Should I pursue a film degree?

likeabaker

likeabaker

I am a senior in highschool wanting to become a filmmaker someday. Obviously I'm in the middle of a college search, and I'm very interested in getting a degree in filmmaking. I understand that getting any arts degree doesn't get you a high paying job.

Is it worth it to just jump straight into the filmmaking world going full-time right away with a degree? I may try working for production companies to get a stable job then move on to making my own stuff.

What other degrees would complement nicely for being a filmmaker? I'm a musician as well and would love to continue that path in connection with filmmaking.

How many people here have a degree that is film related?

Thanks,

Brett
 
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If that is what you want, go for it.

You can learn film making through books, tutorials, experience, practicing but film school is a nice place to get all that info, practice and connections in a shorter period of time.

I majored in Business but took film related classes every chance I got. Directing, Mise-en-scene, acting, improv and because you can not know enough about all aspects of film making to be a better director.

If you don't want to do an 'Art' degree, go for something like marketing or finance which may help you later with the business side of film making.
 
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Film school is a complete waste of time for some people. Film school is the perfect place for others. Quite a bit depends upon the school itself and the instructors at the school, so if you decide to go that route do LOTS of research; contact grads and find out what they're doing now. And the most important aspect of attending film school is the effort that you put into it, and how well you can avoid the party, party atmosphere.

If you are a musician you can get into composing/scoring or music supervision (finding and locking down songs). And, of course, are the real audio related aspects; Production Sound Mixer or Boom-Op working on the set, and audio post specialties such as Foley recording, ADR recording, sound effects recording and editing all of those as well as editing dialog and music.
 
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I love my film degree, however as the others have said if you have bad tutors its never going to be great, my course is designed to be as much like the profession as possible so all the projects have specific roles (i'm currently DOP as i specialise in cinematography) and all the forms for health and safety and so on, are real professional forms, in other words my course tries to set you up to be able to jump straight in to a production company. I also love my course as it gives me the opportunity to get into the studio and just play about with equipment that I could never afford to own, I mean we have RED cams and all sorts, even the basic sound kit that we borrow use's SQN mixers that are like $2500 a piece.

Again it is to do with how you learn best and how good your tutors are, the majority of my tutors are current working professionals so they teach as well as working in the industry.

but if you went to film school and didn't like it, its not the end of the world anyway, your only young its not like once you start you have to be a film maker you could quite happily move onto something else?
 
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I don't go to a "film school" but I do go to a University that offers film as a degree and I am taking classes like writing, directing, film history, TV production, advanced production. My major falls under the category of communication at my University so I also take classes like Intro to Mass media(COM class), Com theory and research, and rhetoric. I also have the opportunity to go to the LA school of film for a semester and do internships there. It is a great way to get opportunities and build relationships with other filmmakers. It is something that I would recommend for you to do.
 
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I have a Film Studies BA degree with an emphasis on production. My classmates have said that when looking for work coming out of college, they are having success in interviews and networking events based on the fact that they can speak from a place of exposure to a broad variety of films due to the academic and historical nature of our degree program. When coupled with the production experience our program offered, they were scoring internships and jobs ahead of others who went to a school that focussed entirely on production.

When looking at your schools, ask to see the reels of either the program, the students, or the faculty (or all of them) to see who you're going to be working with and learning from. This should allow you to make stronger connections and to end up with a more impressive reel when you leave the program seeking work.

If you can get into the program with this guy ( http://web1.desales.edu/default.aspx?pageid=9078 ) I highly recommend him. Let him know I sent you ;) He's the reason I got REALLY excited about lighting and cinematography.
 
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Both routes work well but I would recommend going to school even if not "film school." Internships are a great way to start getting experience and most of them require that you are a student. Working on the side is always a good idea and sound is always in demand. A lot of people I know that work in production went to a trade school called Full Sail, you might check that out.
 
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I would disagree with anyone who gives a definite answer either way.

It really depends on a number of things, not the least of which the way you learn, what you hope to get out of it and what school, as well as what work you do or don't have lined up, what contacts you have, how easy you'll find it to get onto sets with no experience etc. etc.
 
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No. A film degree will only result in a stillborn filmmaker with a debt burden that will most likely keep you out of the film business.

If I were going to do the degree thing, maybe a law degree or a MBA. Then jump into indie filmmaking. Odds are far better that you become a studio mogul that way.
 
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I always find it interesting how many people on these type of sites who insist that a film degree is a bad idea probably never went to film school, nor are they generally working professionals in the film industry. Just an observation, not necessarily pertaining to this particular thread. School of all kinds most certainly isn't for everyone, and film is no exception. No, you don't need a film degree to be successful, but I don't see how it's fair to quickly write off film school as always being a bad idea for everyone.
 
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Like everyone has stated it works for some and not for others. I took an introduction to digital film production class at my local college. I went in with no knowledge of how to make films, none. All I had was passion for films that I love watching and the curiosity as how to make them. After that one class I learned so much that I make short films and take small video jobs when I can now. I no longer take any classes in that program for I believe everything else I can learn in places such as this website and in different books. But school did have a good foundation for a person like ME, and can be different for anyone else.
 
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jax_rox said:
This has been discussed many times here. You may find your answers using the Search tool :)
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One thing I love about this community is someone can come here, ask
a question that has been asked and get personal replies. I love that over
a new person coming in with a question and doing a search and just
reading. Engagement and communication is, in my opinion, the heart and
soul of a messageboard like this one. I make people feel indietalk isn't just
a research tool but a place where actual people will give answers and
engage in a discussion.


Steve_in_MD said:
I always find it interesting how many people on these type of sites who insist that a film degree is a bad idea probably never went to film school, nor are they generally working professionals in the film industry.
Click to expand...
Only one person here suggested a film degree is a bad idea - everyone said
exactly what you are saying.

I have found that many people who say getting a film degree isn't important
are people who never went to film school and have worked in the industry in
some capacity. Here and on other sites. And I have found that many people
who say getting a film degree is important are people who are either currently
in school or graduated with a degree. We all speak from our experience. Which
makes a discussion like this important. Someone like "likeabaker" can hear
from actual experience.
 
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Steve_in_MD said:
I always find it interesting how many people on these type of sites who insist that a film degree is a bad idea probably never went to film school, nor are they generally working professionals in the film industry. Just an observation, not necessarily pertaining to this particular thread. School of all kinds most certainly isn't for everyone, and film is no exception. No, you don't need a film degree to be successful, but I don't see how it's fair to quickly write off film school as always being a bad idea for everyone.
Click to expand...

Ok, how about this: to be a "successful filmmaker" one has to have this deep inner desire to be one combined with brains and quick wits. Either you have it or you don't. Spending $50,000 and up at a film school will not get you it.

If don't have it and want to be "in the film business", by all means, go to film school. But you won't be making films. You'll be working on other people's films.
 
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