MM: How does a student create lasting collaborative relationships with instructors or classmates?
Quinnipiac: Nothing builds friendships stronger than the late-night toil, bad food and shared exhaustion of working together on a film. It’s important that you realize that not everyone will initially be as experienced or competent in everything as you may be. As for instructors, make the effort to introduce yourself. Take advantage of opportunities for engagement like office hours, even if you don’t have anything specific to speak to your instructor about. Just ask if the instructor has seen a recent film, read a certain article, heard the news this morning—whatever.
Douglas: When I first started teaching I might have said, “Be innately talented.” But now I can see it’s work ethic and dependability that really make the difference. Over the course of my career I’ve encountered many self-proclaimed “geniuses.” The funny thing is that most of those geniuses are long gone, whereas people who break their backs working and hone their professionalism thrive in the industry. Filmmaking is an intense profession; you throw large groups of people together under intimate, hyper-focused conditions. You don’t want to spend that time with people who are lazy, incompetent or just plain jerks.
MM: Should students be looking to specialize in a particular aspect of filmmaking during their program, or not?
NYFA: It is of the utmost importance that students have a thorough understanding of what each production position entails—not just to enhance communication and collaboration, but because before you settle into your desired position within the industry, you will likely be thrust into other roles. Still, if you have a passion for a below-the-line discipline like lighting, sound, or production design, you may well have more employment opportunities than if you choose to pursue the more “glamorous” above-the-line disciplines like writing or directing.
Quinnipiac: A decade ago, I would have agreed that nothing beats a well-rounded education. However, marketplace realities have changed drastically: The number of film school graduates has risen, while the number of jobs in the industry that pay a living wage has dropped. Schools must give students the tools required to get that all-important first job. That means, for example, that students must graduate with significant work samples, which in turn means specialization during school in order to create those work samples.
Douglas: Given the nature of the industry at the moment, even if you do choose to focus on one aspect, I think it’s very short-sighted to not become at least nominally-proficient in everything your school offers. It flat-out makes you more valuable.
MM: Equipment and facilities—how should students make the most of it?
Douglas: Our students have 24-hour access, seven days a week, to the facilities. Given the demands of deadlines, homework and so on, it would be difficult for them to get anything done if they didn’t!
DePaul: Ideally, students should have cameras in their hands at all times. That’s logistically impossible, of course, but we do our best to make sure that students get as much hands-on time with the equipment as possible, and encourage them to make films outside of class.
UNCSA: Treat the equipment provided with respect and the understanding that the equipment must be shared and used by others. This allows us to trust our students with the best equipment available in the industry today.
MM: Should students be looking for internship positions or other external jobs while at school?
NYFA: Absolutely. This is where alumni services and industry outreach departments can assist the most. Of course, like film production, film school can be quite time consuming, so internships should be carefully planned around school schedules. Typically our internships occur later in the program so the student, already equipped with a certain level of knowledge, can make the most of the opportunity.
UNCSA: Ideally, though, students should take internship positions or external jobs only between semesters or over the summers, so as not to interfere with classroom instruction.
Douglas: In our case, we feel our curriculum is designed to deliver meaningful training, so we don’t like students to miss much, if any. But occasionally, an opportunity arises wherein we feel students may benefit from a few days on a professional set and we try to accommodate that. It not only benefits the student, but they end up bringing some of that culture back here to campus.
Quinnipiac: The skills that can be learned through a properly run internship are incalculable. There are the hard skills, of course—coverage, shooting, editing, mixing, whatever the position entails. But there are also the less tangible, but equally vital, soft skills—presentation and handling of yourself in a professional environment, learning how the industry really works from the inside, learning to leaven aspiration with reality and make the best of both. MM
This article appears in MovieMaker‘s Summer 2015 issue. For more top-notch film school advice, check out these interviews with alumni Eli Roth, Andrew Bujalski, Rick Famuyiwa and Guillermo Amoedo.
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I appreciate what DePaul said about how film students should learn more about whatever inspires them because it will help them develop a unique view of the world. My son has always been really artistic and is interested in pursuing a career in the film industry. Your article was really helpful because your advice will help him get the most possible value from attending film school!