Film School- Grad or Bach

[zerocool41]

Hey,

I have a bachelors degree in business, and want to get a film degree...assuming i'm going to lets say UCLA, do you know if you get a bachelors or masters at this point?

[cowboykurtis]

masters

[finlayr]

Just a bit of advice:  don't bother going to Film School.  If you have the PASSION AND DETERMINATION AND THE TALENT AND THE...EVERYTHING FUCKING ELSE...YOU WILL BE A FILMMAKER.  Don't waste THOUSANDS of your money and hours and energy-cajoles in four years, only to come out exhausted with a piece of paper that CAN'T PROVE that you can make good movies.  Learn on your OWN, develop and grow as a PERSON...and you'll get to make your movies.  Best of LUCK, Richard.

[Pedro]

Just a bit of advice:  don't bother going to Film School.  If you have the PASSION AND DETERMINATION AND THE TALENT AND THE...EVERYTHING FUCKING ELSE...YOU WILL BE A FILMMAKER.  Don't waste THOUSANDS of your money and hours and energy-cajoles in four years, only to come out exhausted with a piece of paper that CAN'T PROVE that you can make good movies.  Learn on your OWN, develop and grow as a PERSON...and you'll get to make your movies.  Best of LUCK, Richard.

Nothing is wrong with being taught perfessionally.  I can't learn all the things taught in film school on my own, that's the sad honest truth.

[finlayr]

Of course you can!  The screenwriting course I just left was taught by people who didn't have the PASSION for filmmaking that I did and I just couldn't be around them.  I'm not big-headed or arrogant but I LOVE CINEMA so I have the passion to go out there on my own and learn on my own.  You can do the same.  Not putting down Film School teachers--but the ones I had--jjeeeessuusss!!  Two of them write for Fair City--the most popular TV show in Ireland, take home 4 grand a script, every 3 weeks and none of them knew who David Lynch was or how a professional script actually looks (3 hole punched) or what a steadicam was.  And I make 150 a week at the local video store--do you know where my money goes?  You guessed it.

[xerxes]

yeah i'm kinda tired of that argument... yeah, it's not for some people... but hey, others could find it valuable

[finlayr]

true

[EL__SCORCHO]

I don't think there is anything wrong with film school. I think it can go both ways depending on your luck. I've taken 2 screenwriting courses at the same school, the first one was ok, I was a little dissapointed. But the second one was really really helpful. The course gave me all sorts of ways generate a bunch ideas, and after each class I really felt I was learning new ways to fix the script I was working on.

I said it depends on your luck because of the teacher you get. The first teacher was this Italian film scholar, a real uptight asshole who thinks he's god (You can hear him on one of the commentary tracks for Fellini's 8 1/2). He wouldn't answer questions outside of class and just an asshole overall.  The second guy was  very willing to help out and answer questions and was always trying to motivate his students. He taught his course with enthusiasm and that makes all the difference in the world.

[sexterossa]

Hey,

I have a bachelors degree in business, and want to get a film degree...assuming i'm going to lets say UCLA, do you know if you get a bachelors or masters at this point?

can you get in is another important question. i think ucla accepts 15 transfers. in the world.

[Recce]

I think its kinda become the 'thing to say' for indie filmmakers to bash film school. I'm studying in that field and I'm amazed at how much I'm learning. I've been at it for a year, and my ideas are much clearer and easier to produce. And it's not like they're trying to get you to 'conform'. Most teachers are pretty cool and go: 'Well, here's how hundreds of other directors have done it in the past' and you go from there. How can you break the rules if you don't know them?

[Cecil]

How can you break the rules if you don't know them?

you forget about the rules alltogether

[Recce]

I suppose

[finlayr]

And maybe if Recce hadn't went to film school he would have stuck with his first statement and not said "I suppose".

(just joking Recce!!)

[kotte]

People actually have different approaches to learning stuff...

I am what you can call an "absorber"...I've learned soo much from Internet...not Internet but the facts in it.

Watching films films and films are also a great way to learn...

This may be provoking but I'm pretty confident when I say there aren't much I can learn from filmschool now that I don't already know...With a few exceptions of'course:

I'm not a badass 35mm Camera loader.
I don't know how to operate a steadycam.
I still have problems finding the damn lightmeter when the DP (the guy who does all the things I don't know for me) has misplaced it.
etc...

What I can't learn in filmschool is how to write and direct...Sure you can learn how to write and direct but not to WRITE and DIRECT.

I know you guys are thinking NTEWORKING...yeah sure I could spend $10000 to $50000 to network with fellow strudents but I prefer to spend maybe 100-200 bucks going to a festival and the rest on financing...

I'm not saying this is how it is period...I'm saying this is how it is for me...

As I said berfore...there are different approaches to learning filmmaking and Filmschool is great for some (there are reasons for why they exist)...


Chris

PS. I did go to New York Film Academy for 8 weeks. I had a great time shooting on 16mm but it's nothing I couldn't do without DS.

[Recce]

I have to admit, though, if I were in the States and I had to pay that much for tuition, I don't think I'd be in school right now.