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There are several ways to learn filmmaking, so the term "film school" is not as clear cut as it may seem. The approach you take depends on how much time and money you want to spend. DEGREE PROGRAMS The primary advantage of a degree program is that the training is wonderfully broad in scope and fully integrated. You learn aesthetics, technology, and application. Courses are offered in crafts, production, history, and criticism, usually at progressive levels of difficulty. Degree programs are hard to beat. In the best schools you are taught by experienced professionals, use state of the art equipment, and have an army of students to work with. You can become a consummate filmmaker or a craft specialist. You can also make important contacts. Degree programs, however, are not for everyone. The drawbacks are that they require time and money. An undergraduate degree takes four years to complete, at a cost of $40,000 - $100,000, depending on the school. CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS
Certificate programs can be quite good. In choosing one, determine its scope in relation to your needs. Also, make sure that you will be learning state-of-the-art technology and application, since things are changing rapidly in the industry. INTENSIVE COURSES Intensive "total immersion" courses are full time courses that run 3 - 6 weeks. They can be geared to general production or a specific craft. The cost is approximately $3,000 - 6,000, plus supplies. Intensive courses are great when you want total immersion in a particular area. It is important to know the scope of the course and whether it meets your needs. Check if the course uses film or video cameras. Many film based courses do not teach "sync" sound, which is how professional movies are made. Instead, you shoot with silent cameras and add a few tracks of sound later. STAND-ALONE COURSES Stand-alone courses are intended to hone your skills in a specific area of filmmaking. They can cost anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. University courses typically run 15 weeks, with classes meeting once or twice each week. Private courses are usually concentrated into several consecutive days of training, often over a weekend. The beauty of stand-alone courses is that you can mix and match them to suit your needs. They are offered in general production, crafts, and specific equipment. Courses that focus on specific pieces of equipment may be authorized by the manufacturer. ONLINE COURSES Web learning, also known as distance learning, is the latest twist in film education. This is the contemporary version of correspondence courses, but with the added benefits of the internet. It is a great alternative if you want to learn filmmaking in your own home, at your own pace, and at a reasonable cost. This approach is possible by virtue of inexpensive digital equipment, which allows you to immediately apply what you learn. No need for long hands-on courses to learn complex film cameras and editing systems. Today, the equipment of choice is a digital camcorder and a basic computer for editing, equipment that just about anyone can operate. Text based courses (relying on the written word along with audio/visual aids), continue to be at the core of effective distance learning. They pack a great deal of information into each lesson, and they are loaded with hyperlinks for instant elaboration. Most importantly, you can print the lessons for future study and research. Film School Online! is based on this model.
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Some
universities and institutes offer an abridged version of the degree program.
These are called certificate programs and are the next best thing to a degree.
Certificate programs usually take 1 - 2 two years to complete, with a
proportionate cut in cost.