How To Be a Film Student On Only $10 A Day

By Richard D. Tucci

For many young filmmakers, the question of film school is always a major worry: where should I go?; what should I study?; what name on my diploma will get me a job?; does it even matter?

The truth is, film school serves a few core functions, such as knowledge, and contacts, but the name of a film school would only help you if you were interviewing with someone who went to that same school, and half of the people in the entertainment industry nowadays have never even been to film school.

The type of school you go to should depend on the type of person you are. You need to honestly ask yourself, are you a disciplined and motivated self-starter who is determined to break into the film industry, or are you a person who succeeds on your personality, and always follows the leader when it comes to work. If you are the latter, then film school is probably the right choice, because while it may or may not give you the discipline you need, it will force you to move forward in your education. Contrarily, if you are the first type of person, you probably do not need film school. Film schools (like most colleges) are meant as a babysitting service for 20 year olds, and you may discover, as Matt Damon said in Good Will Hunting, "You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for a buck fifty in late charges at the public library."

There are three things you go to film school for:

1. Education in film theory.
2. Experience and education in filmmaking.
3. Contacts.

1. Education in film theory:

Film theory is actually easier to learn than most people think. To do this, you need to get a hold of two lists: AFI's top 100 films of all time; and the top 100 box office grossing films of all time. Both of these lists can be found online, in addition to the book Hollywood 101 by Frederick Levy, an excellent book that I highly recommend for anyone who wants to get into the industry (that is if they agree to do a plug with us).

I should mention that the top 100 box office films can be very deceiving, because it's ranked in dollars, and not adjusted for inflation. The most accurate calculation would be the number of tickets sold, in comparison with the population of the time (because population changes too, naturally). However, the current highlighted list is still viable because it covers recent successes.

These lists are important because they allow you to study trends in filmmaking –both in art and commerce of films- without spending thousands of dollars on classes. You would need a Netflix account, or similar movie subscription service. Watch every film on these lists (200 in total) 2 to five times each. Why two to five times each? Because there is an old saying, "You get more out of watching one film five times than you do from five films one time." (Paul Gulino) Of course don't rent them all at once, maybe two a weekend, and you can compare, analyze, and take notes. Most of these films can be rented for free from your local library also, and if you're interested in film, odds are you have friends whom you can borrow these from.

Film theory is also more important than most people think. Many producers in Hollywood want well-rounded directors. Many have complained that too many directors think film started with Martin Scorsese, so be well-versed in the classics.

Some of you may say, "But I need text and references to understand the depth and the context of these movies." Of course if you want references, many of the top film schools publish their course syllabuses online, so you can stay up to date with the top schools. If you really believe you need to follow along with a class to understand these works, there's always one other option...

Sneaking Into Class:

If one were so inclined, one could sneak into any class, at any film school, in any part of the world. The trick to this is not to go sneaking around, sitting in the back row, because you'll give yourself away. Contrary to popular belief, professors do generally know who is and isn't in their class.

Just go up to the professor before class starts (arrive early), say you're a student at the university studying something as far away from film as possible (accounting, dental surgery, etc.), and ask if you can sit in on the class. Say that you heard good things about their class from other students. If they push you for a reason, then just say you have the maximum amount of credits, and can't register for any other classes this semester. For those of you keeping track, yes, this is lying.

Some professors are kind enough to let you sit in on their classes, even if you aren't a student at the school, but caution. These are few and far between.