Are the Los Angeles Film Schools Effective for Learning?
Because Los Angeles, California is the undisputed center of the film industry, there are actually naturally quite a few Los Angeles film schools from which to select. Lots of aspiring film directors, film producers, editors and screenwriters enroll in these schools, trying to find their shot at making it big inside the film industry. The question is: does this strategy actually work?
While you will discover certainly some big names in Hollywood who hold degrees from some of these schools, the fact is, there are many film students over these schools that you never learn about, who don’t actually manage to get thier break. In the film industry, you may discover that there can be fewer successful film directors and producers than there are film school graduates even though the film industry is offering employment every now and again.
This fact points to an important reality: attending a film school in Los Angeles does not by any means guarantee you a career in Hollywood as a filmmaker. Possibilities are still on you. There exists a very good answer why this is the case: while Los Angeles film schools are positioned near the film industry, they are certainly not necessarily part of the film industry. The reality with traditional education is that their notion of learning is isolating students from the “real world”, training them in classrooms. Unfortunately, with regards to the film business, that can actually work against you, as the film industry runs on connections.
Having connections gets anyone a job inside the film industry rather than their degree or diploma. Some of the best directors and producers never even went to film school! Instead, they learned their skills since they were able to access the set and learn as they went, and so they developed their careers because they were already connected to the film industry due to their experience.
Yes, one does need to learn the skills associated with filmmaking, but any film industry professional will tell you this is not enough. There can be hundred of qualified people who are knowledgeable with the technical skills that are being turned out by Los Angeles film schools yet didn’t do anything with those skills. The important thing to getting jobs is connections. Thus, the easiest method to learn filmmaking in Los Angeles comes from inside the industry, not outside of it. And this is where the mentor-apprentice approach can certainly help.
A college that uses the mentor-apprentice approach (Film Connection, as an example) will place its students inside actual film production companies, assign them a personal mentor, and provide a curriculum. In this manner, the film student learns all the aspects of filmmaking while making connections to the industry itself-connections that can help them get the jobs afterward. Effectively, this method closes the gap between film schools and the film industry.
So don’t assume Los Angeles film schools are your key to success in the industry; find a way to get connected as you get educated, and your odds are much greater.
