While a degree from just about any film school around the country can be considered as ranking alongside degrees in Renaissance literature as being one of those "No shit? You seriously can't find a job in your field?" learning pursuits, there are some schools out there who haven't yet figured out that they don't need to artificially inflate their employment stats.
Take this from tidbit about the Los Angles Film School and the Los Angeles Recording School. They got students to take jobs with The Guitar Center and Apple and got them to fib in their surveys about these jobs being "relevant" to their degree:
It's not just the University of Phoenix, baby!
First of all, I don't know why this school needed to lie about their stats. Surely, there are plenty of burnouts, sheltered 18 year olds, and manic-depressives who woke up yesterday morning and decided that it makes complete sense to throw $20,000 at something that calls itself a "film school."
And when you think about it, should these people be fingered for doing something that many accredited universities also engage in? And I don't mean "inflating the numbers." What I mean is, creating a charade that someone in New York is going to look at a resume of a potential production team member and say, "Hmm....filmed two episodes of a television show set in a dorm for public access television....but wait, film school at the University of Iowa? And a bachelor of science in this field to boot? Why hell! Let's bring in young Ted and let him direct the next 'Spider-Man' sequel! And good thing he didn't go to that stupid Los Angeles School of Film. Those extra classes in gender studies that he used to fill the 120 hour requirement means that he's going to be extra-sensitive to gender stereotyping in the script. We trust that he will avoid turning the Arabs in this story into one-dimensional stereotypes. I mean...Thank God this guy applied! Could you imagine the alternative?"
At least in film school, your classes are somewhat entertaining.
ReplyDeleteDissecting Alfred Hitchcock's films > Justice ______'s longwinded entry into _________ law.
I didn't go to film school, but I work in the industry. Film school isn't about impressing someone with your degree -- it's about learning how not to suck at filmmaking/screenwriting. How good you get at not sucking is up to you.
ReplyDeleteNo one I know hires writers/directors based on academic credentials. I have an Ivy League degree and don't even bother to put it on my resume.