<p>My son wants to be a screenwriter. In researching colleges where he could study this, I'm wondering if I'm missing some possible searches. I've looked for screenwriting, cinematography, film/video production, mass communications, media studies, film studies, radio/television. Even creative writing. </p>
<p>Have any of you found a decent film program out there that was housed under a seemingly obscure major?</p>
<p>Play writing. Search shows up New school in NY, Bennington College, Depaul University,and the king of writing,U of Iowa.</p>
<p>There are seemingly hundreds of jobs in the film industry (just look at the credits of a feature film - especially a big budget one). But it seems to me that the “loneliest” jobs of all (in terms of future income prospects) are director and screenwriter. For the more technical side of things - cinematography, editing, lighting, audio design, special effects, etc, the odds of working are actually not bad if you are halfway good at what you do. And most young directors seem to get their breaks with their own screenplays.</p>
<p>One of the things I’ve noticed is that kids interested in some aspect of film-making when they go into school are interested in something else totally different when they come out - casting, set design, etc, etc. And how do you find out where your passion really lies? By working on a lot of films in a lot of different roles.</p>
<p>That’s why I am suggesting that your son go to a school which encourages collaboration, gives lots of opportunities for making films, and perhaps has courses in screenwriting for various genres along with all the rest of the “film-type” courses. I was extremely pleased with where my son went (Ohio University Media Arts) and glad that of his “crew” that worked together all through 4 years, almost all of them started working right away in the film industry… except for one: their award-winning director/screenwriter. And opportunity? My son worked on over 50 films during the 4 years. You can see his filmography, list of festivals and awards, and his demo reel at [Wesley</a> Cronk | Portfolio](<a href=“Wes Cronk's 2017 Compositing Demo Reel on Vimeo”>Wes Cronk's 2017 Compositing Demo Reel on Vimeo) Notice in the filmography how many types of jobs he had. He settled in, as you can see, on visual effects.</p>
<p>btw (and not really relevant): I am <em>not</em> a screenwriter, but I just had a book published on applying the structure and story arcs of screenplays to college admissions essay writing (reviewed here on CC).</p>
<p>At Michigan, Screen Arts & Cultures:
[U/M</a> Screen Arts and Cultures](<a href=“http://www.lsa.umich.edu/sac/undergrad.html]U/M”>http://www.lsa.umich.edu/sac/undergrad.html)</p>
<p>At SUNY-Albaby, Documentary Studies:
[Program</a> in Documentary Studies - University at Albany-SUNY](<a href=“http://www.albany.edu/undergraduate_bulletin/program_documentary_studies.html]Program”>Program in Documentary Studies - University at Albany-SUNY)</p>
<p>Also, try searching under “Visual Studies” and “Cinema”</p>
<p>@digmedia I’ve followed your posts and others regarding film programs and the importance of collaboration and picking up other skills is something I’m drilling into my son. He finally got what I meant when I said to him, “How many screenplays are needed for a movie? Now how many camera operators, editors, lighting people are needed?”
I’m really hoping that he can find a place where he can discover an interest and talent in a technical aspect and minor or concentrate in creative writing.</p>
<p>Thanks for the search suggestions!</p>
<p>If your son is really serious about screenwriting, then he should not major in it. Rather he should try and learn as much as possible while in college (History and English especially), learn how to write really well, and then use all of these tools to write well crafted screenplays.</p>
<p>@country day Believe me, if I thought he would put as much effort into a different major, I’d be all for that. That’s one of the reasons that I’m leaning towards him not going to a film or conservatory type school but a school where he will be forced, in theory, to become well rounded. But I want him to gain as much experience in the making of films as possible to understand the whole art/process of it and pick up enough knowledge where he could work in the industry even if he doesn’t sell a single screenplay.</p>
<p>this may be a bit off topic, but maybe your S should consider a school with a strong film program AND strong academics to back it up. If you haven’t already, look into LMU. They have a very respected program, along with a solid rep for their academics.</p>