I’m a 16-year-old from India, currently in 11th grade, working as a YouTube video editor for creators with millions of subscribers.
I have a good brand for my video editing and I get inbounds easily - I’ll never have a shortage of work, I’m working with a YouTube with 30% of his ad revenue and I love editing his videos currently I’m making around 1-2k I used to make 3k but I get lazy.
My passion for filmmaking began with Nolan’s films, and I recently completed my first short film, “Typical.” What I planned is to make the best freaking films to make a good portfolio work my ■■■■ off in editing and then apply for film schools after my 12th, I don’t wanna do film school in India, I want to get into big film schools in the USA like USC, UCLA, NYU - I tried finding usc students to get in touch with, but no one replies my dm- it’s fine Eveyones busy lol…,
I’m concerned about affording tuition, as I only have $15k saved and earn $1-2k monthly. I’m considering homeschooling to focus on filmmaking and editing but I worry about how it will impact my film school application. Scholarships are my hope, but the uncertainty is stressful. I can’t afford 60k a year, I only have 15k USD in my bank, I’ve no parental support from my father I’m risking my whole life to get into film school, I was a bright student and I could’ve chosen science and become an engineer or doctor but I chose commerce so that I could make films and earn to get into film school and become a good director someday, I’m committed to this path and would appreciate advice on film school admissions and financing options.
Unless you can afford the over $75,000 costs for UCLA (that’s what it will be by the time you get there) remove it from your list. The UCs don’t give aid to those who are not residents of California.
This is from the USC site:
Although international students are not eligible to receive federal or USC need-based financial aid, they may be awarded merit scholarships and/or other departmental awards.
Additionally, international students may apply for some private loans with a qualified co-signer who is a U.S. citizen.
Cost is going to be your biggest obstacle. Although I will add that NYU is extremely competitive for film student admissions. But you can try.
Do not risk your “whole life” to get into film school. Just don’t.
There is not a single career path which is worth risking your “whole life” for- even if that’s just teenager–speak for “I really really want this”.
You need to look at the big picture- how much money you have, what the costs are, how you want your career to unfold.
Where do the filmmakers who have hit it big in the Bollywood industry train? Start by networking there. I’m no expert, but it seems to me that film production is big business in India- and surely these working professionals haven’t all gone overseas to learn the blocking and tackling of their craft!!!
I get it that right now the US seems like where you want to be. But walk yourself through the process and understand how big the gap is between the money you have and the money you’ll need.
There are filmmakers in the US who have graduated from “less famous” schools-- start there. Some of them may be more affordable for you.
And don’t DM random students whose contact information you find online. It’s annoying, inefficient, and sort of stalkerish. If the admissions office of an actual university gives you the contact information of a current student-- fantastic. That’s someone who has agreed to be a resource for prospective students. But trying to get a response from a stranger- don’t go down that path.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but $60k for NYU is a huge underestimate. The current cost of attendance for Tisch (where the film school is located) is $99,366 a year, and this will go up. Film is incredibly competitive at NYU, and international admissions are need-aware, which means they take into account your ability to pay as part of the admissions decision. By all means apply and hope you get both accepted and enough funding to make it work, but it’s going to be more realistic to make other plans.
As someone already noted the UCs don’t give funding to out of state students, I don’t know about USC’s funding opportunities for internationals. I’d also note both NYC and LA are expensive cities to live in, even for Americans - and you’re presumably not going to spend your entire life on campus eating at the student cafeteria. There are also other possible expenses to factor in, such as appropriate winter clothing for New York. Internationals on a student visa can only work at on-campus jobs and only for a max of 20 hours a week, so you can get some spending money that way but not enough to make up any significant costs.
As a parent,I would strongly advise against home schooling to try save money for film school. You should be aiming at the best high school base you can get not just for US college applications but as a general base for whatever you will do after high school.
Did you have another recent post? Somehow this one sounds familiar.
Basically you have to pay for film school. NYU is prohibitively expensive. California public schools aren’t going to give you a dime. USC is close to the same cost as NYU. So if you can find another school that’s willing to provide you with scholarships, then maybe you can take advantage of their film programs.
Additionally, film schools are very competitive in the US. Plus, as an international student, once you complete your studies, you need to return to your home country. Your visa expires when you graduate. There’s no shortage of people wanting to stay in the US.
Employment will be tough and you will need an employer to sponsor if you want to stay in the US. The film industry can pick and choose whomever they wish. I know that there are no guarantees that you will be employed in the industry. These are typically not long-term jobs. Yes, it is that competitive.
You’ve picked schools that in no way are going to fund you. You need to look in your country and get started there to build your portfolio get some good experience and then get your work noticed.
Apply to schools that have film schools because a lot of them don’t. See if they’re willing to sponsor your education.