There are three solutions for your problem:
Find a state school with an ROTC program that covers tuition + books.
or
Apply for every scholarship you can find. Buy a book of scholarships if you have to, and make applications a full time job until you have enough to cover tuition.
or
Continue with the cheapest community college in the area and get straight As. This will offset your weak high school GPA and weak SAT. I would also recommend retaking the ACT and SAT after studying to show the school you plan on transferring to that you have the potential to be a fantastic student. I have two friends that have transferred from CCs to NYU with near-full tuition scholarships and grants. Its up to you to prove that you can shine in a Film program at a top school.
Perhaps you aren’t aware that ROTC scholarships are extremely competitive. That’s to say nothing of the idea that the first requirement for applying for an ROTC scholarship is a strong desire to serve on active duty in the United States military for an extended period of time after college graduation.
Can you get training at a CC to become a TV cameraman? They make good money and benefits. That’s somewhat related to the film industry, and you can save money from the cameraman job to complete your education in film studies.
A lifeguard can make what? I have seen those guys and gals, and for many, many, many, many hours of the day they have n o t h i n g to do but watch to see if some knucklehead has gotten into trouble. Granted, they are there when you need them, and the chiefs of the station house (or guard post) are the sweetest, most gentle and genuinely concerned emergency services personnel I have ever encountered. Those are some happy guys and gals, let me tell you.
But they make what?!?
^ Maybe you should look into that as a summer job. 
GirlChild. Have you ever BEEN a lifeguard. My kid was and it was a nerve wracking job…because you had to pay attention constantly. It wasn’t like you could sit there and read a book, or talk to anyone…if there were people in the water. In addition to lifeguard training and certification, my kid was required to have current first aid and CPR training.
She earned between $10 and $15 per hour…and that was in 2004-2008. She happened to work someplace where there were indoor and outdoor facilities, and was guaranteed 40 hours of work per week regardless of the weather.
@1thumper, I am not talking about a teenager, and I know it is a serious job. Paying attention constantly while not reading a book or talking to anyone is not stressful, it is simply not what one wants to do all day. As for certification, did you think I suggested there was no certification training? Even the junior lifeguards do that, and I’m not dismissing it, but, duh? I said emergency personnel.
So I repeat…a lifeguard can make what?!?
I responded…my lifeguard made between $10 and $15 an hour between 2004-2008.
I work in the summer where there are lifeguards. They get paid $15 an hour.
MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Let’s not get off-topic by discussing how much a lifeguard earns. As it is, this thread is about a second and a half from being closed as the OP has yet to return
This has been a very interesting thread of posts to read. My family is in debt - we live in Oregon. I have brain cancer and have a son going to a private college as a freshman. He is playing football with no financial aid and an $8,000 merit scholarship. We are not able to help with financial aid as all our money goes to as many have said to “stop the bleeding” and medical bills. We have two other boys in public school. A junior who will be looking at colleges, and very well may start at a CC and then move on to a state school.
There are a lot of options out there. You have a dream - you need to figure out how to make that dream work for right now. Kudos for working. My freshman had terrible grades and SAT. However he worked over the summer roofing to make as much money as he could and stuffed away in a savings account. This is what he lives on while at college.
We were very fortunate to have some scholarships given to him because of my brain cancer and those have paid for his first semester. To be honest he will have to work study Spring semester bc I’m not certain how we’ll pay for that. His dream is to play football. He has to be part of the solution, just as you are trying to be. I like the suggestions or ideas of living at home and getting your two years out of the way at a CC - that would be so much cheaper! Would it be as much fun, nope. Stay away from getting involved in your parents finances. They have told you what they can or can’t do. I went back to college at 38 paid my own way and still have debt - life just sucks sometimes. You can do this w/o their help. Sit down and write out all your options.
In the big picture of life what is your dream worth to you?
Wagner education is not worth 50k. Go to a local or state school and get the same/better education for less.
@Shawnie5 If your son is going to a private and only gets $8k in aid, WHAT is paying for the rest?
I hope that your cancer treatments are working.
I could sell every thing I own and I would not be able to buy a shopping cart to live under, in Madison. Your parents get stars from me for getting their kids out of a lousy school system but they get no stars for buying a house in a community they can’t afford to live in. In those situations you need to be creative. Renting a small place and giving up just about everything else to live in a district with great schools would probably have been a much better idea. It’s tough but the rewards are great. Buying a house in one of the most expensive communities on the east coast knowing you have a few kids to put through college usually won’t work unless you win the lottery. You can’t count on winning a lottery and you can’t count on everything falling into place-you have to plan.
I agree with posters who suggest that you move to the state you’d like to be educated in and establish yourself as an independent person. Then you’d qualify for aid. Had you gone to a NY high school while living in NJ, you would qualify for in state tuition in NY. Another possibility to consider is to attend a SUNY. They are nearly as inexpensive for OOS as instate tuition is for some public schools in other states.
Finally, your dad is a police officer. Have you looked into opportunities/scholarships available to the offspring of police officers? Is he a NJ officer or NY? Does he belong to a union? There may be special scholarships through the union. Was he a first responder during 9-11? There too, you may find obscure but available funds.
It sounds like your parents got themselves into trouble by being impractical despite the best intentions. Sacrifice is sacrifice. If they intended to sacrifice for their children’s education, it would have been better to have also given up certain other things that would have made college more accessible to their children. You can’t do anything about what they already did. But you don’t need to re-play that scene. You want film?? That sets the stage for what happened to your parents. If you plan to be a struggling film maker, then you’ll have debt like your parents. Or you can choose a major that will allow you to make some money-and take a film minor to allow you to pursue your dreams. But don’t go blindly forth thinking that everything will fall into place if only you can get a film degree. Learn from your parents’ situation. Plan for things-don’t just assume everything will work out.