What do you do if child student says he wants to major in 'FILM'.

<p>We all keep talking about Spielberg. Hey - these kids today are talking about Peter Jackson and the bold vision he was able to conceive and implement!!</p>

<p>living in Ca I would not be surprised to hear a kid wanting to major in film. I hear it from many of my kids friends. At one of the public high schools they have a school within a school that is a multimedia and design academy. When my son was in middle school he spent alot of time making and editing videos with friends. Some of the kids were great at it and hope to pursue it as a career.
We also have many hollywood people who have moved here and I think that encourages some of the kids that a career is possible. Though what a friend of mine said was that it took many years of little work and little money before they have what they have now and that the kids need to realize that you don't graduate and suddenly are making movies and millions. That it is hard work and also luck as well.
We have a friend who has tried to break into the business as a writer for a longtime. He had made 1 movie with some big stars but was not able to sell it. He is in his late 30's and still trying to make it. He teaches english at a prep school in the meantime. But the saddest thing is he has a woman friend who is still waiting to marry and have children and he isn't there yet.</p>

<p>If my child said they wanted to major in Film, I would let them go for it. DS is a music performance major. Any major in the arts fields is NOT a guarantee of a job or success. BUT college students do learn varieties of disciplines pursuing the arts that are valuable. When DS said he wanted to major in music, we didn't question it for a second. It's something he loves, and that is important. Will he do this forever as a career....that would be terrific. But if not, we know he will be prepared for intense study for whatever comes next.</p>

<p>Wow, backhandgrip. (Love the unintended pun, btw, also referenced by NJRes). </p>

<p>I saw "wow" because I could have written a counterpoint opening. My younger D is a natural film director & filmmaker. I think she's scared about sensing just how multi-talented she is in the various facets that make for an accomplished director & creator of films. She picked up on her talent recently, via a photography class actually, then almost arbitrarily put it aside. She is an absolutely natural director (of people, of scenes, of visuals), & with the (important!) confidence/mastery to direct; she even practices her craft (to our annoyance) during the dinner hour -- instructing us to move our heads this way, that way, change our expression, etc. This completely comes from within. She is also a colorful, imaginative creative writer. (Characters vividly drawn; visuals easily projected; the "scene" is completely there.) When she was very young she wrote a story that effortlessly read like a play & she didn't even realize it; she entered it in a contest & won 2nd prize. She spends much of her time at home trying to direct the family (LOL). She is also a precocious, sophisticated, confident media critic, which similarly comes from within, as there is no history/background of that in our family, & we have little money for entertainment. We actually watch films much less than the average family, & very little TV.</p>

<p>I know the above is all boring, but suffice it to say there are about 15-20 ways she is a BORN film director & filmmaker, including being a talented actor (always getting the leads); she also mimics & is fabulous at voice-overs, but doesn't want acting as a career. (And I agree with that, as she needs to be in charge of the operation as soon as she can.) Her talent would overlap into the fact that she also happens to love the medium of film -- but as others have said here, of course the love of film is not enough.</p>

<p>What maddens me is that now she's "decided" (she's only a h.s. freshman) that she's changed her mind & doesn't want to be a filmmaker. We've all gone through this as teens & young adults ourselves. It would be foolish for me to try to force the issue at this moment in her development, & I'm concerned about the backfiring issue, but I wish she'd stay interested enough just to want to take a summer filmmaking workshop, because I think if she does, she'll get "hooked" & start owning her talent, which will become the seed for a later career.</p>

<p>Northstarmom, TheDad, & some others here are right: film is multi-faceted in itself, drawing on many disciplines. The more broadly educated the filmmaker, the richer the possibilities. Luckily, D also has broad interests, is curious, inquisitive. I've encouraged her budding interest in a 3rd foreign language, for example. She eats up literature (obviously important!), & loves history (esp. vivid & dramatic history, "imagined" history). I think I will virtually force her to take a creative writing elective in h.s. in the next 2 yrs. (Just kidding; hopefully she'll want to.) All of those topics are "essential" in some way, imo, to film production, esp. if one is writing one's own films, which is the way to go. (Apparently about 1% of USC grads are actually hired by movie companies as directors of other people's scripts. This is low yield, folks. But Indies are ripe with possibility nowadays. And since my D is also a natural saleswoman -- an effective, tenacious persuader, she has a chance at "selling" her own scripts to producers. She is also not afraid of risk, in fact loves risk, which is just one more plus in this field -- as if she needs more.)</p>

<p>Now the "but" comes: Even though in our case we have someone here with tremendous promise, I have always, always encouraged both my D's to continue to ply other "trades" while their dream career is not there yet, has hit a snag, whatever. In the case of my younger D there is both a lot of related studio type work she could do/learn (technical stuff like editing, assisting in art direction, behind-the-scenes, etc.) but also non-film related, such as fashion merchandising, window display, etc. In my older D's case the alternative money paths are even more crucial, since she's a cerebral humanities major with yes, eventual practical career possibilities but possibly a long time to get there. In the meantime, bread needs to be put on the table. Luckily, she has some practical skills which I've told her to go ahead & get her certificate in while she waits for her Ph.D. to be completed.</p>

<p>I have never counseled my children that it's an either/or. I think it's a both/and. The currently over-used "P" word (passion) is very serious business to me. It is one's very identity. Some of us take longer to find it than others do.</p>

<p>Families have differing financial policies regarding their kids, & differing limits as to support. Perhaps I'm glad that I'm not in the position to provide much $ support for fooling around/experimenting with pie-in-the-sky majors which may have emotional draw but no link to the student's actual potential in the field. Were I a parent with a S or D who seemed to be in such a "drifting" or "clueless" category, I would try to seek mentors for her/him in both the peer & non-parental adult category. Of course, once they're away from home it's kind of out of your hands, unless the purse strings are an effective set of brakes.</p>

<p>When I worked briefly in the film industry, somewhere on the studio lot I would occasionally run into people I knew from a previous life (schoolmates). Almost the first words we would exchange with one another were "Who got you this job?"</p>

<p>While talent is important -- whether it be in acting, directing, design, or some particular technical area -- making connections is EXTREMELY important. That link that digmedia posted that disparages graduates of film schools has a lot to say about this. You have to use connections and then make yourself useful in any way that connects you to the industry and in particular to areas in which you want to work.</p>

<p>Another lesson there is that learning is continuous both before and after you get your formal education, because the technology changes and the media forms and outlets change, and you have to adapt. So you have to use your talent and connections to get yourself into positions in which you can continually develop your talent and experiences (and credentials and "credits"). As I've watched my brother's career, from art (e.g., matte painter) to (conventional) animation to CGA, I see how he has continued to stretch and learn (just to survive in a very tough and up-and-down industry). But ultimately you really have to be committed to the industry to make it work for you.</p>

<p>(I've also been watching as some of my daughter's friends, graduates of Tisch in theater, make a go of their early career. And I watch and talk to her about the relative roles of talent, hard work, connections, and luck, to making it in the "artsy" fields of endeavor. All four of these matter a lot. So does self-promotion, or, as she describes it, "shameless self-promotion." She's only a year or so out of art school, and she's learning a lot on the job, but she also has a vision of what she needs to do as a next step and I'm sure she's going to succeed.)</p>

<p>Carolyn, lots of fields seek out History majors... Journalism, foundations, museums, book publishing, and the US government.... My employer would rather hire a well-trained history major who knows how to read and write than a poorly trained communications major who can do neither....</p>

<p>Novel twist on the old "major" topic.</p>

<p>My read would be to consider what the course requirments are, including electives. Its one thing to take an overly narrow education training to be an accountant, where you know there is a job for someone with decent grades and adequate personal attributes. Its quite another to box yourself in by focusing exclusively on a different type of trade. Interesting that in this thread no one referred to film as being a "trade" school. I suppose there are two components to it.......the "artistic/journalistic/social observer" aspect, and the technical side.</p>

<p>I'd have a clear cut talk about where the student expects it to lead. Then investigate those "expectations" against the recent reality of what happens to the program's graduates.</p>

<p>Its truly an interesting field. You have the pressures of the entertainment industry in one area, the freedom of the struggling artists in others, the rags to riches stories like sylvester stallone. My only caveat would be not to be so overly committed to the program that you couldn't meet the entrance requirements for law or business school if your mindset took a change for the pedestrian and pecuniary sp? at some point.</p>

<p>Ditto to what mackinaw says. I was in a job after grad school that, while interesting, was not very satisfying. I decided that I wanted a job in artificial intelligence (AI). I went back and had lunch with my grad school advisor and was told that it was a difficult career to get into, especially since I had never had a single course in the subject. He said that it was a who-you-know kind of thing and told me that if I were serious enough about it, I should move to Boston (MIT), Pittsburgh (CMU), or somewhere near Stanford, and begin hanging out at their labs and getting to know people. It seemed discouraging, but just about six or seven hours later he called me. That very afternoon, his old office mate from Stanford - now with the Comp Sci Dept at CMU - had called to see if he had any recommendations for someone to work in the AI Lab at CMU. Since I had JUST had lunch with him, he passed along my name. To make a long story short, I ended up at the AI Lab at CMU and that led to a career in AI-related work!! And I still have not had any formal courses in AI.</p>

<p>Not only who-you-know (15%), but LUCK (85%). In my case, it was 0% what-you-know (at least that branch of the science, but it's important to note that I had the background knowledge to learn this new field).</p>

<p>BHG, I'm still puzzled: what makes your S's interest in film "grief"?</p>

<p>mackinaw,
Good points, all of them. And while I didn't address the critical issue of Connections which you make, I was dwelling on the earlier phases, since I do think that ability (in anything) is foundational to the commitment which is essential to success in any career. "Interest" or "wanting to major" -- which was the original topic -- does not equal promise in the field. This is a common confusion of youth. When I was an undergrad, the "rage" majors were psychology & sociology because the TOPICS were popular in that the activity of studying them was popular. I can guarantee you that none of those acquaintances of mine who majored in that proved to have any ability (or interest!) to actually function as psychologists or sociologists or to later move into fields which drew on these disciplines. (Yet they stated that since they liked to <em>study</em> those fields, they would become employed in those fields.) There's nothing wrong in studying a field that you will not become employed in (I agree with you posters on that). Just understand that because you "love" something does not mean you have the ability to actually perform in that field after you graduate, including if you get multiple degrees in that field. Theory does not equal practice. It is especially crucial in a creative field to have the important element of talent.</p>

<p>But yes, beyond that, & once that's established, it's about connections when it comes to the movie industry. My younger D is lucky in that she's into shameless self-promotion big time. (Again, she appears not to lack a single essential element for employability.) Now, if she would only admit it ........</p>

<p>Epiphany, I enjoyed reading about your daughter. She kinda reminds me of my own daughter who is trying to go into musical theater. While she is going for it as a performer, her first true passion, by the same token, she has a penchant for writing the scripts and directing as well. And while I am not truly concerned about her making it on stage itself as I think she should go for it, I totally can see her doing the end of it that your daughter is into. She actually is good at the other aspects and loves that too, which is why I think that she could go into so many different facets in her field (or even something else) and it is not like she is so pigeonholed that if she does not make it as this one thing, she cannot do another. I was thinking back to when she was in elementary school and how she wrote two full musicals (one was 90 pages long)....our elementary school let her do these as independent studies....and now in her last year of high school, in fact, this weekend, a musical revue she wrote/created and is directing, musical directing, choregraphing, producing, and performing in, etc. is going to be put on. This is not the first thing she has created and led and I am sure it won't be the last. So, I think in fields such as these, be it film, theater, or any of the arts (or really many fields beyond these), there are many facets in terms of future careers. While my daughter's heart is into being on stage, she truly loves the other aspects, particularly writing/creating and directing and so who knows, what directions her future careers will take. I think there are so many possibilities and why not go for where your passion lies and it does not necessarily mean only one possible career can come out of it. I think when you truly LOVE something, you can't help from doing it. That's how I see her and that's what your D sounds like as well in her areas of passion. It's like I couldn't keep her from it if I tried but then again, I never would WANT to keep her from it. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

<p>I agree that a kid should follow his passion and major in an area "for love, not money." </p>

<p>But this relies on a program that is intellecutally rigorous and exciting. Taking "gut" classes, in no matter what dept, doesn't do anyone much good. </p>

<p>"Study what you love" is exactly the logic behind doing away with distribution requirements.... Better to take yet another upper level course in a dept you LOVE than sleepwalk through "rocks for jocks" just to satisfy a science distribution.</p>

<p>How exciting about your D, Susan. (Loved hearing about yours, too; yours is destined for greatness.) Since my 1st post about this was so long & I didn't want to dominate, I did not add that mine has a whole other thread of creative abilities in the computer area, imo. She is not a programmer or anything, but a software application is as much is a creative tool for her to manipulate as is her written page, or the way her sister and I chew our food & hold our forks at the dinner table. There are professional techies in my own family (as in probably everyone's). None of them approach the creative/intuitive abilities on the computer as my relatively untrained D. (That was also the consensus of her entire 8th grade class, who had far more sophisticated computer equipment at home than our family, yet judged her to be the most creatively able & confident student in that dept.) She doesn't want to use it to hack, or to program; she uses it to create. If she could manage some advanced training in the area (she'd have to learn at least a <em>lttle</em> programming), I definitely see her as much at Pixar or Disney as I do on a movie set. However, since she's such a people-person, & also is physically active, I don't see her happy being statically in front of (that kind of) a screen all day. It's possible she could work in a team environment in this pioneering field of what's called Media Arts; I believe much of it is done in teams.</p>

<p>My "dream" college for her would be one which would allow or encourage some kind of a double concentration in both the traditional film area & in the Media Arts area. (Again, we're talkin' food-on-the-table here.) Whatever it is, it will have to be one that does not demand high SAT scores for admission. Like a lot of other artists, my own D is super-challenged in the standardized test format; the projections for her scores do not look good, despite her high IQ, etc.</p>

<p>One of my specialties is Gifted Education. Artistic giftedness especially tends to manifest in multiples within the same person. It sounds as if you have already seen that in your own D. It's thrilling that both our D's are multi-artistic; that does give them multiple career & employment options. In the case of my own, the only danger is the distractibility/getting off-track factor. She no sooner discovers one creative ability, then another one pops up & she realizes she could pursue that, too. That is the downside & the reality of being an artistically gifted person.</p>

<p>Thanks again for so many articulate responses !
I want to make it clear I have nothing against FILM as a major. W</p>

<p>Sorry, drat button again. Once again thanks and I have nothing aginst FILM . I do like to be prepared for things and there are considerations like a portfolio to get together, etc. We certainly have a way to go before he makes any college or major decision.
I did find some local college courses which son should have no problem getting into at night if he so desires in this new field. Onward we go.........................................</p>

<p>Your daughter is young yet to look at colleges but with the interests you just described, coupled with possible SAT scores not super high, she may want to look into Emerson College some day. </p>

<p>I also have an interest in gifted education, due in part to being an educator by profession but mostly due to having dealt with gifted kids (for lack of a better term) in my family. I'd have to say that the child I was decribing before happens to test well. But in any case, she does have talents in several different areas of performing arts but I don't see her flitting from one area to another in terms of direction. Rather all the areas kinda interrelate. She plays three instruments but also studies voice, acting and several disciplines of dance. The music ability comes in handy in the other areas such as voice and theater. The writing kinda relates too. And her main passion, musical theater, really involves several different skills including singing, acting, and dance, and truthfully a music background helps. She has never wavered in her interest. Though I think it is perfectly fine if kids do waver or have no idea of what they want to go to college for or be when they "grow up". I think your D trying various areas out is a good thing. This particular kid of mine happened to want to go into theater since preschool, though has been involved in many things. This one area just grew and grew over the years and other things fell to the wayside, though some other interests remain. But the desire to pursue musical theater has been there since her first production at age 4 1/2. In fact, her nursery school report even mentions her going into this field some day. Funny but so far it has come true. I think some people seem to have this kind of a "calling" and a deep seated interest and it is often over a long period of time or starts at a young age. That happens to be her case. I never knew how far this all would go but here we are, up to the college application process stage of life and she is headed exactly where everyone predicted and so it is no surprise when I mention to anyone who asks where she is applying to college, that she is going for this field. It is quite a journey. </p>

<p>That is why on this thread I was mentioning that I can't imagine even flinching over what major my kid said he/she wanted to go into. I could not stop this interest if I wanted to, not that I do by any means but even still. When someone is "driven", you just go with it!</p>

<p>I do agree with one other of your posts, that you need to have talent along with the drive/passion. But most I see with this passion, usually also have the talent. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

<p>BHG: Not all Film schools or universities with strong film departments require portfolios. If I remember correctly (from a few years ago), USC required some samples.
Tisch required one video with a list only of other projects. Northwestern required nothing. I believe that for UCLA and Wesleyan, students apply for admission to the film major after freshman or soph year so might need to submit samples from college courses. Perhaps arts schools (such as RISD) require more in the way of portfolios. Even Newhouse, which offers film courses but is known for its broadcasting courses, had no portfolio requirement.</p>

<p>TheDad; Why thank you for asking. It's 'grief' because it came up suddenly. Here we have a lad who does well in every single honors class - I would have expected maybe, 'I want to cure cancer. ' I like to be prepared.I'm the kind of parent who starts their child in Suzuki cello at 5 just so they make the strings group in 3rd grade and starts tournament tennis at 10 so they make the highly competitive varsity tennis team freshman year. Nothing is ever pushed.Everything has it's benefit.
I knew he like art, animation and computers- did the extra c's. But there is a portfolio to get ready if one is seriously thinking of a college major in this direction. Do we have enough time? I don't like to rush, that's grief for me.</p>

<p>3boysnjmom; I really enjoyed your post.You hit a lot of things here on the head.
But there are also other considerations.Child is #4. Husband does not want child to go across the country to college.W</p>

<p>3boysnjmom; I really enjoyed your post.You hit a lot of things here on the head.
But there are also other considerations.Child is #4. Husband does not want child to go across the country to college. We did that with #2.</p>