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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 :)

RED or Film School?

The KoNE said:
I hope they gave you pointers as how to have a professional attitude and be respectful of your coworkers, otherwise it looks like the best way to form the people I don't like working with! :blink: I loathe sweet-talkers, bullshitters and grovellers! I really enjoy making an honest respectful hard working living.
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Those people became the producers! :-) There's a reason they stay in the production office.

Seriously though, people like that are a necessary part of the business of film. Having excellent producers will let you be as creative as you can be, get what you need, and still earn a living for you and your associates.

Of course we had gear and facilities from the film school, it was only the people who wanted more, who wanted to stretch the limits and break the rules who went outside. All of those people are enjoying very successful careers in the film business.

Like many businesses, you need the bean-counters and the grunts as well as the artists.
 
The KoNE said:
To Gavin and Crewpix : That made me smile. :)[/QUOTEl


I did not go to film school, It was not in the cards for me. I spent 17 years in this crazy business, mostly for free and without credit. I have done just about every job on a film set. All at great personal cost, I've made a movie the hard way and now, I'm now at the point that I may be getting the big break that we all dream about.

It is so different now the technology that is avalible, the distribution dynamic has been turned on its head. Allot of the power has shifted back to the filmmaker. Looking back on it now the only thing that film school would have done for me is shaved 10 years off my journey. That my friend would have been worth it for me.

What do you want be, IMO the term filmmaker is used to casualy. I know it is subjective but this is how I define the term. It means that you can perform behind a typewriter, you can command in the Director's chair, you can edit with ease, you can manage a buisness, you can sit across from an investor and convince them to back you, and most importantly you can sell

If that's want you want to be than a degree makes that easier, and gets you there faster.
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Someone, way back on page one or two said: "If you go to film school, make sure they have a RED." I think this the most useful advice given. Why? Because I think "film" school is forever changed to "digital" and "4k" or above school.

I know many who are heavily invested in film will disagree with me, but I think RED and all the cameras from other manufacturers that follow will create the need to relearn everything.

So how about this... enroll in film school, and if they will let you drop out and recover your tuition, do so at that point. You will have made some useful contacts and can then go buy your RED. Then, read EVERYTHING posted on REDuser.net while daydreaming endlessly. If you can see with your eyes closed, you will probably possess the primary tools to make movies as they will evolve to be made.

Or... other.
 
adobeone said:
The KoNE said:
To Gavin and Crewpix : That made me smile. :)[/QUOTEl


I did not go to film school, It was not in the cards for me. I spent 17 years in this crazy business, mostly for free and without credit. I have done just about every job on a film set. All at great personal cost, I've made a movie the hard way and now, I'm now at the point that I may be getting the big break that we all dream about.

It is so different now the technology that is avalible, the distribution dynamic has been turned on its head. Allot of the power has shifted back to the filmmaker. Looking back on it now the only thing that film school would have done for me is shaved 10 years off my journey. That my friend would have been worth it for me.

What do you want be, IMO the term filmmaker is used to casualy. I know it is subjective but this is how I define the term. It means that you can perform behind a typewriter, you can command in the Director's chair, you can edit with ease, you can manage a buisness, you can sit across from an investor and convince them to back you, and most importantly you can sell

If that's want you want to be than a degree makes that easier, and gets you there faster.
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Yeah what this guy said.......

Schools for fools, look at me
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assuming you could pay for a RED with basic shooting gear, a macbook and some portable disks for field use - why don´t you postpone film school and start to rent yourself out for indie productions as an owner/digital assistant? that way your RED will not just cost you, it could make you going further.
just my 2 eurocents ...
 
There's no sense in buy a red (for the purposes described above) but if you want to be a feature film director, Film School is a maybe. What is your screenplay like? Also, are you talking about grad school? Have you already gone to University for a BA? If not, do that.
 
The RED is a great camera but it will not fit every project.

I don't think THE CELEBRATION (Festen in danish) would be as a good a film if it was not shot on the VX2000

I don't think "Man bites Dog" would be the same film if it was shot on a RED (and it's a great/crazy film the way it is)

Part of the reason that Lawrence of Arabia looks the way it does is down to 65mm.

I have been to three film schools and two of them where great (in Denmark)

The one I went to in the UK was not great but I ended up working on some great projects and I meet the Producer who hired me last year to DP his 1st feature. http://imdb.com/title/tt1090646/

The RED will open some doors for you, but I have a feeling that film school (if its the right one) will open a few more; and half of them will be in your mind :-)
 
Get the Red One !
When i was at filmschool, i used to sit next to a bunch of idiots !
There were only rich kids and some freaks.
You dont want to sit next to a pimple-faced nerd telling you about some Japanise movies. Do what your heard says !
Kreisky
 
Get equipment and shoot...or go to UCLA or USC and get a real resume education and network there.

Personally I'd get a camera and learn to use it well besides learning a bunch of other things and wasting valuable time. Of course you have to know what you want to focus on first.
 
Dont come to a Red forum on advice as to if you should buy a red or not :biggrin:
My film school had 2 years teaching then a year off to get industry experience then the last year back in film school.
After the year off i came back and was teaching the teachers, that sounds egotistical but sadly the truth, i was having to explain simple things like crossing the line.

Film school is a great grounding for the basics, light, angles, how things work kinda stuff that i subconsciously call on quite often... but then get out there.

So the answer for me would be..

Film school..
real world
Then buy the right gear when you need to as you might decide to... er direct instead :greedy:
 
I think that buying a Red and shooting and writing and practicing and taking a few acting classes and hanging out with photographers and then reading a bunch and watching movies and screening your work and entering festivals and reading a bunch and shooting and writing and editing and practicing and practicing and practicing and practicing is going to make you a far more developed filmmaker than sitting in a classroom discussing theory and then competing with your fellow students for the limited resources that exist. Not to mention cobbling together shoe string budgets to make someone else's film or even to make your own with a group of people who aren't as psyched on your film because they wanted to make theirs etc etc etc.
If I had the choice, Red for sure. And I only took one film class in university. And it sucked.

If you're gonna take anything in university, take a whole bunch of wide ranging courses that expand your horizons. And I don't mean acid horizons.
Then drop out. Degrees are great if you're looking for a desk to sit behind.

Either way, you should take time and think about it. Go for long walks and read at least a few books on filmmaking before you make your decision. Drink tea. Choose film. I envy your position.
My choices at the time included: go to school or get a sony vhs-c.
 
Adam Levins said:
\
The RED will open some doors for you, but I have a feeling that film school (if its the right one) will open a few more; and half of them will be in your mind :-)
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You're on the button there. The problem is almost all north american film schools are crap.
 
film school

film school

I "worked my way up" in regional TV starting as a part-time cameraman - and eventually through to production department manager. This was in lots of ways "trial by error" and gave me a lot of opportunities to learn and develop slowly. The technical and work skills learnt here were invaluable, but it was still a way away from the collaborative film making process.

even though i had already worked a lot in one part of the industry I eventually decided to do a post grad film course at the Australian Film Television and Radio School. The energy, dedication and skill of my fellow students is inspiring on a daily basis, and the desire to innovate strong. I'm in my final year of a VFX MA and was VFX supervisor on my first feature last summer. I'm not rich, and from the country, so the sacrifice to leave employment and move to the city was a big one.

I think that the pathways are many. I don't agree that a consumer or small camera is a bad start, I also think books are a great resource - but people, and working on other people's projects is invaluable - i chose to go to film school to get this experience, it would be possible to get it in other ways as well.

I hired a red one last month for my short film - much cheaper than purchasing it! It would have been impossible to make the film without the training, experience and an amazing team, many of whom i met at school - The camera i could have bought if i'd stayed in my old job - but would i have had the contacts and know-how to make the film i wanted to make...?
 
Hmm for VFX training, I'd strongly consider fxphd.com

It's first-class stuff... the content is very good and they give you material you can use on your demo reel. (I'd be surprised if any school did both for you.) And on top of that, the price is much better than film school.
 
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