<p>Writing on behalf of my daughter who is going into her Junior year of High School. She took digital photography last year, and will be taking a digital film class this coming year. My father and grandfather were cinematographers, and she has a real desire to follow in their footsteps. </p>
<p>So my question for you parents of film students out there, is what would you advise us to do now in order to help her get into a good film school. Should she start as a film major first year in college, or as some other major? We are looking at some of the summer camps (probably for the summer in between her Jr. and Sr. year) and let her use our video camera, but other than this, what can we do to help her to have the best chance at a good school. I know there are alot of kids trying to get into this, but not many accepted. </p>
<p>If she knows what major she wants, she should apply to it directly, rather than planning to switch. You should check the forums for specific schools that are well known for film (USC, NYU, etc.) for threads about the film programs there.</p>
<p>Cc has a subforum under College Majors devoted to Film and Media Arts. Please be sure to check there. </p>
<p>Spoiler alert in answer to your question: some schools such as USC or Chapman/Dodge expect you to apply as a major before freshman year. Others including UCLA won’t let you apply for a film major until you are already there 2 years so at end of soph year in college. </p>
<p>To find that subforum, which has many threads, Look top left of this page, Click to Discussion Home, scroll down to Majors, then look for Film and Visual Arts.</p>
<p>If you are wondering how they can learn about more than film during college , I feel good about our son’s choice to double major at Chapman in screenwriting (in film dept of dodge)!plus a History major through the university. I feel as though it expresses his two strongest interests but also indicates he can hold his ground with other college graduates in critical thinking. If your d has another Academic area she might consider a double major.
I also believe if they can pick up a hard technical skill along the way it may help them in their twenties after college to find a day job paying better than restaurant work etc for the lean years. If for example someone could co-major in a foreign language to work in translating, or enough computer science to be marketable–all on freelance hours–it’s helpful.
Post production film editing might also segue nicely for a cinematographer and have immediate work in hand right after college.</p>
<p>Something I would suggest she start doing is making short films, writing screenplays, and creating a portfolio. Think of film school as an art school and the stronger chance at admission has to do with showing your work and a portfolio. Can she take a film studies elective next year in school? Can she submit her work to student film festivals, are there ways to win awards for her film work. Can she use this skill in a way to give back to an organization. I’m thinking out of the box here but it will be very competitive so anything that makes her stand out from other kids who have done film summer programs is worth her doing.</p>
<p>I second the portfolio - I do a lot of video editing as a hobby and also for work occasionally (thanks to budget cuts) and even if one has a great idea, etc. it is incredibly time consuming to get right. We’re not talking Photoshop time consuming, but exponentially more. So, make sure she has the tools and skills to do this. Also look at the portfolios of kids admitted to the big schools and see what level of creative work she will need to produce.</p>
<p>Our D graduated from USC Cinematic Arts. It is best to apply to cinematic arts from the outset if that is what the student wants. Casting a wide net is a good idea as well. Starting a portfolio is also very important. Our D didn’t have one and had to create one to submit when she switched from undeclared to cinematic arts as a JR. </p>
<p>It’s much tougher to get into film production if you don’t enter as a freshman at USC, there just aren’t openings and they like to keep the class together all 4 years. I’d have your D contact each of the programs she’s interested in to see what they would like in terms of a portfolio for the application, which she can start on now to build up and submit with her application.</p>
<p>NYU also requires that prospective film majors apply as film majors. It’s possible to transfer in intra-school as a sophomore or junior and many do, with (IMHO) no difference in skill by the time they graduate, although transfers often have to take classes in the summer, and the learning curve may be steeper. </p>
<p>Have her sit down with your father and analyse films, for sure - that’s a great resource. However, most film schools know that high school graduates aren’t going to produce polished work. I think evidence of creativity and the ability to visually tell a compelling story are more important than technical skill at this point. </p>
<p>Whoever said applying to film school is like applying to art school is right. Focus on the portfolio. Some schools don’t require it, but enough do, that that’s where you want to start. Film festivals, internships, etc will help but for the schools that ask for a reel, it’s what’s in the reel that will matter most.</p>
<p>I suggest the assemble the portfolio approach also.
Our son applied as a music performance major for undergrad. He included a music resume of all his related activities: ensembles, gigs, private study, festivals, summer programs, arrangements, awards, etc.
I would think that most arts applicants would include similar information with their applications. Best of luck to your student.</p>
<p>Op,
1.Go to the section of cc where the film majors are discussed. (Discussion home, majors, film is the path)
2. Make movies during the school year and summers to build your portfolio submission.
Only USC, nyu, and chapman require a video submission; most other programs do not
3. Get the book “lights, camera, application” which was written by 2 cc parents about different film schools and the app process.
4. Enter film festivals if possible
5. Go to common application.org for the schools that she is interest in and print out the supplemental app questions for film schools. Some asks for scripts or other pieces of writing that have to include in ur app.
6. Everyone has their own list of what are good film production undergraduate schools so it’s hard to weed thru all the data. But some of them off the top of my head:
USC, nyu, chapman, Loyola Marymount university, cal arts, Emerson, BOston univ, northwestern, univ of Florida, cal state university at northridge, ut austin,</p>
<p>I would also recommend that you start thinking of finding a great summer film program for summer after Jr year. There is a huge difference between the ‘profit’ summer film programs and the college summer programs which require an application and are selective.</p>
<p>I highly recommend Chapman Dodge Summer Film Academy. They have an application process starting January of Junior Year and it is very similar to their college application process (no portfolio required). But, it is a good practice for upcoming college applications. Also, it lets your student work in an intensive environment with other highly skilled film wannabes. She will know what she is up against for the college application process.</p>
<p>So, mark your calendar for January 2014 to make sure that you get the applications in for a good summer film program.</p>
<p>S is a double major - Film and Accounting - at ND. Of course, Film is probably not ND’s strength but he has been able to get a foothold in the industry dispite that by working the ND alum path. His concentration is production and he is interested in the business side of Film versus pure creative. Consequently, he does not have a portfolio. He has two PA positions this summer in NYC - one for a major TV station and the other for a film production company. There are lots of different paths to succeed in this industry - however mostly it is relationship driven.</p>
<p>DS made many films with his friends while still in high school. They formed their own production company and posted films on youtube. One thing they did was remake classic scenes from famous movies and that got viewers interested so they had a lot of hits, especially on one of their Batman redoes.</p>
<p>Another thing S did was usher at a local film festival where he met a lot of people.</p>
<p>Three boys did this. Actually none of them has gone into film. One did go into acting. The second is getting his masters in neuroscience. And my son is studying Art History at the graduate level.</p>
<p>So, there are many kids making movies. She should see if she even likes this by doing that.</p>
<p>Good luck to her. I imagine it is harder for a woman cinematographer. It shouldn’t be that way, but my guess is that it is. So she should get started! Is your father active with contacts? Perhaps she could intern with one of them or a least spend a few days shadowing someone.</p>
<p>DS made many films with his friends while still in high school. They formed their own production company and posted films on youtube. One thing they did was remake classic scenes from famous movies and that got viewers interested so they had a lot of hits, especially on one of their Batman redoes.</p>
<p>Another thing S did was usher at a local film festival where he met a lot of people.</p>
<p>Three boys did this. Actually none of them has gone into film. One did go into acting. The second is getting his masters in neuroscience. And my son is studying Art History at the graduate level.</p>
<p>So, there are many kids making movies. She should see if she even likes this by doing that.</p>
<p>Good luck to her. I imagine it is harder for a woman cinematographer. It shouldn’t be that way, but my guess is that it is. So she should get started! Is your father active with contacts? Perhaps she could intern with one of them or a least spend a few days shadowing someone.</p>
<p>I have no idea what the best path is (your dad and granddad might be better at answering that question) but I’ll throw this out there as a different path…</p>
<p>There are LAC’s that offer film majors - some are called cinema studies - that combine film production and the study of cinema. Oberlin and Wesleyan are two that come to mind. I have experience with Oberlin because one of my kid’s went there. They offer a semester away - either at Tisch or in Prague. They also have a January term that is perfect for internships. I wasn’t sure that my 17 yo who was certain that he wanted to make movies would actually feel the same a few years later, so I wanted to make sure he got a solid education with ample paths to follow. As it turns out, he realized he was more interested in comedy - both writing and performing and did his semester away in …Chicago - studying at Second City. Best wishes with your daughter!</p>