Film School

[Steve DiMaggio]

How many of you guys went to a formal film school? Just curiosity

 

[Gene Sung]

Did art since I was a kid and went to art school in LA. Started my career designing motion graphics for TV in 2000, bought a Eclair ACL Super 16mm about 8 years ago and messed around and realized shooting film is a bitch. Started shooting seriously about 6 years ago with a 5D like everyone else, and it's been full on since then.

My theory is if you have a strong art foundation, picking up other visual arts is much easier. It's just transferring your skills from one medium to another.

Personally, I feel you learn a lot of practical skills in the industry, but a lot of my art foundation came from school, so it was important in a way.

 

[Marc Wielage]

I did a year of film school at Florida State, and enjoyed it very much. I got exposed to a lot of different points of view, we saw a huge number of important films, read a thousand books, and it made a big difference at how I looked at life and the industry.

At the same time, I don't think it's worth getting into debt to the tune of $20,000, $30,000, $40,000+ just to get an education at these specialized diploma-mill film schools (on the order of Full Sail and so on). I would advise going to an accredited state-owned school and get a well-rounded education on art, literature, philosophy, history, music, and all the things that help you look at the world beyond just film.

 

[Matthew Quinn]

I went to film school at BU

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

I agree wholeheartedly with Marc.

I went to Cal State Northridge (actually as a screenwriting major instead of a cinematography major) and I believe it has massively helped my development as a filmmaker. The freedom to do "nothing" except sit back and learn how the world works (both the filmmaking and the natural one) is, I believe, invaluable to the development of an artistic mind.

My only cavet is that it is NOT worth putting yourself into catastrophic debt in order to get a film education. One of the things I loved about CSUN was that I was getting a full, well rounded, education (arts, sciences, philosophy, history, etc), for an incredibly low price. While I may not have had access to the gorgeous facilities of a school like USC, I never felt like my education was limited as a result. If I wanted to do, or, more importantly, learn something, and I was willing to put in the work, then I could do basically whatever I wanted. (And it also helped that I live in LA and was willing to PA anywhere that would take me!)

 

[Kevin Reilly]

Agreed with Marcus. If you can't afford it without getting into debt, it's better to find something else. There are plenty of opportunities to grow as a filmmaker withoIt film school. If you CAN afford it, by all means go!

 

[Steve DiMaggio]

I have no interest in going to film school myself, I was just wondering how many of you professionals went. In the audio industry there are a few (mainly 2) that are not viewed as places you would want to hire out of, even though they are considered the "leaders"

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

I would never hire someone out of film school just because they went to a "prestigious" university. I've worked with a lot of idiots from USC and AFI and a lot of great filmmakers from schools most people have never heard from (including schools that don't have film programs.)

There may be some employers who only care about that? But I would hazard a guess and say that is few and far between compared to the number of employers in the film industry who hire based on skill, experience, work ethic, and attitude.

If this was Wall Street, we would probably be having a different conversation.

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

Like I said in my original post, film school is more about personal development than achieving an objective level of qualifications to preform a job.

That's one of the key differences in my opinion between the schooling and prep that a doctor/lawyer does and what a filmmaker does. An aspiring lawyer has to complete a certain number of classes and then pass the BAR to call themselves a lawyer. There is a checklist of items that need to be completed. A filmmaker on the other hand can only hope to constantly increase their chances of "making it" but can never gaurentee themselves that they have indeed finished "making it".

For that reason alone, the personal development that will come from attending the right film school is more than worth it to me. (As long as you don't put yourself into crippling debt to accomplish it.)

 

[Steve DiMaggio]

I thnk there can be value learning signal flow ect, time code (which I have no idea how to use) and things like that, but composition, exposure and things like DOP I think is best learned with a 35mm slr and some film!

 

[Marcus Friedlander]

I absolutely agree that the best way to learn specific skills is to actually go out and practice them. But I think what film school can really offer you is a chance to develop your mental abilities, rather than your technical ones.

While my film school did talk about a lot of the important technical terms, concepts, or rules of filmmaking. It was less focused on simple things you could ask a crew member on set or look up online, and more concerned with bigger picture ideas. A good frame of reference is to remember that film schools, for the most part, are not technical institutions, they are art schools.

P.S I'm trying to recall but I cant remember a single moment in my education where we discussed timecode. But I can give you numerous examples of film movements or directors that I've studied intimately during my time at film school.

 

[Steve DiMaggio]

funny because I would consider things like timecode technical and things like exposure and camera movements art, go figure! anyway I dont want to start a school vs no school thing just wondering what working professionals have done. I would consider an online school or something just to fill my time up if I had the cash

 

[Zakaree Sandberg]

save your money.. watch youtube videos, read, spend your money on shooting your own films...

dont waste it on a school or fancy gear

learn to write.. eat breath and sleep STORY

and one more time.. FORGET ABOUT FANCY GEAR

 

[Alberto Guglielmi]

I went to school for economics, graduated with a master on marketing. Went into consulting, dropped everything and went to be a photographer prior to directing. No formal school for either of them. I think as a visual artist you actually need to go to school on how to run a business, learn your technical trade through experience, and let your eye do the job. No one will teach you that.

 

[Steve DiMaggio]

yep, again I was just wondering who has went not that I am going, a good portion of our income is from video/photo already, really was interested in the hollywood guys and if they did

 

[Darryl Harris]

I went to school for economics, graduated with a master on marketing. Went into consulting, dropped everything and went to be a photographer prior to directing. No formal school for either of them. I think as a visual artist you actually need to go to school on how to run a business, learn your technical trade through experience, and let your eye do the job. No one will teach you that.

Hey, may I ask if you think your Marketing degree may have helped you as a director (as far as the business side/aspects)? And how? Thanks

 

[Shaeden Gallegos]

I am in my final semester at San Diego State University's School of Theatre, Television, and Film. My degree will be in Television, Film, and New Media B.S. - Emphasis in Production.

 

[Jacob Ryan]

I never went to film school. I always wonder how much better I would be as a film maker if I did.

However, I agree with Marc and Marcus about the cost benefit analysis. I went to Ohio State for undergrad, triple major in Finance, Real Estate and Accounting. It was here that I took some photography classes. I was full on into photography as a hobby. After working in the finance industry for 6 years, I went to law school in LA. Practiced law for 6 years. 5 years ago, I started my own business and quit the law firm. I still keep my state bar license and update it every year. Soon after starting the business, I transitioned to motion graphic and videos. It's been full on since then, making videos for my own company and products. I've produced and shot all our own video contents for TV ads, websites, etc. This year, we're expanding the scope of production to include cooking shows, how to interviews and a six episode TV show (focusing on product placement).

 

[Aaron michaels]

I went to film school in Michigan,We got well rounded with camera setups, lighting, film, digital,Editing,script writing, lenses ect.School will open both eyes and you will learn the correct way to do something. Don't cheat yourself because it is well worth it.

 

[Marc Wielage]

I absolutely agree that the best way to learn specific skills is to actually go out and practice them. But I think what film school can really offer you is a chance to develop your mental abilities, rather than your technical ones. While my film school did talk about a lot of the important technical terms, concepts, or rules of filmmaking. It was less focused on simple things you could ask a crew member on set or look up online, and more concerned with bigger picture ideas. A good frame of reference is to remember that film schools, for the most part, are not technical institutions, they are art schools.

The best thing I can think of that one can learn at any college is just the experience of dealing with people, and becoming a team player who's willing to work with and help all the people around them. Too many people get caught up in just their own thing and don't realize that everybody on a film set is fighting the same war, just in different departments.

I think coming away with a well-rounded understanding of writing, budgets, scheduling, directing, editing, color, and sound is still useful for somebody trying to break into the camera department, either as an operator or as a cinematographer. Seeing the big picture of what's going on is very important. I've worked on sets before where it was clear the makeup people, the DP, and the gaffer had as much (or better) of a handle on good storytelling as the director and producer.