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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Film School

Adam Ekblad

Adam Ekblad

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Hey RED Users,

I am currently 16 years of age, I have been involved in film since I was 12. I used to be an avid photographer when I was introduced to film I already knew a lot(Rule of Thirds, Frame Composition, Etc.).
Since then I have devoted (Probably) 1000's of hours researching, and worked on several short films and even a feature. I had been saving a 5D MkIII for 2 years(and I was almost there) until the R1 BT came up for sale and I jumped on the band wagon. I am now currently a Junior in High School with great grades(4.0) and I am looking into a film school. I wanted to start searching now so I not clue less on were to go!

Any Personal Recommendation?

Thanks,
Adam
 
Basically your tuition would pay for three things:

1 the chance to work on nothing but film, surrounded by others doing the same thing, with deadlines, guidelines and professors;
2 the chance to shoot 16mm and learn the art, the history, the work ethic;
3 the chance to fuck up. as a writer, as a camera operator, as a director, as everything.

the first is easy to do if you have just one friend who is as passionate as you are, even in the smallest town in the world. read the written works of great filmmakers, read scripts, write your own, find a mentor, shoot, shoot, shoot. if you want the structure and support network of a school, go for it. if you have the drive to take your new camera out and shoot all the time.... why pay for someone else to tell you to.

the second is easily achieved by working on sets. look up your favorite cinematographers, see how many went to film school. most would tell you as an undergrad, your time is better spent learning about an art or a subject matter that appeals to you. my gaffer was an art history major. study something of significance and then apply to grad school--or just start working in the field. psychology supports this view as well: at 17, 19, your mind is still making physical, neurological connections that will establish who you are for the rest of your life. and college is your time to study whatever you want, be whomever you want.

the most important is the last one. you are paying for a four year playground during which your mistakes will be forgiven as 'learning experiences.' you have to know what shit smells like before you can make anything of worth. maybe you might think you do now, but boy will you know after four years of student films.

the other object is, of course, money. I went to NYU. Should be called Loan-Y-U. The week I showed up in NY I was applying for jobs. I haven't stopped working, as a rental house tech, a projectionist, a lighting tech, a camera assistant, and finally a camera operator, ever since. school gave me a chance to learn how to behave. to learn how much I still have to learn about shooting. it did not in any way help my career. i got a fantastic job and never really graduated.

There have been many threads on this over the years. If you ever want to mine reduser--or any other hole on the internet--you can use a google search. site:reduser.net film school
 
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You will only get out of school what you put in. It costs a fortune and if you're not going to throw every last drop at it, it won't do anything for you. Spending time on a proper set is of up-most importance. You also can't completely rely on your own sets, that is a breeding ground for bad habits. Seek out a rental house or other more experienced filmmakers. Being a PA may seem thankless but you'll quickly get the idea of the business and set behavior side down pat. Best luck to you!

BTW - I went to Full Sail in Orlando in the Audio Engineering program. I learned a lot there and in the end it was worth the money but everything I now know about film I taught myself or gleaned from generous professionals who took the time to show me the right way of doing things. An apprenticeship may seem like a quaint, old fashioned concept but learning directly from a seasoned professional is bar none the best way.
 
Also an NYU grad... I feel like I was able to get a lot out of the program, especially as access to good equipment was very difficult 10 years ago. It definitely makes people take me more seriously here in NM, where there's lots of crew but very few people with a formal film education (compared to LA, at least). Now I'm 28 and a part time professor at one of the local colleges, which probably wouldn't have happened without the degree.

Everything Ryan said is spot on... Most of what you could get out of a good film program can be found without paying a dime in tuition, but I'm pretty sure in my case I wouldn't have been exposed to much 16mm, travel abroad, etc... If you've got family to help pay for it, or can land a partial scholarship, the private university route isn't so bad - and of course NYU and USC would be the first two to look at. Lots of good student work coming out of VFS and Full Sail lately... I would say most important thing is to pick exactly what you want to do in film - then search for the program with the best emphasis on that area. Or just go out and find a job/internship and start doing it...
 
Adam Ekblad said:
I am now currently a Junior in High School with great grades(4.0) and I am looking into a film school. I wanted to start searching now so I not clue less on were to go!
Click to expand...
Speaking as a guy who grew up in Tampa, I empathize with your situation. A few words of advice:

1) don't be in a hurry. There's lots to learn, and you need to stop, enjoy life, and not get too wrapped up in the future.

2) some of the most important life lessons I've learned were not technical issues, but more about philosophical issues and how to deal with people. You can be the best cinematographer or best filmmaker in the world, but if you can't get along with people, you ain't gonna get far.

3) schools can only teach you so much. You need to have a well-rounded education to have a handle on art, English, psychology, history, and a lot of other elements that go into shaping you as a person. Some of the best filmmakers I've ever met were those who had wide interests beyond far beyond the world of film.

4) having said that, schools are great places to meet other like-minded people, dream, experiment, and make mistakes. From my perspective, the three best American film schools might be UCLA, USC, and NYU -- all very costly, all big schools with huge enrollment. Be warned that the schools can give you the basic training on how to use the tools, but they won't necessarily help you find a job in the long run. And watch out for the trap of getting into debt on student loans.

5) figure out which part of filmmaking you want to specialize in: cinematography, direction, writing, editing, sound, whatever. Come up with a general plan of how to get there in 5-10 years. Don't be surprised if you start out doing one thing and wind up doing another. My joke is, we're all working in the same cesspool, just in different parts of the sewer.

Last general advice: be prepared to work much harder than you ever thought possible. No matter how much you're prepared for it, it takes far more focus, effort, and talent to become successful in the film business than most newcomers realize. There are many unglamorous, challenging, and downright miserable sides to working in film, and you need to be prepared for the bad days as well as the good. I spent three days this week in LA working on a fairly big-budget commercial, freezing my ass off on a drizzly set, but I've had worse days (including some memorable shoots at WTVT in Tampa back in the day). Still, in the grand scheme of things, I can't imagine wanting to do anything else.
 
Really depends!

Check out the curriculum for an undergrad BA for film and television at USC:
http://cinema.usc.edu/production/barequirements2012.cfm

I think most film courses are designed to offer you a 'curated' glimpse of a particular subject (e.g a few semesters studying the fundamentals of cinematic sound, etc), though we know it takes several years, obviously, to practice mastery of it or for any subject for that matter—but at the very least will point you somewhat in the right direction.

Studying as a film undergrad will give you more of an holistic approach, than the slightly more spontaneous let's see what I read on the internet and who I bump onto or seek out kinda approach or the I'll jump into this head first in the school of hard knocks approach—all of which will work as long as you're always learning and improving.


Adam Ekblad said:
Hey RED Users,

I am currently 16 years of age, I have been involved in film since I was 12. I used to be an avid photographer when I was introduced to film I already knew a lot(Rule of Thirds, Frame Composition, Etc.).
Since then I have devoted (Probably) 1000's of hours researching, and worked on several short films and even a feature. I had been saving a 5D MkIII for 2 years(and I was almost there) until the R1 BT came up for sale and I jumped on the band wagon. I am now currently a Junior in High School with great grades(4.0) and I am looking into a film school. I wanted to start searching now so I not clue less on were to go!

Any Personal Recommendation?

Thanks,
Adam
Click to expand...
 
Adam Ekblad said:
Hey RED Users,

I am currently 16 years of age, I have been involved in film since I was 12. I used to be an avid photographer when I was introduced to film I already knew a lot(Rule of Thirds, Frame Composition, Etc.).
Since then I have devoted (Probably) 1000's of hours researching, and worked on several short films and even a feature. I had been saving a 5D MkIII for 2 years(and I was almost there) until the R1 BT came up for sale and I jumped on the band wagon. I am now currently a Junior in High School with great grades(4.0) and I am looking into a film school. I wanted to start searching now so I not clue less on were to go!

Any Personal Recommendation?

Thanks,
Adam
Click to expand...


Adam,

once you finish mandatory school in your state, if your parents let you, there might be an other opportunity for you... Becoming one of the first 100 Film School Students at our KETCH ROSSi HUMANiTAS Film School facility in Italy, worth 100k of Scholarship... Of course rules and regulations apply, but again, depending on time frames, it could end up becoming an opportunity for you as well... ;)
 
Wow, First I wanted to thank everyone to their responses! I am really just blown away. Currently I am looking for more opportunities to work on set. Actually this weekend I am participating in a 100 Film Race.(I will post here when we are done.) I am going to have to go to college for something, so why not just make it film. I also have my back-up as a Professional Pilot, as I grew up around airplanes and I am currently working on my license.(I also Soloed last Saturday!) I will be checking out NYU, USC, UCLA, and Ketch Rossi Humanitas Film school. I don't know were I stand on Full Sail because at the feature film set I was on there was a graduate that did not know that you pull out the top part of the C-Stand before the bottom...Yikes:yikes:
 
Adam,

I couldn't reply to your PM as your Inbox is full, but yea this is as real as it gets, the School is form a USA based non-profit company, and will have two facilities one inUSA and the other in Italy, the main school will be in Italy.

Any and all new info starting form early next year, will be also posted on the main site here: http://www.ketchrossitreeoflife.com under "HUMANiTAS".
 
PM box emptied!

That really sounds great! I will seriously look into this!

Thanks a ton,
Adam
 
Marc Wielage said:
Last general advice: be prepared to work much harder than you ever thought possible. No matter how much you're prepared for it, it takes far more focus, effort, and talent to become successful in the film business than most newcomers realize. There are many unglamorous, challenging, and downright miserable sides to working in film, and you need to be prepared for the bad days as well as the good. I spent three days this week in LA working on a fairly big-budget commercial, freezing my ass off on a drizzly set, but I've had worse days (including some memorable shoots at WTVT in Tampa back in the day). Still, in the grand scheme of things, I can't imagine wanting to do anything else.
Click to expand...


couldn't agree more, I did a bachelor, masters and doctorate degree in film and the first few semesters were a rude and unglamorous awakening to reality. moved out from home when I was 18 to work in the industry, two years later I moved to the other side of the world by myself (from germany to australia) to study film. apart from the top 0.5 % in the industry, filmmaking is NOTHING like hollywood reporter and vanity magazine wants you to believe. be prepared that there will be a lot of unappreciated work and shit kicking going on, you will come across a lot of unfriendly, unethical, hardass people who would stab you in the back in the blink of an eye if it benefits them to the extend of even just a free extra large coffee at the catering cart. this is the hard truth....at the same time....if you have the determination to cut through all the bullshit it can also be very rewarding. if you like being creative and as long as you are always honest, friendly and hardworking you can get a lot out of this industry. every job is a new learning curve and you never stop doing something new.

dont be arrogant no matter how much you think you know or good you are, cause people will BURN you. dont brag about achievements. be humble, nice and friendly, swallow your pride, be calm and collected at all times and even when the shit hits the fan...never panic or do something that doesnt feel right in your heart...even when some schmick producer in a fancy suit tells you to....at the end of the day its just a job and not worth ruining your morals or life or friendship over it. I dont want to scare you but I've seen these things happen and the big guys love putting the thumb down hard on the newbies and youngens in the industry. Just last week I heard of a case where a production intern fell asleep on the way home from a shoot, crashed his car and almost died because some dxxxhead producer made him work ridiculous overtime and the kid was too scared to stick it to him and say "no, we have 10 hour days".

I worked as a tutor at filmschool and the number one error almost EVERY filmstudent makes is that they expect to get things handed to them just because they pay for a degree. This NEVER happens, not in the film industry and not in real every day life either...unless you're paris hilton or kim kardashian. Fimschool cant guarantee you a job in the industry either, but it can help you prepare for it if you are open and happy to put a lot of heartblood into it and show a lot of self initiative.

another great advantage of filmschool is that you meet a lot of like minded people...surround yourself with people you get a good vibe from and you enjoy working with and you can build a great network of creative people and achieve wonderful things.

For me personally, the two most important things i learned in filmschool were:

- making mistakes is human and even the big guys make them, dont be ashamed of it when you do....as long as you learn from your mistakes and dont do them again...you learn more from your mistakes than from your successes and in filmschool you can make mistakes without too many serious consequences. In fact, many tasks at filmschool are laid out so you will fail on purpose to learn. this is a good thing, embrace it.

- step out of your comfort zone, otherwise you will never progress or grow...if you only keep repeating yourself or work a formula that delivered results in the past things get boring and stale and sooner or later even your clients will move on. be brave and take risks and jump in the deep end.


this forum amongst many others is a great resource and community, even for upcoming filmmakers, to learn and exchange with experienced filmmakers.

all the best for the future and the choices you make.
 
KETCH ROSSi said:
Adam,

I couldn't reply to your PM as your Inbox is full, but yea this is as real as it gets, the School is form a USA based non-profit company, and will have two facilities one inUSA and the other in Italy, the main school will be in Italy.

Any and all new info starting form early next year, will be also posted on the main site here: http://www.ketchrossitreeoflife.com under "HUMANiTAS".
Click to expand...

What do you mean, as real as it gets ? Does your film school have buildings ? Does it have tutors ? Does it have accredited educational courses and qualifications ? Does it really have money behind it ?

Why not wait till your film school actually exists, and is not just a dream, before you start suggesting to youngsters that they may be awarded 100k scholarships.
 
If you are the sort of person who learns well from having stuff explained as well as doing it for yourself, Film School should be a blast. Just be sure you are always the first person to put their hand up when they ask for a volunteer to do something- if you cruise though you won't get much out of it.

Do you NEED film school? I'd say no. I did my first degree in Physics with Electronics, then a Ph.D. in Particle Physics, then ten years working professionally as a Particle Physicist at CERN and various other labs. Ten years after that, I'm running my own production company as a photographer and film-maker. It isn't Hollywood, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.

I picked up photography by doing it and reading up on it. Film-making the same. I used the day job to pay for it as a hobby, until I got good enough that my stuff started to sell.

The very best thing you can do is buy a video-capable camera: doesn't matter what. A dSLR which lets you take manual control is probably the best basic tool to get started (can't go far wrong with a GH2) but the video camera on your phone or a second-hand miniDV camcorder will be fine.

Then point it at stuff. Lots of stuff. If you can think of narratives, shoot them. If you can't, put together some mood studies of the area near where you live. Still got any toys around the house? Great way to practice cool shots. Your hand can be your own crane shot for a tableau of toy soldiers in a way you won't be able to afford full-scale for quite a while. You can light them with desk lamps, or cheap work lights.

Then edit it together. IMovie is awesome to get going, or freebie PC equivalent, anything that'll ingest the footage and let you do a basic edit is fine.

Shooting is nothing until you've tried to stitch it together into something which catches the viewer's attention. Set yourself a little project- a 30-second spot to advertise something you have lying around the place, like your phone. Or your friend's phone, coz that'll get you used to bugging people to be in stuff for you. Or their art project they're really proud of, or their shoes, or the best place to watch a sunset in your whole town. Give the shots voiceovers. If you're just showing it to friends and family, you can back it with any music you happen to have in your collection. Make out like those toy soldiers are going to save the world, and shoot with the intensity you'd want in a blockbuster. That'll show you how to cut things dramatically, match the beat of the music, learn the art of using montages and cuts and you can actually make those toy soldiers seem like they have feelings (try a slow push in to one's face cut with a shot of his dead buddy and you'll see what I mean).

I don't employ many people, but when I do, a show reel of stuff shot on cheap equipment THAT YOU HAVE PRODUCED, WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND EDITED trumps any number of polished pieces done under someone else's direction. Ideas outscore the use of expensive hired equipment any day.

Oh, and read Stu Maschwitz's DV Rebel's Guide http://www.amazon.com/DV-Rebels-Guide-All-Digital-Approach/dp/0321413644
The tech info is a bit outdated but the can-do spirit is what'll get you fired up to make your own movies.

Cheers, Hywel
 
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I would look into FSU also if you can. Have a few friends who have been/are in that program or have graduated and its a great program. If you're not too keen on the private schools with huge tuition payments that might be the better route as its a pulbic university so you're not paying private school prices.

I wanted to go to film school so bad throughout high school and even the beginning of my college career. However I wasn't accepted into FSU's program and didn't want to incur a huge amount of debt to an out of state school. I've learned that whether you go to Film school or not doesn't really matter though. It of course has huge benefits, such as available equipment, work on close to real life sets, networking, etc...however these are always things you can accomplish outside school as well. There's nine ways to skin a cat and if you have the drive and passion to do so you'll be totally fine no matter where you go. Just learn to relax like I couldn't, everything usually works out how it should, just enjoy you're ride.

but ya FSU ;)
 
I was in your same situation some many years ago; about to leave high school and wanting the opportunity to attend a "real" undergrad film school. The industry professionals I happened to meet pretty much ALL suggested I take the 100K (or cost of 4 years of film school) and make a short or feature film instead of wasting time & money on film school. Not feeling prepared to even know how to start making a film I opted to attend NYU Film undergrad.

NYU was a good experience. But it was hugely expensive (and has doubled since I've graduated) and the school/alumni network gave me absolutely 0% help/connections after graduation. When I began working professionally after NYU my school experience had little to do with the "real-world industry" learning curve.

If you are serious about working professionally in the film/tv industry I would only suggest the West Coast undergraduate programs like USC, UCLA, Chapman, etc as these schools have developed a framework and support system that is directly tied to the profesional industry in LA. In pretty much any other film school you are hoping that your student film will get you into Sundance, and by extension, into the professional film industry. If you have the time and money, my personal advice would be to get a proper undergraduate degree in something besides film (Medieval Studies is a good choice) and then spend 2 years in a film grad program. Graduate Film programs are where it's at. Any big name or even small name grad film programs are excellent and will give you a much more direct, professional experience/environment. USC, NYU, UCLA, AFI, EMERSON, CalArts, SVA, etc. etc. are all great grad programs. But I think the best grad film program in the country is at ART CENTER in Pasadena, CA. If I had the chance to do it all over again that's where I would go...

BTW: for your age, interest level, and taking into account how quickly the tech side of the film industry is moving... you'll most likely know much more about the present and future state of the industry than most of your film professors.
 
Hywel Phillips said:
Do you NEED film school? I'd say no. I did my first degree in Physics with Electronics, then a Ph.D. in Particle Physics, then ten years working professionally as a Particle Physicist at CERN and various other labs.
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Wow, but what about a mere mortal? It's true, you can learn to teach yourself, the books and information is out there.
 
Wherever you go (and whether you go somewhere), check out the following books:

http://www.amazon.com/Bare-Bones-Camera-Course-Video/dp/0960371818 (amazing technical primer)
http://www.amazon.com/Directing-Actors-Memorable-Performances-Television/dp/0941188248 (first fifty pages)
http://www.amazon.com/Save-Last-Boo...8&qid=1355523820&sr=1-1&keywords=save+the+cat (the beat sheet is all you really need)
http://www.amazon.com/Film-Art-Intr...=UTF8&qid=1355523839&sr=1-1&keywords=film+art (great, but watch the movies that are referenced)
http://www.amazon.com/Film-History-...8&qid=1355523845&sr=1-1&keywords=film+history (great, but watch the movies that are referenced)

As well as Hollywood Camerawork (unparalleled for blocking), and Dan Harmon's Channel 101 blog on story structure (for short films). All this stuff is pretty advanced (mostly these are textbooks for college courses and I believe the bare bones guide was once the textbook for cinematography at USC) but you wouldn't guess it from the titles.

It's a lot to take in! One thing to remember--content is king. If you are interested in movies that only gets you so far. Watch the top youtube channels--that's the future of visual entertainment. Not that you have to work in that style to be successful relative to whatever field or genre you choose.

If you're thinking school for cinematography specifically, get an undergrad degree in something totally to film production and go to AFI.
 
Nice list Matt. Some books I would add that are likewise "Bibles" of the craft:

Ansel Adams "The Negative" http://www.amazon.com/Negative-Ansel-Adams-Photography-Book/dp/0821221868 THIS is the art and craft of photography. A MUST read. The other books in the series are likewise amazing.

Rea / Irving "Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video" http://www.amazon.com/Producing-Directing-Short-Video-Fourth/dp/0240811747 Great intro book covering all the bases. Rea / Irving were professors of mine at NYU.

Doug Hart "The Camera Assistant" http://www.amazon.com/Camera-Assistant-Complete-Professional-Handbook/dp/0240800427 Long-time Local 600 AC. The best book on how to be a "professional" in the industry.
 
Maybe, consider a different approach:

School/college is, IMO, for much more than getting a job or learning a set of skills. As others have pointed out, there are many ways to get those skills and, in too many cases, the education doesn't lead directly to the job, anyway. Consider getting a liberal arts degree in something more broad like philosophy, literature, art, psychology. Liberal arts curricula tend toward teaching one how to think, how to evaluate and assess, how to develop perspective about what is happening around you. You learn how to learn; something you will need to do constantly for the rest of your life. These are things that can not as easily be absorbed in the general flow of life and, often the college experience is a reasonably nurturing one and these things can be pursued in a safe and supportive environment.

If you are as passionate about film as you say, you will find a way to keep doing that. The things I have described above will serve to enhance your filmmaking skills by giving depth to your perspective. Of course, college is quite expensive but if your parents can help and you can spend some of your time working while in school (ideally in connection with film and video), then I would seriously consider that route.

Best of luck. I am sure you'll do what works best for you.
 
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