i need help/opinions on my future college? film school??

[sb kyle]

OK so i am a senior now and graduation is within three months. i do fairly well in school maintaining a 3.0 or higher. I love working on my volkswagen and filming. My plans for my future were to go to penntech to get a degree with automotive field. i decided that its what i like doing but film is more of a love for me. Ive been filming ever since i got my first camera which was a sony hi-8 and i managed to film that thing to death! i just feel i need to lean towards film/videoproduction for a career. Whether its filming weddings or having a connection with a TV station of some sort. Its already really really late for me to decide this now but this is something i want to do.

What are some good schools i should look into going to that will let me have a good positive outcome from?

Where did you guys go to college/school for this field of video? how did it turn out? do you hate your life for getting into this career working with video?

i appreciate any help at all. I just need advice from people that already been through it. I don't want to make a mistake of paying off loans the rest of my life and doing another career completely non relevant to what i had planned on doing with the film criteria.

This thread means a lot to me so if it is posted in the wrong section let me know i need reply's and different opinions on how i should plant the seed for my future. None of my relatives went to college and this is a time to shine and make it happen and make something of myself. And no i am not joining the damn army hahaha

 

[Jeffrey Rice]

Okay, since you asked, here it is. You have two viable options given the current economy, and neither of them is the army.

Option One: Go to auto mechanic school and learn a trade that will reliably make the rent. In this climate, anything repair-related is surefire, because ppl aren't buying new. If inflation hits, nobody will be buying new anything, especially cars. Do film on the side, day job gives you freedom to turn down sucky assignments you might take for rent $, and instead work on your own material.

Look at job growth outlooks and salaries at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov

Option Two: Work a sucky but undemanding job, and make your own feature guerrilla-style. Read "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez, and any of the Rick Schmidt books. DV post for everyman is an incredible opportunity, no more 'short ends' and lab fees. Get a laptop and Vegas and get at it !

Your dilemma speaks to me, and the above is what I tell my students in my community-college writing courses. I am a playwright/screenwriter with an MA in English, and the intense experience of a 'professional' degree is great for some people.

I loved college and fortunately got enough scholarships, grants, teaching fellowships to not have a major loan problem. My understanding is this does not happen in film school. For one-tenth the cost of film school ($50-100K) you can make a DV feature film. Why not go for it while you're young ?

I was once considering becoming a professional pilot. An airline greyhair gave me some pretty sage advice about it: "If you make your hobby your profession, you have to find another hobby." His was breeding champion Rottweilers. I imagine if he had been a full-time dog breeder he could not have afforded to fly.

All this is IMHO, YMMV, etc, FWIW. Good luck :beer: Jeff

 

[Jeffrey Rice]

I should add that if you just want to learn video production, technical side of it, community colleges are a great $ value in this regard. Where I teach, the tuition is $80.00 per credit hour. At the nearby four-year state school it is over $200.00 per credit hour, in-state residents.

This is why many ppl start at 2-yr schools, get an Associate's (usable in itself) then transfer to 4-yr school to finish w/a Bachelor's. Most every LEGIT junior college will have a transfer-credit arrangement with the nearby 4-yr school.

2-yr colleges have a generally more relaxed vibe, and offer more services to ppl who aren't quite 4-yr ready or not sure of their major yet. And you won't lose credits when upgrading to the 4-yr school. But you got the first 2 yrs cheap.

Please AVOID the "proprietary" schools that advertise on TV, e.g. ITT Tech -- these are horribly expensive, and employers aren't thrilled with the certificate you get. They are for-profit operations w/o state support. Many of them are ripoffs, they get the student loan $ and students get little or nothing. Check the graduation rates, placement rates, etc with someone other than the school. Be careful.

You can get employment & salary info at www.monster.com and www.salary.com as well as the gov site above.

Best of luck with whatever you choose ! :beer: Jeff