<p>Hi,
I know Michigan has a film program with a production major and I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with it and how well it prepares you for a career working in NYC or Hollywood. If so, please let me know!
Any first-hand information about it would be great! (There's not too much on the website)</p>
<p>Are you in state?
Do you plan to apply to portfolio-type programs, such as NYU’s Tisch, USC, FSU etc.?
Is your greatest interest and past experience in production, or in writing?</p>
<p>On one hand, Michigan’s program is not a port-folio-based admit, so you first have to get your theory gen eds to proceed to upper level production. However, that is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on your focus and experience. The specialized-honors track of the portfolio admit schools does not necessarily guarantee vocational employment either, though you would get more depth of technical experience -l- some would argue it’s better as a filmmaker to have a strong liberal arts undergrad and follow with a MFA in film.</p>
<p>Michigan has been home to several screenwriters in particular, with a concentration available for a full-length screen play development. If you want more information than the website provides, just call the department directly and they’ll send you a packet.</p>
<p>I hope that helps a little. If you share a few more details about your background and aims, I can perhaps give you a little more info.</p>
<p>PS Since you’re interested in this field, you might want to check out the book “Film School Confidential.” They update a related website each year with additional new information for those who’ve purchased the book.</p>
<p>Hi, thanks for all the info! I’m not in-state but I’ve been accepted to umich.
I don’t really have any experience but I did apply to USC and NYU’s general colleges and was planning to gain experience then transfer to their specialized film programs. However, I know they are very selective so I am wondering if I’d be better off going to Michigan for undergrad because NYU and USC do not have film related majors outside of their film schools. I guess my main concern is getting enough experience during the first two years of undergrad to transfer to a portfolio school that’s extremely selective or if it’d be better to go to a school like Michigan because I am lacking experience. Also, if I went to Michigan would it prepare me well enough to be successful in the big city film industry?
I’m looking to major in film production rather than screenwriting.
(Sorry if this confuses you. I can clarify if you need. Thanks again for answering.)</p>
<p>Actually, I think the program is a good fit for you then, because you will have ample opportunity in your freshman and soph years to get some experience under your belt to do a great job in jr and senior year production.</p>
<p>I believe I agree that given the extremely competitive nature of NYU and USC, it’s risky to try for transfer, although they’re both fantastic programs.</p>
<p>I frankly feel that any given school has less to do with preparing students for big city film industry than the own student’s inclination to work hard, takes risks, and develop an extensive portfolio – but obviously programs such as USC and NYU benefit from direct industry connections.</p>
<p>I was actually surprised to read (on CC) that USC accepts a pretty large number of transfer students to SCA each year, relatively speaking. </p>
<p>I noticed this on the USC website. You may want to take a look. Film & Television Production for Non-Majors:</p>
<p>[Film</a> & Television Production for Non-Majors - USC School of Cinematic Arts](<a href=“http://cinema.usc.edu/degrees/nonmajor/production.cfm]Film”>USC Cinematic Arts | Film & Television Production for Non-Majors)</p>
<p>That said, I do think Michigan could be a good way to go, too!</p>
<p>UofM is about 2/3 film studies and 1/3 hands-on projects. As far as employment goes, the state of Michigan had a great film incentive program which led to some studios and other film-related businesses opening here, but Governor Snyder has crushed those incentives and there is not much film work in the state anymore. While UofM is a great school (and my daughter will be applying there), I would not pay out of state tuition to study film production here.</p>
<p>There are so many places besides USC and NYU (often reach schools as they are highly competitive). Go on the film thread under the “majors” section on this site (I think it is Visual Art and Film majors or something like that) to see a list of colleges pinned at the top (as well as some great advice by Digmedia). Chapman, Loyola Marymount, Florida State (we visited, by the way, and you don’t have to have any experience–highly selective program, getting an interview depends on your essay, told not to brag about film accomplishments in essay as they want to focus on what you have the potential to become), Ringling, Emerson, Boston U, Syracuse, Ithaca, Cal Arts, UCLA (but must apply to major during sophomore year, acceptance rate not great), Northwestern, U of Texas–Austin, UNC…and more and more and more. I think there must be 16 schools on my daughter’s list at the moment (though she’s a junior so she still has time to cut that down before she applies!).</p>
<p>"…some would argue it’s better as a filmmaker to have a strong liberal arts undergrad…"</p>
<p>This is a good point. Film schools like USC and NYU will provide great hands on technical experience, but schools like Michigan and Northwestern, etc. will provide a broader liberal arts eductation with less technical film experience. Both have their advantages. Saying one should not go to Michigan OOS to study film is like saying one should not go to Michigan OOS for a liberal arts education period, imo.</p>
<p>Not at all. I think you can get a great liberal arts education many places, and I think you should choose the school is the best match for you, in or out of state. The OP asked about employment opportunities for graduates of UofM in film production–specifically in Hollywood or New York–and I don’t think UofM has the connections in film to make out-of-state tuition worthwhile. They don’t have a semester in LA like some other schools that are not in the LA area–Emerson, Columbia College in Chicago, oh–there’s at least one other one–BU? I’m forgetting. UofM doesn’t have the alumni networks of Northwestern, Emerson, and Florida State (which gives you an alumni mentor for a year after graduation). Not to mention schools in the LA area–even the smaller ones have intense internship placement programs/offices, and of course USC goes without saying (as NYU does in the east). If she is going to spend $50,000 + a year, why not do it at a place that also provides a good liberal arts education, more film production experience than 1/3 hands-on, and has better possibilities for internships during school/summers/whenever and connections for when she finishes her undergraduate degree? (Before, with the film credits in MI, she could have possibly had an internship with a film being shot in MI that could give her contacts with out-of-state people, but that has all changed with the new governor.) </p>
<p>Having said that, anyone can make something of themselves from anywhere, and UofM might be a better fit in some other ways. But based on the information the OP both gave and sought, I still think she’d be better off somewhere else if her passion is film production and her career goals involve working in NY or Hollywood.</p>
<p>I just want to thank everyone for all of their input and suggestions; it truly means a lot! You’ve all made wonderful points and given me different options to think about and provided me with knowledge I didn’t have before. Thank you all so very much!</p>
<p>Also, what are the advantages of having a liberal arts education and not as much hands-on experience?
And does anyone know if Michigan has any alumni connections in bigger cities in the film industry? I know the network it rather strong but does it have that kind of reach?
I also know it will be up to me, not the school’s network, to get a job and make my way through the industry but having those connections would definitely help.</p>
<p>Letmein, I don’t disagree with lasmenias points at all, however, I was working with the schools to which you said you were accepted and the fact that you do not have a portfolio or any experience plus little writing experience. While OOS fees are high, they’re stll lower than NYU and USC, but the latter might have more aid available.</p>
<p>Due to the school of music and dance plus the wide variety of theatrical offerings and the huge alumni network of umich, networking in any city is not an issue, but I’m not as
familiar with the film program and resulting networks, nor is umich on “top film school lists” the way the other schools lasmenias mentioned are. I do know they have excellent Hollywood connections in terms of screenwriting.</p>
<p>In terms of filmmaking, many students who go into the field have a lot of prior experience. My son, for example, had produced numerous shorts, plus a psa series for his school,
etc. by the time he was looking at college, and had a robust portfolio, but he wanted to study music production and performing arts technology, with which he’d also had
experience. In the case of the latter, Michigan was a perfect fit. He’s enjoyed his film production classes (working on sound and scoring) that are part of his specialized degree, and has met several working alumni – all who will tell you that breaking in in LA is no small feat.
But I’d say that with his experience (he us a very good and fast editor with experience on pro systems) he by comparison probably finds the upper level production courses populated by a mix of people who just have uneven or different skill sets BECAUSE they really only started working in production after two years of theory. So in his case, had he wanted to study film, Umich would not have been the fit that NYU, USC (or many of the others mentioned) would have been. </p>
<p>However, in your case, without prior experience and with what must have been a fairly recent desire to pursue film production as a career, umich is one place where you can actually access a production program and be at a top school with a strong alumni network in performing arts, by virtue of the fact its NOT a portfolio-only program. But I cannot speak to how competitive it would make you vocationally compared with grads from production programs - that’s largely an unknown. There are just too many variables. </p>
<p>You also haven’t mentioned financial need. I am a film school drop out from way back when (did finish later in critical comm theory at a different school) and even though I went to school in Canada 100 years ago, I will tell you that film production was and is a phenomenally expensive pursuit, especially considering the extraordinarily unstable work available in the field. I ended up in media, then digital media production and marketing
etc. but have friends in the industry. One who’s a feature film editor can go years between paying gigs. Yes, she makes great money while there’s work. I was always a sucker for a regular paycheck, which is how I ended up in a related field instead. In either case, I would not want to be toting around $200,000 worth of student loan debt.</p>
<p>So if you’re serious about working in film, you’ll want to be either financially independent already or at very least choose your least expensive degree option.</p>
<p>Considering that, if you have financial need, and USC agrees 
you will likely find USC to be the most generous package. If it is, and you have what it takes to get a strong portfolio together to transfer, and you’re dead certain you want to be a filmmaker, and you like LA, then that’s where I would go in your shoes. (but even that depends on what type of production I’d want to be working in; I’m assuming here you mean mainstream film and enteryptainment production.) But you’re going to have to produce a few miracles and immerse yourself to catch up, because like music and the performing arts, film is one of those vocations where by the time college rolls around most of the kids in the field
have already gained a certain amount of mastery. And you haven’t given us much info
about your background to help you assess that.</p>
<p>All of the foregoing said, many if not most folks end up working in fields different from their degree, and undergrad truly doesn’t mean much in terms of specific vocational preparation, and if you’re determined, life may reward you whatever path you choose.</p>
<p>Best wishes.</p>
<p>You asked about the benefits of a liberal arts undergrad…the thinking in some quarters is that undergrad film schools churn out a lot of “technicians” with nothing to say. meaning they haven’t learned enough about the world to bring a “voice” to their work. Meaning, they’ll get more from learning the craft of filmmaking by pursuing a MFA (great programs avail for that too, USC, ucla, in documentary SFU etc.) instead of a specialized production focused undergrad.</p>
<p>I’m of two minds in this regard – I was in a highly selective 1 in 10 kind of program way back when, and most of my associates were very mature, had developed a voice, and were as highly tuned to the world as any liberal arts grad. But any of them were in fact mature students in their mid 20s already, so it’s hard to say. In Canada, back then you also had grade 13 before going to university. At the same time, production is actually the kind of thing that you can learn outside a university at vocational programs, couses, certification, apprenticeship, etc. And it’s the kind of thing you KEEP learning/upgrading because technology changes so fast. So it the critical thinking and the CAPACITY to be a life-long quick study that is more important, and that comes from a broad, liberal arts background. Most feature and all documentary work relate to or represent how the world
works ;)</p>
<p>Ethan Coen, one of the Coen brothers, attended Princeton and earned an undergraduate degree in philosophy. Both brothers had a passion for film, but a liberal arts education can provide a strong foundation for a career in film.</p>
<p>So you don’t need a bachelor’s degree in film in order to try to get a master’s in film?
Sorry, I don’t know a lot, I’m just trying to explore my options.
I’m still undecided about a major, which is why I’m trying to figure out if pursuing film is even possible for someone like me.
And thanks again for all of the information you have all given me; it was much more and more helpful than I was expecting and I deeply appreciate it.</p>
<p>I believe, although I am not certain, it is possible to have an undergraduate degree in any major and get a master’s in film, as long as you have the demonstrated talent, creativity, etc. </p>
<p>Neither of the Coen brothers went on to get a masters. Joel Coen did study film at NYU. My point is there are multiple paths to take depending on your interests.</p>
<p>Yes, letmein, if you have strong undergrad grades and make a good portfolio, it is possible to gain admission to a good MFA program without a bachelors in film. You will usually need that portfolio, but at places like UMich lots of students make festival films – there’s a group called M-agination that selects the best 6 scripts and makes them each year – and it’s an EC, not a class. But they coordinate to help produce the shorts.</p>
<p>In fact, taking a film MFA and NOT taking a production degree undergrad can reduce redundant time. For example, UCLA’s MFA is three or four years. Much of what they spend time on are things that someone might also be learning in a specialized production program (eg. NYU etc.) That said, again you will be competing for admission with students who HAVE taken film as an undergrad, depending on the program, etc.</p>
<p>OhioMom is 100% correct that there are a LOT of filmmakers who never went to film school. Film school does not make a filmmaker.</p>
<p>I think you may find this book interesting: </p>
<p>“Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player” by Robert Rodriguez</p>
<p>I don’t necessarily recommend doing what he did, but the book is interesting, funny and inspiring.</p>
<p>To that point, in Michigan, think Michael Moore, one of the most influential documentary film producers in our time, and he has no college degree at all.</p>