I went to film school, and I enjoyed it, it helped me a lot. That time in a person's life, around age 18 to 24, is difficult no matter what you're studying. You're trying to figure out what you should be doing and trying to live on your own. What makes film school especially challenging is it's an artistic, creative field, and there's no easy answer for what kind of job you can get. Most people who don't work in the film or television industry have no idea how to get a job as a director or writer, or camera operator. The path to being a successful director or cameraman isn't as straightforward as a civil engineer, doctor, or accountant. My point is film school can show you the path and how to be what you want to be.
WHATS THE POINT
The biggest thing I took away from film school was the friendships and connections I made while there. Many of the people I met I'm still in contact with and have had massive success in the film industry. Even if I don't talk with them regularly, I still know them, and if I need help or have a question, they might respond to me. You never know how these relationships can come back to help you.
Another big takeaway was learning how they do it? How do they light it, so it looks good? How do they edit it? How much do they get paid? Any question I had could be answered by someone that's in the game. Film school gives you day-one access to these people.
ITS A TRAP!
Film school's biggest downfall is the cost. You pay a lot for education, and with a "filmmaking degree," what kind of job exactly can you get? Also, couldn't you have learned all of that on YouTube? For me, I wanted to learn how to make movies or work on a movie but had no idea where to start. I have no friends or family who work in the film industry to guide me or get my foot in the door. And that 100K is a student loan; it's not like I had it in the bank. If you know what you want to do and know someone who will help you on your film journey, then go for it. I'm all for the do-it-yourself approach to anything. However, there are still benefits to going to a school.
Film school teaches you the professional approach and provides access to people, experiences, and equipment you can't get easily. For me, it was a place to ask questions, learn different techniques, try them, make mistakes, and practice. You can also learn from other people's mistakes, get feedback on your projects, network, have access to many different cameras and specific filmmaking tools, and you can screen your work for free sometimes.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT
In any case, there is no one way to do it. I've met a lot of working professionals that never went to film school. If you know what you want to do, whether it be a camera person or editor or actor, do it, do a small one. Do it again. Do another one. Do another one. Do another one, charge a little money. Through this process, you will achieve what you want. But if you don't know what you want to do, try taking a class. Someone might point you in the right direction. Specific
Lastly, I went to The Art Institute of New York City and their sister school in Los Angeles, and now I make commercials, music videos and films in Tokyo, Japan. How? By choice, filmmaking has led me here. If you need help with Tokyo Camera Rentals, let me know.
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