Why film school might not suck.

1. Depending on the program you can learn a wide variety of skills fast and bypass a lengthy learning process.


It is definitely an advantage to have access to expensive gear and high end equipment. Film gear is usually very expensive to rent and outside the reach of those who are not wealthy. You will also get to work on many sets quickly to get that very important on the set training.

2. Networking.


Any film maker worth their salt knows that rubbing elbows and making contacts is paramount to success. You will have immediate access to (hopefully) a wide pool of talent and have people to call on long after you graduate. The negative side of course is all your contacts are as inexperienced as you are, but at least you will never have trouble with finding a crew.

3. You learn social skills.


Being able to work with people you dislike is an important skill in any business, but double as much in film. On a crew of ten or more their is bound to be someone you think is an asshole. You will also have to work with a wide variety of personality types, learning to work together and rise up past differences.

4. You will have a diploma.


I have never once been asked if I had a diploma in film, but having one opens doors in other areas. Receiving grants and funding, applying to larger programs or university and the list goes on.

5. You will have a reel.


 If you are untalented than it won't matter how big your reel is, that being said...

Making a demo reel is time consuming and expensive. Film school can be a great asset to quickly building a portfolio to show off your skills. You will probably find work quicker and easier when you graduate.

Why film school sucks.

The following are merely generalizations and DO NOT account for every single person I have gone to school with.

I have been to two film schools. Since my experiences have been almost identical in both I think it is safe to assume most of what I write will be accurate of most others.

People who want to be filmmakers ask me if they should go to film school and while I don't want to dissuade anyone there are a lot of things to consider:

1. Film school cannot make you into a good filmmaker. It can't even make you into a competent one.

If you do not have talent as a story teller then I don't care what the program is you will not succeed as a director.  In film school I met some very talented people and a lot of Tarantino/Woody Allen/Coen brothers wannabes. They don't wish to make their own films or express their own ideas, they merely wish to be a clone of someone else. They end up graduating and all they have to show for their efforts is an expensive wall decoration.

2. Half of the people in film school have no interest in making movies. Ever.

The number of people who would walk up to me, even on my own sets, and tell me they cared nothing for film was astounding. They were there because someone else was paying for it, to get parents to stop nagging or because they just wanted a degree. These people exert very little effort into their own productions and far less on anyone else's.

3. College is full of teenagers.

In my second film school attempt I was the only thirty year old in a class of mostly 18 year old's. If you are an older adult going back to school, you must be willing to deal with high school minded teenagers and all the baggage that comes with them. Cliquishness, rudeness and a total lack of fair play are the order of the day here. You will also probably be ignored or berated whenever you dare to have an opinion. Since film requires large amounts of people this can be devastating to your education since film sets must have at least five to seven people to function. My films were constantly short staffed, (and mostly with the jerk offs listed in point 2) and as a result my work was much worse than it had to be.

4. It is the unsuccessful who teach.

Almost all film school professors are failed directors. If you want to learn a skill would you want to learn from someone who failed, or someone who was a success? If you must go to film school than learn the business but ignore all career advice. NO ONE teaches when they could be earning six figures a year or more.

5. Film teachers and students think they are artists.

Wanna get into horror or something super mainstream? Then be prepared to have your teachers crap all over it. These guys are a million miles removed from what a normal person wants to watch and prefer boring morality tales or documentaries. (See point 4)

Film can be art but it is also a business. If you want to make your own short little personal films that's okay, but be prepared to fund and produce them by yourself. Otherwise you will have to make a product that sells and often that means doing things you dislike in terms of story or design.