<p>Although Film Studies is more academic than Film Making majors, it can still lead to a film or tv making career (at all levels, from sound mixer to director), especially if it’s a major with SOME film production components and/or the student learned the technical skills from outside classes or internships/working on student films, etc. It’s basically the same as an English lit major (as opposed to a creative writing major) who had some focus on creative writing becoming a writer instead of an academic or whatever else one might do with an English degree. </p>
<p>Other options: Film and television writing. Film and television production. Any part of the business side of film and TV. Film/TV critic. Cultural critic. Film/media/cultural academic. </p>
<p>And, of course, any of the huge numbers of non-film/media related jobs that any other person with a “useless” (English, History, etc) liberal arts degree could get (because if you’re coming from a good Film Studies major it will teach you the same analytical thinking and writing skills any other liberal arts major will give you). Plus you could always go to law school :P</p>
<p>But you know what, while the OP said “film sudies” we have no idea if they actually mean film “studies” or simply film. And he/she has not come back to clarify.</p>
<p>Thanks for the suggestions. I was thinking of programs that emphasize film history and criticism rather than programs which concentrate on filmmaking, but it seems that many programs combine both with the student determining the emphasis. If anyone knows of any other programs at smaller schools like Bard or Ithaca, your post would be welcomed.</p>
<p>And btw, Bryan Singer, director of the X-Men, is a critical studies graduate of USC.</p>
<p>My son, a May CS graduate of USC (with a minor in Peace and Conflict Studies), has become interested in writing for films, which he is doing. Hasn’t sold anything yet, but one of his USC house mates sold a script for $80,000.</p>
<p>Responding to a question: Bard does have film studies, both a production component & a theory component. (As I recall, they’re separate majors or concentrations, but at Bard you can always combine things & come up with an independent major.) I find the Bard website somewhat labyrinthian to navigate; items aren’t always where they seem to be, so you may have to do a lot of searching, but the info is there.</p>
<p>Invirginia: John Wesley is right, you really want to look at Wesleyan and Vassar. I don’t know about Vassar’s program, but Wes’s is, as I said, one of the best in the country, and it def. places emphasis on critsism and history–you have to take one production class, but that’s it, unless you want more.</p>