Buying a Sweater and Choosing a Film School ? Are There Some Common Threads?

If one is considering the purchase of a sweater, it is essential to knowmore about yourself that the actual sweater when you begin shopping. What areyour demands for color and size, do you want pull over, “v” neck, or buttons,what materials do you like, should it be washable or is dry cleaningacceptable, what about weave, design and cost? These are just a few of thequestions that must be answered about yourself and your desires beforeconsummating the experience with a purchase. However, since we have probablyshopped on numerous occasions, we are very familiar with our criteria formaking a selection.

Selecting the right film school is similar, but more exhausting since thisis not something that we do frequently. In fact a task like this is often doneonly once, so it is incumbent on the shopper to prepare themselves fully so thefinal selection can deliver the results that will lead one to a rewarding andfulfilling experience. The place to start demands that the candidate for filmschool assess their individual desires, needs, interests, capabilities,motivation, ability to finance, present educational attainment, and anadditional host of other considerations about a particular field of filmmaking. Additionally one has to understand that upon graduation they are nowqualified as a neophyte in the business and a number of years of hard work arenecessary to even achieve a modicum of success.

Think of the number of singers and performers that start out as youngstersand the number that eventually end up in the professional ranks. Consider allthe aspiring actors and actresses and then look at the number that actuallyachieve stardom. Do you want to be the star or would you be just as happy andfulfilled as a member of the supporting cast?

The picture that is being painted here is not about crushing a dream, it isabout the reality of any business and especially the extremely competitivenature of the film making industry. If you have not stopped reading yet,perhaps you have the character and motivation to continue to pursue a path inthis career field.

Let’s start with some self assessment.

Have Some Experience?

Why do you believe that a career in the film making industry is for you?What was the most fulfilling experience? Why? What was a downer? Have younarrowed your interest to a particular specialty of film making like actor,director, cinematographer, writer or perhaps some other phase such as filmediting, set design or costume making? You have an edge over others with noexperience and this provides a bit firmer footing than those without. There aremany more questions that could be asked, but the purpose of this line ofquestions is to lead you on the right path. If your fulfilling experience wassignificantly better than any “downer”, that is positive. However a “downer”that is more memorable may be an indicator that the path you have selectedmight not be where your real success is located.

No Experience

The question here is why? Why do you want to purse a career in the filmmaking industry? You probably need to find more information about this careerfield. There are a variety of ways to learn more. Here are a few suggestions.Take a course. Virtually every college in the land has a number of offeringscentered around film making. Join a club. Again college campuses are the placewhere numerous clubs are located, however a search of the Internet revealedthat there are many clubs located in a number of cities and towns. Browse theweb. Sites such as http://www.filmschools.cc can provide information about thegamut of opportunities available in the industry. Just do it! Many people gainexperience by picking up a video camera, gathering friends together, producingshort films and then editing the video using a variety of software tools thatare readily available. Find work. There are many feature films that areproduced in various places around the country. Almost every state has a filmbureau where information is available about productions that are planned orscheduled and there are usually positions open for extras. There are also manypositions when a film is being produced for “gofers”. These are odd jobpositions available during the time of the shooting. This is an excellent wayto observe and learn about the many activities that take place when a film isbeing produced.

Character

Does your personality compliment your interests? Do you like being in chargeor would you rather someone else provide some direction? Do you work betterwith a team or are you most efficient individually? Are you someone that isinterested in general ideas or do you have a need to learn all the technicalspecifications? Do you read the directions when putting a product together ordo you just look at the pictures and start work? Do you plan your day or justlet it happen? How do you learn best? Are you a read and study person or areyou a hands-on learner. Are you ready to attack the rigors of a four yearcourse of study or would on-line self paced be a better fit? Answering thesequestions will help to determine what field of film making might best suit yourstyle and temperment.

The Scene

The previous paragraphs provide the basis for some of the things that youneed to know about yourself prior to embarking in the search for a career fieldin the film making industry that will lead to happiness, prosperity andfulfillment.

The potential film school student needs to be able to identify their uniqueskills, interests and competencies and then match those to specific careers,jobs and professions. They need to honestly identify character strengths andweaknesses associated with a potential career. There are certain personalitytraits and requisite characteristics that are generally associated with aparticular career field and while they are not necessarily indicative ofsuccess, they certainly can identify those that might have a difficult time.For instance, an individual that does not like to be the constant center ofattention might want to rethink an acting career.

If there is any uncertainty in your mind, actually even if there iscertainty, a career assessment test will t provide clarity for you. These typeof tests assist you in identifying career paths that will compliment yourlearning style, personality and social skills. There are a multitude of thesetests that can be completed in a relatively short time and may serve toreinforce your chosen career field or even cause you to make an adjustment to afield with a better fit for you. They are available at no cost in most collegecareer offices, from high school guidance counselors or you can find them onthe Internet.

The Princeton Review offers a quick assessment on-line that will serve toilluminate the type of information that can be obtained by completing one ormore of these types of assessments. This test only takes about 5 minutes tocomplete and might provide some useful insight to your own character. The siteaddress ishttp://www.princetonreview.com/cte/quiz/default.asp?menuID=0&careers=6%20.

It is recommended that a more in-depth assessment be completed, but the ideaof what the results might reveal is presented in a clear and concise manner atthe Princeton Review site. The University of Missouri also has a web-site thatprovides some information that may prove insightful. That web address ishttp://career.missouri.edu/students/explore/thecareerinterestsgame.php. Inaddition to these two sites there are many more places where you can complete acareer assessment test which will prove extremely useful and informative.

You will save significant amounts of time searching for the rightopportunities in the film making industry and securing the job of your dreamsbecause you will be lining up the demands of the job with your personalityskills and talents.

Job descriptions At this point, you have assessed your character andpersonality style and have discovered that there is a future for you in thefilm making industry. Perhaps you have an idea about a specific career choiceor perhaps it needs to be narrowed down. In either case it is instructive toreview exactly what is involved in particular jobs. Reading and reviewing avariety of job descriptions and responsibilities can provide insight into thedemands of a position as well as provide information about courses that shouldbe pursued to provide the educational background essential for success. Jobdescriptions can provide information about general educational needs as well asspecific technical proficiencies that may be required.

There are numerous areas that can be browsed on the web which will provide awealth of information. Two that proved helpful wereen.wikibooks.org/wiki/Movie_Making_ andhttp://www.devondelapp.com/weblog/?entry=229889.

The wiki site has significant amounts of information with a myriad ofassociated links that should satisfy the basic knowledge need of anyoneinterested in film making. The second site is a blog about the experiences ofan individual that served as a production assistant (PA) for a televisionshoot. The blog is perceptive and insightful and offers those interested a peekinside bowels of the film making business.

Selecting a School

Hopefully, you have now learned about yourself and have identified apotential career path. The selection of a school must be based on a number offactors that are uniquely personal. Probably the first consideration is cost,but location, courses offered, prestige of the school, the likely match of yourtalents with their prerequisites and several other factors must be addressedprior to making a final decision

A career can be successfully launched based on courses selected from acommunity college where tuition and fees are substantially lower than schoolsthat offer a four year course of study. It may be financially prudent toinitially start an education at a community college and then transfer to a fouryear institution with a more recognizable name. If this path is selected it isimportant to insure that the community college courses will properly transferto the four year institution so it is necessary to confirm that by discussingyour plans with a community college career counselor that is familiar withrequirements and processes involved in the transfer of credits.

There are numerous four year colleges and universities that provide coursesof study that lead to a bachelors degree applicable to some phase of the filmmaking industry. Matching your needs and requirements with the appropriatecollege or university offerings will save time and insure that you aretraveling on the right path.

It is important to consider your educational skill and talents with theinstitution you are considering. Some institutions offer nuts and bolts, handson instruction while others offer more cerebral instruction that isintellectually demanding. It is critical to match your talents and abilitieswith the course of study you will be pursuing.

Some individuals that want to pursue a film making career may already haveacquired a bachelors degree and now want to obtain an additional degree orsimply take specialized courses. Schools such as the New York Film Academyoffer a variety of courses that can respond to this need. There site athttp://www.nyfa.com/ provides all the information necessary for a prospectivestudent. If cost is a consideration, there tuition of $10,000 to $15,000 persemester may present a hurdle.

In all cases it is important to visit the school that you are thinking ofattending to gather your first-hand impressions. You should talk to schoolrepresentatives as well as students to obtain the most comprehensive view.Also, you should take a tour of the school grounds and facilities to insurethat their film making equipment will provide state of the art training andexperiences.

Review

Purchasing a sweater and selecting a film making school do have a commonthread, however it is undeniably more difficult to select a school. However, ifyou diligently take the time to research all the viable alternatives tosuccessfully pursue a film making career, you will find that it is time wellspent. The planning required to make the best selection that fits yourindividual needs and desires will pay off handsomely in the future by enablingyou to have a fulfilling experience.

Checklist

Gain some experiences Complete a personal assessment survey Select a pathin the film industry Match your educational needs with schooling Begin theadventure

The preceding article was authored by Clark D. Richards M. Ed., a formerschool guidance counselor and contributor of articles tohttp://www.filmschools.cc