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NY Film Schools

N. Y. Film Schools - Get Your Start In The Big Apple

I'm Jerry the Prof, webmaster of this site and I get requests frequently asking for my advice on N.Y. film schools and how to get a degree to qualify for jobs in filmmaking.

I'll give you what I know about the top New York film schools but keep an open mind about what you will read here. Start by reading this quote from a NY film school grad:

"I was pretty happy with my experience at NYU Film School although I noticed that the students who sucked up to the professors got most of the opportunities for personal projects. But no one was really encouraged to be original or creative.

"When I graduated I got an internship at Comedy Central that turned into a job an an "animator". But the job was dreadfully boring and didn't require any special skills so I quit after a year and headed for Hollywood.

"I quickly found I could get all the work I wanted as a "reader". That is someone who reads scripts submitted to studios and writes "book reports" giving detailed reasons why the script is not worth considering. I could barely make more than minimum wage no matter how hard I worked and after two more years without being able to find a better job I left Hollywood and went home to get a real job and start paying off my school loans.

"Now I don't even like to go to movies because it reminds me of the wasted years and money I spent pursuing my filmmaking dreams."

Anne N.. - NYU Film School Grad

Anne volunteered this feedback several years ago when I first started setting up this website. If you are still interested in a N.Y. film school here is my take.

The New York University Film School (Tisch School of the Arts) provides training in theater, film and dance within the context of a large research research university. It is regarded by many as one of the three best film schools in the country. The acting training is particularly admired and has produced a number of leading theater and film actors. The Kanbar Institute of Film, Television and New Media trained such well know directors as M. Night Shyamalan and Spike Lee. In large part because of its location in New York it is particularly expensive to attend.

The New York Film Academy offers accelerated hands-on courses for a high price with a questionable track record of job placement. It is a big and very profitable business for the founder but its list of "successful" graduates are people you've never heard of.

There are any number of other schools in New York offering training in the entertainment field but much of the emphasis is on theater, music and dance and less on the film industry than you will find in L.A.

A few communities in the New York area offer film courses at local community colleges. You will need to do some research on your own to see what is currently available. These individual courses are generally as good as what is offered by the big schools for much lower costs. Any student wanting to have hands-on experience and get to mingle with other film students should explore this possibility before applying to an expensive schools.

N. Y. Film School - Why So Few Successes?

Despite the number of students wanting to go to film school in N.Y. I observe that few of the graduates actually end up working in the film industry. Not many films are made in N.Y. today so any graduate will probably need to move elsewhere to actually make movies but New York is a major center for television work. All the same, as a notable film school educator has noted, much less than 10% of graduates from a top N.Y. film school are able to create a career that satisfies them in the years after graduation. Many industry insiders will tell you the following:

Film schools are extremely expensive for the quality of instruction you get
Film school degrees don't guarantee a decent job and are even considered a joke by some in the industry
Even the best film schools don't teach the creativity, entrepreneurship and independence that marks most successful filmmakers
There are quicker and less expensive ways to learn filmmaking skills

Some of the most lucrative positions in the entertainment world are held by producers who usually started with a law or business degree rather than a film school degree. Despite the failure of four year film schools to create opportunities for their graduates it is clear that the entertainment and film industries in particular employ countless thousands of workers and many of them are well paid and enjoy their work. What may be less obvious is that many of them got to where they are through "back-door" methods that depended more on their creativity, entrepreneurship and spunky determination than any degree. Those are characteristics that are not nourished by the conventional film schools.

Film School Secrets - An Option to a N.Y.C. Film School

Not long ago I met a film director named Seth Hymes. Seth had dreamt of attending NYU's Film School all through high school. He got to live his dream but it was less than he imagined. He found the instructors at the school to be often laughably bad but he stayed the course and graduated. He even became an instructor for a time but eventually left for Los Angeles to work where the action is.

He didn't forget his disappointment with his experience at film school so once he began to be established in Los Angeles he decided to put together a film course teaching the methods that really worked to break into the film industry. He collaborated with several other working filmmakers to condense all their experiences and techniques into a sound strategy for creating a filmmaking career.

No other course I have ever found is so practical and offers such value to the serious film student wanting to break into the movie making business.

If you would like to read what Seth has to say about the pros and cons of various ways to learn filmmaking and getting work in moviemaking please read his guest post on film schools on my blog. To read my review of his course keep reading:

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Disclosure: I am an affiliate for some products I recommend and may receive some compensation if you buy them through my links. Regardless, I only recommend products I have personally reviewed and/or own and believe them to be worthy of your consideration.

Film School Secrets Reviewed - Better Than Film School?

Film School Secrets is a web based set of lessons in filmmaking that at long last uncovers how little value there is to a film school degree. There has been a lot of talk and blogging about this course that you may have seen. Many film school grads are coming out and saying "About time someone spoke the truth!"

Assembled by former top film school graduates, a former NYU film school teacher and working filmmakers, this course divulges the two biggest nasty film school secrets: the best film schools are atrociously overpriced for what you get, and are next to ineffectual for getting a job in filmmaking.

If you are even slightly looking at going to film school please do yourself a favor and check into the course that everyone is talking about while it is still available.

Film School Secrets is currently available for a low price but has already seen one increment and will soon be increased again. Despite its still reasonable cost don't believe this is a superficial, ineffectual course like many others. This is filled with the solid insider secrets you need to finally begin a real career.

The heart of the instruction is 8 modules of video training:

Module 1: How the film industry actually works and why even top film school grads are seen as a joke by most working filmmakers and film studios. With the correct strategy you can get your career started now and be taken seriously for a lot less time and money than going to film school.

Module 2: Why pay to participate on a film school set and be taught by a teacher when you can do it for free? Better yet, why not get paid to work on a professional set making feature films? That's always been the fastest way to learn. You can do it if you know how to.

Module 3: Get just the filmmaking techniques you will need to get moving. Some of the most famous film directors have all agreed that fundamental filmmaking skills can be learned in hours to days. It isn't that hard to aim a video camera, folks!

Module 4: Essentials of a outstanding screenplay. How to tell stories that people will pay to see. How to find experienced professionals who will help you refine your script to perfection.

Module 5: How to get top experts to work for you for very little money, or even for FREE is you know what to say. Shooting films takes more than one person so get the best helping you for a fraction of the cost of four years at film school. Learn from the experts while you create your movie.

Module 6: Shoot your film locally like the big studios are doing. Being in Hollywood is really a disadvantage if you want to make a movie. Shooting where you live can lower your costs to practically nada.

Module 7: Ways to make your own movies without any experience, equipment or knowledge of filmmaking techniques. (Yes it can be done!)

Module 8: How to sell and distribute your film taking advantage of the latest in online selling and digital distribution.

An important part of Film School Secrets is Seth Hymes' hilarious exposé book, Film Fooled, which takes you course by course through his real experience at NYU film school, one of the top ten film schools in the world. Nothing will convince you of the uselessness of film school quite like getting to read the often childish course of study taught by bumbling instructors with almost no filmmaking experience.

You also get a copy of the NYU Production Handbook. NYU would like you to believe that this book alone is worth the cost of tuition. You get your own copy included at no extra charge.

I have also thrown in a copy of my complete 350 page Filmmaking Reference that regularly costs more than the current cost of Film School Secrets all by itself. That's how much I believe in this course and want you to check it out before you seriously consider an expensive film school.

But there's more:

The course includes interviews with successful filmmakers spilling the secrets of exactly how they broke in to exciting jobs in movie making. These are your treasure map to your success, too.

Finally the course includes the ability to contact and ask advice from the authors of the course for no extra cost. Priceless!

How Does Film School Secrets compare to what you get from a top film school?

Pros:

The only filmmaking course that teaches the actual techniques for getting onto professional sets and creating a career in filmmaking.
Following this course and actually doing what you will learn will literally save you years of your life and thousands of dollars getting started as a filmmaker.
Far less expensive
You will finish the course materials in a matter of days

Cons:

This is not a complete course in filmmaking techniques. Many basics are taught but you may need to supplement the lessons with other low-cost, or free instructions on film making techniques.
The materials are presented in online videos while some might prefer all the materials to be in a printed manual. Nevertheless the videos are very clear and easy to follow.
Your friends and family may not believe you until they see your name in the credits in the theater

When you finish the videos you will realize why the last thing you need to do is waste time at a film school. You will understand the real strategies to get started as a filmmaker. You will also have experts you can contact to assist you along the way.

There is no risk as there is a thorough, no questions asked, money-back guarantee for 60-days.The price has gone up once and will soon go up again.

What are you waiting for?

Dare To Be Outstanding!

Click on this link to discover all about Film School Secrets.

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