Film Editing Schools Critique-Chapman University

Chapman University offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in film study. They are as follows:

B.A., Film Studies, Public Relations and Advertising, Screenwriting
B.F.A., Film Production, Television and Broadcast Journalism
M.A., Film Studies
M.F.A., Screenwriting, Film and Television Producing, Film Production (with specializations in directing, editing, cinematography, production design and sound design)

Chapman is located in Orange, CA, just south of L.A. They boast of a new film studio to open in the fall of 2006 equipped with the latest technology.

Perhaps a downside to this film editing school is that they are extremely selective of applicants and claim to only select 1 in 4 students. Always keep in mind though, that film editing schools, and all colleges and universities for that matter, are businesses and those businesses do not make money without students enrolled and paying tuition.

A positive for this school is that they offer quality internships. Internships are highly valued while attending any film editing school. Internships offer you the chance to make contacts and to make a good impression on people that may be able to hire you once you graduate from film editing school.

A new student can expect to pay about $14,900 for 12-18 credit hours in a single semester. Do not forget that many film editing schools often add on "fees" such as lab fees, application fees, orientation fees, etc.

Check out Chapman for yourself and see if you think this film school would be a good match for you and your situation. Do keep in mind that they are very proud of their new studio that will open this coming fall.

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Film School: 6 Reasons to Get That Degree

by Andrew R. Hamilton

1. Direction - Pursuing SOMETHING that you are deeply interested in, is better than pursuing nothing at all.

A parked car cannot be steered. Think about it, the worst thing that could happen is, you realize half way into your degree that you don't want to be a filmmaker. So you take your 2 years partial education and you change your major to your newly discovered passion: Underwater Elizabethan Poetry. But at least now the ball is rolling in your life. Its better than wasting 2 years at a burger joint while you 'wait for the PERFECT direction'. Alternatively, the BEST thing that could happen is you actually land a job doing what you love and your actually getting PAID for it! Somebody call the cops! My advice: Get out there and put yourself in a position where you at least are on the path to realizing your dream of writing, directing, shooting, or editing movies!

2. Education - bypass the 'tech' schools that only offer to hold your hand while you meet technical deadlines. Instead opt for the degree at a University.

With an education of the world around you, you'll be better equipped to tell a story that people in that world can relate to. Too much of what we see in theaters is based on situations that are clearly unrealistic, uneducated, and shallow. History, English, Sciences will deepen your story telling abilities just ask Scorcese, Lucas, and to an extent Spielberg.

3. Equipped - You'll get the tools that will enable your talents to be productively utilized for your life. The adage of EVERY film professor should be, "If God didn't give it to you, you aint gonna get it here". Point being, YOU bring the talent, they simply show you how to use it! It's naive to think ANY institution or ANY field of study leads to instant employment. You only go to school to get equipped to pursue the work of your choice. So have an exit plan from school and and an entrance plan to the real world of work.

4. Investment - school is NOT an expense so forget about that mentality, its an investment!

Get a school loan if you don't have the cash. At the end of your 4 year educational journey, you will emerge with a degree that can't be taken away. Never mind the nay sayers creed, "A film degree is useless" often times that statement comes from someone who has either never pursued a degree or is frustrated over settling for less after graduating. Get your degree in film and if you change your mind later, big deal! Simply get your MASTERS in underwater Elizabethan Poetry or something else, and make a movie about it while you do it! It is worthwhile to note here that I am not advocating "career film academia" but rather, a logical pursuit of a worthwhile goal. My Bachelors is in film and I don't intend on pursuing a Masters in the same subject. There are those at USC who have their undergrad in other subjects: accounting, business, etc and have entered USC's graduate program in film. Diversity leads to versatility and versatility to endless possibility.

5. Clarity - Going to film school, particularly at a University, should offer you the opportunity to experience EVERY facet of filmmaking so that you can gravitate to what you do best.

For me, I started like most film students: I wanted to be a director. Now, I'm a Cinematographer and Videographer. I gravitated toward making things look beautiful, my colleagues and professors picked up on that, and the rest is history. You may find you are an excellent editor and only a mediocre writer. It doesn't matter. As long as your getting the opportunity to try it all!

6. CONTACTS CONTACTS CONTACTS - The main reason that film schools not only exist but THRIVE today!

Like many industries, film is about WHO you know more than WHAT you know. Does this negate my previous point? Not at all. The method for getting IN the door is often times based on your contacts. But I don't care if you are best buds with Stevie Spielberg. If you get in the door and don't know jack squat about anything, chances are, you won't be through that door for long. So WHAT you know, the depth of your experience at life, the clarity of knowing what your good at, and the education/knowledge of how to do that thing that you are gifted for are the elements that will KEEP you in the industry. (It still can't hurt to be good buds with Stevie Spielberg though)

In summary, film school? If you have a heart for film. Learn all you can about it and make it worth your while: get an education in the process. It beats selling insurance amidst the haunting demons of "could/should/would have".

About the Author
Andrew Hamilton is a writer and director for his production company: Hamilton International Productions. He regularly submits content to film and video websites to provide information for beginning film students and videographers new to the trade. He currently resides in Las Vegas, which he has called home for 38 years.

Tips On Selecting A Film School

By: Linda Emerson -

Filmmaking is not only an interesting, enjoyable and fulfilling career but very lucrative as well. Unfortunately, realizing the big Hollywood dream entails hard work, commitment and great amount of skill, right attitude, guts and some luck, too. While it is true that you’re not in full control of your fate, the initial steps toward being a successful filmmaker depend on you. Choosing the right or the best film school where you would hone your talents, develop more interest and learn more knowledge in filmmaking is your first step. Your decision to choose a particular film school is very crucial to your success as a filmmaker since that film school shall equip you with or shall help you gain more knowledge, skills, techniques and experiences, which are essential to a filmmaker. Those are his tools in filmmaking that cannot be bought but are earned and cultivated through time.

1. Know What You Want

First of all, you have to know what you want. Ask yourself what realm of filmmaking do you want to venture in or what kind of films do you want to work on in the future? Do you want to be an independent filmmaker or a simple film artist? There are so many film schools in the country as well as in other parts of the globe and each has its own expertise. Knowing what you want in the first place would allow you to focus your research and thus refine your choices for good film schools. Also, this would help you save time and effort in searching for schools as you have already eliminated those that may not fit your interest and criteria.

2. What Are Your Considerations?

After deciding on what area you want to concentrate, you should also identify your major considerations in choosing a particular film school.

- the affordability of film courses
- the facilities of the film school
- the accessibility and proximity of the school
- the film school’s reputation and quality of education

3. Don't Skimp On Your Education

Remember that a good film education is really expensive so do not just choose a film school that offers the cheapest film courses. It is important to consider the quality of education and the reputation of the school above all else. Remember that with that school, you are building a career that is supposed to be a life-long profession. Short-term film courses, say a 2-yr filmmaking course may be a lot cheaper than a 4-yr course and is quite helpful as most provide hands on training and a lot of project work. If you want to really excel in this field, however, you might opt for a longer course as it is more comprehensive.

3. Identify Where You Want To Study

Knowing where you want to cultivate your skills and intensify your interest in filmmaking is essential in selecting the right film school for you. This would refine your search as well since you would have to concentrate in looking for film schools only in one particular area or locality. New York is one of the best places to study film. It has the most developed art scenes for film and a number of reputable film schools. If affordability of the film course is one of your major considerations, you can choose a film school in Chicago and Milwaukee, which are known for having the most affordable film schools in the country. If you want to make it to Hollywood, better start your search for the best film school there in Los Angeles and nearby cities. There are lots of renowned film schools there that offer short and long term film courses.

4. Explore Colleges and Universities

Now that you have refined your criteria: the area in filmmaking you want to concentrate in, your major considerations such as the affordability of the courses, the school’s reputation and the place, you can now do some research. As you explore your options, consider the things you have identified earlier. It would be better if you list down every film school’s advantages and disadvantages so you can easily compare and contrast them. Also, as you examine the school’s film courses and their special attributes, you can add some more considerations to your list and see which of the film schools you have considered meet the most of your requirements.

5. Narrow Your List

After going through several colleges and universities, narrow now your list by eliminating those that do not meet your criteria. With your short but well researched list of the best film schools, you can be more confident now of making a right decision. But before you finally select the film school, seek for other people’s advice and recommendations, especially those who are well familiar with filmmaking.

Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com
For more great Film Schools related articles and resources check out www.onlyfilmschools.com

Yahoo.com Video contest- Make your own film

I found these news stories related to a new video contest that Yahoo.com is promoting.

In case you didn't know, Yahoo has a brand new home page design (still in beta)....Apparently it has not gone over so well (because in my opinion it looks terrible) and they want YOU to make 12 second video advertisement for it. Worst case scenario is that you get some further practice making films and editing them, not to mention a bit of possible publicity.

Note that on each video you can see which of the film editing shools the video makers are associated with (if they are). I watched all the videos that are up at the time of this posting.


Here are some links for you if you are interested:

Yahoo's information/rules about the contest- here

News story from USA today-located here

News story from Webpronews-here

To see videos that have been entered go here-videos

Evaluating another film editing school

Columbia College Chicago-

They offer an interesting program that allows you to choose a concentration in film editing.

They boast of a "20, 000 square foot post-production facility" where you can learn all that you need to know about film editing. This film editing school also states that you can choose from "a large array of courses and possible areas of specialization in Narrative Editing, Documentary Editing, Digital Optical Effects and Sound Editing."

You can choose from both an undergraduate or graduate program. It appears to be a quite an extensive and thorough program.

The downside of this film editing school is the price.....One year of undergraduate tuition is listed at $16,328.00. Check them out more on your own and see if you think it is the right film editing school for you.

Los Angeles Film School

The Los Angeles Film School was founded by Hollywood professionals who recognized the need for a new kind of film school, one that balanced the practical with the academic.

The LAFS is located on Sunset Blvd. near Vine Street in Hollywood, California, and offers a one year, "hands on", immersion program, educating students in the science, craft and theory of filmmaking (including film editing).

The school stresses practical learning, giving video cameras to students the first week of the program, with which they create their first short film: a single set-up, minute long story.

Students continue to produce increasingly more involved short film exercises, culminating in a thesis film project. Any student who wishes to make a short film as writer and or director will have this opportunity at the LAFS and every effort is made to give producers, editors, cinematographers, sound and production designers an opportunity to practice their craft on a student film production.

The school stresses technical education and is equipped with 35 and 16mm film cameras, digital and High Definition digital Cameras, multiple AVID editing bays and advanced sound recording and mixing systems. The school is known in particular for its avocation of the High Definition digital format and its commitment to educating future cinematographers in the art and science of lighting for and using HD Digital Cameras. Students have 24 hour access to all post production facilities. The school has a 4,000 square foot digital soundstage, equipped with cutting-edge Sony High Definition cameras and one of the largest hard cycloramas for creating virtual sets.

Student films are screened in a 340-seat, stadium style, THX certified, Dolby Digital Surround EX, wide-screen motion picture theater equipped with both film and digital projection. Editing students utilize a dozen Avid Media Composer 1000 non-linear editing systems while sound design students use four Digidesign Pro Tools Mix workstations and finish on a 96-input Solid State Logic Axiom digital re-recording console (a first in the academic world). There is also a well-stocked equipment room of traditional filmmaking essentials-lights, dolly's, C-stands and much more. Students build sets on the sound stages and film on location around Los Angeles.

Classes begin every two months and will begin starting monthly in the near future. Class size ranges from 30 to 60 students. The school faculty is comprised of working filmmakers who take time between projects to teach at the school.

The school teaches Producing, Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Sound Recording and Design and Screenwriting.

LAFS is recognized as one of the top film editing schools in the country.

The need for a broad education

When considering a film editing school you need to not only look at the technical courses that they offer, but also whether or not the film editing schools offer courses on theory and the history of film making.

These types of courses will set you apart from the crowd when looking to get a job as a film editor because not all schools stress the importance of theory and history.

Basically all film editing schools will provide you exposure to the technical aspects of film editing, but that should only constitute one part of your education. Knowing how to run software like avid and final cut pro can be learned through a variety of means, but gaining a broad overview of cinema film making will give you unique skills that other would be film editors often do not possess.

What Can You Learn By Attending Film School?

By Charlotte Alice

There are advantages and disadvantages to attending conventional university film school programs. Some students claim that traditional film school courses focus almost entirely on filmmaking theory whereas many of the more contemporary film schools pay more attention on actually practicing the various skills of filmmaking.

Also, many of the newer film schools offer condensed courses on fundamental filmmaking processes and procedures such as screenwriting basics and post-production fundamentals. Many film school students prefer these eclectic filmmaking programs because of the greater diversity of information that is presented, as well as the more flexible schedules typically offered by these non-traditional film schools.

There are even several reputable online film schools that make learning and attendance even more convenient. With these internet-based film schools students can pick and choose which topics to focus on, thus customizing their own curriculum to meet their individual goals.

Film school curriculum varies from school to school, so it is worth doing a little comparative research in order to determine what all is offered. Below, we’ll discuss some of the various topics and areas of study that are available.

By attending film school you can familiarize yourself with international cinema and learn about acclaimed filmmakers from around the world. By adding study of international filmmaking, you can expand upon other film theory classes. After all, the best way to build a foundation from which to explore your own creativity is to study the methods and techniques of the filmmakers that came before you.

And of course, any good film school will acquaint you with the basics of shooting and lighting techniques and theory. Even a cursory glance at descriptions of how commonly used effects are achieved can bring whole new depths and flair to your own approach to filmmaking.

If you want to learn a full spectrum of filmmaking fundamentals in as little time as possible so that you can get right down to making and producing your own films, then it would be in your best interest to attend a film school that covers the planning, budgeting and production processes of filmmaking.

Many film schools also offer post-production courses that are most appropriate for anyone interested in producing their own films. Especially if you plan to work with digital media, you should take advantage of courses offering tutorials on using computer applications that allow you to edit and mix sound and video. Since the innovation of digital video cameras, filmmaking and post-production work has become affordable for everyone. Before digital video, every fade in or out, every effect that could be applied to a film necessarily involved the duplication of the film material itself, such that production often involves working with hundreds of strips of film that must be carefully organized and tracked.

Even if you’re more interested in becoming part of Hollywood caliber filmmaking, in terms of budget and star power, you shouldn’t necessarily overlook the smaller film schools. While a degree from a known traditional university will get you in many doors, your own merit and achievements are what will determine your success. For this reason it is most important to choose a school that fits your individual needs and learning style.

For more information and tips about different film schools or advice about acting, please visit http://www.my-filmschool.info Charlotte Alice advices http://www.ukdropshippingguide.co.uk and http://www.onlinewebpublisher.com
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