Just got my spot in Full Sail

djembeplay said:
The "different type" I am referring to is... anything other than the hollywood narrative niche. The medium is limitless... there are always an abundance of unchartered territories to explore
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Got any specific examples of what you're talking about?

I understand the whole art vs commerce thing... but I've also lent a
hand on fellow 'commercial artists', personal projects. Heck, I was at
disney during the death throes and spent 2 years on the last traditionally
animated feature done in the US. Every single animator.. to a person,
was working on something. Usually it contrasted the 'for hire' work
they did during the day. Animated films, cg shorts, live action pieces,
advant garde, dogma projects.. you name it. You could work at the
studio all week, then spend every weekend pitching in on someone
elses, or your own passion project.

I left LA and moved to Key West to return to my true indie roots. I'm
only back in LA to support that undertaking.

The world is still waiting for that mythical 12 year old girl with a betamax
camera getup that was gonna rock the world... you know, the girl Coppola
was waxing poetic about in his wife's documentary about 'Apocalypse Now'.
Its been more than two decades and she's still a no-show... but in the
meantime, those same tools have been embraced by the 'business' and
are being used to do, in essence, what he was talking about... allow for
an alternative point of view... and the best way to do that while having
a realistic chance to reach an appreciable audience, is to use the skills
you learn working within the system, outside of the system.
 
Greggl,

I'm sittin' here... downin' a beer... thinkin'... why am I gettin' so defensive over this. Apologies.

My type of work is very experimental. I shoot alone, often just outside on a walk. I like to play with composting and layering, as if I was painting. I also prefer to work alone on my projects, like a painter. I really enjoy it and have found... at least temporarily... a means of supporting myself with it.

To me honest, right now my lines are blurring (haha, not from the beer) of what exactly defines the 'industry' anyways. I mean, in some sense, it includes everyone... right down to the kid who just picked up that old VHS camcorder at Salvation Army.

I suppose for me, I feel like there is a huge misconception among film makers that the only way to make anything of quality is to get into working on a large set with many people in specific positions. I feel like there is a huge push to seek out people you think are talented to try to get 'buddy-buddy' with them (i.e., 'network'), and this feels shallow to me. Given that working on a large set does yield some really cool stuff as well as shi*ty stuff, so equally can those who prefer to go solo like myself.

So, what is my point in saying this? I take great pride in my work and think it is high quality. I do things that I couldn't otherwise do on a huge set. Likewise, people on large sets can do things that I could not (such as CGI which can take professionals months just to model one character).

Bare with me... I am trying to stay concise here. Again, the vast majority seem to think you need to work on a huge set and have REALLY expensive equipment (which a solo guy like myself usually couldnt not come close to being able to afford) to make beautiful cinema. Being an inherently social being (as humans are), I often feel some sort of pressure to follow suite with this way of thinking. While I myself can see through that, I like to protest this mass misconception to shine a ray of hope into people like myself who just want to go out and do what they want to do by themselves (or with a very small crew).



(and to put a word in about the original topic... If you want to go to school, go to school. It will be a great experience whether you love it or hate it.)
 
I still get a bit baffled by the retort, "don't go to school, spend that $70K on equipment and a film." Few 18 year olds are ready to make a film. But they're ready to go to school. And then people say, "well don't study film, study English literature." Again, it doesn't really compute for me. Study what you want, but if you already know you want to make films, you might as well feed your passion by studying it every waking moment. College can be a lot of work!

I think people expect that taking some non-film liberal arts education will give a person enough depth to make a movie or something. But reading Chaucer won't give a person that depth--if she's got depth and something to say, she'll find something interesting to say in her films regardless of her choice of college major. Just like going to film school won't make you a filmmaker either. But it will help you discover if you're really one or not rather than waiting until AFTER college to do it. Let's face it. Most DVXUsers are at least a bit obsessed with filmmaking. Who wouldn't want to think it, study it, and do it every day as part of the education they're going to be getting anyway? I wish I did (and yes, I do work and get paid in the Industry and did NOT go to film school nor have I family in the business--then again the "Industry" I refer to is in Canada.) If school really is not what you learn but simply "learning to learn" (I wonder if I remember 1% of the details my undergraduate education), then you might as well spend that time doing something you believe might really want to pursue through your life. There's a lot to know. If filmmaking is for you, start studying it now.

I wonder if anti-film school folks are actually just nervous that not having gone to film school forces them to play catch up. Me thinks they dost protest too much (see I studied Shakespeare!). Hey, I felt a bit threatened not having been a film school grad myself. But I also recognize that so many of my colleagues in the business who pursue their independent projects on the side will never make a film I want to watch--they really are better suited to being a focus puller or a producer or a post-production supervisor. Filmmakers are probably born not made. But I think most of those born to it, get a sense early on that it's what they want to do (even if they don't necessarily act upon it right away). Those born to it have nothing to lose and everything to gain by going film school.

But all that said, one thing I believe entirely is that the old rules are changing. I've never heard of Coppola's girl with a betacam metaphor, but if it hasn't happened yet (that might be debatable), it's only because Coppola was vastly ahead of his time. The Industry that most people consider to the industry in LA is decentralizing. That's the digital revolution for you. The stuff people traditionally had to learn in film school is now available everywhere via the Internet. At this point all roads lead to Rome. The Industry is going to look profoundly different 10 years from now. Filmmakers that will be catching our attention will be coming from everywhere and from more varied backgrounds. I mean, think about it. How old is the DVX? Three years? Things are just getting started. Very exciting times.
 
Well I didn't go to a Full Sail type college but did go to a 4 year university and my major was tv/video/film. It greatly helped me to get where I am I just graduated in December and now I'm working in the field as a manager of video production of a small company in MO. I got a basketball scholarship as well my total college loans = 12,000. That I can handle. With that said if you got the money for a high dollar film school go for it but if not you could always go my route.
 
sean90291 said:
I've never heard of Coppola's girl with a betacam metaphor
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"Some day some ten year old girl in ohio will make a movie with daddy's video camera and be the next Mozart. Then the so-called 'professionalism' of movies will be gone, and only then it can become a true art form."

Words I live by.
 
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The film school versus no film school is just like the mac versus pc debate... we get them every couple of months and for a while it is nice and civil, but then it just seems to go off the deep end and dance that fine line of being out of control.

Therefore, congrats Ravens... I mean ZFilms, great job and enjoy.

Please let's not continue to

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Greggl, as usual, I agree with you. Great posts here. Guys, listen to him.

I see most of these threads turning into people getting defensive over choices they've made because they are unsure whether they made the right ones or not. A whole lot of projection happening here, not to psychoanalyze all this too much. We're all exactly where we need to be, we made the decisions we've made, and that's that.

To the guy who started the thread, best of luck. It's your decision and I'm sure you made the right one.

As for me, I did receive formal training. I am working in the field. My current job is as a writer and production assistant on a primetime television show. I also still work on my own shorts, etc. on the side.
 
Zfarms,

Congrats on your great news and best of luck. Hope to see great stuuf from you in the future.
 
Full Sail

Full Sail

I will be starting the digital arts and design course at Full Sail in July. Just got back home from a visit down there last night. Hated leaving that great 80 degree weather to come back to Michigan.
 
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