Hey Guys,

I'm sorry ahead of time if this is a repeat post, but I need some advice from my fellow film students. Here's the deal, I really want to go to grad school to get my film degree. It's something I really want to do, but the college I want to go to is a Four year program. Here's the thing, I'm coming out of undergrad with some loan debt, if I go to grad school, I'm going to come out with a huge amount of debt as well.

My Question is: Is it better to try jumping into the industry with only technical theatre experience, or take the four years to learn at grad school and then dive into the industry?

I think this really depends on what it is you want to do in the film industry. Are you looking to do something creative like write/direct/DP, or the business or technical/craft side of it?

Also, what school are you looking to go to?

For me, there are a couple of things that I'm interested in doing. I'm very interested in writing and directiong, but I'm also very interested in he technical aspects of what it takes to make a film.

I'm looking at a variety of schools, though the one I'm currently interested in is Columbia College of Chicago (Not New York).

By the way, thank you for your response!

Sure. Well I'm in school for directing so of course am biased, but I've found the whole process to be invaluable in terms of cultivating an artistic voice. No one can "teach" you creativity per se, but a good program will allow you to maximize whatever creativity you already have.

I don't know anything about the Columbia program, though i would encourage you to check out schools in LA and New York as well, as those are really the two filmmaking centers of the country, and going to school in a city where the "industry" exists has its benefits.

You have some really good points, and thank you for giving them to me! I really appreciate it. One of the reasons I'm thinking of the Columbia program is because of my background. I have virtually no film experience.

I assure you, I have the desire to do it. It's almost indescribable! It's like a fire that's driving me to it.

That said, I'm not completely ignorant of the way things work. I just received my BA in technical theatre. However, a lot of the schools that I've looked at in California and New York want people that have experience. My experience comes from seven years of working theatre, not film.

The other problem is of course expenses. LA and NYC are not cheap places to live. I'm not saying that Chicago is, but I have to put myself through grad school, and I'm not sure if that's even a possible thing to do in LA.

I'm at UCLA, and they assume all incoming directors have zero film experience, and even if you do you need to start from the beginning w/ the very basics. I had some experience doing my own amateur stuff, but zero professional experience. Their philosophy is that the tech stuff can all be taught, so they're looking for people w/ unique points of view and things to say. They actually prefer people with backgrounds in things other than film.

If you are a California resident (lived in Cali for 12 months) you pay state resident tuition at UCLA which is way cheaper than the private schools like USC, NYU, etc. But yeah, no matter where you go you'll leave with loans to pay off, its just a question of how much.

That's a really good point and one of the reasons I was considering Chicago. I used to live there so it would be fairly easy to live there and establish residency again.

I'm just curious on a couple other points, if you don't mind my asking. I know that everyone comes out with debt, but what kind of starting pay do people get when they come out of grad school? Is there a "typical" or "average" amount?

There's nothing typical about the film industry. If you don't come out of school with an agent or film deal (99& or grads) you typically try to find a job in a related field to directing as you try to pursue your larger goal on the side. Personally, I've found i have a knack for editing so will probably try to get a day job related to that as I continue to work on my own projects. Some people try to assistant direct, or teach, or work on the business end (ie in an office for a producer or production company). It just depends. But it is definitely important to cultivate an employable skill other than writing/directing while you are in film school.

My knack for things tends to be in gaffer/grip/design roles at this point. I'm hoping that grad school will expand that and help to show me what else I'll be good with.

Thank you for your help and patience. Sometimes I feel a little over whelmed knowing how much debt I'm going to come out with, but I know that the experience and knowledge I'll get from grad school will be worth it, and ultimately help me to attain my goals.

If you don't mind my asking, how many different schools did you apply to? I know you had California residency, so I assume that affected your school choices.

No problem. This is helping me procrastinate

I applied to six schools, got into 3. I actually wasn't a California resident, i moved from NY, so i paid full tuition my first year.

I meant to list where i applied:

NYU, Columbia, USC, UCLA, UT-Austin, and FSU

Just curious, since you said you didn't have any experience. Other than UCLA, what were the other 2 schools you did get into?

USC and FSU, and wait-listed at NYU.

Yeah I was looking into UT possibly as well.

Well thank you again Ard for your info and opinion. At this point I'm going to go to grad school, even if I do come out with debt up to my ears.

Hopefully it's the right choice, but of course, I won't know for a few years

Yeah, I think UT as well as AFI are more focused on taking people with some prior experience...

Good luck!