So you got into film school, now what?

Last night I was at a New Year’s Eve party in Venice and of the nine people there three of us were USC MFA alums.  The two other people were earlier classes than I so we never crossed paths at school, but we had similar classes, professors and experiences.  And, as frequently happens when you meet fellow film school grads, the question of “was it worth it for you?” comes up.

My time at USC was great and I got a lot out of it.  But I don’t think I’ll know for another ten years or so if it really was “worth it”.  As I think I’ve mentioned before, the student loan repayments are crushing and make a real, daily impact on my creative and career decisions.  I have no idea if I’ll be able to succeed under the strain, but I’m certainly giving it my all.  So we’ll revisit that particular question in the next decade.

But that discussion last night got me thinking about what I would have liked to have known in school that I know now.  If you’re considering film school, just about to go to film school or are in film school now and you want to direct I think I can boil it down to four things that might be useful.

Film school is great because it forces you to make movies, constantly.  And in the making of them you will inevitably learn some stuff the school wants you to know, but on top of all that, here’s what you really need to get through the first few years out on your own…

-    Script writing or script development.  You must learn how to make or get good material.  It is the number one most important thing in this business and will be a challenge your entire career.  Character arcs, story structure, strong dialogue.  If you’re a talented writer, consider yourself lucky and get better.  If you’re not and you don’t want to be, you must figure out how to secure and develop material with writers.  If you don’t own a good script, you’ve got nothing.
-    Shot composition.  Every single shot you make from the moment you first pick up that crappy dv camera to your final thesis film must be deliberate.  Force yourself to have a reason for every angle, every move, every shot - eventually with practice you will have great reasons and equally great shots.
-    Good performances.  Challenge yourself to learn about actors and understand how they work, what they need, and what you must do to get the best possible performances out of them.
-    Politics. It’s as much of an art form as any.  Figure out how to get along with people in an uber-competitive environment.  And if you can master out how to do that in a mutually beneficial way, even better.  Relationships are the key to opportunity.

Just showing up for class and doing your work is not enough.  But if you come out of school with a good grasp of these four things I think you’ll be on a really good track towards making it worth it.

Happy New Year Everyone!  Kick ass in 2009!