Is Film School Worth the Time and Money?

by: WilliamSchwarz
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Word Count: 689

Every year there are lots and lots of new movies produced and released throughout the world. If you've ever sat through the end credits of any of these films you have a good idea of the large number of people employed by this industry. Several film schools have opened in recent years to help supply studios with new technical and creative talent. Many of the graduates of these institutions are now enjoying successful careers.

But what about the aspiring filmmakers for whom film school is too expensive or far away? Are these people out of luck or is there another way to realize their dreams? Is film school even worth the time and money in the first place?

Only the future filmmaker can decide whether seeking training at a school is the best way to get in the door, but it's a good idea to check out the alternatives.

It's with the hope that it will help future movie makers decide whether or not film school is the best route to take that I'm offering the following story about a friend of mine and how he got into the business. This friend travels around quite a bit so I haven't been able to ask him if it would be alright to use his real name, so I'll call him Paul.

One day Paul learned that he would be receiving an inheritance. It was his mother's job to decide the way this money was to be spent. The only condition was that it was to be used in the furthering of his education. She asked Paul what kind of career he wanted to go into.

His reply was that he hoped to get into the movie industry. In his estimation, film school would be the obvious way to get eventually enter the business. This career goal suited his mother just fine, but she had another idea about how Paul could learn the necessary skills.

What if she allowed him to use the money to produce a short movie of his own? It seemed to her that it would be the best way to learn how films are made.

Paul thought this was a good idea, so he went out in search of some help on this project. He found a local special effects technician who was interested in getting involved. I also happen to know this man. We can call him John.

This is the deal Paul offered to John: John was to contact some of his special effects colleagues and together they would compile a list of effects that they had always wanted to create but had never had the opportunity to do. Paul would write a script that used as many of these effects as possible and a short film would be made from it that they would all work on together. The technicians wouldn't be paid for their work, but Paul would supply all of the necessary materials.

The effects crew enthusiastically agreed to this offer and the result was a very slick looking short film. Everybody involved had a lot of fun and Paul learned how movies are made. He also had a nice portfolio piece to show when looking for work in the future.

Paul's story is by no means unique. Although there are a lot of successful people working in the film industry, there are also plenty of self taught filmmakers who are doing very well.

Stanley Kubrick, John Waters, Quentin Tarantino and especially, Robert Rodriguez are just a few of the many directors who have publicly stated that producing a film on your own is the best way to learn how it's done.

It's now easy to buy or rent video equipment and filmmaking software, so that just about anybody willing to do some work can get a film made. Once these films are finished they can be uploaded to the internet and viewed by millions of people.

Once again, there are many paths to success in the motion picture field and it is in the best interest of all who plan to enter it to consider as many of these paths as possible. Best of luck to all of you in the future!

About the Author

If you're interested in a career in the film industry and are wondering what the best way is for you to get into the movie business, visit Flashfink's Squidoo page to see if going to film school is your best option.  

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