The Most Common Film School Mistake
Movies are the most commercial art form in existence. As such, they have the power to communicate with people of every race, creed and corner of the globe. Film is the medium through which one can truly make a global impact and even shift the global culture. Is it any wonder so many people want to make films?
Many aspiring filmmakers look at the current crop of successful filmmakers and think that the only way to reach that level of success is to go to film school and continue with the so-called “traditional” path, following in the likes of Spielberg, George Lucas, and many others. However, we don’t live in that world anymore. In today’s film market, the reasons not to go to a very expensive film school outweigh the benefits. In fact, anyone who’s really committed to working in film, should get in and actually work in film first. But how is that possible? We’ll return to that later.
Here are the three mistakes nearly every aspiring filmmaker makes. Want to save yourself a lot of money, frustration and heartache? Then avoid these mistakes.
Mistake #1
Strange as it may sound, the majority of people currently in film school are there for one reason: they think it’s going to be glamorous. In truth, they’re not chasing knowledge but rather, a certain level of prestige. First and foremost, making films, i.e. developing, scouting, shooting, working on sets and doing the final edit nearly none of it is glamorous. What it really is is lots and lots of hard work. These people also think attending film school is going to open doors for them and allow them to make connections in the “fabulous” film world. Well, the people they’ll actually be building the greatest connections with are other struggling film students who’ve also bought into the dream without first confronting the realities of working in the industry. The truth of the matter is that producers don’t care about where or if you went to film school. What they want to know is what you’ve worked on, whether you’re good or not and who can vouch for you. If you’re an aspiring director or DP, they want to see your work. If the end product is good, that’s all they care about.
Mistake #2
People have a strange delusion that if you really want to understand movies you have to take film history classes. Why? So that some old, out of touch professor can tell you twenty-year-old opinions on films you’ve probably seen before and that will probably have next to no real impact on your filmmaking career? If that’s your worry, then read a book. Heck, read a hundred books, watch documentaries on filmmaking, geek out on film history and theory as much as you like. But don’t confuse film rhetoric with film smarts. Watching movies and asking questions about the setup of the shots, the director’s intention, etcetera is far more effective than spending thousands of dollars to listen to someone tell you about film. You know how Quentin Tarantino learned about movies? He watched movies. Know how Scorsese learned about movies? He watched movies. What type of movies do you want to make? Horror movies? Then you should go out and watch every horror movie you can get your hands on. Want to make romantic comedies? Watch those. Watch director interviews. If you’ve got a passion, then pursue that passion seriously but don’t pay any institution tens of thousands of dollars to make you buy into the belief that you’re getting wise in the process. That just isn’t true. Pass on the German Expressionism classes; learn how to operate a camera and block a shot.
Mistake #3
The final and most crucial mistake most people make when deciding to go to film school is that they don’t really consider the financial cost of it. Sure they see tuitions of $50,000, $60,000, or more but they don’t figure in the interest. Another thing they don’t do the math on—the opportunity cost associated with that $50,000 loan. Opportunity cost is more than just money, it’s the other stuff you forgo when you have to choose something else. For instance, if you take a $50,000 loan, you’re going to have to repay that loan with large monthly payments. So upon graduation, you probably won’t be able to work on-spec which is how people really get started in the film industry. Instead, you’re going to have to look for work that pays enough to cover those loans you’re repaying. And since you can’t be in two places at the same time, you’ll have to say no to the very same work that might not pay a lot, or anything at all when you’re just starting out. In other words, going to film school can make it a foregone conclusion that just months after graduating from film school, you could be getting an office job in a completely unrelated field just to be able to get by. Or, you could just decide to live simply, focus on the future you’re creating day-by-day as you build up your experience and get your film career going on the right track.
It’s as simple as this: Filmmakers become filmmakers by making films. For a film education that’s less about theory and more about doing it and doing it right, consider getting mentored in film and commercial production by a professional in your area via our mentored-externship approach.