Image by Damien Roué

Some filmmakers denigrate film school, but they usually never went to film school and feel insecure about their status. We can't deny the negatives of film school detailed in an earlier article, but shouldn't over look it's positive facets. Film school couldn't survive this long if there wasn't significant value for their students. You can only go so far on smoke and mirrors, even in the film industry. To help you make an informed decision about film school, here are the strongest arguments for attending film school.

Networking

You will meet lots of people that are very interested in filmmaking and could become life-long friends and colleagues. You might meet your director of photography at school or an actor you put in every movie you ever make. Your professors are often industry professionals that can give you insight into their process in a way a book could never. If you aspire to work in Hollywood, film school could give you opportunities to meet decision-makers and other key people in studios and production companies.

Educational

Although you may not get to make your feature film, you will probably make one. You may not get to be the director of it, but you will likely be intimately involved in the production of a movie. It may not be as good as being the director, but you can learn just as much as he or she does just by watching and listening. For certain you will get a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of film making. You just may not wind up in a situation where you get to use it to do the work you want to do: direct feature-length movies.

Inspirational

Some would-be directors may be living in locales that aren't especially nurturing to them as an artist. Some people find it necessary to be around others that share their passion for them to be able to fully pursue it. This would be a great reason to go to film school. You will be surrounded by the art and craft of movie making and it can't help but get you in the mood to make movies. The memories alone could drive your work for years to come.

Higher Education

Getting a college degree of any kind is usually a good idea. If your parents insist on a university education and you want to make films, I would suggest film school. The money won't be an issue and there are lots of prestigious educational institutions that offer film programs that your parents would be proud of you attending. Go in ready to lobby to get your film to be the one they make or prepare to supplement your education some other way to get the full experience you need to be a filmmaker. It's more likely you'll only be taught parts of the machinery, rather than how to drive it.

If you are broke or a hopeless student don't worry about your inability to attend film school. In the history of film only a small percentage attended film school. Orson Welles was not a film school graduate and you can be as great if you want. You'll just do it kind of like he did: on the job. You gather the materials you need and hobble it together. You can learn a lot beforehand from books and DVDs or you can just dive in and fix things as they break.

There is no one best way. Take the one that fits you best. Don't complain about your lot, make the best of it.