Lots of people dream of a fascinating job in filmmaking and wonder what film making courses will best help them get started. Before you sign up for film school take time to get practical concerning what you can expect to achieve. Although the filmmaking business employs a huge number of workers it may nevertheless be amongst the hardest industries to break into.

Besides acting, the two jobs most often pursued are being a film director or a screenplay writer. Since that is what most college students ask for these are the jobs where they provide the most classes. That is where the problem starts.

The need within Hollywood for additional film directors and new screenplay writers is practically non-existent. The current working directors and writers spent a lot of years apprenticing and working their way up through the ranks. The newly graduated student walking up to the hr department of a film studio or production company will be fortunate to be offered a position as receptionist or mail-room clerk.

It has been frequently noted in the business that film college hardly ever leads to success. Much worse is that hardly any students seem able to accept that spending all that time and money will probably lead to naught. They attend film making courses that consist of little other than studying and talking about a few old movies followed by creating their own short films using standard digital cameras. Screenwriting students spend their time writing and talking about each other’s writing.

A few decades ago the only option to study these old vintage films was to go to a film university that could present original film prints. In addition movie making gear was very costly and not available to the general public. The knowledge of the right way to structure and create scripts was known to only a few insiders.

Do you see the situation here? Students become skilled at abilities that won’t get them the jobs they want, or any work at all in most cases. Furthermore every one of the resources such as classic movies, film making hardware and movie making techniques are economically and commonly accessible to anyone willing to do a little analysis and spend a little money.

Pick the Film Making Courses You Need

Taking several film making courses can teach some fundamental expertise, offer practice working on a film set and getting direction and criticism from a professional. Except don’t feel you must pay a whole lot for getting that. A lot of junior colleges and high schools offer essential filmmaking classes. A significantly better alternative, if you understand how, is to find work on a real professional film set where it is possible to learn from working pros and begin to network your way into the industry.

The people who get employed within the motion picture industry are the energetic, single-minded self-starters who make things happen. For those who have been thinking a professor at an expensive university is your ticket to Hollywood you should think again. The professor is probably one of last year’s students from that very same university who hasn’t been able to find a real job doing anything better than teaching what he was recently taught.

Thinking of a career in filmmaking? Before you blindly sign up for film school take the time to figure out what film making courses you really need for your goals. Film schools offer a smorgasboard of classes to learn the basics of filmmaking but most students find that some courses are too beginner oriented and many other are simply not important for their goals. Nearly every student with a serious interest and drive to become a filmmaker will be much better served by picking just the film making courses they need and skipping the time and expense of a full film school degree.

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When Mike Mills was looking for an idea for his latest film he didn’t need to look any farther than his own life. Seems his father had a dark secret that didn’t come out until his father was old and dying. The film “Beginners” does nothing more than tell the story of Mike Mills family but because it is an honest and interesting story it is getting rave reviews.

If you are looking or a great screenplay idea don’t sign up for another filmmaking course. Check out this blog post on the story.

Audiences love real stories they can relate to and learn from. Don’t sign up for another film making course. If you’re looking for a screenplay idea try looking at your own life. Your most emotional experiences will be your best ideas.

Before you pick your school talk to people in the film industry. Ask them how they got started. How did they get their training? Are they happy with their work? What does their daily work consist of?

Don’t know anyone in the film industry? Search on the web for people doing the work you imagine you would enjoy. They probably have a web site or some other place you can find their email. Send enough emails to enough people and you will get the answers you need. You might even find a mentor who can save you a lot of time and money finding your dream job.

Top film schools discussions are always sure to lead to heated exchanges. Students are quick to defend their schools but I was glad to receive a comment from a visitor who asked: does it really matter whether or not you go to one of the top film schools so long as you learn the skills you need?

This visitor was asking an excellent question. Where you learn doesn’t matter as long as you get what you need.

But there are two other important questions that need to be asked before you can chart your course for your educational journey.

The first question has to do with whether the school you are considering is going to cost a reasonable amount compared with what you will get out of the training. All of the schools claiming to be among the top film schools have very high tuition rates leading to enourmous school loans that you will never be able to pay off at the typical salaries film school graduates earn.

The second, and far more basic question, is about how much the student actually knows about the demands of professional filmmaking and if they are psychologically suited to the hard work required. If they will be able to muster the hustle and self-drive needed to succeed.

I think very few top film school students have ever actually spent much time talking to real filmmakers or any people who work in the film industry. They’re imagining that after graduation they will be able to find work that doesn’t exist.

• Top film school universities – good quality but very expensive and hard to get in
• Local community colleges – reasonable cost and often top quality
• Online film courses – low cost but quality varies widely
• Trade paperback books – very low cost and high quality but less engaging than other sources
• YouTube videos – free bite-sized chunks and some lessons are very good

Learn more by checking out this article on courses in film.

Some of the best film making courses you could ask for may be nearer than you think. You don’t need to sign up for a NY film school or a film school in Los Angeles. If you’re looking for film production courses to learn the basics of the film making process you should start with your local community colleges. Filmmaking equipment has gotten so cheap in recent years that many local colleges can now offer courses in film that rival the best of what the top 10 film schools have to offer. Check out this article about film making courses to learn more.

Lately I’ve been looking into the value of a degree in film from the top film schools as a way in to filmmaking. Nothing I’ve found so far would indicate that the cost/value ratio is worth it.

The people hiring only want to see what work you’ve done and care very little about degrees in film. A large number of the workers with good incomes in the film industry do not have a degree in film and a very high percentage of the students who graduate from good film schools with a degree in film fail to start a successful career in filmmaking.

Film School Is Big Business

Of course teaching filmmaking is VERY big business in this country. The instructors don’t need to be very highly qualified, the equipment has gotten very cheap, and the dream of working in Hollywood never seems to die.

Have film schools just produced to many graduates with degrees in film that they no longer have any value? Did a degree in film every have a value?

Check out a new article about degrees in film and see what you think.