Is film school necessary?
Is it necessary to have a film-related degree/course in order to break into screenwriting?
–A. Plange
No. The truth is, no great screenplay has ever sat unsold because the writer didn’t go through an acclaimed program. No writer has ever been denied the Oscar because he didn’t finish his master’s thesis.
Frankly, a film degree isn’t a prerequisite for any job in Hollywood, from actor to gaffer to studio chief. The Industry is one of the last bastions of apprenticeship, perseverence and pure dumb luck. All that really matters is whether you can do the job.
That said, I personally went through USC Film School. And before I get dropped from the alumni rolls, let me retrench a bit and give two reasons why film school might be right for some people, and why it was right for me.
First, there’s a hell of lot to learn about filmmaking, and while you can learn the specifics of any trade on-the-job, film school can give you a broader perpective. In making GO, I was surprised to find myself dealing with budgets, lenses, preview screenings and TV spots. It went way beyond my "writer" function, but the breadth of my education in film school paid off.
Second, film school is a place to make contact with peers, experts and people who can ultimately hire you. I got my first job, my first agent, and my first paid writing assignment all with the help of friends I made in film school. To this day I work with many of them. This isn’t cheesy, gross let’s-swap-business-cards "networking," but simple reality. You tend to help people you like, and people with whom you share a common experience. The "boot camp" aspect of film school can be important.
Is film school right for you? It depends on your circumstances. If you’re still an undergrad, by all means switch to film. Follow your bliss. If you’re recently out of college, a two-or-three-year grad program could be great. Pretend it’s an MBA or law school. Beyond that, the benefits are harder to calculate. Because the truth is, it’s not an MBA or law school. There’s no guarantee you’re going to make any money. You might be better off learning film along the way. Take a course or two, read a lot of books, go to seminars when you can.
And most of all, if you want to write, just write. One hundred and twenty pages of quality screenplay are worth more than one page of diploma.
Articles
December 7th, 2004 at 8:32 am
Have you met many screenwriters who never finished college?
December 7th, 2004 at 10:38 am
I don’t know any screenwriters who didn’t finish undergrad. (For our international readers, that means four years of college studies.) However, I’m sure there are some. Did Quentin Tarantino finish college?
March 16th, 2005 at 5:36 pm
Tarantino didn’t even finish high school
May 17th, 2005 at 10:22 pm
Do you need a strong GPA (meaning, over a 3.0) to get into a film school? Does GPA really matter that much for admission? and also, are those one year “immersion” film schools any good, like los angeles film school and new york film academy?
October 4th, 2005 at 12:40 pm
Your comment about how film school can give you a broader perspective on the industry is not unlike journalism school (at least at the good ones) and journalism. My other half and I are both journalists (though I’m interested in screenwriting and am beginning to delve into the field). I took a few university-level classes and received encouragement from a couple of professors so I just started freelancing (selling my stuff pretty much from the start) and then went on to staff jobs. I mostly learned how to be a writer and editor by jumping in the deep end of the pool and learning on the job. My other half took a couple of university-level classes and then studied magazine writing and editing in a full-time master’s degree program at a top-level journalism school. His education was comprehensive enough that he learned much more about the magazine industry as a whole, something that enabled him to start up a magazine with a partner. I, on the other hand, have some non-journalism expertise that gave me an edge over vanilla journalists who only studied journalism. But in the final analysis, talent and hard work (and a bit of luck) matter more than the path taken.
October 4th, 2005 at 2:48 pm
I have finished undergrad in Electrical Engineering, without a strong GPA. I enjoy writing…about 30 pages in so far on something that I know people will want to see, John where can I go to find the right people without having to empty my wallet?
February 13th, 2006 at 6:05 pm
Would it matter if a person went to a really nice high school or an average high school to get into a filmschool?
March 27th, 2006 at 7:01 am
I’m also very interested to know if the one year immersion film schools are any good, such as L.A. Film School. Any idea John?
May 23rd, 2006 at 10:05 am
Hi, Can I pursue say an MBA from USC and take a few courses in film school – at least enuf to make my own small budget fim?
An how much wud it cost? Are there any scholarships/financial aid at USC?
I’d really appreciate yr help!
rmehra@gmail.com
July 4th, 2006 at 11:04 pm
I recommend that you go to film school meet friends who share the same passion as you, and its very important to find a film school that is best for you. The graduation certificate is pretty much worthless, ultimatly you will just be another jobless shmuck along with everyone else that graduated, but i believe if you have the drive nothing can stop you. The most important aspect of film school is the opportunity to gain experience.
However the other route may be better for some people, maney directors have never been to film school. Basically they just did it themselves, they wrote a script picked up a camera and convinced someone to fund its production. By doing as maney projects as they can they gain experience, producing their own films becomes a film school in itself. This option may work but requires a whole load of LUCK and plenty of HARD WORK.
As for me, ive decided to skip college get my GED(I didnt finish highschool) and will be attending the NYFA to pursue my dream. My advice to all aspiring filmmakers, STOP ASPIRING AND START DOING.
August 15th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Just do it. Thats all. easier said than done. But so true.
January 4th, 2007 at 7:12 pm
So is it possible to attend film school without finishing High School? Is it possible to go to film school without getting a GED?
August 20th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
hillo i want to go to film school and learn about Directing and other things such as producing and lightnig but don’t know everything that is involved in the course, could you give me some ideas of what is involved anybody?
February 4th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Hey no one has really posted on here in a while but I thought I might add a piece of advice to anyone who stumbles across this page. One of the things I found very entertaining and educational was “ten minute film school”, which is a bonus feature in many of Robert Rodriguez’s DVD’s. I would definitely check out el miriachi… watch the ten minute film school feature and also watch the whole film with directors commentary. I myself am heading to film school sometime in the next year, however it’s not as reputable as usc or ucla but I think I will still get a lot of experience in the making of films.