Has anyone gone to film school and actually work in that field?

Question

My 21 year old son wants to go. I think its a waste of time & my money.

Answer 1

It really depends on the school. There are a lot of schlock schools out there, which sure, may teach something, but certainly aren't going to help you get a job. You're right to be cautious.

This industry is competitive. Part of what makes going to film school so valuable is the contacts you make. So you want to attend the best film school you can get into.

With that said, the best schools in the US are:

New York University
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Southern California
Vancouver Film (which is in Canada)

You can also look at these excellent programs:

The American Film Institute (Los Angeles)
The North Carolina School of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts

And still, he may not get a job in film. But at least if he goes to a reputable university, be it NYU or your local state college, he'll be getting a good all-around education in addition to learning the business of film. Maybe, as a compromise, you can sway him toward good film schools that are part of larger universities, rather than independant film schools.

While he's at school, he should major in film (or theater, if film isn't a specific major). He should join clubs and etc. on campus related to film. If the campus has a tv station, he should volunteer. He should do co-ops and internships with local crews and tv stations. He'll need to be building his work experience and his portfolio in order to make it more likely he'll get a job post-graduation.

And keep in mind - you don't actually need a degree in film to get a job in the industry. For a lot of people, their first job is as a production assistant, for which you need a degree - not necessarily in film. Could be in business, or even in English - something translatable to the industry. But if he wants to be, say, a cinematographer, he'll need to major in film or art or something close to that.

I've attached a link that I think you may want to see. It's got some related, and valuable, info: