CASE STUDY FURTHER EDUCATION
IS FURTHER EDUCATION A WAY IN?
IS FILM SCHOOL WORTH IT?
We asked some ex-students to share their experience of life after graduating to see if it really helped their careers. WORDS TERRY HOPE
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FURTHER EDUCATION CASE STUDY
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ilmmaking has never been a more popular career choice, but there’s still great debate about the best way to break in. Many have gone down the time-honoured route of learning the business on the hoof and forcing a foot into the door through back-breaking hard work, networking and volunteering to take on every on-set job that might be going. Others have opted for the academic approach and have spent three years or more being tutored by seasoned professionals, and with opportunities available to take on projects in tandem with fellow students. This route has its detractors and there is the undeniable fact that you’ll come out of the process with a hefty student loan around your neck. But many of those who opt for this approach swear that it’s worth every penny. As we’re at the time of year when many are completing their studies, while others are contemplating taking on a course very shortly, we talked to some of those who have gone through the process and have had time to see whether their qualifications have delivered what they hoped for. One of the key advantages of the academic route is the chance to learn directly from working professionals and pick up first-hand tips and techniques that can enable you to take short cuts to
“I would always be as engaged as possible with them and get their business card” where you want to get to. You’re also free to gain experience and to make mistakes that won’t have catastrophic commercial consequences, but it’s important to have a clear focus regarding what you want to get out of your training from the outset. “I always had my eye on life after my degree,” says Robert Panners, a recent graduate from the Met Film School, “and, as such, I was always on the lookout for any opportunity that could potentially lead to employment down the line. “I was particularly alive to this on my chosen pathway – producing – and we would often have guest tutors come in, including drama producers, distributors, sales agents and so on. I would always make sure to be as engaged as possible with them and to get their business card, with a view for future networking opportunities.” A big break for Robert was the opportunity of a six-month internship
at Met Film Production, a sister company to the Met Film School, which gave him his first documentary feature film credit. “During that time I learned a lot about how an independent feature film company runs day-to-day,” he says, “and all the work that goes into developing and financing a feature film. I’ve now also got in-house production assistant experience that I can put down on my CV. In short, I would say that if any graduate from Met gets the opportunity to work for Met Film Production, they should jump at the chance, as it will be really worthwhile to their future career development.” One year on from graduating, and Robert has a paid position in TV production, plus a wide selection of credits and experiences in both film and TV. “Going forward, I hope to progress further, broaden my experience and, in a year or two, move one or two steps closer to realising my ambition of eventually becoming a television producer. I do have a plan mapped out as to how I would like to get there, but another thing that I have learned over the course of the last year is that circumstances can very easily dictate the direction you head in, and sometimes it is necessary to take opportunities as they find you. It is, however, also important to always remember your ultimate goals and to stay true to them.”
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CASE STUDY FURTHER EDUCATION RIGHT A real film set experience gives students valuable experience of all the aspects of working as a filmmaker. BELOW Getting colours right is a valuable technical skill.
Working for Free One of the major considerations for anyone looking to break into the film and television industry is whether you should work for free initially, or even in the longer term. With so many students hitting the job market every year, it can sometimes be the only way to gain experience of a commercial working environment and to gain those crucial credits, but is this really the only way to transition from graduate status to a working professional? The problem is that for every student that decides to hold out for a paid position, there are several others that will take the view that it’s better to be working and networking than it is to be sitting around waiting for the right opportunity. But you need to be very careful that every free job you take on is definitely delivering some real value in terms of career prospects and you need to put a cap on things, so that this period doesn’t last too long. “Of course you have to do a horrific amount of free work to get in,” says Jack Hannon, a recent graduate from Ravensbourne. “Annoyingly, it’s the way that the industry appears to work: budgets are always tight, but the jobs still need to
“Just because I’m young, it doesn’t mean that I can work for free” be done and it’s easy to see it as you being taken advantage of. It’s just important to see the positives and to take advantage of every opportunity to speak to people and to make contacts. You need to remember, however, that you’re doing people a favour, so you need to make sure that you get one back in return.” Fellow Ravensbourne graduate Charlotte Regan agrees that the pressure is on initially to take on unpaid jobs. “You definitely need to do tons of free work. I started assisting on a friend’s online show ‘Dats A Wrap’ when I was 16 and looked to take on all the free work opportunities from then until I graduated, as I just felt they all taught me something new. On each job I’ve met at least one great person I’ll keep in touch with and work with in the future. It’s different now that I’m out of uni and trying to pay bills, so I don’t take on as much that’s free.” There is a middle ground to take, which
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involves taking on some free work while trying to find other jobs that might not add so much to the CV, but which will provide a level of income. “To begin with, I took on some part-time teaching work, teaching filmmaking to kids on weekend courses as a means to supplement my freelance work,” says Craig Devine, who graduated from the National Film and Television School in 2014 and who now has an agent in Hollywood. “This gave me the freedom to take on more short films, which typically don’t pay and have lower budgets than, say, commercial or promotional work. I knew early on that I wanted to work in narrative, and this meant for a long time I had to sacrifice making money in order to build up a more confident reel as a narrative cinematographer.” David Sheldon, who has just graduated from the NFTS with a Digital Effects MA, is another who has discovered working for free is part of the accepted route into the
profession, but his experience was that work of this kind didn’t offer anything back, and it almost put him off working in the industry altogether. “Since then, I’ve tried to take myself more seriously as a professional,” he says. “Just because I’m young, it doesn’t mean I can work for free. I believe if the job is worth doing and you have the skills to do it, then there should always be some remuneration. So the experience I gained from working for free is that it shouldn’t be done. I worked really hard to find paid ways of gaining experience and I have actually found that the results of personal projects often speak louder than what’s on your CV.” Jamie Rice, a graduate from the Florida State University, is another wary of the free work route. “I’ve never worked for free,” she says, “but some people do. Internships are a real thing, and if you can afford to have an unpaid internship that’s worth it, then I’d say go for it. I’ve
FURTHER EDUCATION CASE STUDY
“Be patient: if you work hard and you’re pleasant to be around, people will hire you” worked on mostly lower-budget shows and features, and although the pay is closer to the minimum wage end, I’ve been able to afford living comfortably in Brooklyn.” In Jamie’s case, it was the networking that set her on her way, and it reinforces the point that, whatever route you’ve chosen to follow, it’s crucial to make the most of contacts. “Every job I’ve gotten has been because a friend or past colleague recommended me,” says Jamie. “Every single one. You have to network and put yourself out there if you want to get hired. The best networking you can do is day-to-day in the comfort of your own production office. Become friends with your co-workers: they’ll recommend you, and you’ll recommend them. “It’s still daunting when I’m nearing the end of a job and I don’t have anything lined up, but I take a step back, figure out what kind of work I want to do next, and politely mention to friends/colleagues that I’m looking for work. Be patient: if you work hard and you’re pleasant to be around, people will hire you.” Was it worth it? This is the burning question, and from our round-up of students the answer is yes, although in every case the individual concerned got value from their course because they were fully engaged and fired up enough to search out opportunities and
then had the acumen to follow these up. The best institutions will support their students throughout their studies and beyond. Networking and staying in touch with tutors and fellow students is a must: one of the key advantages of going down the academic route is that you’ll gain an immediate circle of connections, consisting of people who might be at the same level as you are and who share similar aspirations. You can do the same thing through networking online, but it can take a lot longer. Charlotte Regan’s experience is fairly typical of what many students feel. “I got to meet some incredible people I still work with on most productions, and got to learn from some amazing lecturers that have inspired me,” she says. “Most film jobs are judged on the quality of your work,
ABOVE Working as part of a team is one of the best realworld experiences you get on a film school course. BELOW Hands-on with a variety of cameras is a bonus.
rather than qualifications and the three years I got to spend building a network and learning more about the industry is what was important.” “I know the Florida State University will always be there for us when it comes to guidance and advice,” says Jamie Rice. “Our alumni network is so strong. We all work, recommend, and hire each other - some of us even live together. What’s awesome about FSU’s Film School is I’m actually putting my degree to use every day in the professional working world.” Craig Devine sums up what a good academic background can offer. “I’m currently in Beverly Hills having just had a meeting with Gersh Agency about the next step in my career,” he says. “I was confident in my love of film and my passion for cinematography but I could never have anticipated that I would be looking at this stage to be moving to LA to shoot my third feature film. I owe a tremendous amount of this to the NFTS and their continued support. I still load up Head of Cinematography Stuart Harris’s Facebook messenger, to ask for advice and guidance and keep him up to date. His encouragement so far still makes a difference to my work ethic, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
More information National Film & Television School: https://nfts.co.uk Met Film School: www.metfilmschool.ac.uk Ravensbourne: www.ravensbourne.ac.uk Florida State University: http://film.fsu.edu
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