.

- be passionate about filmmaking and nerver give up.

 

[Evan Kubota]

I can give you a list of 100 good directors with film school degrees and another list with no degrees.

I'd love to see your list, because I can't even come up with a hundred good ones currently working/alive, with or without degrees!

Education is always worthwhile, but in this case I'm not sure getting a degree in production is worthwhile. Saying that film school is not a 'job maker' (probably true, for the record) is basically a tacit admission that it's not going to help you find gainful employment doing what you want in the industry. I know that if I had money to disburse for a project I would want to see previous work from a potential director, whether short films or written pieces. This would be much more relevant than whether they had a degree, IMO.

The basic building blocks of improving your filmmaking capabilities are thinking, reading, and watching as many films as possible.

 

[Third Eye Entertainment]

So would you recommend getting a degree in something else as a fall-back plan in case my plans as a film maker don't work out, or will a degree in "Film and Electronic Arts" come in handy somewhere else?

Also, I would love to be a film editor in charge of adding in the special effects once they come from the effects houses, or just splicing everything together... is this a tough business to get into, and will this degree help, or is it again just experiance?

 

[Fellini77]

Evan, I didnt said they were good...they have sucess. We cant denie that.

degree generation: all movie brats like scorsese, coppola, lucas, spielbeg, oliver stone and spike lee (later) - almost evreyone from NYU or USC.

Self made directors: sofia coppola, spike jonze, tarantino, rodriguez, michel gondry, kevin smith...

 

[Kurt Wagner]

i think it dependws on who you ask. To some, education is really important. But I think most will agree that having a degree doesn't get you a job. School is good for learning and making contacts, but there are other ways to do this also.

 

[Fellini77]

yes education is important and a degree makes your CV a lot stronger.
I already have a degree (journalism) and because of that I could get in my national film school. I wont do that because its a lot of years (5) and I want to go to NYU.
I heard also that the 2 year program in USC is also very good.The guy who did donnie darko went there.

 

[Evan Kubota]

Evan, I didnt said they were good...they have sucess. We cant denie that.

Actually, you did use the word "good"... not sure how else I could have read it.

 

[jgeorgie33]

All film school is worth is the experience. It can't hurt you, other than take up a few years of your life, so I'm not completely against film school. Though, I always tell everyone, if you want to make a movie, you have to know how.

It's not at all like other professions. Especially if you're only going to work on an indie level.

Besides there's all kinds of free online film schools nowadays

--
Joanna Georgie
student loan consolidation

 

[linajules]

There are a few film programs out there that are not prestigious, but also not expensive. And if you want to get into editing you need to know what you're doing so either buy the equipment and learn it on your own-or do a short tech. program. You can read filmmaking books to make up for the lack of theory taught in these short programs. Either way, start editing movies now, or if you're already doing that try to work on student or indie projects. Film school is (I think) worth it, but like college in general, it's not for everyone.

 

[Jayimess]

A year out of USC, I think it was. You get to just make movies for however long your program is, without having to treat it as a hobby. It's your job, but it's not about the money while you're a student. That makes it a lot easier to keep it as your job once you graduate. I spend so much time earning money working for others, it's hard sometimes to find room to do what I love for free. I miss that freedom...and the deadlines helped with discipline...you knew eyes would feast upon your work and help you make it better.

I have about 15 friends from undergrad who moved out here since I arrived in 2007...some who went to film school, Chapman, AFI, USC like me, and others who just came out here blind. Most are working fully in the industry, jobs they've had for a year or more, and you can directly trace their employment to their network from back home. We who went to film school have that, but we also have the network we've built at USC, our internships, and our work experience. The ones who are still looking for that first consistent gig seem to struggle to get internships without being students...I'd say about 2/3rds have an enrollment requirement due to strict free labor laws in California....

My first studio gig was due to an internship I got through a professor at USC. My current job in development is through connections at USC.

To me USC was worth it, but you can make connections in many, many ways besides taking classes with people.

 

[David McPeek]

Film school might not be a sure-fire way to book a job; yes, you don't require a degree to make it in the business, but we have to look at the fundamentals of education. No, the degree does not mean much when looking for a job. But a film school education is not about the degree, it's about engaging yourself in a rigorous, purely educational environment to find your voice and to find your passion. These two things, along with networking with all kinds of film students, are the keys which those with film degrees can utilize most effectively when finding and booking jobs.

 

[Chris W]

We just released the early results of a study looking into the true ROI of film school. I hope you find it insightful!

Article 'Is Film School Worth It? What Actual Employment Data Reveals'

Film Schools rarely if ever share or gather alumni employment statistics. In order to shed light on how successful film schools really are in preparing their students for finding success and finding full-time employment in the film industry, FilmSchool.org is doing a detailed anonymous alumni...

• Chris W
• Yesterday at 1:54 PM
• 90 min read
• Category: Life After Film School
• alumni alumni outcomes employment