The Importance of Formal Education for Aspiring Young FilmMakers

Sometimes I wonder whether it is easy to make a film today, with the technological advancement mankind has made. From the days of everything analogue, everything is digital today. You can perhaps make a film sitting at home using specialist AI and computer generated videos and soundtrack, gather a few friends with a knack of acting, use a commonly available and relatively easy to buy DSLR, well, perhaps even use a smartphone as a camera, render and edit on one of easy to use software, upload it on digital media, and bingo, you are a filmmaker in your own right. Minimal budget, few hassles, computer assisted modified background and location/set, and we are done. Easy, right? Well not so simple. Read on. 

The Art of Storytelling:

Filmmaking has been, and probably forever will be an art form surpassed by any other form of entertainment. We, as an audience, connect emotionally to stories well told, well presented, with captivating performances and music, pleasing sets and locales, and fluidity with no dull moment during the entire presentation. Watch a nice film, and you end up feeling good and filled with positive energy, with an emotional clarity you would want to linger forever. Alas, not many films, despite being big budget productions, tick all the boxes, and you keep on wondering, if you would have made the film, oh, how refreshingly different it would have been. 

The importance of individual disciplines in making a film: 

Here is a tentative list. 

1. Story
2. Music
3. Dialogues
4. Actors
5. Editing
6. Direction
7. Sets/Locations
8. Light
9. Camera
10. Finance
11. Crew
12. Soft assets (attire, furnishings, items representing the set)

The list can go on. If you would have sat through the end credits of a film, you would have seen it takes hundreds of competent people to make a film. You would be surprised to learn the importance of each role/contributor, albeit small, in rendering a perfect product. 

Learning and effort: 

As for any discipline, it takes a number of years studying, learning, practicing, before a film maker turns competent enough to try making a film. The journey is long, painstaking, sometimes disappointing, and the route to success is to complete each learning and practicing to turn oneself perfect, before taking the big plunge. It is like trying to become a successful neurosurgeon, takes years of study, observing, learning and relearning, practicing and sleepless nights before success beckons. And what a grand success all this effort terminates to. Money, fame, satisfaction of having arrived, and playing an important role in society makes all the effort and time spent every bit worthwhile. 

Chose being an expert in one discipline, or a producer: 

The most difficult career choice, for a filmmaker fresh out of college, is being a producer. It takes good knowledge of all disciplines, and a decent amount of money, before you can aspire to be a producer. Indeed, most notable producers have been an expert in one field for a number of years, earning enough money and being in the system before they foray into production. And many such production houses have lost all, before making a comeback, if at all. 

Which discipline? 

So the question arises, which discipline? For the answer, look within. If you have a penchant for music, or are a good singer, you know the answer already. Similarly, for other disciplines. If you are an entrepreneur, you should have your sights on production, at the earliest in your career possible, more so, if you have friends and family who believe in you and are able to advance you the money at some stage of your career. 

The importance of choosing a good college: 

A good college or University equips you with all the learning and information you require before you take the plunge. It helps you hone your existing skills, or bring out creative skills you knew exist, but were always doubtful to acknowledge, and provides support through participation in live plays or production where you would get noticed. You make connects while studying and being an apprentice, and more while participating in live projects, where there are bound to be producers scouting for talent. Such a University can be near to your home, or in your country, or in a developed country like the USA or the UK. 

The ease of getting into a College of choice and other factors: 

You do need to consider the competition back home in securing a seat in one of the prestigious learning centers, and the relentless effort it takes to be in front, in the limelight, while you choose the institution of your learning. Sometimes all we need is a good college with an excellent curriculum, practical exposure, industry connects and ability to place students, and the infrastructure available without having to wait out the competition, big factors in choosing the University. I, for one, would rather put in effort learning and practicing the art forms, over trying to spend mental and physical energy, just get ahead of the competition every single day.   

Choosing a University in UK, compelling factors:

For reasons stated above, it is worthwhile considering studying in a prestigious University in the UK. Two such Universities which instantly come to mind are the Arts University Bournemouth, and Leeds Arts University. Check out the links below, you would be surprised how well suited these are to help you achieve your goal of becoming a successful film maker, or a successful artist in any of the streams you are good at:

More to follow:

If you liked this article, you might want to read the next article in this series, ‘What it takes to become a successful singer’. These articles are published for guidance, and are in no way recommendation for career choice, or selection of place or country of study, and are written and/or compiled by blog writers not necessarily experts in the subject.