<p>Your cousin seems to be a little on the fence, if he’s bouncing between two different career choices. Independent filmmaking is very, very risky. It takes a huge level of commitment - I honestly don’t think you can really, truly become an independent filmmaker whilst simultaneously juggling a commitment as big as obtaining a degree (since actual independent filmmaking is so time consuming). Here’s what I suggest he does. </p>
<p>He should apply for the political science or law program at a college of his choice, with a minor in filmmaking (he could technically do a major, but it might be overwhelming). Once accepted, he should register for a gap year, and in that gap year, he should ‘test the waters’ of filmmaking, just to see if this is really the thing for him. If he can make substantial progress with his filmmaking within the year (maybe a few short films), that’s a very, very good sign. If he doesn’t make any progress, that spells trouble. When he graduates from, say, USC, there won’t be anyone there to kick him in the rear and give him deadlines for his work. If he isn’t motivated enough to do things on his own, film school isn’t a long term solution. The film school equipment myth is just what it sounds like: a myth. Even the best schools tend to use outdated equipment. Even if their equipment is up to date, students usually can’t use it until their junior or senior years, and on top of that they have to share with fifty other kids. Even if they do have the chance to use high quality sound stages and recording/editing facilities during their time in the course, it won’t matter: once those kids graduate, they won’t have access to those materials out in the real world. They’ll be in the same boat as every other aspiring filmmaker, using cheap, scavenged equipment to make their movies and draw some attention to themselves. It’s better to learn how to do things cheaply and frugally as a student rather than become accustomed to luxuries that won’t be available in the long run anyways. $5,000-$7,000 alone could buy your cousin a very, very good set of starter equipment for his film career (a camera like the blackmagic pro, a digital audio recorder, a boom pole and shotgun microphone, a wheeled tripod, some good editing software, and even a nice steadicam). He should seriously look into this. Best of all, he’d own all the materials and wouldn’t have to share, and the results of his short films would look just as professional as any USC student. </p>
<p>That’s my advice at least. I think any young person even considering a career in the arts (which is inherently risky itself) should always stave off going to an expensive school (especially something like USC, which costs $60,000 a year - a substantial waste of money for some indie filmmakers, considering $60,000 could produce a low scale feature film). Before he jumps feet first into the college system - a system completely separate from the world of filmmaking - he should take some time for himself to decide if this is something he’s ready for. During his gap year, he could discover one of two things: one, that filmmaking actually isn’t the right path for him, or two, that he’s making good, solid progress just fine on his own, and may not need to attend film school after all. </p>
<p>Good luck to him! </p>