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Why Producers Hate Hiring Film School Grads

I took a trip to Vancouver and Vegas last week. On the ride back from Canada, I got into a spirited discussion with my seatmate about film schools and the film industry. I told her about my site and how I talk young people out of blowing their life savings on school and what to do instead. There’s always a ...

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What Do They Actually Teach in Film School?

Let’s get specific about film schools and film directing. This video from NYFA shows the kind of things you learn in their very expensive programs. The instructor talks about “continuity”. Continuity simply means cutting shots together so they appear to be linear. Example: a guy is standing outside his house turns the key and walks inside. We cut to a ...

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What About RECENT Film School Graduates?

One of the most mind boggling things about film schools such as NYU (and AFI and USC) is the fact they continue to leverage the success of a handful of uber successful grads from 40 years ago. I wasn’t immune to this myself. When I was 17 in the mid 90s, I dreamed of going to NYU because I “heard ...

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3 Awesome Docs with Hollywood Level Storytelling

Every once in a while a student will contact me with an interest in enrolling in the Film School Solution coaching course, but with the caveat that they are interested in documentary filmmaking. And while I know most people and myself are more focused on narratives, I want anyone considering documentaries to realize that even if you are working with ...

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Plot Vs. Pixels: How Good Does It Really Need to Look?

There’s no question the explosion of digital technology in the last 10 years has changed the industry. But one thing hasn’t changed: the essence of a good movie. Movies are still about great storytelling. But it seems like new filmmakers are still convinced that the perfect, most cutting edge equipment will somehow make their movie stand out. I frequently get emails from ...

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Speilberg/Lucas: What Film Industry “Implosion” Means to You

Two guys, one named Steven Spielberg and one named George Lucas, were quoted last week as saying the film industry as we know it would soon “implode”. This is extremely important to you as an aspiring filmmaker, especially if you are considering investing $100,000 in a traditional film school and trying to go the “conventional” route towards a directing career. ...

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