ah..gotta start thinking about college

ernesto

ernesto

Well-known member
So I'm in my junior year of high school, and I gotta start thinking about colleges and all those big decisions on which I'd rather procrastinate.

I live in Minnesota and I've been doing pretty well in school, lots of A's, honors, etc. So I was thinking of going to UW-Madison and doing a double major with film and journalism, or perhaps film & english, or film & creative writing, or something along those lines.

What I want to do is to make narrative feature films, and I don't want to get famous from it or anything, I just want to make a living doing that. At least writing them if I can't direct them.

So what do you guys think? Is this a good path? Am I way off?

I've been thinking about places like USC and they're just too expensive since I'm out of state it'd be like $150k after all the expenses for just undergrad. Madison I can go at a reduced price because of a deal between Wisconsin and Minnesota, so it'll all cost about $40-60k. Do you think going to Madison and doing film&english or something like that, and writing/directing short films, etc. then moving to LA after graduating would work?

I guess I'm just kind of confused with everything and some DVXuser guidance would be nice. :)
 
having been to a few different schools including Madison. I'd say for the money, go to madison and see where life takes you.. You never know what you'll be into during the next 6 years. Madison is a good place to get the college experience and explore your work, like every where you'll get out as much as you put in... there will be plenty of people after me that say dont waste your money on college, just make a movie.. But that isnt reality for a lot of people... if you want to know some specifics about UW let me know...
 
I would get a strong liberal arts education. College, in my view, is more about learning how to think than content. A broad exposure in education will aid in your filmmaking and allow you to contemplate things that may currently be quite foreign. Leave the narrow focus to the accountants. Obviously you will need to learn how to write and the technique of filmmaking along the way, but don't limit yourself.
 
Does Madison have the strongest Wisconsin film program at this point? I went
to Milwaukee for a spell, and it was MUCH more developed, albeit experimental
film in focus.
 
I would major in film and make sure you get a teaching degree... 'cause you are going to need that to "fall back" on.

I'm being sarcastic, of course, but I see lots of talented artists giving up before they even begin.

I was taking a bus to school several years ago and overheard a guy asking a girl about her violin case. She said she was a music performance major, but was getting her teaching degree just in case. She doomed herself to failure before she even tried! Despite what your parents say (and I am a parent!) you need to see yourself succeeding in what you really want to do. Your attitude can really waste your chance to show the world your talent.

Go to a school with a good film program and study writing as well. Buy a camera and a mac mini and start making movies. Post them on youtube and show them to your friends. Find other "talented" artists there and colaborate on a project you and the others are proud of. You will go far from there.

Good luck, Ernesto!:)
 
Greggl said:
Does Madison have the strongest Wisconsin film program at this point? I went
to Milwaukee for a spell, and it was MUCH more developed, albeit experimental
film in focus.
Click to expand...

I dont know about "Strongest". Milwaukee does have a good rep for "film film", but my brother went there for a year and I'd say madison is a better experience as a whole and has equally good departments (if not better, I think they are putting way more money into UW madison... this may all be my bias, I have not gone to school in milwaukee.. and I'm not into experimental film(actual film, not "I'm a film maker, I shoot with my DVX"....)
 
MalcolmOng said:
So..whats the route to become the next peter jackson?
Click to expand...

Make films.

It's all very nice to say so-and-so went to NYU/UC/Wherever and then went on to whatever, but...I think most of the success stories would have been doing it anyway, even without school.

The good ones, anyway.
 
There are a lot of people on this site that are far more technically proficient than a lot of the major directors working in hollywood. But mastering technical skills will not keep you working as a director.

The most important thing for a person your age is to just live your life, gain experiences, see the world. Find a point of view, figure out what kind of stories you want to tell. And that is why college is so important, becuase it will give you a chance to learn about yourself, the classes will be mostly irrelevant. There is not a film school in the world that can prepare you to shoot or direct a major motion picture.

The only reason to go to a school like USC is to be in city like LA and be around the business, and networking with classmates puts slightly ahead of the game. But at a huge school like Wisconsin you will have every chance in the world to meet other people that can help you with your career. I have actually been invited to networking parties in LA held by Wisconsin grads. They have a group and a website I think it's LA Badgers or Hollywood Badgers or something chek it out they could give you advice as well.

The point is there is no front door to a career in film if this is what you want to do you are going to have to climb through a window or come around the back. Enjoy whatever college you go to and make sure to get really good at Beer Pong, that is what truly matters.
 
I'm in university for the university experience. You learn a helluva lot just being here... including everything not related to film... which will then make you a better filmmaker in the end.

I've learned so many life lessons here that I know I write better films because of it.

the skill of filmmaking is easy to learn... to be good is to just do it. You don't need school for that.
 
GenJerDan said:
Make films.
Click to expand...

I am a big believer in school. Even if you are majoring in something that you wind up not 'doing' in life...school brings many intangibles.

Having said that, you are going to get out of it what you put into it. So, if you truly want to make films, do just that, while in school. If by some chance you find a niche' in directing, writing, cinematography, sound design, go with it. If you are pro-active, you should be exposed to all of these things no matter WHICH school you choose. Heck, you might even discover that you dont like filmmaking at all and would rather be a dentist. Thats good too. When you are in school its just as important to find out what you DONT like as it is to find out what you DO.

Don't be seduced by the big name brand schools, USC/NYU/UCLA etc...they are fantastic institutions but if you dont want to borrow the dough you will not be cheating yourself if you go somewhere else. As GenJerDan said, just 'DO IT' and if you have skills, you'll shine. No matter where you get that piece of paper from.

The most important thing, whatever you wind up making a living at, is LOVE WHAT YOU DO.

Rick
 
OK an update.

So I went to visit the UW-Madison campus and I loved it. Maybe it was a sign or just a coincidence, but as soon as I stepped out of my car there was a guy right there making a movie with a 16mm camera. :)

So I looked into the Hollywood Badgers thing and it looks pretty cool, they seem like a helpful bunch, and if what they say on there is true then it looks like a few of them are working on feature films. Those would be some nice connections to have. Also, wis-kino.com (thanks sink :dankk2:) seems like a great resource as well. At the university I asked the student rep about the film community there and she told me it was growing, and that they hosted the wisconsin film festival right over in State St. (center of the campus). So I think it looks promising, and I really did love the atmosphere.

I'm probably going to go there (so is my co-director who I make short films with now so that's good too.) and major in English & Film, or perhaps Journalism & Film if I realize I prefer documentary filmmaking.

Also, Greggl, I visited UW-Milwaukee but I didn't like it as much as Madison. While I was in Madison (very cold day) there were people walking all over, just hundreds of people, street musicians, government workers, and I even saw a guy making a movie. Then, while I was at Milwaukee there was barely anyone out in the street, and it was a much smaller campus and isolated from the city. Seemed dead next to Madison. It was a pretty campus though.

Thanks a lot to everyone for your replies.

Ernesto.
 
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