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A student who is tenacious enough to want to see their vision on screen. That’s the quality everyone shares. Some students love to film extreme sports documentaries, or to educate their audiences through documentary. Then there are students who work for hours to edit their films, or find the right music or even write that music when they can’t find it. With AI and Motion Capture, there are new technologies in filmmaking that are currently being developed. Film school exposes students to the latest developments, with experts in every field teaching them directly. What film school does best is expose students to the many avenues available and allows them to find out where their skills will be best suited.
Some programs offer a BFA and some offer a BA and wonder what’s the difference and why choose one over the other. A BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) is a more comprehensive artistic degree. BFA programs usually require that you take about 70-75% of your classes in your artistic major, the remaining 25-30% of your classes will be general education classes such as writing, history, math and even science. Don’t worry, you won’t have to take high level math or a lab science. Some BFA programs might allow you to study a minor together with your BFA but it will take careful planning on your part. Students might minor in business, screenwriting, psychology, or any other area of interest. Some BFA programs also have study abroad components so if this is on your wish list make sure the school can accommodate it as BFA programs usually have a prescribed flow of courses.
A BA (Bachelor of Arts) requires about 50% of your classes to be in your major, so it is less intense and all encompassing than a BFA program. With a BA you will have a lot of space in your curriculum for electives and most likely could easily take a minor, in some programs you might even be able to double major. For the most part BFA programs require that you apply directly into the program whereas BA programs allow you to declare the major just as you would another major. Most film programs offer BFAs, most universities and even some liberal arts colleges, offer BAs. The right choice is the best choice for you.
Often students confuse Film Studies with Filmmaking and they are very different. Film Studies is the analysis and study of the social practices of film, such as the culture, history, psychology, and theory. Students who major in Film Studies may pursue careers in film criticism or film education. Filmmaking is the creation of films, it often includes screenwriting, photography, editing, lighting, sound, directing, and producing. Filmmaking is the major most students think of when they want to study film. There are a few schools which even combine the two subjects.
For each program she/he must submit photographs, and several essays, a portfolio or a five to ten minute reel, a creative resume. Some schools want a 90 second personal video and other courses require a creative writing sample. This is a comprehensive process and differs according to the course — which might be in production design, editing, directing, screenwriting, sound or lighting. There are degrees available which provide the student with an experience in all of the above.
It’s important to start early so you have the experiences schools are looking for and the body of work to support your application. You’re going to want to show leadership, collaboration and storytelling. And to show all of this you need creativity, risk taking, and breadth of ideas. It’s a challenge!
Film schools have notoriously low acceptance rate, the top schools accept far fewer than 10% of their applicants. You want to make your application stand out, and that takes very strong essays and polished creative supplements. The best way to write compelling essays is to be a good storyteller, not all stories have to be about monumental events, some of my students have written about losing a sailing competition, growing up in an ashram or simply the pleasure of long distance running. These essays paint a vivid scene and allow the reader to be inside the story and that they can be engaging.
The other critical component of your application are your creative supplements. You can submit both photography and films for these supplements, and often students do both. Some film courses want to see a short film of no more than 10 minutes, some as few as three minutes, so what you submit must be really well filmed and edited. You don’t need a fancy camera, most applicants film their submissions using their iPhones (with a tripod or other stabilizer) but you do need to produce a very well edited final product. What they want to see is your vision and how you tell the story.
If you’re considering film school — starting early in high school is important. Many students attend film programs over the summer in both sophomore and junior years. Some students volunteer with local organizations or for their school sports teams to film events or create short informational or marketing films. These are all great ways to practice your filming and editing skills, learn how to tell a story in a short amount of time and take initiative. These are all skills schools look for in their top candidates.