Good universities for film studies/video production majors near good skiing

Look at Tarsem Singh's career. He made a name for himself doing commercials until he was a multi-millionare, then funded amazing films out of his own pocket.
 
If you enjoy film, stick to it. There are several people I know who went for something in business and now hate the jobs they are in because they were never really into it to begin with. I just finished my second year as a dual major in communications and cinema studies at Northeastern. Went in undeclared but soon decided to go with what I was truly interested in. As far as your job options go for afterwards don't think you limited to freelance or production companies. There are a lot of people that think these are the only things you can really do with a degree in film. Right now I have a job until end of december with a place called cox sports. Right now when there isnt many sports to cover, but I am helping a few people in the company make documentaries along with going out to do shoots of my own. Later on I will help do some filming for some original programing for the cox station which is broadcasted to all of rhode island to people that have cox cable. Also will be doing filming at college sports games and the red sox AAA team. We will also do various other shoots, like earlier this week I went down to Newport, ri to film a conference, met guys like Shawn Thornton and Gordie Howe. I'm telling you this just so you can get an idea of the various things you get to do and this just with one company. As far as money goes, you won't make much to begin with like others have stated. However people I work with are definitely living comfortably, not bringing in big money but definitely enough to support a family. I'm working 40 hours a week for 10 an hour which is decent considering I'm still in the middle of college. Long story short if you truly love film go for it, i wake up stoked to go to work every morning, not many people i know can say that. Sorry if this made no sense, just typed this on my phone.
 
Bump since I'm starting applications.

Anyone wanna pitch their 2 cents on Portland Art Institute and SAIC in chicago? I'm interested in both. If anyone wants to throw out any names of good film schools regardless of mountain proximity please do. Just not stuff Like NYU and USC b/c I know I won't get in. Thanks
 
How does that happen? Just because you major in something doesn't mean you can only get a job in that field...
 
northern michigan university! haha

that is where i go and for michigan its awesome. but i am in the film program and it might not be the greatest but if you like the outdoors and snow, its pretty nice.

i go here out of state for 16k a year. with a 2k scholorship each year.

why art institute in chicago verses columbia? what would your major be exactly?
 
Avoid the art institute at all costs. I did that for 1 year...total waste of money. Everything I learned came from working and studying on my own.

I've heard Bozeman is good. I might have a totally different opinion than most people on this subject. But when it comes to creative jobs, that is totally on you.

I think school is great to open up ideas, teach you the foundation and principal of subjects. Oh yeah and get contacts. But is that worth 30,000 a year? No...You'll be paying that back for the next 50 years. Bank on it. If your lucky enough to have parents that can pay for it or are smart enough to get it full paid in scholarships, more power to you.

I realized very quickly that I was going to be stuck in classes that while relevant to an education I wasn't really going after what I wanted. At my first school Western State ( I would've sat in classes for 2 years before having any communications or production classes) i didn't want to wait. At my second school (overpriced for a degree that means little to nothing) I could never find the value in the program and was learning from students that literally just graduated and couldn't find work.

Now a degree is forever. It's something you can flaunt, it's something that shows your commitment and credibility. Another thing it does if your paying for your own school...set you back alot of money for a long time. You can spend a ton of money on a class and a book or you can just buy the book. You can spend alot of money on school to learn the tools, or you can buy the tools and learn it yourself.

I strongly believe that teaching yourself is the best way. You have to learn the ins and outs. You have to troubleshoot.

A great friend of mine taught me Final Cut...I never used Imovie, Avid, or any other program before hand. He said B is blade and A is back to normal. And said I need a video. Now go.

Similarly with a camera. Here is power, here is record. Played with the settings figured out what everything did. I may not know some terminology but I know what was where and how to make it look the way I wanted to.

I'm not bagging an Education. But if you want something bad enough just start doing it. Don't wait for it to come to you in the form of school. Even if you do decide to go to school...which can be a good thing for some don't wait for the classes, jump ahead and do it. You'll be said if you don't.

For me school was a place to stay up late with friends and a great experience, but it was a refresher of high school that cost me alot more money. I took a few contacts from school and had some great jobs, but ultimately all of my work and jobs have been from being persistent and chasing after things.

Do what's best for you. Only you know that. But looking back I wish I wouldn't have spent time in school. It felt more like regressing than progressing.

 
this. wish i would have been there previously. none of my art creds transfer to msu bozeman but the schoo/town/snowl is awesome. lived in bozeman this summer with friends that live there/go to school there. consider this and its fairly cheap
 
I agree. I've learned everything I know on my own, and while I realize that education is what you make of it, film school does not sound like it comes close to being justified by the price and time. Every person I've met with a film degree says they regret it too.

Then again, I also realize that most jobs don't give a flying fuck about your education credentials as long as it's non-specialized (accounting, medicine, etc.). Even some specialized careers don't give a shit; my mom hires engineers for HDR and she says nobody ever even looks at education. They're focused 98% on intelligence, drive, creativity, and social skills.
 
Think I'm personally gonna just stay close to filming opporitunities but strive for an engineering degree. That seems to me like an okay plan.
 
Thats a good plan. My buddy went to school for that and Industrial design and is absolutely crushing it right now.
 
Im taking entrepreneurship in PA, and am strongly considering transferring. im a sophmore, and im finally understanding what my passion is, photography and film production. unfortunately there is no art department here at all. I've been reading all the posts and taking online courses sounds interesting. up to this point i have taught myself everything from many hours of reading forums and watching tutorials. If i could get credit for learning the stuff i love, that would be awesome. any online programs you guys recommend?

Also, have you guys had any assigned books on film production/design theory or anything like that that really taught you a lot? I'm looking into finding good teach-yourself books for both photography and film production. any help is greatly appreciated
 
Yeah think I'm gonna do either ME or biomedical. I really wanna be successful as a filter but film school costs a lot and you don't really make that much... Still gonna try and make it happen though
 
I kind of went backwards, but I wish I learned photography first. Alot of basics in photography are key points to success in Film and Video production.

The first thing I'd really work on and learn is cinematgraphy. Unless your going to be the next big thing, there are rules. And there are reasons for rules that you'd want to follow. I have ones that are implemented into my head that I make a religious practice to shoot that way naturally. I'd recommend simply heading over to Borders or Barnes and Noble. Pick up a Cinematographer book and start reading.

The reason I'd learn to shoot first? Reasons:

You are the Directors go to guy as a Cine. Alot of directors actually shoot a good chunk. The communication is essential between the two for balance on a set.

You have to learn lighting based on your set.

You are the start and the end. What you shoot is what the editors get in post. You need to know what they want, and how to get it. If you shoot correctly once taught to me by someone I wouldn't expect, Jace Panebianco (PBP Windsurfing Director) it should tell a story. Shot one leads to shot two, three and four perfectly. Know your shots before you execute them.

All in all your going to be able to learn the other jobs in production from working on filming first. Yes everyone wants to film. But sometimes you'll find another role that suits you better in the process. But it's good to atleast have knowledge of each of the other jobs and persons around you to be better prepared if something goes wrong or if your needed to step in. You'll be that much more complete at your job.

I picked up a few books over the years...

Cinematography Theory and Practice

First and Second Edition are by far my favorites.

 
yeah it costs a ton and my school doesnt have a dedicated film school. im interested in engineering too and i honestly don't see going anywhere with video in my future so its more of a hobby for now. i figure you can do almost anything you want with an engineering degree but a film production degree is really limited.
 
Yeah, I felt like if I were to go into film, I'd find my self at a dead end unable to find work. I really enjoy it and wanna make a career out of it, but I think that plenty of people can make something regarding video production without a degree.
 
The whole idea of an "art" degree is bullshit imo. With the exception of graphic design of course.
 
THREAD JACK, but its on the same topic.

I was just wondering if you guys know of any schools in canada, close to good skiing, that are really well known for their photography programs. It has to be a university (I want a BFA, not a diploma, I plan on doing a masters afterwards so I need the undergrad). It has to be in Canada as well. I'm already looking at Ryerson (my first choice, cept the skiing is crap, might have to sacrifice it at its a really good program). I know Concordia is in Montreal but I don't really want to go there, neither do my parents, it doesn't have the a great rep if your Jewish (there is a huge of anti-israel movement at the school). I know theres places like emily carr (BC) theres an art university in Calgary, but they all require a foundation year not just in digital media, but in all art forms (ceramics, painting, photography, ect.) Not a good fit for me as I suck at every other form of art that isn't digital/design (If you know of a design foundation year for film/photography/newmedia/graphicdesign, that would be awesome!)

Sparknotes: Good school for photography, good skiing, no foundation year, offers a BFA program.
 
Thats tough... There isn't really any good skiing near any places with good photog programs except emily carr, and even then you would still need to travel a few hours to get to REAL skiing like whistler. Honestly, to everyone in this thread, prioritizing skiing seems like a bad choice in my eyes.
On another note, I think you should reconsider the foundation programs. Exploring different artistic mediums is very liberating, for me it goes hand in hand with my approach of photography.
 
I have the art skills of a two year old. I have no interest in ceramics/sculpting/painting, i would literally fail all my assignments and drop out out of boardem.
 
Obviously I understand that my education is more important that living near a good mountain. Right now ryerson is my first choice, just got back from visiting it on Thursday, its a really good program so hopefully I can get in (crossing my fingers, only 65 spots).
 
@ZB

There's two Canadian universities that offer full BFA solely in photography - Ryerson and Concordia. I'm in first year at Ryerson right now. The rest of the schools have the whole "foundation" year type thing before you can choose photography as a major and I steered clear from those schools, we're on the same page as far other art skills. I'm enjoying it so far, but with that being said, it is still first year university - it's gonna be (relatively) dull no matter what. Ryerson's got a brand new Image Arts building that just opened last month that is pretty dope. Everything's brand new and it's exciting to have our own space. I hear great things about the Concordia program too though, and you'd be in Montreal there. Let's face it, Toronto is pretty shitty when it comes down to it. I'm enjoying Ryerson, but next year I'm transferring to Emily Carr - I have to get back west. Hit me up with any questions you have about Ryerson my man.
 
Thats just stupid... Fine arts is an insanely broad area of study. Drawing skills is essential to nearly every discipline from what I have gathered.
Or you could explain a little further why you believe a fine arts program would be designed like that?
 
On a slightly related topic, I just finished up SCAD day in Savannah Georgia. I was completely blown away by every single building, facility, professor, and student. Also the city itself is absolutely beautiful from a historic and architectural standpoint. At this stage, I am really leaning towards starting off my post secondary in SCAD's foundation program, based on the fact that I have absolutely no idea what I want to major in.
 
What I mean is that the first two years are essentially them holding your hand and guiding you through the basics. Anybody who has a passion for fine arts and has been doing it for almost 10 years prior to college will find themselves bored during the beginning stage of academia (generally speaking). I've heard many talented artists complain about all the money they spend for basic classes during the first two years.

On a semi-related note, one of the biggest reasons why I believe film school isn't worth the money is because I know that the curriculum during the first two years are going to be painfully basic. And every single person I know who has finished a film degree has said the exact same thing: it's designed for people who have never picked up a camera in their life, and that you're essentially paying four years worth of tuition for what is really only two years of hearty education.
 
I agree with all of that. I wondered while I was walking through the film building about the ratio of well earning industry professionals that are self taught versus the ones that spend 4+ years in school... I never got around to asking the professor that was touring me for some reason.
Honestly though I found it easy to come to my own conclusion. Judging from the talented individuals on this website and in other scenarios it really depends on passion, skill, knowledge, and commitment over the course of your life in that specific area of work. I have a broad range of interests that covers a ridiculously wide range of majors, so a foundation program will hopefully give me a chance to network and get familiar with each industry, helping me narrow down. I do have the same concern you mentioned however, that most of the work I will be doing will be overly basic and monotonous in some classes, specifically photography.
These days you can learn anything by picking up a few books at Barnes & Noble and spending time on the internet. The resources are all there. My older brother who is in his early 30's (I'm 17) has made a very decent living off of freelance web design and programming, and he didn't even finish high school! So I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to attend vastly resourceful educational institutions, but at the same time I feel embarrassed because of its underlying redundancy in todays society.
 
Now, I can't comment on all art programs, but I can comment on those I've had some experience with, which were all similar.

There are a ton of people that want to go to art school because they either think they are creative, or they want to explore being creative. Those people need hand holding, because they suck. They are the people that might not even benefit from the basic bullshit at the beginning because they are either too proud, think too highly of their skills already, or aren't committed enough.

Then there's the people that are already really good. They may be a little cocky or think highly of themselves because they already know the basics, either formally or just based on observation and self discovery. They don't always to well because they think that the first two years are bullshit that they can't learn anything in. Then they get to upper classes and not having a super strong foundation to fall back on, they often flounder (not always).

Then there's the third group - they range from the people that can barely draw a straight line to people that are already drawing at a really really advanced level, because of other instruction or self discovery and observation. The difference is that they are there to be a sponge; suck up every ounce of knowledge from professors and really do shit proper. Even the remedial stuff, they work hard on, ask questions, and nail it because they approach an art program with an open mind. The people who already know their shit push into it harder, as there's always room for exercise of those basic principles.

The third group of people, in any program, are the people that excel in school and come out of it knowing they spent their money well. ANY program is what you make of it.

School isn't for everyone. I'm would never say it is.

HOWEVER, leaving highschool, you're going to have to work your ass off to make it either way. you can either pay people to tell you what to study and have them available as a resource, or you can work towards finding other resources. Either way, you have to WORK YOUR ASS OFF to be successful. (unless, of course, you catch a lucky break.)

It's really just a matter of where you want to spend your time.
 
USC is dope, one of the best film schools in the nation. and they have a ski film program, which you probably have seen, where they rent a house in mammoth out and just take road trips and film their shit
 
although USC film schools is also known as one of the most rigid, traditional, cut throat film schools. a pretty unpleasant place to go to film school i've heard.
 
hmm thats weird yesterday a usc film grad came and talked to my moviemaking class and said he loved it! that being said, its only one opinion.
 
But the major purpose of film school is to make connections, and a film dregree from usc has a reputation of it's own...

Anywho, I've decided not to go to film school, I do wanna take a motion design class though if given the opporitunity. I would say let this die, but this looks like a good resource for others considering film school.
 
It is, but college is worthless if you don't have a good time. ESPECIALLY if you're getting something like a film degree, because you don't really need to go to school for that in the first place.

 
true. i am going to school for filming and probably would have never known my school has a film program because it isn't big/has no name in the industry. but i love it here and its been the best 3 years of my life. hoping to make and keep connections by other means, keeping in mind that the degree will help
 
I third this opinion. I work full time as a freelance filmmaker right now. I went to UW, which has no film program, I majored in English, skied 50 days a year, and still had a ton of time to make films. You really don't need to go to film school if you're motivated enough to go after it on your own. A lot of people recommend not going to film school. I essentially have no classroom experience whatsoever, and I have more film work than I can deal with. Just something to think about.

For the record, I'm not anti- film school, but i just wanted to throw those 2 cents in there.
 
I would prefer to go back to Alaska, live in a small log hut in the middle of the woods and do nothing but ski all day every day and live a modest lifestyle with little to no money. Yet I realize I'll never want to go to school after living such a sweet life.

2 years of shitty college life it is!
 
not literally worthless, you know what i mean. im just saying if you fucking hate it, then in my opinion theres not that much point in doing it, unless youre guaranteed to make money/be happy. unfortunately, a film degree guarantees neither, so it's probably better to go somewhere you'll at least enjoy some.
 
I know I was just fucksin' around.

Although you do raise a good point. If I'm going to devote two years to a miserable degree, my best bet is engineering.
 
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