To Parents of Potential Film Majors

Parents Forum
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<p>sratman1011- it's just a starting place, but since you've mentioned schools in NYC, I looked up Fordham University, College of Business Administration with the specialization in Communications and Media Management:
<a href="http://www.fordham.edu/cba/areasofstudy/communicationsandmediamanagment/communicationsandmediamanagement.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.fordham.edu/cba/areasofstudy/communicationsandmediamanagment/communicationsandmediamanagement.htm&lt;/a> </p>

<p>If you want to be an entertainment lawyer, you basically become a lawyer and then work for those firms or take on those clients, in which case you do everything anybody else does to become a lawyer: go to the best school that'll take you academically, major in a serious subject, learn to write even better while in college, and take your LSAT's after college to get into law school. In that sense, you would be welcome to major as an unergrad in cinema studies, French, philosophy, English, or anything else you please. Actually, you might be taken more seriously in law school admissions if your minor, not major, was cinema studies. </p>

<p>And you are so smart to know, early on, that what you want is to "be involved in the production and business and legal aspect." Lots of people start out ready to make films, and many end up right where you know you want to be. If you train for it powerfully from the beginning, that is really great.</p>

<p>I looked up Emerson, Ithaca, Syracuse U but couldn't quite find a program that would lead you into film production. EDIT: Still, maybe you'll see it where I did not: click on "Academics" to learn about all their programs and majors. I started looking at their business schools and communications majors. To me, it sounded like a lot of marketing and communications courses with some cross-connections into media. </p>

<p>I'm not comfortable recommending a business school either, since I'm the least practical person I know. Still, I thought of Fordham because I knew they have an interesting graduate school in media studies, so was hoping for some "trickle-down" into undergraduate departments. That's how I landed in the business school with the specialization link above. </p>

<p>Certainly you should plow through the "arts majors" and "other majors" sections of CC. </p>

<p>Use the search word for "film major" and see what others suggest along these lines.</p>

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<p>I do not know whether to pursue film school, or simply study it in college. I am also very intersted in international relations. I am a participant in a selective, 60 student, academy in my school. Last year, 15% of the students were accepted to Stanford ED from the program. We make documentary films in addition to rigorous english and history classes. Only 5% of the students in the three classes get A's, and colleges know it.</p>

<p>I entered my last documentary into the largest student film festival/comp. in the country, and won first place.</p>

<p>This makes me think that I have more potential than I thought.</p>

<p>Asides from film, I have a 4.1 weighted, a 1910 on SAT's, and other EC's as usual, lots of COMM. Service, pursuing 2 languages....</p>

<p>What should I do.</p>

<p>I am intersted in N-Western, NYU, UCLA, JHU, G-town...</p>

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<p>Is anyone familiar with "Full Sail" in Florida...A boy who graduated from my son's high school is going there - and supposedly will have his BS in 21 months!?</p>

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<p>Aramin:</p>

<p>It seems like you'd fit best at a top school with a good film program that is production based. Many programs are now leaning towards theory as a way to study films, perhaps thinking that makes it more academically worthwhile, or something to that effect. Northwestern just abolished its MFA production program with no statement as to why, though some speculate it's because of this shift.</p>

<p>If you apply to NU you won't need a portfolio. You do have to submit stuff to NYU, though if your film won the largest student film festival in the country, I'm sure Tisch would look very highly upon that. Add USC to your list, as well (I believe you also submit a portfolio there). Not sure of JHU (quickly looked at it, doesn't seem to be that production heavy) and don't think Gtown has a program. Also important to look at is internship/alumni contacts.</p>

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<p>I think that I would really enjoy northwestern, with its drama dept. being so big, and medill's new tech emphasis, combined with what I want to study, IR.</p>

<p>My parents won't let me go to USC.</p>

<p>I don't think that I would apply to Tisch, because I do not want to dedicate myself to a path of film. I just want to pursue it to a small extent. In my portfolio, I have 1 short drama, and 1 documentary (best in the nation), I will not have my next film until december.</p>

<p>I am loathe to put myself on a film path, but want to pursue it concurrently. Do you know about N'Western's view on extra-currics, and if my films would factor into my application, I can only assume that my dedication to produce, film, write, and create a film of this magnitude, would be looked upon very favorably.</p>

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<p>Look very carefully at UCLA's approach. As I recall, they require film majors to take two years of other courses first, and only look at portfolios for film major hopefuls at the end of sophomore year. You can't become a film major there right away, but only as a junior. Other schools, such as NYU/Tisch or Chapman U/Dodge College of Film decide which incoming freshman they want to allow to become majors, based on the portfolios submitted from high school.
The advantage of UCLA's idea, IMO: good liberal arts foundation before you are developed into a filmmaker
The disadvantage IMO: it's selective within the department, so not all hopefuls will make it in. Some will be disappointed. Knowing this could mean some elbowing and jockeying for position and attention to get "in" -- but I don't know that. </p>

<p>But for you, this might give you two years to consider if it's the right major for you. If it were me, I'd check out by writing to people who've gone that route to find out what's real. I only know all this info from reading the UCLA website.</p>

<p>Here's just some opinions of mine: lots of students are trying to make films but not many are keenly academic. Your film might have won because you had something to say. It wasn't just about problems keeping girlfriends, etc. </p>

<p>BTW, do you like Ken Burnes' documentaries on American history? ("Civil War", "New York City") ? They've been on Public Broadcasting System channel. He's from my generation and I know his route: he attended Hampshire College in Massachusetts which is not any kind of film school at all, but allowed freedom to design one's own curriculum then (they've since created distribution requirements there). More significantly, Hampshire let the student built up to one grand "Capstone PRoject" in senior year. </p>

<p>You sound intelligent. I wonder if an academic program that has no distribution requirements (as used to be so at Hampshire) might suit you so you could explore the complete range of academics according to your own vision? If your stats allow it, I know that Brown U and Amherst College still do it this way. </p>

<p>Or, seek a college or uni that lets you do an important senior year capstone or honors thesis project. That could be a film.</p>

<p>Then take an M.F.A. in filmmaking if you're still interested.</p>

<p>I'm thinking about a lot lately about film (son going for a B.A. in screenwriting at Chapman). Repeatedly he's heard, "you have to feel like you have no other choice, as if you can't NOT do it, to perservere and become a filmmaker for a living." Until you feel that or know that, it's got to be a good approach to get the best possible liberal arts education, while you continue to think about it as one possibility. </p>

<p>The advantage of starting a film program at the age of l8 is you get into it
younger. There's a lot to learn about, technically, that's for sure. If starting young doesn't seem like a particular advantage to you, it seems to me there are later entry points. But you might want to survey some MFA websites to see if they seem to expect a background to get in, and more importantly, talk to people in the field. If you r plan is to wait for MFA, find out now what would get you in then.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, there are also programs such as NYFA New York Film Academy, where they just teach you the technical stuff, no academics. Costs like a year of college, but no degree status, just a certificate. Still, you'd learn how to do all the editing, lighting and so on. They are l00% hands-on in approach. They have summer programs, year-long programs. Costs a lot, and not for any degree, so that'd have to be okay with your family. Maybe Robert DeNiro founded it, I'm just not sure.
Perhaps as a year in-between your college studies...check it out.</p>

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<p>Aramin: your list of schools doesn't include small LAC's, but have you looked at Occidental in LA? I've heard really good things about the school, and they have a very small program in production, which I'm sure you could combine with your other interests. The Claremont Colleges also have an interesting major that emphasizes non-commercial filmmaking. U of Texas Austin has a program for undergraduates as well, which might be worth considering if you want the resources of a large research institution.</p>

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<p>Aramin:</p>

<p>If you are interested in G-town then check out American U and George Washington. AU documentaries were just written up somewhere.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies, they are helping.</p>

<p>However strange it sounds, I refuse to go to a small LAC, thats just not who I am.</p>

<p>In addition, I don't want a degree from a place like chapman, because film is not my focus. I want to pursue IR or Poly Sci on a much larger level, but also doing film aswell. I need to graduate, for my, and my parents sake, with a well-reknowned degree, like my parents did, Princeton. I am very interested at Northwestern, especially because of their large theatre program. </p>

<p>Can anyone tell me more about Tisch's programs, and whether I can be in Gallatin, and take classes there?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

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<p>There's a LOT written on Tisch under the Musical Theater Major forum that might be helpful about how a Tisch major can or can't be combined with other schools at NYU. It's tricky. I recall at the end of a long discussion of it, the choice seemed to be between either a film conservatory BFA at Tisch, or going to the NYU - CAS (College of Arts and Sciences) program for a major in Cinema Studies so some coursework connects with Tisch. That last idea is very different than the Tisch BFA. Also, if you're very sharp, you can manage a Tisch BFA and another major at NYU in anything you please. But you probably need to be extremely time-efficient, since the BFA is a huge time commitment. Expert on NYU/Tisch is SoozieVt, so PM her if her mailbox isn't full! She moderates the Musical Theater thread, too. I know you don't want MT, but it has much discussion. Also read the NYU site on CC, under "list of colleges alphabetical" (To find all this, first click on "college discussion" and look for the other forums). </p>

<p>You might look into University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) which has an emerging, dynamic film department, yet is a mighty university.</p>

<p>And remember (for your parents ears...) Matt Damon went to Harvard and wrote his first film as a senior class project there. The one with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Robin Williams about the kid in South Boston who solved mathematical problems on the blackboard while he worked as a custodian there... earned some academy awards. Just a college project for a theater course. </p>

<p>You might look at Yale because of their excellent theater department. I don't know about film there. I hear the other departments are kind of decent, too ;)</p>

<p>If Wesleyan in CT isn't too small for you (probably is), they have a strong co-major in cinema studies.</p>

<p>Look at Columbia U.</p>

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<p>aramin, I have two kids who attend/graduated from Tisch (one graduated with a BFA in Film and the other one is currently in Tisch Cinema Studies), so I was able to get an answer to your question relating to taking Tisch classes while a student in Gallatin by checking the Gallatin website, and yes, that is certainly a possibility. Here is the link if you're interested in finding out more about it: <a href="http://www.nyu.edu/gallatin/prospective/ba/program.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.nyu.edu/gallatin/prospective/ba/program.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>paying3tuitions,
At NYU, there is, in fact, a major in Cinema Studies at Tisch, and there is also a program in Cinema Studies in CAS. It's a crossover program, or at least it was when my D began her studies, although she is, in fact, earning a BA in Cinema Studies from Tisch.</p>

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<p>Brown U is well-known for a good theater department, but I don't know about film there.</p>

<p>Also see Brandeis U. - it's a small university in Waltham, a Boston suburb; I think in size it compares to Brown U. Brandeis has strength in Poli Sci and IR. Also first in the nation to offer an undergrad major in Israel Studies, as distinct from Near East Studies which is found all over. They do have a theater department, at the undergrad and graduate level. I don't know what they have in film, but these days most schools have Film Studies or Cinema Studies. To find programs where you study about films, rather than produce them is actually easier to find than the film production majors. 50% of the undergrads at Brandeis are Jewish, so 50% are something else.</p>

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<p>Aramin - It's too bad you've taken so many fine LACs off the table. The more "prominent" the university (your vernacular, not mine) the harder it is going to be to dabble in film as a minor or extra-curricular. These programs are popular and non-majors often have to beg, plead and connive to get into them. This is especially true at the production level where studio space and equipment become the coin of the realm. I would definitely look for places that have open curriculums or "do-it-yourself" majors. Gallatin sounds like the place to go..</p>

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<p>Brown has an excellent film program...I just saw a film my friend's son did for his final project, it was so impressive!!! It was so much more than technical ability, his film had such depth in both the story and visual art. To top it off, some of his profs acted in it for him and their performances were wonderful! (My D studied film at her high school arts program, so I know what to look for at this point.)</p>

<p>An affordable option, but hard to get into, is Florida State U. They have an excellent program.</p>