Real World Exposure For Film School Students
Top film schools often fail in transitioning their students from the academic world into the real business world of filmmaking. Most of the professors at even the best film schools have very little experience themselves working as professionals in the movie industry.
The Palm Springs International ShortFest film festival is working to help those students by giving them exposure and feedback to real audiences and industry professionals.
Festival Film Curator & Director of Industry Programming Kathleen McInnis said she wants to make the festival a link between film schools and the film industry. Contestants in the festival have won a total of four Academy Awards in the last four years. Read more
Top Film Schools — It’s All In Your Perception
Top Film Schools - In Whose Opinion?
Top film schools - I often see articles and web sites devoted to proclaiming them. They extoll the advantages of attending one film school over another without letting on that these articles and sites are often created by the very film schools that they recommend or by entrepreneurs seeking commissions for sending new students.
You might find this slightly shocking that highly regarded universities would lower themselves to spending millions of dollars to advertise and declare themselves one of the top film schools. But look into the history of film schools and it all becomes clear. If you are considering attending a so-called top film school you might even find your mind changed. Read more
Chinawood Beats Them All
Overview of Hengdian World Studios - Image via Wikipedia
Yesterday I wrote about Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, which I think by now is the second biggest producer of films in the world. I'm talking number of films produced in the case of Nigeria. If you want to know about the largest studio in the world then you need to travel to the other side of the world where the Chinese easily have everyone else beat. Read more
You Want a Degree In Film How Soon?
The email I got last week was asking if I could provide the sender with a degree in film that day because he was trying to get a job on a film set and thought a degree in film might help. Did I mention the email was from Nigeria?
Fully half of the emails I get from people inquiring about film schools are from Nigeria.
Is Nollywood the Wave of the Future?
Indian film dances and song - Image via Wikipedia
Until recently if you had asked me what is the 2nd biggest film production country in the World I would of course have replied "India". Everyone knows about Bollywood and their wonderfully entertaining films where everyone always breaks into song and dance when passions start to flare.
I don't think that's true anymore. With the low cost of movie making equipment and the even lower cost of distribution afforded by DVDs and online streaming there is a new capital for filmmaking.
Degree in Film Not Required
Degree in Film not required in Nollywood - Image via Wikipedia
Nigeria is without doubt the fastest growing center for film production in the world and the output has already reached staggering proportions. Film production companies are set up in a moment and new ultra-low budget films get made in a matter of days.
All of Africa is not as primitive as the documentaries on PBS would lead you to believe. Many African countries have large populations of college educated, unemployed but highly ambitious entrepreneurs. Nigeria would be high on the list. Read more
What Would You Pay For The Dream Of Being A Filmmaker?
Glamour
Would you like a glamorous, high-paying job where you got to work the hours you wanted, hung out with famous, beautiful people, everyone respected and admired you and you got to party all night? Would you like to get trained for it in just one year? Would you even be willing to pay a lot of money for the training or take out a big loan?
Of course you would. And so would thousands of other people. That's why selling the dream is such big business. Note that you aren't getting to buy the job, just the dream.
When I saw an article about a "culinary arts" school being sued for over-promising I was reminded that "selling the dream" is a very profitable kind of business in the United States but lately these "for-profit colleges" have come under a lot of legal pressure.
You see for most people the dream is all they will ever get. The schools pay huge sums on slick advertising, the tuition is sky high and the quality of instruction is often low. The success rate for students seems to be even lower.
The "majors" offered are usually in glamorous sounding jobs like fashion design or filmmaking. Jobs where a very few individuals have had spectacular success but job openings are almost non-existent.
If you are wanting to become a filmmaker and try to find the dream there are many options for finding film production courses but these fancy for-profit schools that look so appealing are not going to deliver.
Before you sign up for any film school do your research.
What is your experience?
Surprising Top Film Schools List
Not Your Average Top Film Schools List
Danny Devito - Hollywood Mogul
When you picture Danny Devito do you think "movie actor"? Did you know that he is one of the most powerful business men and producers in the film industry?
If your goal is success in Hollywood would it make more sense to pursue a degree in business rather than in camera angles?
If you're looking for a top film school to get into the film business you aught to have a look at this new list of the top ten film schools. These aren't the top film schools you'll see on any other list.
Top Film Schools For FREE?
When ARE You Going To Get Started?
Image via Wikipedia
I was at a birthday party last night and found myself talking to a young filmmaker, Robert, who had just completed his first feature film. Robert admitted that it wasn't very good but he was incredibly excited that he had completed it.
I asked him where he had gone to film school. His answer was quick and right on.
I want to be a filmmaker. No one's going to tell me I have to put myself $100,000 in debt and spend 4 years waiting to get started. Read more
Importance of Film Storytelling
Image via Wikipedia
Meng Johnson just added a great post to IndieTalk about the importance of film storytelling to the success of a film. Here's an excerpt from that post.
It is easy to get caught up in the technical side of filmmaking and forget the greater importance of the art of STORYTELLING. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what camera you use, how great the VFX, or how big the explosions; if the story doesn’t connect. Read More...
I'm always surprised at the number of questions I get about the technical aspects of filmmaking and how rarely anyone asks me about film storytelling. Read more
Sundance Film Festival Announces Cultural Dialog Films
- Robert Redford of Sundance - Image by Getty Images via @daylife
Sundance has selected 10 films to participate in the Institute's new film festival program: Film Forward, Advancing Cultural Dialog. The purpose is to encourage cultural exchange through the screening of films that reflect the reflect the cultural diversity of the world.
Ten films have been selected to take part in the Sundance Institute's inaugural cultural exchange program, Film Forward: Advancing Cultural Dialogue initiative. The first year slate includes five American and five international titles, screening in New York and Tunisia in December. The concept is a public/private cultural exchange effort spearheaded by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). Read more
Economy Killing Film Schools?
- Image via Wikipedia
Is the economy starting to kill film schools?
This just in from The Business Journal (www.bizjournals.com) reports that recent budget cuts in North Carolina may force the University of North Carolina to cut their film school.
Film schools have been reported to be one of the most profitable areas for universities so it would be surprising if the cut was made for purely economic reasons. This may be a bluff by the school administrators or just more of the trend of cuting arts programs from mainstream public education. Read more
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