i decided to make a master post for kids who want to study film in college or just go to film school in general because a year ago, i could’ve really used this post.
first off, you need to create a lot of content. you’ll go to some schools where everyone knows how to do the whole process and some schools where some students have never even touched a camera before. from experience, it’s best to start now. if your school has a film club, join your school’s film club. they have a class? take a class. if they don’t, do your own research. learn as much as you possibly can. if you write, write tons of scripts. if you direct, make as many projects as you can. if you’re an editor, make a reel. we’ll get into that in a bit.
next, you need to start looking at schools. do you want to go to a four-year school, or a two-year school? how far are you willing to go? how are your grades and gpa for this school? do you have an impressive set of activities and extracurriculars to add to your application? (p.s colleges love extracurriculars)
when you find your schools, some will ask you to send materials. some will not. either way, it’s good to have a film portfolio ready for the next step in your journey as a creator. for those of you who are a little confused, a film portfolio is a compilation of every project you’ve ever worked on. it shows people what you can do. a reel should be no longer than five minutes in my opinion. keep it simple. keep it short.
while you edit your reel, make sure you stay on top of your applications!! make sure you schedule your interviews at the right time when you’re free and make sure that you send your scores because that could really guarantee whether or not you’ll hear back from that school sooner than later.
finally, here’s the hardest part: the choice. which school will you go to after getting all of your acceptances back? for this, there’s three rules: internships. financial aid. and your gut. internships will help you get jobs in the future. if you don’t have the opportunity to get some amazing internships and make some good connections, your film career could be over before it begins. next, financial aid. let’s be honest- film school is expensive. your college’s financial aid department could lighten your load. the less debt you’re in, the more money you can put towards your next film or screenplay. finally, trust. your. gut. meet with admissions counselors and learn everything about the school. sure, the department may teach their students 16 mm film along with digital, but will you be happy there? will you make friends? or will you shut yourself in your room the entire time? trust your gut. go to a school where you want to go. not one that you think you have to attend.
i hope this was helpful to some of you looking to apply to for film majors or for film school. if you have any questions, feel free to message me.