So, You Want to be a Film Student, huh?

February 9th, 2010

 by Alex Avila

 

     In 1997, I watched Scream for the first time (on VHS) and as soon as the title card ‘WRITTEN BY KEVIN WILLIAMSON’ appeared at the end of the film, something sparked within me and since then I’ve had an itch to tell compelling stories. I wanted to do what Mr. Williamson did; I wanted to be able to get into people’s psyche and scare them. This is why I chose to study film. I wanted to learn more about this medium - that is a little over a century old - and take the education I received and apply it in real life to make a living off of it some day, which seems to be everyone’s dream as a kid, right?

     With the advancement of technology and today’s obsession with social networking there seems to be a new medium of ways people can become film-makers. So I ask, why go to school when people have information at the tip of their fingers? Well, there’s always the chance to learn from those that actually make films for a living (depending on what school you attend) and getting an insider’s perspective as to how the film industry works - you can’t get this from just reading a book, you know.

     Let’s just say that you have your mind made up and you are excited to go to college, or transferring to another university, or even change your major to film. The first thing I must say to you is to take the Intro to Film class. This gives you an eye opening, and analytical, experience to really understand this art form and how it has come to life. You learn about the production line associated with bringing the words from a script to film (or digital with today’s age) in order to project it onto a screen. Not only is the introductory course designed to teach you the basics but also to educate you on the history of this young art. It is a good thing to learn how this art form came to while also learning how directors used little advancement in film technology to create such classics like: A Trip to the Moon (1902), Birth of a Nation (1915), and The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari (1920).

     Now that you have taken your introductory class it is time to explore the options you have in the film curriculum. It is important to know your strengths and your weaknesses in anything you venture into. This is highly important because once you find your niche you will learn to educate yourself in the field of interest you are most excited about. There are a variety of fields within the film community that one can take a look into: writing, producing, directing, editing, production design, cinematography, and even theory – each one comes with its own unique set of skills that are needed to master it. The only way to really conquer those skills is by “practice, practice, practice.” But, you will need to learn the fundamentals of each field – and to do so you will need to at least take an intro class.

     Once you get a feel as to what it is you really strive for you can further pursue your goal. A schoolmate of mine that also graduated with a theoretical education at UC Santa Barbara described the difference between a theory school and an actual production school (he now attends USC), “[in theory] you learn how to appreciate and analyze film. Where as in a production school, every assignment is to make a film and be judged critically.” I asked him if that scared him at all and he said, “at first yes, but you have to understand that everyone is critiquing you in order to make you better.” Now, not every school that teaches film is designed exactly alike – case in point the theory school of UCSB and the production school of USC. However, knowing what field interests you, you can learn to navigate your way through a curriculum. It will be much simpler once you know what area of expertise you are trying to master because then you would be focusing primarily on those classes that will not only enhance your skills but also help you hone your craft by being more hands on, rather than having to read from a book. Remember, criticism only serves to benefit you.

     What prospective students in film need to focus on are what classes will benefit them in the long run. If you are certain you are not going to be teaching film, then theory is not for you. If you are certain that you want to get into some sort of production, then a school like USC may be better suited for you. Though, even a theory based school like UCSB did have its fair share of production classes. It is in your best interest to really go beyond what is expected of you to show that you really want to be a part of something special. Not only will sitting in a lecture hall benefit you; but, so does being on a film set and getting your hands dirty – as that is the only true way to really experience Film Making 101.

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