I’m about to graduate from University with a film studies degree, and I think if anything it’s been a good building block for eventually going into production. From the studies side of it, it’s always good to get to hear diverging opinions on films and do some research, as well as just be exposed to as many as possible.
I think the production side of it is trickier. Unless you have a really good teacher, a lot of the things you learn could be picked up by hands on experience volunteering for student films or reading books.
I’d like to get into film production, but I’m wary of film production schools. I see the networking aspect of it though, Fredo. Thats probably the best part.
I don’t think it’s a waste of time. It wasn’t for me, but far from a waste of time.
Didn’t go to film school, went to a UC and majored in History of all things. But I did do a minor in film studies and enjoyed it immensely.
@Crap Monster
I think majoring in something else can be quite beneficial, especially because it makes you a more well-rounded person and you can apply those experiences to filmmaking (should you choose to be a filmmaker).
It’s also been my experience that several people I went to school with realized while in school that filmmaking wasn’t for them and when they graduated, went on to something else. They’re the ones who probably benefit the most because at least they learned this while in school instead of just going straight into the business, working your ass off to try to climb the ladder only to one day realize directing isn’t for them.
Great reply Fredo,
Since the first day i started film school i did not know if I was doing something wise with my life. And now, after graduating a year ago I still don’t know if it was the wisest decision. It is always the fear of the missing chances in life that makes me doubt every second. I made some of my best friends in Film School and I was exposed to great films and topics I wouldn’t have ever imagined. so to answer the simple question: no, I don’t think it was a waste of time.
I got a chance to learned about myself, and (like any other art form) to understand life a little better.
Fredo, thats sort of what happened to me. I started at community college as a film prod major but quickly learned that I hated it. I then switched to anthro which I found interesting at the time and hence transferred under that as my major. Strangely once I got to uni, my first anthro class was complete crap and made me switch out to history which I ended up loving but currently….Im sort of regretting doing it.
Not that I wish I did film, but simply that it was a poor call to major in something like history which is honestly useless in the job market, especially today when the the unemployment rate is skyrocketing.
I went to film school and while I certainly don’t regret it, I do freely admit it was a waste of time and money… that being said, there are many worse things to waste time and money on out there… so pick your poison.
I do sometimes long for the good sense PTA had, dropping out of film school and using the money to produce his first film.
I took a handful of film classes after spending some years as a fine arts major. I found that it was helpful to spend so much time talking about aesthetics but realized many of the people there weren’t interesting and wanted to make zombie films and Adam Sandler comedies. Of course those things are fine because they will make money as a certified career and all but I switched out to Critical Theory/Cultural Studies. I think talking about cinema aesthetics through psychoanalysis and etc. is more of what I’m personally interested in doing.
Going to school for things like this are always arguably regretful because you want to think that you would have spent the time more productively but its likely you’re bullshitting yourself. You probably got enough out of just being able to talk about movies than not. Though after a semester in a film history class there was a kid who had never heard of Casablanca. I’m not making this up. And what was more disappointing was that the others in the class weren’t surprised. So… school is good and school is bad.
Here’s a lengthy story about my film school experience [short on drama and heavy on reflection : ) ]:
I went to the Seattle Film Institute, which is a production school, after spending some time at the University of Arizona’s Media Arts BFA program.
Between the two, I’d definitely recommend the production school, as you can theorize about film to death, but I feel there’s not a true understanding of the medium until you’ve tried it and gotten hands on experience at least trying to make a film.
That being said, I think it’s vitally important that a production school has a good film history class running throughout; without a solid basis in film history learning production is pretty useless. At SFI we were lucky to have Professor Lance Rhodes from the University of Washington, who introduced us to a wide spectrum of great films from across film history.
Unfortunately SFI’s production class was a bit flawed; I felt like I didn’t get to make enough (short) films to get all the experience I wanted. I was happy with what I did do, but I wanted to keep developing – the one year program wasn’t enough for that. Additionally, the way the class was set up it was heavy on the competition and short on tangible, quality results. I’m not sure if any school has worked out an excellent production program though – it’s always a compromise of time and money, just like real filmmaking often is I suppose.
And speaking of which, I feel like the money I spent on school could have just as well gone towards trying to make a first feature – even if the end product was a failure, you’d learn a lot, and have the experience to show for it - the main thing I’m looking for post-film school is some feature production experience (ideally making my own feature! – but that takes more money to do…)
Overall, I was happy with the experience, the main thing I came away with is that the more work you put in at the school, the more you come away with. That’s the other good thing about a production program: you’re working for your demo reel; the harder you work, the better it will be. A lot of students seemed to think that if they just made it through, their Certificate would be their ticket to success; that’s not how it works in the industry though; it’s all about your experience and what you have to show for it.
In other words, you have to rely more on your talent and hard work in the end than anything your film school can give you. I’ve gotten a good amount of jobs with my experience at SFI, including a short documentary project this summer, which will hopefully lead to further projects…the results aren’t immediate, but I think film school puts you on the right path if you’re motivated to make films.
Well said Ben. I am in complete agreement that “you can theorize about film to death, but I feel there’s not a true understanding of the medium until you’ve tried it and gotten hands on experience at least trying to make a film.” Having hands on experience can help immensely in film critique and analysis.
One huge advantage, with a graduate film program at least, is that a Master’s in Film Production or Film History will give you the credentials to teach film at a university.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned this yet.
@Ben Pettaway – very good point. A friend of mine is at AFI for that exact reason (just in case the filmmaking thing doesn’t work out).
I think MFA would be great. Being around with people that really (in most of the cases) wants to study something is a very good idea. A common graduation has too many people that are going to discover that did a bad professional choice, and are gonna discover would be happier studying medicine.
Go to a real university as opposed to an art school and major in something practical. Work in production for a couple of years and then get the master’s in film if you feel that production isn’t feeding your theory jones. I got a BFA in film and I do regret it. It’s a useless degree and the art school that I got it from didn’t teach a general education. If you want to learn philosophy or history you are SOL, which is silly.
Denis Leary, who spoke at my graduation (can anybody guess the college?), said (paraphrasing):
“If you want to be a filmmaker, take all the money you’d spend going to film school, don’t go, and make a film.”
As much as I agree with Mr. Leary’s opinion; the mark of a filmmaker is on the films he’s made… I have to say that I do not regret at all going to film school. Mainly for the simply network of people that you are continually surrounded by. Film is a collaborative art form, and film school allows you to see how important that is. It brings so many creative heads into a room, which all of them think their ideas are the best, and yours are shit, and you find the ones that you work well with, that you have a collaborative vision, and that you want to continually be working with. I personally have one member of my fellow classmates that I connected greatly with, and we have been working together ever since.
Another great reason to go to film school is it gives you the drive to do what you’re not passionate about, to be able to accomplish all that you are passionate about. For me, it was producing. Something I rarely looked twice at, but when I went to film school I found I had a knack for producing and was skipping essential steps towards my success in my goals.
The probelm i had with film school was after spending a large amount money and going through a ton of interviews to get into the film school i went too, i knew a week or two into it that it was a complete waste of time. Basically you are dealing with 20 people with egos who all want to be direct or write. Which at the end of the day wasn’t going to happen. so you had very frosty atmosphere between people in class and on a film set.Another thing that bothered me was a lot of it was about business and computer graphics and designing websites, which i wasn’t really interested in.
A lot of people as well weren’t interested in cinema or films, i was shocked that half of the class would fall asleep while we were watching Breathlessor the 4oo Blows. I personally think its a waste of time and i would recommend get yourself a camera and go out and make shorts films. i learned more from that then anything else.
Fredo
I could rant and rave and go on and on about this but for my initial post, I’ll just pose this question: Is there anyone that went to film school (whether graduate or undergraduate) and graduated and now regrets it? I’ve heard various people say film school is a waste of time but these people always preface by saying they never went to film school. Well how about the people that did actually go – did you find it a waste of time?
My suspicion is that if there are people out there who hated film school and were disappointed, it might be because they were expecting something unrealistic. It’s all about what you expect, what you want to get out of it. For myself, it wasn’t to learn how to make films (I knew going in film school isn’t meant for that). What I hoped to get out of it was the networking, the relationships, etc. I didn’t know anybody in the industry before I went to film school and now I know tons! So, mission accomplished.
Oh, there I went. Little bit of a rant. So the question is, did you like film school and do you think it helped you? Why or why not?