<p>I transferred into Tisch, so I can’t answer questions about being a freshman, but I can give you some insight on being an upperclassman.</p>
<p>As far as free time, it really depends on what you’re doing. In Sight & Sound film, you have to direct 5 shorts and crew on 15 other, but you have two full days a week allotted to you specifically for shooting.</p>
<p>After sophomore year, you don’t have to take any more production classes, meaning it’s really up to you how much free time you have. Some people crew on intermediate and advanced productions every weekend, while others focus more on editing or post-sound. Some people direct both intermediate and advanced projects, some just intermediate, and some neither.</p>
<p>Also, one thing that is really worth noting is the horrible amount of paper work and bureaucracy you have to go through for intermediate and advanced shoots. A kid died on a film shoot a few years ago, so now the insurance company has pretty much gone insane. You need permits for everything, you aren’t allowed to use certain outside gear, and pretty much have to get everything you do cleared by the insurance. In many cases, students have to deceive the school in order to make their films.</p>