Film School?

[Quakken]

I don't want to go the normal route in life. I don't want to go to a traditional four year college, And I am love with film. Making, editing, watching, scripting, storyboarding, creating, cameraing, filming, doing the soundwork, seeing an idea become a solid, tangible, watchable object... I love it.


I want to have a career in film. Does anyone here have one? I am thinking of going in the directing side more than the editing and effects side, although I would definitely take one of those jobs if there was one offered. I love the editing almost as much as the directing, But I havn't done a whole lot of film yet, so I don't know just what niche I would want to fit into.

I am, of course, open to any of the supporting careers in any type of film (get your mind out of the gutter). I would do anything on a movie-set with good income and be willing to work my way up from a "nothing" job like fetching coffee to get in on the ground level if it must happen. There are many jobs in film, right? Every major movie has 10 minutes of credits for all the people working on it, and think of all the commercials, news broadcasts, events videography, and normal TV shows (just thinking about it right now, I would probably rather do a TV show rather than something else, job security if its good, I suppose).

Is wanting to do something in film a viable idea? If anyone here has or is in a film/video career, do you enjoy it, and is there a good chance for succeeding at a normal american household income or better?

What should I look for in a film school? should I even bother with it at all or just go on to trying to get a job in film and work my way up?

You can look at my terrible work that I have just done in my spare time by clicking on the link in my sig. But be warned, some of that stuff isn't even mine and the stuff that is is not my best work. My current "best" work (which was still modest, but it was solidly scripted and had good videographical elements) was the first film which i did in high school video productions, but the worse and wrong version of it got exported off the school computer onto the classroom distributed DvD, and the good version was deleted when the teacher did a wipe of the hard drive to make room for the next semester's classes videos.

So give me some information. I am going to make more small scale film when school stops sucking up every minute of my life making me learn currently-useless-but-apparently-useful-later-in-my-life information. I have some beautiful plots in my mind (then again who doesn't) and maybe some music video's in the works. We'll see. I just want to talk to someone who won't immediately shoot my dream down as "inherently impossible" and "wanting something that nobody actually gets".

[Lord Ned]

Well, If you want to get filming experience, start small. So small that it's completely free. That's right, I'm talking Machinima. Basically, use a game engine or a pre-existing game and create a movie in it. It doesn't have to be perfect, but work up.

And I'm not sure, but Fullsail might offer a film course. They are a 1 year college that gets you a bachalor or whatever. www.fullsail.com

[Quakken]

wow, fullsail's video looks incredible. Must be expensive... But they have everything... wow.

I don't think I'm very into machinima, and I have a decent live action camera already in the first place. Now to just to get some friends to act and work for free (they're friends, right?).

[Lord Ned]

Expensive to say the least, I think it's 88 or 100k for a bachalours degree.


And good luck with your friends, mine don't sit still long enough.

[Crimson Sky]

Quakken if ya lived closer to NY I'd have you work for my production company--I can really use an eager learner! I've been in the film/video biz for a long time and I know the struggles.

[Quakken]

Do tell. What kind of struggles are we talking about, here? How far will a bachelors in film get you in the industry, and is it really more about who you know rather than what?

I couldn't stand a normal desk job (although a film job at a desk... sign me up). I don't want to work programming in a big corporation where I feel like another number... I want to create, to make something, to entertain people and make a good living doing it.

[Elenril]

Quakken, I know exactly how you feel. I want to become a fashion photographer, but people are always giving me doubtful looks and either telling me I'm smart enough to do something 'worthwhile', or that I'll never succeed because the industry is too competitive. But I love it and it's what I want to do for a living, so I know what's going through your mind, and I just wanted to say, don't listen to anything anyone says that tries to suppress you from doing what you want. If you love it, you'll succeed.

As for all your questions about the industry, I have no idea. But from what I've heard, Vancouver Film School is one of the best universities for that sort of thing.

[Quakken]

I don't know, I will try to make more movies right now, you have to make movies to get better at making movies.

Look at it this way- there are a whole lot of people working in the film industry, and someone has to do it.

You should go for it. Fashion photograph as much as you can, make yourself noticed for good work, and you can live doing what you want to do. Good luck!

Maybe I'll just go to colorado film school. There is one here, and I don't think its outstandingly expensive.

I can see why full sail is so expensive. They have a lot of excess, such as 4-5 different editing computer labs with many computers and many different programs. Not that I Wouldn't like that...