Did you go to film school?

[Batutta]

Education today rewards conformity, not independence. It method is regurgitation and memory based, not inspiration or creativity based. It manufactures glass eyed academics, that can't go beyond the abstractions flashed into them.

Education is a filthy business. its purpose is to supply and maintain the current systems of power and privileged. I have three PhD in my family and they all agree on this.

I suppose you would have to be an educated person to come to this conclusion.

 

[Hydarnes]

well if by education you mean those houses that teach you : this is good art, this is bad art, and this is why (no "plot" no "this" not "that" bla bla) thats a diff. story. . . then i understand what you mean
or if they tell ya DIY? going against the rules? = sucky film . . . like trying to get ppl to think in a standart kinda way = this is bad
but going "school SUCKS, I'm a rebel I DO IT WITH NOBODYS HELP" s**** just as much. . . unless the likes of scorsese s*** in your eye, then your are super awesome and we all know s*%t compared to you. . .

 

[Noel Evans]

Education is what you make of it. Not what anyone else tells you what it is. You'll definitely make contacts - good thing.

If you consider your education is to turn up when required, do what you need to to get through.... then film school probably isnt the best idea considering the debt as its not really a career thats going to have longevity for you.

If you consider formal education just a part of your "EDUCATION" toward making a career and you're also continuing that education outside the class, working, learning, working to learn. Then lay down those $ and get cracking.

Ive seen both the above types.

 

[jghenderson]

Also, here's another News Flash: This entire industry that you're working so hard to get into is conformist. If you don't learn to conform to give the audience what they want to pay for, no investor will give you millions of dollars to make a film.
You will be stuck making $10,000 art experiments that very few people actually end up seeing.

That's a terribly depressing mindset to have, even if it is mostly true.

 

[Jawa Ex Machina]

That's a terribly depressing mindset to have, even if it is mostly true.

How do you mean? I think it's great.
Look, if a producer tells you to change the title of your film or recut it, it's because that would make it possible for them to sell it to distributors so that distributors can sell it to stores, so that the stores can sell it to the customers. Just because you have distribution doesn't mean the shops will pick it up.
The wrong title or cover art might be what's keeping your film off the shelves, even if you have a great distributor. If your film isn't on the shelves, people won't see it.
Over here in Sweden, about 1/3 out of all released films actually end up as rentals, and there are A LOT of films made every year that never recieve distribution here.

You gotta see this for what it is. There is an industry out there that exists only to sell film. If you think conforming to that is a bad thing, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

 

[Gary Huff]

There is an industry out there that exists only to sell film. If you think conforming to that is a bad thing, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

We exist in a time that if you just want to make personal films that don't have much in wide audience appeal, you can easily afford to do so. You probably won't make a living in the industry, but you can work your normal job and shoot on nights/weekends to make your film that people in general might not be interested in seeing. The barrier to entry is no longer an expensive camera body and feet after feet of film purchasing and processing fees.

On the other hand, if you want to make your living working in what it typically referred to as "Hollywood", then that's the way it is and that's the way it has been and that's the way it will be.

But at least there's a choice.

 

[Jawa Ex Machina]

We exist in a time that if you just want to make personal films that don't have much in wide audience appeal, you can easily afford to do so. You probably won't make a living in the industry, but you can work your normal job and shoot on nights/weekends to make your film that people in general might not be interested in seeing. The barrier to entry is no longer an expensive camera body and feet after feet of film purchasing and processing fees.

On the other hand, if you want to make your living working in what it typically referred to as "Hollywood", then that's the way it is and that's the way it has been and that's the way it will be.

But at least there's a choice.

Well yeah, but even if you're an independent filmmaker you'll still have to sell your film. Selling a film is way harder than making it these days.

I think what you're talking about is underground filmmaking, and there are a lot of good underground film festivals dedicated to that where the non-mainstream is celebrated and awarded. If you're happy with that, and want to be an underground filmmaker, that's fine. In fact I agree film school is probably not what you're looking for.

 

[Sun]

I suppose you would have to be an educated person to come to this conclusion.

No, just honest, which is harder to attain on any level.

 

[HorseFilms]

I sat and read everything I could here for about 6 months, practiced... then practiced more. This place IS film school.

 

[jghenderson]

How do you mean? I think it's great.
Look, if a producer tells you to change the title of your film or recut it, it's because that would make it possible for them to sell it to distributors so that distributors can sell it to stores, so that the stores can sell it to the customers. Just because you have distribution doesn't mean the shops will pick it up.
The wrong title or cover art might be what's keeping your film off the shelves, even if you have a great distributor. If your film isn't on the shelves, people won't see it.
Over here in Sweden, about 1/3 out of all released films actually end up as rentals, and there are A LOT of films made every year that never recieve distribution here.

You gotta see this for what it is. There is an industry out there that exists only to sell film. If you think conforming to that is a bad thing, you're shooting yourself in the foot.

I just think that intentionally "conforming" is bad for film as an art, AND as an industry. It destroys personal vision and fresh approaches to problems, and everything starts to look the same. That's probably why it's rare for a film to genuinely excite anyone anymore. Sure, if all you care about is money, then find the best filmmakers in the world and just copy them. But if you want to be a great filmmaker yourself, you must follow your own intuition.

 

[Gary Huff]

Sure, if all you care about is money, then find the best filmmakers in the world and just copy them.

That will actually get you nowhere. If you care about money, then the most sure-fire route is to find a subject matter that already has a built-in audience (i.e. a franchise), don't poo poo it up too bad, and be sure to include lots of spectacle.

 

[Jawa Ex Machina]

I just think that intentionally "conforming" is bad for film as an art, AND as an industry. It destroys personal vision and fresh approaches to problems, and everything starts to look the same. That's probably why it's rare for a film to genuinely excite anyone anymore. Sure, if all you care about is money, then find the best filmmakers in the world and just copy them. But if you want to be a great filmmaker yourself, you must follow your own intuition.

Being original for the sake of being original doesn't sell a film to anyone. Distributor, shop or audience. It doesn't automatically guarantee "good art" whatever that is either.
In fact, I would argue that "conforming" to the expectations of both the audience, producers and distributors gives you enough limitations to create some wonderful art AND make sure people see it too. Like Orson Wells said, "The absence of limitations is the enemy of art".
Once you accept this you can conform to, or break, any rule as the story demand.

But without understanding and mastering the craft, which is what film school is for, you don't know when to make those choices in order to get your story where you want and still keep your audience.

 

[Gary Huff]

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