what do film schools look for

Steve Laramie

Steve Laramie

Veteran
Sorry if this seems like a redundant post I am pretty sure this hasn't been covered yet in detail. Does a film school of USC caliber look mostly for grades or talent? I am looking at princeton review stuff and most USC undergrad applications have a GPA of about 3.7 or higher. Then there is that 1% with GPA's in the toilet at about 2.5. What do you think this 1% did? Do they have legacy at the school or were there grades waved?
 
Well the 'film school' that I'm in doesn't give a rats ass about your grades. It's considered a good film school, possibly one of the best in Canada, but they just cared about my portfolio. I had to write an essay and put together a portfolio. Then I showed this portfolio in the interview. I know it was the portfolio that really impressed them.

If your film school cares mostly about grades, then it doesn't have it's priorities in the right places and you probably shouldn't go there. Grades don't mean anything when it comes to talent and technique.

But I can't speak for USC.
 
Speaking from personal experience, I believe film schools like USC, Chapman, NYU etc. are looking for people that have some live experience, and don't just spend their free time in front of the TV. I think it helps if you have traveled, have different hobbies, are active in student clubs and other organizations, make movies in your free time etc. Having experienced a lot of "stuff" means you probably have something interesting to tell, which is important if you want to make movies. Since they have so many applicants to choose from, the grades are important too because there are plenty of applicants that do a lot of stuff in their free time and have good grades...
 
You can get in either way (good grades or good portfolio). If you rely heavily on your portfolio, you will still need averages grades, whereas if you have great grades, you can get in with an awful portfolio (yes, even at USC).

Essays are also important. A great essay could likely make up for subpar grades.

Steve, your reel is likely one of the best they will receive, so as long as you spend time on your essays, you should be fine.
 
...keep in mind, most schools don't look at your portfolio, they only want a list of what you have done but they won't look at your work....
 
PASSION. Trust me. Trust me. Trust me. Of course they want money thats a given. But, if you've got to write a kick ass entrance essay the NUMBER 1 trait that you must exhibit is an extreme desire and thirst for filmmaking knowledge. You need to show them how passionate you are. Period. That could make the difference in getting accepted or not.
 
Drew Ott said:
Steve, your reel is likely one of the best they will receive, so as long as you spend time on your essays, you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks Drew that means a lot. Thanks for the advice guys. I am trying to get one of the USC admission people to give me a straight answer without getting on there bad side and they just spit statistics at me.
 
I go to USC, and while I can't say exactly what they want because I'm not applying to the film school, I can tell you my experience with Florida State's very selective film school, which I applied to (and was rejected from) twice.

Grades are very important, for some reason, but probably the most important thing is that they were looking for people with a "voice". FSU didn't even accept a portfolio, and even though I'd made over 50 short films, and probably had spent more time making movies on my own than anyone that applied, I was rejected. They weren't looking for people that had the most experience, they were looking at personalities, and I guess I just wasn't different enough for them in my interviews. Another thing they looked for was bullet points on your resume that said you are qualified. Most people who were accepted had done internships with film companies, won awards at festivals, or had done something else that was "official". I had made movies with my friends for 8 years, but only worked as a P.A. on one other film. That P.A. job was pretty much the only thing I had on paper besides my own projects, which hurt me.

I'm definitely bitter about film schools in general as a result of this, so I'm not going to spend any of my time applying to USC's film school when I can just make my own movies instead. The only positive thing about the film school here are the the connections you can make, because many of these people are going to be working in Hollywood in a few years. The professors are also really good resources. That said, most of the film school movies I've seen from USC (and FSU) are really bad, which amazes me considering their selectivity in applicants and the availability of resources they have.

My 2 cents.
 
I'm really not sure about the state of film schools in the US, but over here, the somewhat cynical view is that these places give a qualification, sure - but the key is making contacts. The people they seem to select fit a very narrow profile. A technically superb person who has no 'vision' is useless, yet somebody who knows little about the kit, but somehow produces beautiful images is God. I doubt it's particularly fair -but that's how education seems to be nowadays.

I suspect that having certain things on the CV just suggests the kind of person you are, and that's not really 'changeable'.
 
I go to film school on the east coast, and I think my best advice is to consider the fact that you're competing with tons of talented people with good grades and that you need to find a way to stand out. You need to prove to them that you have the best chance to succeed in the future (which, in turn, makes them look good).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top