where to start?

nho

nho

Well-known member
Not totally sure if this is the right forum to be posting this in, so please move it if needed.

Pardon my naiveness in advance. I'm currently 18 years old and would like to attend film school. The only thing that stops me is the financial aspect of attending. It is very possible for me to attend Vancouver Film School next September, but would have to work some awful 9-5 job at places such as wal-mart/best-buy/etc. for an entire year to help pay a small portion of what I wouldn't get from loans. I hate these kinds of jobs so much that I just can't do them. I am wondering if anyone here knows if it would be possible to somehow get a job that would benefit me with experience and/or knowledge in anything film. I know I lack no experience at the moment so this may not even be possible, but if so, how do I go about finding this kind of job or even an internship? Larger cities I have access to are Madison (WI), Milwuakee (WI), and Chicago.

I worked at one of those dead-end jobs for a while, bought myself a nice prosumer camera, and have been making many short experimental films for about a month now. I use vegas to edit and have been using it for about 3 years now. (editing pc game movies before actual video). I have very high standards for what I make and know I have talent. So, any information that can help me is greatly appreciated.
 
You mentioned about how you would need a job for a year to save up enough cash. If you want something related to media why not work in you're local cinema, see how things work. Looks better on you're resume to. If not what about a Grand Theatre. Backstage work etc.

Although off the record, I wouldn't consider going to film school in a hundred years. As a grand producer once told me get as much experiance in the field of film you want to go into before tring to go to film school and the rest of it. Film school is like a giant bin. You put you're cash in and you walk away with nothing more than facts and a couple of short dramatic boring films.

If I was you I'd get a good paying job no matter what it is, and stick to what you're doing already. You can't learn thing's all the time from a textbook via pen and paper. Get out there with you're cameras & mics and get some proper experiance. It's the best way to learn.

Just keep moving up, work for free on other peoples sets. Sit back, watch how they do things. You'll soon get around and before you know it have you're own demo reel. It'll all start to kick off and you'll eventually move up the film chain. Besides, you would have also spent that cash on other things.

Okay, I think I was a little biast there, just a tad. But that's just my personal opinion. I'm sure there's quite a few around here who think similary or differently. Or who would phrase it better.

If you use ths earch button on the forum you'll also find people who have asked similar questions in the past, might be a good idea to look at there feedback also. Could give you a few ideas. =]
 
Your exactly like me man, i dont wanna work a tim hortons or anythin like that, i just wanna film and get paid.

Ki-Ki...so i wanna go to film school....i wanna maybe be a filmer when im older. Your saying that you shouldnt go to college/university? to a film school? How can i get a career?
 
making money doing video isn't all that hard, making enough money to live on doing video is a different story. There's so many filmmakers out there, you really have to stand out. I think film school would be a benefit to you, but what will benefit you more is interning or volunteering on movie sets, that's where you will do most of your learning and networking.
 
it's as easy a buildinga great reel and taking wat is offered to get a foot in the door. Education is not required but for most, colege is only an option at one age or stage. In my opinion, it shold not be skipped. It's not that this career needs it, it's that any lfe that has it offered should totally do it. College is a great place for young people to go to find out who they are.
the parties are pretty cool too.
 
Right now im trying to do weddings, im finding music videos for people....then i gonig to college.........should i then after college continue to do what im doing now? how can i get my self out there?
 
well como, you're off to a good start if you are already doing wedding and music videos and haven't even enter college yet. If you are looking into majoring into film/television/video then you already have good working knowledge going into it. Keep doing that, keep taking on projects and keep doing new types of projects. You just have to keep at it. Look on Craig's List, Productionhub, Mandy, iFreelance, Monster, Sologig...all of these are good rescources to finding work.
 
TheComo said:
Ki-Ki...so i wanna go to film school....i wanna maybe be a filmer when im older. Your saying that you shouldnt go to college/university? to a film school? How can i get a career?
Click to expand...

Yeah. It's totally up to you. You want to go to college, univercity, film school, hooker classes whatever you want. I don't think it's worth it. In my 'personal' opinion. I'd spend that cash on something worth wild like camera equiptment. Practice my practical things, sound, audio, filmmaking, directing. Whatever the crap It is. Then enter them in film festivals. Builds up you're confidence & experiance instead of wasting 3+ years of you're life behind a desk taking lessons from a guy who probably.. well i can't think of a good thingie ma bobbie. But you get the point.
 
Well, what if companies look at my resume and see i have no schooling?

I got 5000 right now for college, and 2000 has grown, when i getinto college, im aloowed to use the interest (2000) for camera equpiuptment...pretty ill
 
Well they say it's about quality not quantity. I think especially in buisnesses such as music industry & the film industry they look more at the experiance than qualifications. Take it this way. When you look at a actor or actress for a new film you're making. First thing everyone tends to do is look at there image to see if they match up for the part. What they don't tend to do is look at there qualifications from high schoo, college & univercity.

They tend to look at the demo reel, get a copy of the film or contact someone who's worked with them before, pull them in for an audition and so on.

I assume pretty ill is like.. one of those phrases like ill, awesome, grand etc. If not then.. sorry you're ill or.. yeah. Anyway. In the uk it's like.. $40 for college.

I personally tend to think credits & reels matter more than high school education. I dare say I'll find out at some point down the line though because the only things in life i ever succeeded in were Racing & Geography.

edit:::
COURSE, skipping all that if you're on about companies as in outside media. Then yeah fair point.
 
Ki-Ki said:
Anyway. In the uk it's like.. $40 for college.
Click to expand...


........... wow. just a few of the film schools i've looked at and their price...

Full Sail (Florida Film School) 21-month program, $61,000.
Vancouver Film School (Canada) 52-week program, $35,000
Milwaukee Institue of Art and Design (Wisconsin) 4-years, $25,000 per year

Only thing that keeps me from attending any film school is the financial aspect of it. As well as my opinion changing on whether or not it's better to go to film school or not to go. lol.
 
Well it's $40 for college, sometimes more, sometimes less, normally by just a $10 though. It's alright, nothing special. Passes the time. Don't know how much similar to film school it is but i've been told over here it's pretty much the same.
 
a demo reel showcases the best of your work. if you want to highlight your photography, you will show the most beautiful, stunning images you've ever recorded. if it's the writing, you will include your best dialogue scenes, narration scenes, whatever. -- it can be called a 'montage' but that makes me think of Team America... or Rocky... =)

Once you have a great demo reel, getting work is the next step. It seems like a catch-22... you can't really make a demo reel unless you've got jobs to film... at the same time, you want to use the demo reel to GET jobs...

as for film school: i spent a year in UNL's film and new media program and just recently switched my major to advertising. i got offered a part-time position at a local bank to work in their advertising division. i'd rather spend money on a degree in that than in film, personally.

if i wanted to make it in film i would get out there and look for jobs... not classes! teach yourself with books if you REALLY need the schooling.
-kyle
 
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