Looking at film schools. Please help.

[thomasmahaffey]

I am currently looking at film schools for the (I will be starting in the 2010-2011). I have everything ready for all 4 schools I am applying to, but my academic adviser says I might have a chance in getting to at least 2. She suggested thinking about my top pick and which ones to choose incase I dont get that. The four schools are Florida State University, NYU, Full Sail and University Texas at Austin. My mother is a professor at Florida State so I get a discount but I will be able to get student loans to cover costs if I go to a very expensive school. Thanks an advance, Thomas.

[nextgenxbox]

http://revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28557

There a bit of a discussion of Full Sail and other schools there. Check that out for now.

[oliverblank]

Well, I go to UT Austin.
Not for film though, I'm working on a BA in Psychology.
I applied to the film program there on a whim, and was probably rejected because I decided to be honest in my application essay and admit that I was only really applying in the hopes that they would give me access to film equipment, and in the hopes of more easily meeting people who I could work with in the future.

Not to try to discredit any university film programs, but if you're seriously passionate about making movies, it is just as important, if not moreso, to spend a lot of time outside of school, working with what resources you have to work on smaller scale film projects.
You can gain a lot of knowledge just by working on it on your own, and looking at each of your projects as a learning experience, from which you can make better things.
Quentin Tarantino credits a lot to the fact that, before making Reservoir Dogs, he spent several years working on a low budget feature film with rented equipment. He eventually scrapped the project, because he found the results disappointing, but by working on the project, he learned a substantial amount about the process, which he was later able to apply to his other movies.
Several other successful directors, including Sam Raimi, Kevin Smith, Robert Rodriguez, David Cronenberg, Terry Gilliam, Spike Jonze, Paul Thomas Anderson David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh, and Woody Allen didn't go to university, or studied something else, or started in a film program and ended up elsewhere.
Of course there are also plenty of great film makers who DID do film school, including Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Spike Lee, and Wes Anderson (who went to UT).
So really, what it comes down to is the level of commitment that you have to filmmaking, your willingness to work your ass off, and being able to find the right guys to help you do it.

...FSU is the cheapest of all of the mentioned schools, which is, honestly, a pretty big factor in my opinion, since I'm dirt broke.

The only factor I can think of which would lead me to suggest UT Austin over any of the others is the environment of the town. The music scene is astonishing, there are big film festivals, and an insane amount of artists, actors, musicians and aspiring film makers, among whom you could easily make the right ties and connections to get your projects off the ground. It's a good place to meet people, a good place for exposure, beautiful, and a little cheaper than NYU and Full Sail, especially if you get In State tuition.

Also by the time you're actually ready for school, you might want to get out on your own, and a bit farther from your family, although that is not meant to be a slight against your mother or her institution. Just a thought.

And be very, VERY careful about taking out loans.

Also, I think it's very important that you should try to make ties, now and in college, with local theatres and theatre programs. Especially, try to actually get involved as an actor or as crew. You can gain a lot by watching theatre directors direct, and it's also a good way to make a lot of contacts with actors who you can potentially work with later.

... This might not have been DIRECTLY helpful in drawing a conclusion, but hopefully I've given you something to think about.
I think the big thing to do at this point is really to sit down and think out EXACTLY what it is you want to do with your career.

Best of luck no matter where you end up, whatever you end up doing.

[thomasmahaffey]

Thanks you guys both of you really helped.

[must_comment]

Besides the thread listed above there is a separate thread that talks about other schools.
http://revision3.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28980