HOLLYN-wood (Norman, that is)

Forum

Coming Soon

(I hope)

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2 responses to “Forum”

31 10 2012

Russell (18:49:46) :

Hello Norman,

Just watched your Webinar with Moviola. Fantastic information!!

I submitted a question but it didn’t make it past Marcelo.

I am changing my career path in the sense that the film industry is a new pursuit for me. I decided to go back to school to get that piece of paper that I thought would be helpful in opening doors.

My question; Is it important for me to complete the degree program in film studies or should I concentrate on jumping into the industry?

Now I know what your stock answer will be, as a film professor, however I am one of those people working on their second career. I just turned 51.

6 01 2013

Norman (02:05:20) :

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Film school is not for everyone. It is generally more or equally expensive as just going off and working for free to build your craft. But there are some very strong reasons why I support film school.

First, it’s a great place to learn your craft without the pressure of always being right. You can make mistakes at film school that you would be crucified for if you did it on someone else’s dime. And since most of us learn better by trying and failing, film school is a sager place to do it.

Second, as the apprentice system crumbles, it is harder and harder to learn by sitting at the side of accomplished professionals. At the right film school you get to do this.

Third, and maybe most important, film school is a place to meet people who you will bond with and who know that you have their back. This is a huge percentage of what you need in order to great work.

Like anything, there are good film schools and bad ones, helpful ones and unhelpful ones. I’d take a look at three things when deciding if a school is for you:

1) Students. Who will you be taking classes and making films with? What are the type of people and what is their work going to be like down the line?
2) Location. Is the school in a place where you want to live? Not everyone likes Los Angeles or New York. Some would rather go to Central Florida or Austin.
3) Faculty. Who will you be taking classes with? Are there people who you want to learn from? Have they done work in work genres and areas that you feel you want to know better, or are comfortable with? Are they still working and staying current?

Like anything else — the more research you do, the better you’ll be.

Good luck.

Norman