Midlife career shift - film school

[Mirrorcrax]

Hello

I need some advice please.

I am a 45 year old with a passion for story telling. In the past months I experienced a traumatic event that led me to question my life choices, one of which is my career and passion.

Having been a story teller in a variety of ways throughout my life, and deriving the most joy out of it, I'd like to explore film making - screen writing and directing as my career. I've made a short film as part of a 1 year film course in Melbourne, Australia, and it was one of the most emotionally rewarding experiences. I've written several short film scripts, and experimented with editing and sound design.

Now that you have the context, and thanks for patiently reading it all, I am seeking advice regarding:

1. Which is recommended, a certificate, ba or MFA course? I already have a b.sc. in engineering, and a master in an unrelated field.
2. With savings of around 70k is there any good option out there really?
3. How much of savings do people normally have when applying? The entire tuition for all semesters? Plus expenses?
4. Are there schools that are more suitable for mature age students? Especially those with unrelated degrees?
5. Has anyone done this leap of faith before? And were you able to re-establish yourself financially after graduation?
6. I am a dual national, one of which being Australian, but most of the the good film schools seem to be US and UK based, will that be a problem?
7. Are there any courses/schools that are still accepting applications for this fall?
8. Any general advice related to what I mentioned?

Please be gentle. Thanks.

 

[shanng]

I'm actually making that career transition now! I'm 32 and am a Mechanical Engineer and Data Scientist. I had no prior experience; I just love film and got tired of waiting for other people to make the types of films that I wanted to see. I read a blog and watched a few youtube videos before writing my first 5 scripts and applying to film school, and will be attending Chapman University in the Fall for their MFA in Screenwriting Program. In my interview and application materials I used my non-film background to my advantage - citing my life experiences influencing the types of stories that I want to tell, and that are the basis of the scripts I wrote. I also analyzed a few films that I loved and ones that I felt didn't hit the mark for me, to show my knowledge of film and its importance to me. Schools don't care about your age or background, just that you demonstrate that you are a good storyteller, you know the types of stories you want to tell, and that you are truly serious about film (which it sounds like you are)/this isn't a spur of the moment decision. I told my interviewers my "Quit Date" for my job to let them know that I'm going to pursue filmmaking regardless, and they were visibly impressed by that.

My last day at work was 2 weeks ago. I've got ~$65k saved up, but I plan to use it to be able to complete internships and programs that don't pay well lol; I'm using student loans to pay for school (I don't have any undergraduate debt). MFA Programs seem to be pretty stingy with the fellowship/scholarship money. I chose an MFA program for the networking as I'm not from a "film" region and don't know anyone in the industry; cold emailing and tweeting scripts at random strangers all day just feels like working hard, not smart. I also chose this route for the education. There's so many people online giving conflicting screenwriting advice, some of whom have no credits or credentials, so I wanted to make sure that I'm giving the most credible information from reliable sources.​

 

[Chris W]

That sounds great. Good luck!

 

[Trinity999]

I took the leap this spring. I'm 47 y.o. and started an MFA/MBA dual degree program. I definitely say, look at all your options. Even though the big 4 are on the East and West Coast in North America, don't count out other film schools around the US as well. I decided to move to LA for school but wanted to go out here for over 13 years so it was a no brainer for me to apply to film schools on the west coast. You have a good foundation financially so that's great. I'd say follow your heart, perhaps visit the US and the schools you're interested in and the areas you might want to live in first. There's schools like University of Austin that has a reputable film school, Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, University of Miami, Florida State University, University of North Carolina just to name a few that aren't located in NYC of Los Angeles. If you do decide to go to film school in either Nyc or LA I must warn you, your money will get eaten up really fast in either city, Los Angeles is one of the most expensive cities to live in I can tell you that for sure. Follow your heart, be sensible, logical in planning your move; I wish you the best of luck.

 

[seNa33]

I took the leap this spring. I'm 47 y.o. and started an MFA/MBA dual degree program. I definitely say, look at all your options. Even though the big 4 are on the East and West Coast in North America, don't count out other film schools around the US as well. I decided to move to LA for school but wanted to go out here for over 13 years so it was a no brainer for me to apply to film schools on the west coast. You have a good foundation financially so that's great. I'd say follow your heart, perhaps visit the US and the schools you're interested in and the areas you might want to live in first. There's schools like University of Austin that has a reputable film school, Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, University of Miami, Florida State University, University of North Carolina just to name a few that aren't located in NYC of Los Angeles. If you do decide to go to film school in either Nyc or LA I must warn you, your money will get eaten up really fast in either city, Los Angeles is one of the most expensive cities to live in I can tell you that for sure. Follow your heart, be sensible, logical in planning your move; I wish you the best of luck.

Hi! I am very much impressed with your path! Which school are you attending rn? Can you tell about your application journey? I feel so much lost and am seeking for advice anywhere I can. Thanks in advance.

 

[Trinity999]

Hi! I am very much impressed with your path! Which school are you attending rn? Can you tell about your application journey? I feel so much lost and am seeking for advice anywhere I can. Thanks in advance.

Hi! First of all thanks for the compliment. I don't want to say which school I'm in rn bc I don't have the best opinion of it; It's in California that's all I'll say for now. The application journey for the school I'm now attending wasn't extremely difficult it's just the website wasn't very organized so it was time consuming as well as carving out the time to apply. Remember, save all your past film reels, art work so you'll have them on hand bc most film school applications use Slideroom and it'll save you a lot of time to have all of your application material in one place so you can just load it up. Have all your transcripts sent to the schools ASAP, it's a small thing but that's something can hurt bc alot of the deadlines are in early Dec. and schools start closing for the holidays; Get your transcripts sent NOW. Also be sure you have the money you need for application fees, they can be pricey. Make sure you have letters of recommendation ready available so you can just upload them or list the names of your recommenders.

Work on your personal statement and be clear as to why you want to attend film school. I think that's the one thing that one me a spot at my current school bc I was very interested in Entertainment Business and how the injustice of the WGA/SAG strike resonated with my own life difficulties. I know it sounds cliche but it's best to be yourself and show what makes you unique and can bring to the institution you want to go to. I watched a lot of youtube videos about my current school, I did my research about living expenses, etc before I even learned I was excepted. Again, it sounds cliche but remain in a positive head space even when things don't go as you planned, remember why you want to attend film school, to tell stories and work in the film industry.

On a personal note: I attended therapy every week to work on my confidence moving forward in applying to film school and I doing therapy again right now. It's good to talk to someone who is there to listen to you whine about all the stress and issues you're having with applying to film school while also dealing with everything else in you life. Well that's all the advice I have for you tonight but if you have anymore questions for me send I'll be happy to help.