The reasons why some people skip film school may come as a surprise and may even sound reasonable. You probably think that the only way to learn how to make movies is by getting formal training and maybe a degree in film. That is not necessarily the case. There are actually many sources of the same information online that will show budding filmmakers the techniques and tools that they will need to make a film, and the bonus of skipping film school is the time and the money you will have saved, that allows you to explore other options to getting films made.

Of course, getting formal training is a great benefit. However, the one complaint that many people have about film schools is that they teach the same techniques and methods to everyone. This can limit the amount of creativity the film students will have when they complete their education. On the other hand, many filmmakers learn techniques in film school that they never knew existed.

One benefit of attending film school is the amount of detail about the entire process that you will get. You will receive a great amount of information in the short time that you are there, and experience every aspect of creating a film. This can be a great benefit for budding filmmakers. The disadvantage is when the film school you attend fails to provide you with adequate hands on experience for your to put to practice what you have learned.

Filmmakers who do not get this amount of experience in film schools will often feel as though they are not able to make the kind of movies they want to make. It can be very difficult for these filmmakers to work around these problems. The filmmakers that are able to take criticism and learn to grow from it are the ones that will be able to overcome these issues. If you are a filmmaker and wish to have all of the experience that can be gained in film school, you must make sure that you select a good school for your education. The school must be a place that you feel comfortable working in. This is no small consideration.

If you are not comfortable working at the school that you choose your creativity can be severely limited. If you are spending all of your time trying to feel comfortable and not concentrating on your films you are wasting your time. You must take the time to check out all of the schools available to find one that will be comfortable enough for your to work in. Ask questions and take the time to visit the school to get to know the environment. When you finally decide on a film school to enroll in, you must be certain that you have selected the right one.

Learn to write, shoot, edit, score and produce your own film at Asia’s Premiere Film School, the International Academy of Film and Television.

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The bulletin is a booklet (or book, in some cases) that breaks down the classes and resources offered by the school. It is updated and issued to students every academic year. Bulletins are typically be mailed to prospective students upon request, but many film schools have them online.

If you are applying to a large university, request the bulletin of the school that the film program is located in. For example, the film school at NYU is located in Tisch School of the Arts (TSOA), so you would request TSOA’s bulletin. Actually, there are three film programs at NYU, located in TSOA, the School of Journalism, and The School of Professional Studies. From this you can see why it’s important to request the correct school bulletin.

Again, a lot of this can be found online. Just keep in mind that the larger schools can be a maze of interconnected websites. To save time, you might try The Film School Reporter’s US and international film school directories (link below).

Perhaps better than reviewing the film school’s bulletin is calling them directly with your questions. We don’t recommend calling admissions. They are too far removed from actual film instruction and production, so their answers will be too general. The same goes for advisers and counselors.

What we recommend is that you call a member of the film faculty or production staff. They are in the best position to give you an inside look at the film school. Go through the points below with them. You’ll find that they are not out to “sell” the school and their answers will be surprisingly blunt.

Here is the checklist:

Equipment
What type of production and post-production equipment does the film school have? How often is it upgraded? This second question is most important. You don’t want to learn filmmaking on outdated gear. This can be determined by researching the school’s camera models online. Look carefully at the digital video cameras. Are they high definition (HD) or standard definition (SD). Standard definition equipment is fast becoming obsolete.

If they teach film in addition to video, is it 16mm, Super 16, or 35mm? 35mm is a big plus because Hollywood is reluctant to give up this format. On the other hand, 16mm and Super 16 have little value except as a stepping stone to 35mm.

Film Faculty
Are there any award winners? Check their credentials in the bulletin, and then crosscheck them online against the Internet Movie Data Base. You’ll be surprised by what you find.

Filmmaking Courses
Do they cover the areas that you want to specialize in (e.g., narrative, documentary, experimental, TV production, etc.). If you want to make documentary films but the school specializes in narrative production, you don’t want to discover this on the first day of class!

Ties to the Industry
What are the film school’s ties to the industry? Do they have successful (i.e., famous) guest speakers, faculty, or advisers?

Student Films
Are the school’s student films available for your review? Some schools issue them on DVD, while others put them online. Take a look-see. It will give you an idea of the type of filmmaking the school fosters, as well as its caliber. Are there award winning films in the archives? Successful alumni?

Student Exchange Programs
This is not for everyone, but it might be important to you if you have a desire to experience international technologies and film education.

Career Opportunities
Does the school have a student internship program or job placement program for graduates? There are two points not mentioned above that you should consider, both revolving around money. First, if the school you are considering is out of town, you must factor in the cost of living in a dorm or apartment during the course of your studies.

Second, you must consider the cost of making student films. Unlike, other academic programs, which only require books and supplies, film courses require that you make movies, which can be quite expensive. Some schools offer “allotments” to help defray the cost of production, but it is usually only a fraction of the actual expense. So, in addition to tuition, add on the cost of housing and making student films.

We hope this guide is helpful in researching the right film school for you.

-Antonio Fox

Visit Film School Juice! http://www.FilmSchoolJuice.com, dedicated to the art and craft of filmmaking for beginners and film students.

Here are links to the film school directories mentioned above: Best International Film Schools Directory and Best US Film Schools Directory.

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With the advent of digital equipment the scope of film & video production has widened. The usual Hollywood styled film production is no longer the only route to a career for film graduates. There are a multitude of opportunities in audio and visual applications throughout business, government and the entertainment industry. That means OPPORTUNITY for the keenest graduates to produce their own film & video projects, or to land the most interesting positions with leading film & video production companies.

Financing has been a dirty word for years in the film industry. The ‘Blue Suits’ and the cold heart of the banker are synonymous with the enemy of the creative. However, in this new era of opportunity you need to be both the ‘Blue Suit’ and the creative.

How do you find a way to learn about film financing, film budgeting, etc.? First let’s look at Film Studies programs.

There are so many Film Study programs available now that I find it confusing, and I’ve worked in the film industry for over 20 years. The Universities are taking a Liberal Arts degree approach to their curriculums, and the Colleges/Schools are primarily taking a hands-on technical approach. In either case, it is unarguable that Film Studies is big business. The following excerpt from The New York Times Company, published
March 6, 2005©, made it clear to me how big a business Film Studies really is:

“Some 600 colleges and universities in the United States offer programs in film studies or related subjects, a number that has grown steadily over the years…. At the University of Southern California, whose School of Cinema-Television is the nation’s oldest film school (established in 1929), fully half of the university’s 16,500 undergraduate students take at least one cinema/ television class.”

Which College, School or University will best prepare the graduate for a career in film & video? If a student has invested 2 to 4 years of their lives in this degree, how can they turn it into a worthwhile career?

Let’s see what the Universities say about their own programs, and the kind of results they expect – that is, what the Graduate will be capable of when entering the work force. This promotional letter, posted on one University’s web site, says it all:

“A major in Film Studies is not an occupational or professional degree. A sound program of studies in this discipline, however, should qualify a student for a variety of vocational possibilities. Obviously an individual will need to employ his or her knowledge about film in either a creative or a practical capacity and, in either case, exercise the judgment and initiative that a rigorous pursuit of a major in Film Studies should develop.”

The use of ’should’ twice in three sentences tells the story – it’s up to you, Bud!

Film Studies programs (at any level) either don’t address, or don’t address strongly enough, the major force behind all film and video production – the MONEY! If the word money is brought up at all, it’s only a handshake and a nod. Most undergraduate programs have very little mention of Film Budgeting, and such things as Cost Reports and Business Plans are treated as foreign topics entirely. The Masters programs are only slightly better.

The reason for the void of information on such things as Film Budgets, Cost Reports, etc. in the academic sector originates from the big Hollywood production machine. The perpetual negotiations with the three big guilds (SAG, DGA and WGA), as well as with the IATSE & Teamster crew unions has forced the producing studios to be extremely confidential.

That era of total confidentiality isn’t over, nevertheless there is a huge demand to know more about film financing, film budgeting, etc. The new crop of Independent Film & Video makers want to make their own projects, find their own financing and do their own film budgeting and reporting of production costs. It is even increasingly possible for producers to distribute their own projects over the internet.

Believe me, the film school graduate who has a thorough understanding of their Film Studies program, AND understands the basic processes of Film Budgeting, Cost Reporting and Business Plans, is light-years ahead of the pack. A film studies graduate who can help prepare a financing package (that is, help to prepare a Film Budget and a simple Business Plan) would absolutely blow away any Independent Film & Video Production company. Can you imagine an Independent Producer who wouldn’t LOVE to have help with preparing and presenting a financing package?

I used to assume that the film students had a lack of interest in Film Budgeting and Costs (of any kind). Not anymore. I recently did a survey of film students at a respected film school. Here are the results of the survey:

Over 80% of the students said they felt it was important to know more about budgeting and how it affected their careers as filmmakers.

Film & Video production is one of the biggest industries in THE WORLD (next to weapon manufacturing, of course). The wide spread use of digital medium has created a new opportunity. That opportunity, although less expensive than the Hollywood style film productions we’ve grown used to, is still costly and requires financing. How do you get that financing? Where do you start?

Answer: You start with the basics of Film Budgeting, Cost Reporting and very simple Business Plans. If you can calculate a focal point, or learn how to operate a video camera, a Film Budget is a piece of cake.

Based on my experience over the past 20 years in the film industry, I can confidently say:

1. Graduates from Film Study programs who know the basics of film & video production money (Budgeting, Cost Reporting and Business Plans) will find they can take on more responsibility in their film & video projects, and

2. as a result will have more successful careers than their peers who haven’t learned to prepare Film Budgets, who don’t understand any production’s Cost Report and who never saw a simple Business Plan.

So how does a film student get familiar with Budgets, Cost Reports and a simple Business Plan? I’ve been a Production Auditor for 20 years and I’ve NEVER shown a crewmember a Final Budget or a Weekly Cost Report (the universally standard financial report card issued to the Financiers and Producers every week) in that entire time. They are considered sacrosanct by Studio Executives, Producers and Financiers everywhere.

Well, I’m about to tease you with some relevant articles that will open the door enough to let you walk through. They’re written for the complete novice, so be patient if you’ve already been exposed to budgets and cost reports.

Written by John Gaskin – With 20 years experience in the Film Industry as a Production Auditor, John has managed over 40 major films all over the world. John has worked with some of the industries top professionals including academy award winning producer Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Walter Salles, etc. John is the author of several articles as well as a book,”Walk The Talk”. See more “About the Author” at http://www.talkfilm.biz.

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The first step towards getting into the film industry is choosing the type of career you want. Almost any job in the industry pays pretty well, so be prepared for lots of competition. You also need to keep in mind that you’ll probably be starting from the bottom, commonly as a production assistant (PA) – answering phones, fetching coffee, etc. Keep in mind that you will also likely need to move to where the work is available. In the film industry, that can mean working on location for weeks or months at a time.

Choose the Film School that Meets your Criteria

If you’re passionate about becoming an actor, don’t choose a film school that specializes in directing. Of course, you need to be familiar with all aspects of the business but you should choose a school that is strong in the area you most want to work.

Find a school that will let you choose courses that best suit your goals rather than handing you a set class list that you must follow.

With the popularity of film related jobs, there are film schools popping up all over the place. This means you’ll need to do your research to ensure you’re not paying thousands of dollars to get a degree or diploma that is considered a joke. Make sure the school has been around for quite a while and check their credentials. Many major universities also offer top notch film degrees which are well regarded in the industry.

Looking for more information about the top film schools for acting, directing or other aspects of the industry? Check out the Top Film Schools website at http://www.topfilmschools.info for more helpful tips and advice.

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The first step in getting into the film industry is determining what type of career you’re interested in. Just about any job in the film industry pays very well, so you should be ready for plenty of competition.

You should also be aware that you’ll need to start at the bottom, often as a production assistant (answering phones, getting coffee, etc) before any hopes of working in the field you were trained in. Also know that you’ll need to move to where the work is. If you’re planning on working in film this often means working on location for weeks, sometimes months at a time.

Choose the Film School that Meets your Criteria

If your passion is continuity, don’t go to one of the film schools that focuses on directing. While it is typically important to get a feel for all areas of film production, you’ll want to spend the most time focusing on your own career goals. Look for film schools that allow you to take specific classes in your film degree rather than a set course load.

With the popularity of film related jobs, there are film schools popping up all over the place. This means you’ll need to do your research to ensure you’re not paying thousands of dollars to get a degree or diploma that is considered a joke. Make sure the school has been around for quite a while and check their credentials. Many major universities also offer top notch film degrees which are well regarded in the industry.

About The Author
Nathan James offers information and advice about film schools at the Top Film Schools website. Visit http://www.topfilmschools.info for more information about getting into the film business.

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There is no doubt that there are so many different film schools out there which can provide you with the quality education that you will need in order to be successful in film. Since film is such a very competitive job field, making the decision to attend one of the best film schools will help you increase your odds of being able to get the best job in the film world. If you decide to attend one of the best film schools for your film training, you may be able to increase your chances of getting the job in film that you have always dreamed of before other students who are just as qualified as you are, but have only attended mediocre film schools. Attending a reputable film school which can offer you a quality education in film is something that anyone who is interested in being a film major should strive for, as doing so will offer you various benefits later on in life.

Of course, before you can make the decision to take the initiative to apply to some of the best film schools, the first thing that you really need to know is what some of the best ones are. The American Film Institute, which can be found in Los Angeles, is one of the schools that you may want to consider looking into if you are considering a degree in film. Not only is it very reputable, but the mentors that you will find here are already involved in the industry. Tisch School of the Arts, which can be found at New York University (NYU), is another excellent choice that you can make. Not only is this university recognized anywhere that you will go, but it also has various film-related programs to offer you.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is well-known for the department of film and television that it has to offer, making it one of the film schools that anyone who is interested in film will probably want to consider attending. The University of Southern California (USC) is also a film school which should be considered by anyone who is passionate about studying film. There are five divisions of film-related study which USC has to offer, one of which you will be bound to be interested in. Some other great film schools which you may want to check out include San Francisco State University, the University of Texas at Austin, Colombia University of the Arts, and the North Carolina School of the Arts.

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