From the ten minute short films that you have seen on web sites to the multi-million dollar block buster movies that invade the local theaters; there is a process to filmmaking. For many up and coming film makers, the process begins with film education at either a film college or film university. After graduation, many of these film students will then go to the next level, actually trying to come up with the script, the location, the cast and the time to actually shoot a real film, no matter how long it may be.
For every budding film maker who gets to live his dream, there are twenty more that do not. Film education is expensive and many of the best film schools are also very exclusive meaning that not everyone who has the cash and the desire to attend will be allowed to. Many of them require a lengthy application process including a filmmaking effort before they even take the first filmmaking course or anything else. The better the school’s name and reputation, the stiffer the competition for the open spaces and the fewer spaces there will be.
For most of the film courses, there will of course be lectures and discussions and usually some assignments, but there are additional aspects that should be considered about the film courses. Can you really learn how to frame a shot if you do not have a basic eye for composition? Can you really learn how to have the heart and soul of a filmmaker if what truly lurks inside of you is an accountant? Everyone at some time has thought that they would have done a film differently but not everyone really has the talent to do so- there are some innate qualities that have to exist, some inner, underlying talents that can be developed and nurtured. You cannot learn any of these things, not even in the very best of film courses in the very best film university.
For many of the short, more arty films, they are born in the mind of the filmmaker and then brought to life in the course of film study, often as the culmination of the film education. Really stand out small films might end up screening at film festivals while others get relegated to a few viewing on the internet and then fade to black.
If you have that vision in your mind and want to bring it to life, you might be concerned that you will never see your film made, especially if you have investigated the price and the difficulty of getting into a film college. There are alternatives of course, including learning as you go and the better idea, No Budget Film Making, a low cost alternative to film school. You do not have to try to muddle your way through your vision. You do not have to put yourself into major debt with the effort of paying for film study and training. There are other choices.