Is film school worth it?

Is film school worth it?

No.

Yes

Don't go to film school, go to film.

Maybe

I would have but ended up in med school
hey George miller's a licenced physician skin there's hope for me yet


the answers probably no, get a job save money and if you really feel like it go for it after you have a backup plan. if you don't have the passion for it by then you probably didn't have enough for when you started

Maybe if you want tot make flicks.

Go to kino OP

It's a one in a million chance that you might make it. I've known 5 people who went to film school. Wanna know where they are right now. Not doing film work of any kind.

If you want to do anything try screen-writer. a t the very elast you might get a job editing scripts.

Something like 0.1% of the grads from the top 5 film schools in the country get to direct a feature film or a TV show.

The 90th percentile and above get to work in the entertainment industry in general as editors, script consultants, executives, etc.

The rest toils in poverty or find job in completely unrelated industry with massive student debt for a degree that isn't helping them at all.

No. Better off actually just trying to make a YouTube channel with short films and getting big that way

Look up any of your favorite directors interviews and they all say the same thing: today certainly not. All of them would just turn to the internet and start there.

There was no internet before ofcourse and you had no 4K capable cameras right in your pockets back in the day.
The only thing you must have is the will and passion to do it by yourself, you have all the resources needed for learning filmmaking right at your disposal.

The only (semi) valid reason to go to film school is to make connections with others which could help in the future where you could rent crew and gear as a whole group, instead of being by yourself.

To quote Jay Bauman: yes, it's a good experience if you want to eventually work on movies or television, plus it provides you with plenty of networking opportunities. Just make sure you enroll in a school that focuses on teaching you the technical aspects of it, as opposed to "teaching you how to be creative."

No.

You're not going to make it as a filmmaker/ screenwriter/ whatever your snowflake dream is.

You're not going to make it in the industry because there's a thousand other snowflakes who are willing to degrade themselves more than you are just to get a foot in the door.

You'll spend a decade begging for scraps (PA gigs, maybe a AC gig on some shit reality TV show if you're lucky), only to realize you're pushing 30 and have nothing to show for it.

Take my advice. Seriously. Go to trade school. Play around with filmmaking in your spare time. Don't try to make a career out of it. You'll just end up broke and bitter.

The only good reason to go to film school is to make contacts.

It might also help you realize filmmaking is not for you, if that's the case.

Is this Jay Bauman a super famous director in Hollywood?

he has a very successful children's show online

30 is fucking young for someone trying to be in the industry

If you're willing to suck producer dick to get your foot in the industry, sure.

>Just have connections handy. It worked for me

It depends what you want to be on set, you can learn a lot just working on set as PA or grip also there is a lot of learning material in youtube. If you want to be one of those directors that do it for muh art and not for the money then you're a fuck, the only way to make it in the film industry is just going to those after award parties just to meet "famous" people to found your movie. OP if you're rich go for it there is nothing to lose. Being famous or able to do any wet fantasy of your imagination is just a cursed dream.

don't listen to cynics such as even if 10 years after you don't get to make your movie or sell your script, you won't necessarily end up as a glorified paid intern, as long as you are actually good at something.

if you're good at color grading, sound design, mixing, editing, sets design, CGI, writing (even if it's for a shitty sitcom), etc, you can make a good living.

maybe avoid film schools that tell you they will make you a director.

So many people here are cynical. How do you know you won't make it if you don't try

But where are am I supposed to learn about film by myself?
I'm not going to invent all the basic techniques from scratch or want to make all the easily avoidable beginner mistakes, so don't just say ''make movies''.

I'd really call 40 the time to think about the end, didn't JK Simmons get famous after 40? I wish my movie knowledge was deep enough to think of technical people who got famous after 40 but I know there's gotta be one or two in modern history.

Cause it's mostly climbing a ladder so 30-35 is the average age most find a footing in the industry. That's why it's super rare for directors or DPs to be in their 20s.

Like all industries, college is only worth it if you're focused on gaining experience and forming social business connections.

My family isn't wealthy but my grandma left me a shit load of money for college. Wherever I got in and wanted to go, it would be free and I would have no debt. Part of me thought that going Ivy or whatever would be the best way to honor that gift - but what I really like is making movies so I chose to go to film school.

One and a half years out of the four year program, and I've worked on four features, three shorts, and five music videos. Ive made a fuck load of contacts and I have a short that's in development at a small company in LA.

I'm not sure if going to film school got me all those things, but I'm sure as shit that I don't want to find out.

If you want it, and deep down you know if you do or don't, then do it.