Question by ~Happy~: I’m interested in working in film but not sure where to start or which career would be best for me?
I’d probably be interested in writing and/or editing and producing films ( television possibly but more interested in film and possibly theatre )
I write a lot and am still continuing my college education which is general arts really ( English, psych etc )
If I were to take a film production program for 2 years what could this enable me to do? Do I need to have a mountain of cash to try and work on making films or can I start with writing, editing and assistant director etc?
Advice needed and appreciated! 🙂
Best answer:
Answer by Takae
Where are you based? It’d help a lot because it varies from one country to another.
In Britain, there are two major types of film production: theory and practical. Theory has an academic slant while practical enables students to learn all aspects of production, from budgeting to editing. All courses do have both, but percentages tend to differ. 30% practical and 70% theory, or 10% theory and 90% practical.
In a typical course: first year is spent on learning all aspects of production through lectures, master classes, hands-on lessons with equipment (what is a kelvin?), and a couple of short-film projects with other students. Second year is spent on a chosen module and a couple of short-film projects of your own. Third year it varies wildly.
It’s usually the second year when you discover what you really enjoy. I thought I wanted to be a scriptwriter, but I found I have a natural aptitude for both research and producing. My friend thought he wanted to be a director, but he found he enjoyed being a location scout and floor manager. He’s now a TV studio manager. In your case, two years – you’ll probably discover that you enjoy in the last half of the first year.
I don’t know where you’re based but in England, equipment and materials are provided by the film department (that can sometimes mean fighting with students to get your mitts on the best camera and stuff by booking first!). As for money. Some students from my course abused their credit cards to improve their production values, like better make-up effects, or to turn their short films into feature-length films, but most students didn’t need to have money to make short films during the course. I made six short films and never spent a penny.
Each university course across the country tends to have a focus on a specialised field, such as genre film, documentary, world cinema, and so forth. Bournemouth University, for instance, focus on two major fields: scriptwriting and feature film production. International Film School in London has a wide range, from cinematography to accounting, but it’s a private college which means expensive tuition fees.
There’s nothing to stop you from start working in film without attending a film course. You could continue your general arts course and learn to make a short film during your spare time. There must be loads of free film courses in your area you could take advantage. They offer free use of equipment, too. Check your local library for information.
Other option is become a summer intern for a production company (there should be a number of those companies in your area) for a couple of months. This is only best if you know exactly what you want to be. Judging by your questions, I suggest going for a film course, or get together with other people who share your interest and make films the hard but most fun way.
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