I have been sending a series of essays to my parents discussing film schools and what I have learned about them. I figure I can share them on my blog with the world.

(as a note, I plan to write another essay on The Film Connection in Seattle...apparently they have one in Washington State that is similar to the one in California).

Alex Chandler
College Expedition
The Film Connection
September 1st, 2011

The Film Connection

The first thing you should know about this school is that there are two different programs, each in different locations. Program one is cheeper than program two and sets you up in an apprenticeship like position with someone who lives within forty five minutes of you. Where as program two is in Los Angeles, and costs more.
This school strikes my interest for a number of reasons. Foremost being that you will be working with real people in the industry who have a minimum of ten years experience. Another benefit is that it is much cheaper than traditional colleges. This trade school also works around you allowing for you to work a job at the same time as you attend. I can't decide if it is beneficial, but it is nice that you are only in the school for six months, and within that six months most students get a job.
A downside to this school is that there is no certification, you just have real world experience, which you won't get at any traditional colleges. Also beneficial is the number of people you will be able to get recommendations from when, or if you do go in search of a job. Granted that you can get teacher recommendations from traditional colleges, but they aren't exactly working in the field.
When searching around the web to check out the validity of this school, it can seem like there are a lot of unhappy people departing the school. But from what seems to be the case, there are those few instances of people not liking what they got and complaining afterward. But the thousands of students who were happy with what they got, didn't go making comments all over the internet about their experience. But when there was a student who was pleased on the forums they were really enthralled with how it worked for them.

Program One:
This program definitely has a big benefit of being close to where you live. The issue being that it is for someone who wants to run their own small production company. Pretty much like what Mom does; or it might show you freelance work in the area. Pretty much you would be looking at making and shooting videos for weddings, TV commercials, and small businesses.
Though this sounds like a lot of fun, I feel like that is something I could do on my own with the help of Craigslist. In fact, if I need to make some money for college next summer, I might be spending a lot of time using Craigslist for just that (would help in making a great portfolio).
More to the point, I have no intention of following this program. I'd rather use Craigslist, or talk to some of moms business friends and work for them.

Program Two:
If I was to go to this school, this is the program I would go with. You are in LA, you will be working on professional films. You will get the opportunity to learn all the equipment, try it out, and get on location experience. The big downside is that it's in LA. Which means you need to really look at the location before moving there and finding housing. As mentioned before, it is nice that you will get the chance to work a job at the same time as your in school.
The real attraction to this school is that you are working with real life professionals while making connections in the film industry. Along with this is the fact that it is likely you will get a job before you are even out of school. Whether or not your a stage hand running around, or running the lights, you'll work your way up and get to try things out as you work. Not to mention, if you show true potential, you could easily become an assistant director on a gig.
The cherry pie is topped, not only by the cheap tuition fee of 13,500 dollars, but once you have finished the program, you get the chance to pitch your idea to a Hollywood professional. Meaning if I wrote up a script and never was able to make it because we weren't skilled enough in high school.... Yes I'm pointing at a script I already wrote that sits in the corner of my bedroom. Besides the point, that's a pretty nice benefit.
To sum up Program Two, you get a one on one learning experience with a Hollywood professional as your mentor. You will make connections in the film industry during schooling, you will likely get a job while in school. You have a career counselor you can always talk to. You get your own website, cheap tuition, and you live in Los Angeles where all the action is happening. Simple as that.


http://FilmConnection.com