When I work on sets (mini-series, HBO, Hulu. Showtime) I primarily meet people that came from one of three paths: 10-20% Legacy, parents in the business, 20 - 30% military background, and 50 - 60% just did it. The last group includes many people who grew up making films as a hobby. One of the hiccups of college-based film schools is yes you are going to meet people BUT they are also in film school so it's like LinkedIn -- you meet OTHER unemployed people. Also production is a team effort so that is fundamentally different from school where you work alone and are graded for your own work only, somewhat competing with peers. Seeing film school on a resume can have a bad connotation -- some will see it as 'this person has too much access to money and comfort for this 60+ hour/wk job that pays less than it should.' Film making and mini-series production is a team effort so you get hired by being a good team player and having that reputation. Shoots will run 12 to 16 hours per day so they really like people that just roll with it. When I lived in Los Angeles feature films still meant something special and if you wanted a gig on one you would play softball in Pacific Palisades. Film crews would play against each other for fun and the team ran just like they did on set. I would recommend for anyone considering film school, before you pay and go, go work on a pro set. Do extra/background, do craft services, work free for a week if that's what it takes but see if it is for you. See if you thrive in that environment. Lots of others options if you don't -- TH-cam, corporate, weddings, animation, local news, VICE docs, web content, game design, etc.
Film school is most definitely not working alone. You're working on sets with your classmates. Unlike professional sets, you actually get to gain experience in key creative positions on actual sets with people willing to devote their full time and energy to your film, something that you're unlikely to get outside of school where people have day jobs. You can work on professional sets forever, but most of the jobs aren't creative and won't ultimately lead to a key creative position; nobody is going to hire you as a director based on your experience as a grip on a bunch of big movies. However, basically nobody gets hired as a director straight out of film school either, so it's easy to dismiss it as being worthless. That being said, film school definitely helped me in the corporate video work that I do now for a living, which may not be the most creative thing, but I do get to be in a key creative position.
I personally want to go to film school because for me I love the idea of networking which I’m already kind of doing in Highschool right now. If I’m already going to pay for college then I’d rather pay while also doing something I love for my future career. Especially if I get (hopefully) half of a full ride then it’ll be worth it.. definitely
Thank you so so much, Nadia! This is so helpful! I would like to work in the film/entertainment industry like you. Have you ever seen any non-US citizen or non-permanent resident in the industry? Cause I'm the expat who need visa. :( Generally, do major productions sponsor visa to foreigner employee?
There are much cheaper alternatives that have excellent programs. A good one is Los Angeles City College. Much of the staff teaches at USC or UCLA simultaneously and you only have to pay City College rates. Film school is what you make of it. If you want to make a film then make a film. A school like LACC can give you the tools without breaking your wallet. They also offer financial aid.
I find it awkward that I am reaching out to someone I don’t know to ask this question. But we don’t know anyone in the film industry. May daughter was accepted to both NYU Tisch and Emerson College Film. NYU Tisch is going to be $ 80,000 (out of our pockets) more than Emerson. Are the contacts and location of NYC worth 80k more ? She would be taking out about 80k in loans
@@nadiafedchin5715 so we are down to our final decision ... its Emerson, Pratt, DePaul, and Bard College... I am thinking Emerson is the best choice of those... what do you think ?
Honestly both are excellent schools. If she is going to have a writing, Emerson has great reputation for that and you save money. If she’s passionate about being at NYU for other reasons, consider it, but the debt is a lot too. If it’s undergrad, pick the more affordable option for sure.
USC film school graduate alumni here: You go on film related job boards, get PA jobs, PA for USC films (so you get those USC connections without getting yourself in debt), take workshops, go to the many free industry Q&A's and seminars and talk to the speakers afterwards, gain experience by buying gear and going out to film, get a library card and get free access to lynda.com tutorials where you can learn editing and sound design, and work your way up from there. Assistant jobs are GREAT for go-getters, you learn so much by just listening to the execs on the phone, and many hard working Assistants and PA's at my job worked their way up within a year. You'll gain so much more learning on the job than sitting in class for 4 years. After you graduate you'll have to climb that same ladder regardless, going to USC does NOT change that. Film school is just a safety net for those who are too scared to face the real world, or are undecided. And USC isn't helpful at all with helping you get in the door, and that name on the resume has absolutely no impact when interviewing, the on-the-job experience is what counts. Believe me, I regret USC every month when I pay off that six-figure debt and didn't experience that degrees relevance in my career. My career was due to my work experience, and proactive attitude.
Film school isn't worth it. 2018-2019 everything you need to learn is on the internet for free. The point of "having a like minded community" doesn't justify the cost and the dept. Finding filmakers is easy any local event or film festival can do that. If your dream goal is to work in a specific position it can help to have a degree on the resume. But still does not justify the cost. Most entry level jobs with a film degree from any school is like 35-45k. Most film schools like NYFA. Charge over 30k a yr. Companies now more than ever seek experience over paper. On top of that thanks to the internet anyone can grind and become a youtuber or instagram influencer in a passion related niche and make 45k -80k a year talking about their favorite pokemon. Or documenting independent films. Just my opinion but the statistics are out there.
When I work on sets (mini-series, HBO, Hulu. Showtime) I primarily meet people that came from one of three paths: 10-20% Legacy, parents in the business, 20 - 30% military background, and 50 - 60% just did it. The last group includes many people who grew up making films as a hobby. One of the hiccups of college-based film schools is yes you are going to meet people BUT they are also in film school so it's like LinkedIn -- you meet OTHER unemployed people. Also production is a team effort so that is fundamentally different from school where you work alone and are graded for your own work only, somewhat competing with peers. Seeing film school on a resume can have a bad connotation -- some will see it as 'this person has too much access to money and comfort for this 60+ hour/wk job that pays less than it should.'
Film making and mini-series production is a team effort so you get hired by being a good team player and having that reputation. Shoots will run 12 to 16 hours per day so they really like people that just roll with it. When I lived in Los Angeles feature films still meant something special and if you wanted a gig on one you would play softball in Pacific Palisades. Film crews would play against each other for fun and the team ran just like they did on set. I would recommend for anyone considering film school, before you pay and go, go work on a pro set. Do extra/background, do craft services, work free for a week if that's what it takes but see if it is for you. See if you thrive in that environment. Lots of others options if you don't -- TH-cam, corporate, weddings, animation, local news, VICE docs, web content, game design, etc.
Film school is most definitely not working alone. You're working on sets with your classmates. Unlike professional sets, you actually get to gain experience in key creative positions on actual sets with people willing to devote their full time and energy to your film, something that you're unlikely to get outside of school where people have day jobs. You can work on professional sets forever, but most of the jobs aren't creative and won't ultimately lead to a key creative position; nobody is going to hire you as a director based on your experience as a grip on a bunch of big movies. However, basically nobody gets hired as a director straight out of film school either, so it's easy to dismiss it as being worthless. That being said, film school definitely helped me in the corporate video work that I do now for a living, which may not be the most creative thing, but I do get to be in a key creative position.
I personally want to go to film school because for me I love the idea of networking which I’m already kind of doing in Highschool right now. If I’m already going to pay for college then I’d rather pay while also doing something I love for my future career. Especially if I get (hopefully) half of a full ride then it’ll be worth it.. definitely
Thank you so so much, Nadia! This is so helpful! I would like to work in the film/entertainment industry like you. Have you ever seen any non-US citizen or non-permanent resident in the industry? Cause I'm the expat who need visa. :( Generally, do major productions sponsor visa to foreigner employee?
There are much cheaper alternatives that have excellent programs. A good one is Los Angeles City College. Much of the staff teaches at USC or UCLA simultaneously and you only have to pay City College rates. Film school is what you make of it. If you want to make a film then make a film. A school like LACC can give you the tools without breaking your wallet. They also offer financial aid.
How much do filmmakers get paid I’ve heard the pay rates are low
I find it awkward that I am reaching out to someone I don’t know to ask this question. But we don’t know anyone in the film industry.
May daughter was accepted to both NYU Tisch and Emerson College Film. NYU Tisch is going to be $ 80,000 (out of our pockets) more than Emerson.
Are the contacts and location of NYC worth 80k more ? She would be taking out about 80k in loans
@@nadiafedchin5715 thank you. So I am going to assume your answer is NYU is not worth 80k of debt :)
@@nadiafedchin5715 you just saved our family 80k... do you have a fund me page ? you deserve a kick back
@@nadiafedchin5715 so we are down to our final decision ... its Emerson, Pratt, DePaul, and Bard College... I am thinking Emerson is the best choice of those... what do you think ?
Honestly both are excellent schools. If she is going to have a writing, Emerson has great reputation for that and you save money. If she’s passionate about being at NYU for other reasons, consider it, but the debt is a lot too.
If it’s undergrad, pick the more affordable option for sure.
Do you feel it’s worth going to grad school if it helps you move to LA? I’m in a small town and there’s almost no production work here.
I don't think you need to go to grad school to move to LA! You can just go. :)
So if you don't go to film school, do you just have to pack up and move to LA and headbutt your way to a job?
USC film school graduate alumni here:
You go on film related job boards, get PA jobs, PA for USC films (so you get those USC connections without getting yourself in debt), take workshops, go to the many free industry Q&A's and seminars and talk to the speakers afterwards, gain experience by buying gear and going out to film, get a library card and get free access to lynda.com tutorials where you can learn editing and sound design, and work your way up from there. Assistant jobs are GREAT for go-getters, you learn so much by just listening to the execs on the phone, and many hard working Assistants and PA's at my job worked their way up within a year. You'll gain so much more learning on the job than sitting in class for 4 years. After you graduate you'll have to climb that same ladder regardless, going to USC does NOT change that. Film school is just a safety net for those who are too scared to face the real world, or are undecided. And USC isn't helpful at all with helping you get in the door, and that name on the resume has absolutely no impact when interviewing, the on-the-job experience is what counts. Believe me, I regret USC every month when I pay off that six-figure debt and didn't experience that degrees relevance in my career. My career was due to my work experience, and proactive attitude.
Film school isn't worth it. 2018-2019 everything you need to learn is on the internet for free. The point of "having a like minded community" doesn't justify the cost and the dept. Finding filmakers is easy any local event or film festival can do that. If your dream goal is to work in a specific position it can help to have a degree on the resume. But still does not justify the cost. Most entry level jobs with a film degree from any school is like 35-45k. Most film schools like NYFA. Charge over 30k a yr. Companies now more than ever seek experience over paper. On top of that thanks to the internet anyone can grind and become a youtuber or instagram influencer in a passion related niche and make 45k -80k a year talking about their favorite pokemon. Or documenting independent films. Just my opinion but the statistics are out there.