<p>Another good film school that does not require a portfolio is Florida State. See <a href="http://filmschool.fsu.edu/Admissions/app_freshman.html%5B/url%5D">http://filmschool.fsu.edu/Admissions/app_freshman.html</a></p>
<p>Well thanks again,3boysnjmom. Glad to hear there are some colleges without a portfolio requirement and will keep said schools in mind as this plays out. And sorry about all the double posting, sign, my computer skills..................</p>
<p>BHG: I hear you loud and clear re: child not attending college on the other coast. Can't seem to recall but are you on East or West coast, or Midwest? We sound like similar parents -- i.e., tennis lessons at an early age for the high school tennis team,
music lessons in middle school for the Wind Ensemble and honors bands, etc. My son who is doing Film production at college was a top student academically (till he slacked off) and involved in the school's award winning music program. Film production just encompasses everything he realizes he loves -- working as a leader, working with a team, screenwriting (not his passion), directing, editing, sound, hands-on with equipment, and even some film studies. Depending upon the quality of your high school's film courses, your son may be interested in taking a summer media course.
There are many -- especially at Tisch, Northwestern, and some California schools.
On the other hand, many high school kids change their focus/passion. My youngest is involved in the high school film program and loves it but a different and not as nurturing teacher this year is pushing him to question whether or not it really is his passion.</p>
<p>BHG. Is this child just a freshman or soph? If so, I think there is still time. It is not like the tennis analogy where you work your way up starting young. With film, your son can do projects, courses, internships, summer programs, etc. in tenth/eleventh grade and be fine for applying to college for this field. I am not as up on requirements for admission for film but I think for a film school like at Tisch, the student submits a video. That is ONE project. I might be wrong but we are not talking extensive samples. My D has a friend who is a freshman in film at Tisch. But ya see, you ALSO have to be a good student to get in, as your son seems to be, so that part is not like a waste of his academic strength by any means. I also know someone who was valedictorian who recently graduated from Columbia for film. I know she was making videos in high school but again, I don't know that extensive samples are required for admission. </p>
<p>I know you said your son is an honor student and you thought he might go into something that sounded perhaps more "academic", like curing cancer. But please realize that going into a field like film or the arts is also for kids who are high academic achievers. I have a kid going into the arts who is an excellent student academically. For two of the colleges she is applying for this field, you have to be a good student besides having talent in the field. That is true of some schools your son could go to and major in film as well. So the good student thing will bode well for this field. He certainly won't be wasting his academic talents if he pursues this. Also, I hear ya on getting him ready to apply but I think for this area, starting in high school is sufficient, unlike the analogies to instruments or theater or sports. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>I appreciate that we all want our children to do what will make them happy. As an attorney with several film industry clients and an ex husband deeply invlved in the business, I get constant calls from friends, family, and people I hardly know who have "super talented" relatives who just graduated with a film degree. Theses kids all have prizes and more talent than can be described. I would be doing anyone a favor to pass their name on!! A tiny fraction will ever earn a living in the industry. If they understand that fully, so be it. But how many 18 year olds understand the ramifications of this? Bottom line, I think kids need to go for their dreams but it's a parent's responsibility to try to factor in some reality. I would try to do this not by lecturing, but by simply providing links to employment facts. Funny thing is that no kid I know who has grown up around the industry wants anything to do with it.</p>
<p>bhg, here's a link to Tisch's requirements for an applicant's portfolio. It will give you an idea of what they're looking for.</p>
<p>Tisch's program is one of the top ones in the country, as has been mentioned. Most successful applicants have a lot of experience as well as top academic stats. As Susan mentioned, even for the arts school, NYU applicants must have the same academic stats as any other applicant. My D2 who is a Tisch drama student is much like Susan's D who's currently auditioning for MT programs. A top student academically, interested in many areas including drama, music, writing, even a top soccer player! My point is that I think what you'll find is that most kids in these fields are the same. They simply have a passion (and ability) for many different things but have made the decision to pursue one of the arts. </p>
<p>We have always supported all of our children's passions, and have never dreamed of urging them away from those passions when it came time for college decisions. There are just too many uncertainties with any degree these days to make the assumption that it will be more difficult to find a job with x degree than it will be if you have y degree. There are no guarantees unless you're going for something totally practical like nursing, or medicine, or law after doing a B.A. Even then, who knows what the success rate will be for a particular student. Certainly there are challenges when in the arts field but a college education, as others have said, should be an opportunity to explore intellectual pursuits, in my opinion. Not everyone shares this opinion and that's fine. :) But I don't see anything at all 'tragic' with a kid who wants to major in film, provided he's sure that he has a real interest. One high school class is not really indicative of a real interest. I'd have him explore the subject a lot more thoroughly over the coming year, perhaps with a summer program so he has the opportunity to grasp what's involved, especially if you're going to be looking at the top programs. Good luck!</p>
<p>BHG, I'm so glad that I asked and didn't impale myself on my assumption, which was that you somehow thought Film unworthy. </p>
<p>People can be dual-track arts/academic, as I know so well with my ballet/Math & Gov daughter. (Coulda snuck Latin & Classics in there too.) </p>
<p>It's not too late for your S regarding Film school. It's also a very real possibility that he may change majors once he's in. As a parent who has a mild streak of control freak myself, I can say it's helpful to remember that most plans don't survive contact with reality. The odds of your son making a career in Film are small but if he doesn't try they're nil...and so it is with many fields. Having a Film background will not detract from other options he may develop down the road.</p>
<p>Whenever I read some of the carefully schemed plans along the lines of Ivy League, investment banker, etc. kind of thing, I silently wonder how many will find themselves tending sheep in Outer Mongolia 10 years from now.</p>
<p>If your son is well prepped, he will land on his feet doing something worthwhile somewhere.</p>
<p>Susan,
Yes, actually I didn't mean to imply that she can never finish one thing or is always pulled in multiple directions, more that this is a discovery issue, & naturally when one is young you are just a "baby" at realizing how much is possible with your ability. (I mean some of us parents are still discovering new talents & competencies & fields of possibilities in our own lives.) And yes, I certainly am not pushing college choices, & didn't with my earlier Freshman either. Naturally she's beginning to be interested because her sister is still doing that whole process. She has also told me that for sure she wants to go to a 4-yr college (not a dedicated arts-only school, she tells me, & I support that).</p>
<p>She also is capable intellectually, & is in Honors classes. She was the 2nd highest academic achiever in her 8th grade class of about 35 students, with whom she stayed for 9 years. Her grades remain high now, too (probably an A- average). It's just that she has some learning differences when it comes to processing information, & that affects her recall & "regurgitation" of that information. One of the things that artists often do when the drive to create is especially strong & unconscious, is that data is reconfigured after it is heard, thus "remembered" differently & retold inventively. People who are natural painters, writers, & composers can be especially affected by this. It's obviously charming, but not so helpful for the science & math classes when it comes to tests, especially.</p>
<p>I have never met, or known of, a truly capable artist of any field who was also not very, very bright -- in fact often brilliant. And that is regardless of the level of formal education of that person. I don't know if you guys ever tune in to "Inside the Actors Studio." I can usually not resist it. I find the whole journey aspect fascinating. You see the level of comprehension & perception & expressiveness which has been necessary for them to succeed in their art.</p>
<p>As to your last point, I can't speak to or about all aspiring filmmakers, but I do know that I have visited a number of websites, journals, messageboards, that discuss the mediocrity of so many film students who "love" film & have convinced themselves they're the next Scorsese or whoever, yet a small percentage of them have any true talent (<em>especially</em> when it comes to writing anything original). I read a lot of complaints about so many mediocre types being graduated from film schools or as film majors. So in the case of this particular artistic subset, I would take issue that "passion" usually indicates talent. And I think this is partly because there's a perception that "anyone" can do it, & you're behind-the-scenes, etc. Well actually, no: you either have an artistic eye, or you don't. And you can either create something novel from scratch, or you can't. It just doesn't occur to a lot of students that just because they're not getting up on a stage soloing as a singer or a dancer, that they don't need to have talent. Nonsense. It's an art form!</p>
<p>Thanks for the dialogue!</p>
<p>A memorable LA Times article from a while back:
<a href="http://www.alchemists.com/visual_alchemy/UCSB-filmtheory.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.alchemists.com/visual_alchemy/UCSB-filmtheory.html</a></p>
<p>Oi! Oi!! Oi!!! </p>
<p>(CC required that my message be at least 10 characters, hence the repetition)</p>
<p>Thanks for the link, BigBro. I'm disappointed in this turn of events at UCSB, & somewhat surprised. Previously, I had not gone into depth as to the content of their program, but certainly had previewed it, & was impressed with their study, serially, of each of the great directors in Hollywood's "Golden Age." Without further scrutiny, that had led me to assume that they were more practically than theoretically oriented. Also, in any discipline it's important to get the historical framework, so the curriculum I reviewed gave me hope. Too bad if it's been spun to produce a particular emphasis or orientation, away from art to intellectualism. Sorry, I can picture my D more with a boom mike than in a stratospheric seminar discussion away from the practice.</p>
<p>Now semiotics she might like, and of course, it's a hot trend now in literary criticism, including modern Biblical criticism & Midrash. I say that because she mentioned after reading "DaVinci Code" the other day that she wants to become a "symbologist." Ohhhhh Kaaayyyy.</p>
<p>Apparently this is not just UCSB. I briefly looked at Bard's heavy-duty film studies curriculum last week. My response was, "Excuse me?" (Not for my D! She wants to DO the art, at least eventually.) </p>
<p>Oy vey.</p>
<p>See, digmedia, you illustrate the Shameless Self Promotion point exactly! You want to get into AI--and the first thing you do is start telling people. It's 50% luck, but 50% SSP. </p>
<p>That's been my experience as an architect moving a practice around the world, and I'd wager it's the same in all the arts.... Tell everybody you're looking for clients/patrons and presto! Client appears! Works every time. </p>
<p>BHG, if they want to see me roll my eyes, my Ss talk about the gaming industry. Luckily, the digital animation course in London cured my older S. One: he was outclassed by leagues and smart enough to recognize it. Two: He didn't love the hours WORKING on computer as much as he loved playing.</p>
<p>New love....economics!??? Combines Math (major talent) with his major love (history and politics). Went to the bookstore the other day and he melted in front of the non-fiction section. Honest. An audible sigh of happiness. </p>
<p>For a fiction addict, it was TOO much--but he countered by saying that he learns so much more when he reads non-fiction! Alrighty then....:)</p>
<p>Cheers - was your son the one that did a partial gap year in London (digital animation). If so, I'm surprised by the outcome. Seemed like that was something that he really wanted to do.</p>
<p>I guess you're right about the SSP. There are artists ("Do something commercial? You're kidding!!!") and there are artists ("Oh, have I got a clever gimmick for selling art to the public! And by the way, I'm a great artist!").</p>
<p>I hope my son will enter the National History Day competition again this year with another documentary film. But I don't know if he'll take my advice on helping himself to win via SSP and the choice of a topic: make it about a woman (and tie it to today's thoughts on gender issues), or about Native Americans (and tie it to today's thoughts on indiginous issues), or about local history (and tie it to today's thoughts on whatever...). In other words, be Politically Correct.</p>
<p>Is the purpose to make a film? Or to make a film that sells (wins the contest)? You have to be clear on your objectives. If you're entering the competition, why wouldn't winning be the objective!!</p>
<p>Too cynical?</p>
<p>Cheers, take care with that math-econ one! I've got one of those (now a few years out of college) who combines interests in games (computer games, baseball games) with his math/statistics to play lots and lots of internet poker while also doing economic analysis of baseball. Has made more money the last year than it cost to put him through 4 years of private college. But I'm not sure where it's heading. . . .</p>
<p>Oh gosh, yes! WAY too cynical! haha :) A SSP doesn't produce work simply to be commercial. They simply have a successful method of connecting with people. Michaelangelo was a great SSP after all. I'm reading GG Marquez's biography and H is reading DeKooning's. I would classify both as talented SSPs. </p>
<p>As to my S, it's all good. He realized he didn't have the talent to compete at the top and he realized he didn't LOVE it as much as he thought he would. </p>
<p>As to your S, I'd say the purpose is for him to make a film--to the best of his abilities. Let his own abilities carry him or not. Forget about PC strategies. Even if he doesn't win, if he has talent, that talent will be very visible in his portfolio.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, that poker thing! My FIL, a Fortune 500 CEO, was a master poker player and entered the World Series a decade before ESPN. </p>
<p>Older S lost enough in high school to avoid it, thank heaven. Younger S studies poker books like mad but gets little competition. Not allowed to use our credit cards on the internet. Could be a worry in college. </p>
<p>Haha BHG. That reminds me! Younger S did ask me what I would think about having a professional poker player in the family. I wasn't nearly as thoughtful as you. I said I would puke my guts out--or something to that effect. Film could be the least of your problems! :p</p>
<p>Cheers, wait til you read an article like this about S#2.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the links. Son is a Junior in H.S. I like the poker comment Cheers. (Are you English?) I guess we never know how it will go. So I suggested at dinner tonight taking an evening course in this particular field to make a portfolio if interested in majoring in FILM in college and got yelled at by both boys for over-reacting to son's initial comment about majoring in FILM,- because,' he was tired.' So, what do I know? Just another dumb mother anxious about the college search ahead and the tens of thousands of dollars we will be paying.</p>
<p>bhg - I'm astonished. I guess I missed a lot of your posts, but I had assumed all of this time that you were the father. I know, I know, there were probably posts that made it clear, but I guess I missed them. It's funny how you think of posters as male or female. It's even funnier when your thought is proven wrong! Some names make it obvious (soozievt, TheDad, carolyn). Some wordings give it away (for example, when Cheers says "Oh gosh..."). </p>
<p>Oh well, I guess that it doesn't really matter whether one is male or female, but for some reason when I read posts, I get a mental image/feeling about whether a male or female is writing. Anyone else do this as well, or am I just kooky?</p>
<p>Anyway, I thought I'd be surprised by the number of people interested in film, but bhg reminded me in the original post that many high schools are adding courses in digital video and computer animation and other classes that get students interested.</p>
<p>As for what your son will major in, if he's like mine, that will change a time or two during high school.</p>