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It's exclusive, difficult to get into, and everyone thinks you need you need to be there to survive in filmmaking. This applies as much to film school as it does to the city of Los Angeles. Both filmmaker meccas, both dubious as to how they can help you succeed in making films.

The truth is you don't have to be in Los Angeles or go to film school to be a film maker. You can learn the art and craft on your own with help from the library and online books shops. You can practice using camcorders from the local electronics stores. You can edit this work on a home PC and free software. You can find actors in any high school or community college. You can distribute your film online without any help from a major studio.

I know too many film school graduates who did not go on to work in film making to be able to whole-heartedly recommend film school for the budding directors out there. But what makes film school what it is?

Expensive

Film school at the graduate or undergrad level costs a lot of money. Even if you were to go to a local school, you would still have expenses that could be better put to use as financing for your films. Not only do you have to pay tuition and room and board, you have to pay for film stock to shoot your films on. Even if you use a digital camcorder, there will still be other production-related expenses you have to pay.

Exclusive

It's not easy to get into film school. NYU Film School only accepts 36 students a year. You will probably not be one of them. And what are the criteria? Sadly they are similar to normal universities: grades, previous degrees, test scores, recommendations. This is not how you succeed in the reality of filmmaking, but it's how they accept students of film making. It's a little broken to say the least. The best filmmakers may flunk out of high school much less obtain a bachelor's degree.

Incomplete

There is only so much time in a 3 year program and only so many students to use as crew members. If 36 students were to make a feature films it would be more like a 36-year program. While all students are able to make their own short films, only a few will get the chance to make a full-length movie. That takes away a significant motivation to go to film school. I would want to be able to make a feature at this school if not many. If school is supposed to be a place to gather experience, how can you do that if you don't get to do the thing you want do.

This is only half the picture. Film school has many important attributes, they just may not add up for you. See the second half of this article to find out if going to film school is right for you.