If you start to follow this blog for long-term, you will see that I cannot say enough about NOT going to film school or VFX school or any other for-profit school that makes you sacrifice your first child (or car or house) in order to get a lot of information you can get for a fraction of the cost on the Internet or with getting your hands dirty on-set by participating in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, New York or any other city with a film scene.
If I have made any mistakes in my life, it has been overpaying for accredited education at a college or university.
In fact, I loved this mistake so much, I made it twice and much more expensively the second time.
Most of the time, getting more and more education is a sign within you that you are not secure in your talents and abilities, not that you necessarily need more education.
I know I have struggled with this throughout my career even though I have gotten into these learning environments and either thought “Why am I here? I know all of this and am way beyond my classmates.” or “This school is a complete hot mess in organization and teaching/education strategy,” I have continued on.
Do not make the same mistake I have made.
Or make it online for a lot less money.
Make it with at most a couple thousand dollars. NOT $50,000, which is what “let’s try and fail to teach to visual effects BACKWARDS at Tribeca Flashpoint College” cost me.
Bitter? A little. But it is half self-directed. I am learning to forgive myself for this awful, life-ruining mistake, and part of that process is warning other people, potential film students, to not make the same mistake I made.
I’m saving your life. You’re saving your life if you take my advice.
This is what I learned at film school:
JUST SAY NO TO FILM SCHOOL.
JUST DON’T DO IT.
You’ll thank me for this advice in the future.
And if you still want to spend tons of money, make a really expensive movie and hire the best pros you can and pay for your movie with what you would have spent on college tuition.
That will give you a better education and a better resume and better connections than anything you could possibly acquire at film school.
And as a side note, you can sign up for my producing course for only $10.99 right now but if this link doesn’t work it is because the offer has expired, which will happen pretty soon.
And you can also get my FREE newsletter which will also give you great free education, starting with a FREE producing checklist/cheat sheet.
Also, you are welcome to meet people and network on my student Facebook Page: Movie Maker’s Network. You don’t have to be one of my students to join.
