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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 vs Film School

William Robinette said:
Rent a camera, make a movie.
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im fascinated by the technical side as well as the artistic side so its more about learning


im not trying to be a director/script writer/producer

I just want to PA/AC/AD/DOP
 
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go to film school. cameras will come and go but the people you meet and the friends you make can be there throughout your entire life. school is a great way jump start those relationships. that's the real benefit of school in my opinion.
 
Jason Madeja said:
go to film school. cameras will come and go but the people you meet and the friends you make can be there throughout your entire life. school is a great way jump start those relationships. that's the real benefit of school in my opinion.
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I thought this would be a given but i hear 'Film school is nothing but a waste of money' over and over
 
It depends on how old you are ... if you're young ... go to film school.
If you're older ... make a movie.
 
usually people teaching at filmschools arent making films (or doing it so badly that they cant live from it :)
so if you are Karate Kit, look for Mr. Miyagi, everything else is a waste of money :)
but i am sure there has to be some suberb teachers out there, best would be to become the padavan of a high class DP :)

so a tripple :) post maybe can help you.
 
If you want to test the film school waters - go to LACC in (los angeles) - I think it's around $25/credit. But I think if you have a script - use your cash to launch your own production. for most, 1 feature film will exceed a college education....
 
Take the money you would plunk down on either of those options and make a half dozen short films that you enter into festivals. Do your homework on the films you should attempt and write them yourself or with a trusted friend. Rent the camera and the expertise, pay attention to what they're doing. Buy a Final Cut Pro system and edit the films yourself. Get someone knowledgable about sound and picture editing to help you. String the shorts together into a feature if you like, then you could possibly monetize your efforts. You can network the festival circuit as well as film school. A Red without the funds to make a film is like a yacht without sails or an engine. Likewise, film school will expose you to cinema as its practiced around the world, but it won't make you Spielberg. Only by making films are you a filmmaker, otherwise you're a camera owner or a recent graduate. My two cents. I wish you much success whichever path you choose.
 
The crash course to learn the RED (and then go make a movie) is REDucation... we are hosting another class in early August in LA (Burbank) for one week. Details here...

http://www.reducation.net/

and working now on developing a specialized class for Universities, Film Schools, and Trade schools to send their key staff members to, so they can immerse themselves in RED learning, and then take those skills out to their schools and their students...

more to come on that in the REDucation thread in the coming weeks.

http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=28552

+ Ted
 
reducation is a good idea, or get in the film industry, work for a company for free until they see your worth paying for. You can make friends that way too..
 
I love that "if you are young, go to film school and if you aren't, make a movie" comment. That is EXACTLY the calculus I went through. I just could not afford to give up my job as a tenured professor for a couple of years to run off to film school, so I decided to just make a feature instead.

My best advice would be to make a few shorts, though. We did not. We just dove straight into a feature. Now, it all turned out quite well, but I'm not sure how much of that was God's grace or luck rather than skill. The fact that I was 50 years old when we started had a huge impact on our decision. I just didn't have a lot of time left and have even less now as we enter into our second feature next month.

Stephen
 
I'm sure some people are calculating that the money they spend to go to film school could be spent on buying a Red camera, lenses, lights, etc. -- one problem might be that it's easier to get a loan to go to school than to get a loan to buy all of that stuff...

It also depends on how much of an autodidact you are, although I am self-taught and I still ended up going to film school when I was 26 because I couldn't figure out how to break into the industry even though I knew how to shoot. So film school was more about learning to work with others and making contacts that led to work.
 
Stephen Pruitt said:
... My best advice would be to make a few shorts, though. We did not. We just dove straight into a feature. Now, it all turned out quite well, but I'm not sure how much of that was God's grace or luck rather than skill. The fact that I was 50 years old when we started had a huge impact on our decision. I just didn't have a lot of time left and have even less now as we enter into our second feature next month.
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That's what I've been up to, though after several shorts I've detoured into a web series. Great way to shoot a little at a time and edit 5-10 minutes at a time (like a mini film school) and end up with a product rather than festival fodder. Hoping to shoot a one-location feature this fall, but we'll see. I'm 48, only been shooting for about 3 years, writing since birth. Way too late for film school.
 
Apples to oranges. There's no camera that may give you a good film school.

What does good mean? Too far away of any 'geek route' ;-)

On the other hand, there's a lot of waste of time and money in certain film school programs. I'd pursue the first route (education) in any chance and first place though.

Hope this helps,
E. :-)
 
David Mullen ASC said:
I'm sure some people are calculating that the money they spend to go to film school could be spent on buying a Red camera, lenses, lights, etc. -- one problem might be that it's easier to get a loan to go to school than to get a loan to buy all of that stuff...

It also depends on how much of an autodidact you are, although I am self-taught and I still ended up going to film school when I was 26 because I couldn't figure out how to break into the industry even though I knew how to shoot. So film school was more about learning to work with others and making contacts that led to work.
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Just WHERE is the LIKE button for this post!!!!!
 
May I suggest a great way to begin your understanding of Cinematography.

Read "AsK David Mullen ASC ANYTHING" right here on reduser. All of it.

Seriously, and it's free.
 
I own final cut studio and have been using it regularly for two years. I have still and some amateur video experience as well.

Im looking for the best way to get on set and work my way up.

I thought owning and getting experience with a red camera could get me some experience with no/lo budget films and go from there.


best way to get on set at entry level ?

Im 30 years old since age seems to be a factor.

I have previous experience as an actor and always admired the crew and always wanted to be on that side of things.




Jeff Coatney said:
Take the money you would plunk down on either of those options and make a half dozen short films that you enter into festivals. Do your homework on the films you should attempt and write them yourself or with a trusted friend. Rent the camera and the expertise, pay attention to what they're doing. Buy a Final Cut Pro system and edit the films yourself. Get someone knowledgable about sound and picture editing to help you. String the shorts together into a feature if you like, then you could possibly monetize your efforts. You can network the festival circuit as well as film school. A Red without the funds to make a film is like a yacht without sails or an engine. Likewise, film school will expose you to cinema as its practiced around the world, but it won't make you Spielberg. Only by making films are you a filmmaker, otherwise you're a camera owner or a recent graduate. My two cents. I wish you much success whichever path you choose.
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Honest and sincere suggestion--- do not go to Reducation without some experience, or else you will learn nothing. In other words Reducation is not for newbies.
 
An age old question around the internet these days, but the answer always seems to be that film school is great for someone who wants to network and make contacts for film making, and also learn more about the craft in a controlled environment. Like has been said, it's great for young people in general, or for anyone who feels they could use that atmosphere. I think making mistakes in the school environment is also more comfortable for most people.

Investing in equipment, or renting and making films on your own is also another way to go; but this seems to only work for very motivated individuals who already have a network of filmmakers and crew, and are also good story tellers by nature. If you are not naturally gifted or self learned, and don't already know people, it's going to be a difficult road. There's the possibility of meeting people and starting relationships on your own, but it can be tough especially if you're still learning and screw up a lot. In the school atmosphere, it's expected and accepted, outside not so much, and you won't build healthy relationships that way.

It's really your call based on your current situation.
 
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