If you've decided you're going to be the next Steven Spielberg, perhaps your next decision should be to attend Film School. Good news is, there are many fine film schools available. And the better news? You do not need to be in Los Angeles to find one.
Googling the term "film school" will provide you with a good place to start. Your search will definitely return with more than a dozen choices. The chances are you will find one within your locality. Film production is not just carried out in Hollywood anymore. Presently, the major film studios are not anymore controlling everything. However, a word of caution: Be certain that the institution you have found is accredited. There are several ways to check school accreditation. Here's a link that will allow you to find the information on your intended school's accreditation: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.
Online courses that offer courses in film production are also available. Some of these highlight digital productions. Some may teach you how to create documentary films.
Money is the next thing to consider after finding a school and being accepted in it. How are you going to pay for the school? Good thing though that nearly all of the legitimate schools will offer financial aid.
Outlined below are some of the subjects you'll study in Film School.
History of Cinema - As the course title suggests, this subject will walk you through how motion pictures have changed over the years.
Screenwriting - This subject will orient and teach you on how to make a script for a movie - as without this, there shall be no movie.
Financing - Making a movie entails money. This subject teaches you how to find sources for financial backing.
Budgeting - More or less, this is a supplementary subject to financing.
Directing - Directing isn't just about yelling "action!" This subject will teach you on the other functions of this responsibility.
Camera Operation - You must know how a camera works, and how to use it.
Lighting - In a film production, the Director of Photography is the one who lights the film so that it looks natural when viewed.
Editing - You must properly order your shots. Many films are not shot in chronological order. Goofs, flubs and mistakes must be edited out as well.
Sound Direction - You want your movie to be heard and seen, right?
Special Effects - As early as now, know that whatever happens on the screen is a Special Effect. Even the natural occurrence of a rock shattering a window is a special effect. Don't confuse this with Special Visual Effects. Imagine "Star Wars".
The subjects outlined above are just some of the ones that you will be able to study in a Film School. From the looks of it, Film Schools are really costly. There are alternatives, however. Among these is Film Connections. They have a program that lets you go behind the camera in less time and with less funding required.
Truth is, you can simply get a camera and start shooting if you want to call yourself a filmmaker. But if you want to learn the right way to make a movie, then you must seriously consider attending a qualified Film School.
This article was added on Tuesday 27 October, 2009.
