I too went through the same dilemma when i was graduating from high school. I decided to go to Texas Tech and major in Electronic Media and Communications (it's film, web, and graphic design). I have not regretted it for a single day...Tech is VERY affordable and has an accredited mass comm college. I'm now entering grad school to get a master's degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis on electronic media...You can pay more and go like USC, UCLA or even Miami...but really...you need to be a well rounded student just as much as you need to be well versed in film studies...I would say, look for a program that teaches you about mass comm theory just as much as they do how to edit film...
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Think about it. If you graduate with a specific film degree, you're just going to blend in with the thousands of others who just graduated too. These guys have given you some GREAT advice, and probably saved you thousands of waisted dollars.
Just the fact that you're a sophomore and thinking about college means you have a good head on your shoulders. I was enrolling the first day of classes.
I've spent 4 long years in college and will probably spend another 2-3 before I finish. And the best thing that I've learned is that I really know nothing at all, if that makes sense. What I'm saying is what a few of these guys have said, and that's get a very well-rounded education in college. Learn about stuff you've never had the chance to. Read a wide variety of books, watch a wide variety of films, like TheAnswer said.
This will probably sound stupid, but if you can, during college try to visit a couple different countries, or live in a different country for a month. This will give you more inspiration than you'll know what to do with! Broaden your mind as much as you can! It's the best tool you can have in this industry.
If you're passionate about film, you'll learn the craft, because that's what you'll be spending all you time doing. You will eventually meet the right people.
My advice for school:
Take Lethal's advice and find the people who are headed towards the business you want to be in and get involved. If there aren't any in your town, surely there will be some in your state. The BEST way to learn is hands on and from guys who've lived and learned. Get in touch with them and go to the nearest community college. If you go out of state, you'll have to pay pricey out-of-state tuition cost.
-my two cense
Just the fact that you're a sophomore and thinking about college means you have a good head on your shoulders. I was enrolling the first day of classes.
I've spent 4 long years in college and will probably spend another 2-3 before I finish. And the best thing that I've learned is that I really know nothing at all, if that makes sense. What I'm saying is what a few of these guys have said, and that's get a very well-rounded education in college. Learn about stuff you've never had the chance to. Read a wide variety of books, watch a wide variety of films, like TheAnswer said.
This will probably sound stupid, but if you can, during college try to visit a couple different countries, or live in a different country for a month. This will give you more inspiration than you'll know what to do with! Broaden your mind as much as you can! It's the best tool you can have in this industry.
If you're passionate about film, you'll learn the craft, because that's what you'll be spending all you time doing. You will eventually meet the right people.
My advice for school:
Take Lethal's advice and find the people who are headed towards the business you want to be in and get involved. If there aren't any in your town, surely there will be some in your state. The BEST way to learn is hands on and from guys who've lived and learned. Get in touch with them and go to the nearest community college. If you go out of state, you'll have to pay pricey out-of-state tuition cost.
-my two cense
Nah Id go with Colorado State in ft collins. theres a reason why ft collins was voted #1 place to live in the usa lol
and mainly because i go there too haha
My favorite Hitchcock used to be a Vertigo, but I recently watched Foreign Correspondent, which has taken over the number one spot.
The Filmmakers Handbook would be a worthwhile purchase.
A bit off topic, but it might point our OP toward some films he might not otherwise have seen. I'll attempt to made a double feature out of some of your suggestions.
Vertigo : Lost Highway (you could even go for Mulholland Dr., but Lost Highway is a slightly better match, even though Mulholland drive is superior)
The Searchers : Taxi Driver
Rashomon : Tokyo Story
The Big Sleep : Double Indemnity
You should also queue Sullivan's Travels. IMHO, it's just about the best picture ever made.
For more modern fare, I think the hottest, most original stuff is coming out of Korea: 3-Iron and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance are quite refreshing, but Nowhere to Hide just blows the doors off conventional cinema.
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I'm in a similar situation. When I was a sophomore I took the basic video production class at my school and decided that's what I wanted to do. Now, as a senior, I do the editing for every major project we produce from the program (we do TV shows for public access... agh
) Anyway, I decided to go to Quinnipiac University (www.quinnipiac.edu). The school is in Hamden, CT.. about 15 minutes from me. It has top of the line equipment: High-Def Studio, Mac Pro Editing Suites, excellent post production classes, theory classes, and they also have Interactive Digital Design which will be my minor for motion graphics. I plan on going into TV production rather than film (safer job market, although if you make it big in film the rewards are greater.. but I may make that leap somewhere along the line). Alumni from QU are producing, directing, editing for ABC, NBC, ESPN, Comedy Central, and basically every network you can imagine. Every senior who really applies themself is able to get an internship (I'll be aiming for ESPN).
Here is the link to the School of Communications: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x438.xml
) Anyway, I decided to go to Quinnipiac University (www.quinnipiac.edu). The school is in Hamden, CT.. about 15 minutes from me. It has top of the line equipment: High-Def Studio, Mac Pro Editing Suites, excellent post production classes, theory classes, and they also have Interactive Digital Design which will be my minor for motion graphics. I plan on going into TV production rather than film (safer job market, although if you make it big in film the rewards are greater.. but I may make that leap somewhere along the line). Alumni from QU are producing, directing, editing for ABC, NBC, ESPN, Comedy Central, and basically every network you can imagine. Every senior who really applies themself is able to get an internship (I'll be aiming for ESPN).Here is the link to the School of Communications: http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x438.xml
How about studying in England?
I go to the University of Lincoln. Now I'll admit that we don't get given EVERYTHING, ie. no budgets to support films, etc, but that only makes you a better Indie filmmaker. The amount of contacts you meet for cheap actors, props, set, crew etc is as valuable as the degree itself...
I go to the University of Lincoln. Now I'll admit that we don't get given EVERYTHING, ie. no budgets to support films, etc, but that only makes you a better Indie filmmaker. The amount of contacts you meet for cheap actors, props, set, crew etc is as valuable as the degree itself...
Funny...Foreign Correspondent is inching towards the top of my queue as we speak, and I just watched Tokyo Story for the first time last night. I'm not sure I would have appreciated it as much if I were the OP's age, though. And I agree about Korea, the whole Vengeance Trilogy is pretty awesome as is 3-Iron.
The films you have chosen are nice films, but there not good enough. certainly not if your considering learning the art of directing or cutting (Shrek 2 is my favourite film, but its not a seminal work). For that you have to delve deeper
Dr zhirvago/ Laurence of Arabia
The Color purple/ Shindlers List
Alien/Blade Runner/ "1984" Apple Macintosh commercial
Erin Brockovich/ The Limey
Taxi Driver/ Cape Fear
Some of the directors of these films you may not know, some you will. All of these films are better than say oceans 11, and two of them are from the same director!
Films like these need to be on your list!
I plan on travelling, I can not wait to visit places, because I have lived here most of my life. I also am looking into a 1 - 6 week summer camp where they teach digital media and I would even be able to create my own short. The program is called internalDrive iirc.
bimmzy: I know my chosen films were not the technical best, but were chosen based on entertainment purposes. I am branching out into more technical films. I want to ssee Children of Men, because I have heard it is good film based on technicality AND entertainment.
If it's anything like music school, then it'd be worth it. My brother went to Berklee, which the classes were all giant jokes, but it was more of a place to meet people and get discovered. He left after about two years because he got discovered. Although, film is more of an individual industry than music.
I'm only a freshman in high school, but I'm working my way up. I had a love of game shows, so I wanted to be a game show host, and then I read that the best game show hosts were news anchors, so then I loved the news, then I started simple kiddie editing. I took a class on Final Cut Pro just three years ago, and since then, I've switched to the mac, bought an iMac G5 and Final Cut Express, and I'm now working for my brother/his label. I'm probably going to upgrade to Final Cut Studio sometime this month.
Believe it or not, but most of my knowledge of Final Cut came from that class I took over three years ago, and I didn't actually buy Final Cut until a year after it. Since then, I've been teaching myself more and more, and I'm interested now in making music videos, so I watch a lot of those. I'm also trying to figure out how I should try and fathom all there is of FCS, as I downloaded the Motion Trial, but I couldn't figure out how to use it. Maybe I"ll go to a few Apple Store workshops.
Anyways, my dad really wants me to get into a good film school, but I wonder if I'll have a job by then, or if I should just go to a regular school. Of course, that's a lot way off, so I'm just going to focus on the next three years until I can get out of here.
I'm only a freshman in high school, but I'm working my way up. I had a love of game shows, so I wanted to be a game show host, and then I read that the best game show hosts were news anchors, so then I loved the news, then I started simple kiddie editing. I took a class on Final Cut Pro just three years ago, and since then, I've switched to the mac, bought an iMac G5 and Final Cut Express, and I'm now working for my brother/his label. I'm probably going to upgrade to Final Cut Studio sometime this month.
Believe it or not, but most of my knowledge of Final Cut came from that class I took over three years ago, and I didn't actually buy Final Cut until a year after it. Since then, I've been teaching myself more and more, and I'm interested now in making music videos, so I watch a lot of those. I'm also trying to figure out how I should try and fathom all there is of FCS, as I downloaded the Motion Trial, but I couldn't figure out how to use it. Maybe I"ll go to a few Apple Store workshops.
Anyways, my dad really wants me to get into a good film school, but I wonder if I'll have a job by then, or if I should just go to a regular school. Of course, that's a lot way off, so I'm just going to focus on the next three years until I can get out of here.
I go to Chapman University and am enroleld in the film school although I am a Public Relations and Advertising major not a film production major. But what I can say is that it is a great school, the proffesors are fantastic and extremely knowledgable, the film school is brand new, 40-million dollars with the highest end of equipment and is based off of the Warner Brothers studio, the weather is fantastic, the women are beautiful and LA is only a short trip up north.
I'm 17 and I've been in a multimedia class for the past 3 years of high school. We use programs such as: Adobe Premiere, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Maya, Dreamweaver, Flash....we've done it all and I've made some pretty impressive movies...one even got me a chance at a $1500 scholarship which I have yet to find out the results. I'm going to James Madison University in the fall and will hopefully be entering their school of media arts and design with a concentration in digital video. I definitely agree that film schools aren't worth your money. Go to a regular 4 year university and perfect your skills. When you get out, save up a load of money and move to L.A. or N.Y.C. and just go from there.
All I have to say about film school is, pick whatever you're comfortable with. You can be successful wherever you are, so long as you're happy.
However, being a Trojan, I am a bit bias toward USC...
The two biggest reasons at the moment would be that George Lucas just donated us $175 million for new facilities, so as you'll be entering college in a few years, the new SCA (School of Cinematic Arts) should be completed.
Also, The Trojan Family. I thought it was imagined, but it's not. There are so many USC alum scattered throughout the film industry, and they are extremely warm to fellow alumni. You start compiling names, and keep in contact with them, and as they get seeded in the industry you keep up with them.
Finally, don't believe everyone who says that USC will cost you an arm and a leg. If your family hasn't got that much money, and you're doing very well in school, make sure to apply for financial aid. You could get a free ride. I did.
Don't forget that filmmaking is fun!
However, being a Trojan, I am a bit bias toward USC...
The two biggest reasons at the moment would be that George Lucas just donated us $175 million for new facilities, so as you'll be entering college in a few years, the new SCA (School of Cinematic Arts) should be completed.
Also, The Trojan Family. I thought it was imagined, but it's not. There are so many USC alum scattered throughout the film industry, and they are extremely warm to fellow alumni. You start compiling names, and keep in contact with them, and as they get seeded in the industry you keep up with them.
Finally, don't believe everyone who says that USC will cost you an arm and a leg. If your family hasn't got that much money, and you're doing very well in school, make sure to apply for financial aid. You could get a free ride. I did.
Don't forget that filmmaking is fun!
I feel like I just had this discussion.
Except most people didn't agree with me guess they didn't like school.
I am about to go to USC School of Cinematic Arts starting the Fall 07 year.
THE point of going to USC is for the Alumni aspect. If you graduate a USC film alumni you will have the ability to seek out fellow alumni and get jobs easier. I didn't say higher paying or more prestigious, I said easy to get.
More people will be willing to bet on you if you went to film school than not.
Which translates to getting a better reel faster, and having the connects to the people you want to show it to.
Also, CYA is the name of the game, and when you have a school like USC on your resumé the people that are hiring are more likely to choose you because as far as they know you went to a bomb school and should know something. Therefore in hiring college grad you instead of Joe Blow they have Covered Their A$$ and secured their job another day.
Except most people didn't agree with me guess they didn't like school.
I am about to go to USC School of Cinematic Arts starting the Fall 07 year.
THE point of going to USC is for the Alumni aspect. If you graduate a USC film alumni you will have the ability to seek out fellow alumni and get jobs easier. I didn't say higher paying or more prestigious, I said easy to get.
More people will be willing to bet on you if you went to film school than not.
Which translates to getting a better reel faster, and having the connects to the people you want to show it to.
Also, CYA is the name of the game, and when you have a school like USC on your resumé the people that are hiring are more likely to choose you because as far as they know you went to a bomb school and should know something. Therefore in hiring college grad you instead of Joe Blow they have Covered Their A$$ and secured their job another day.
Or they've been around the block a few times and are just trying to let you know the reality of the situation.
Where your degree came from is most likely going to be the last thing people look at so it doesn't make sense for it to be the first thing on your priority list, IMO.
More people are willing to bet on you if you have prior experience which is why getting summer internships, part time jobs, etc., while you are a student is so important. When I first got out to LA employer's didn't ask me about my edu background they asked about my work history. And although I didn't have very much, I had a couple of recognizable gigs (audio assist for TNN (now SpikeTV) and camera assist for a Monday Night Football game) that almost always got commented upon by whomever I was interviewing with. I've also been on the hiring side of the desk (hiring a vault assist a few years ago) and where people went to school never factored into the decision making process (FYI, while you are in the "sending out resumes" stage of your career never underestimate the power of a solid cover letter).
The old adage, "No one ever got fired for buying IBM" doesn't apply to what school you went to in this industry. If Joe Blow has PA'd on a show or been a runner at a post house, and USC grad has a degree and a student film then Joe Blow has the leg up. The first thing you'll realize after you graduate is that most of what you learned in school doesn't apply to the skills you need to get a job after graduation. Which is why everyone pretty much starts off as a runner or PA of some sort until they build up enough work history and contacts to move up.
I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade here I'm just trying to share my experiences and knowledge that I've picked up over the years. I made my share of mistakes and I'd like to help others avoid the pitfalls that I didn't.
Lethal
I'm lucky enough to have a realistic professor in one of my film classes. She'd worked for Spike Lee when she graduated from college. Where did she start? PA. That's where everyone starts. Get used to the idea, because it's going to happen. Eventually, she worked her way to and up in the ranks in the Camera Dept., but she started at the bottom.
Also, I'd shy away from NYU or USC. She said whenever they were hiring film students to work on films, and if they had their choice between an NYU student or a NoNameSchool student, they'd go with the NoNameSchool. Why? Becuase the NYU kid thinks he already knows everything, and he believes he is too good to be a PA. The NoNameSchool kid is thrilled to be doing anything in the industry at all, so he'd be happy with the PA gig.
Overall though, the school doesn't matter. Pick a college that has a well rounded, large ciricculum. I decided to stay in state (cheap), and went to ASU, and I couldn't be happier with where I'm studying film. It's the second largest university in the US, and it shows. There are tons of classes on almost any subject I could take, and there are plenty of interesting/weird people I've met. What is most important is your life/college experience. That'll do more good for you than studying at an uptight "prestigious" film school.
EDIT: Almost everything LethalWolfe is saying is what my professors are telling me. I'm lucky to hear this from my professors now, rather than be dissapointed when I only can get a gig as a PA in the future.
Also, I'd shy away from NYU or USC. She said whenever they were hiring film students to work on films, and if they had their choice between an NYU student or a NoNameSchool student, they'd go with the NoNameSchool. Why? Becuase the NYU kid thinks he already knows everything, and he believes he is too good to be a PA. The NoNameSchool kid is thrilled to be doing anything in the industry at all, so he'd be happy with the PA gig.
Overall though, the school doesn't matter. Pick a college that has a well rounded, large ciricculum. I decided to stay in state (cheap), and went to ASU, and I couldn't be happier with where I'm studying film. It's the second largest university in the US, and it shows. There are tons of classes on almost any subject I could take, and there are plenty of interesting/weird people I've met. What is most important is your life/college experience. That'll do more good for you than studying at an uptight "prestigious" film school.
EDIT: Almost everything LethalWolfe is saying is what my professors are telling me. I'm lucky to hear this from my professors now, rather than be dissapointed when I only can get a gig as a PA in the future.