I am very involved in film and media classes in my high school right now. I have taken media, I am involved in the school’s TV production club as well. My school also has their own morning show which I was also apart of this year. Next year I will be taking a broadcasting class as well as a TV production class. I am just worried about the media/film industry. Is it realistic for me and will it pay off in the end? Any advice would be great
where do you go to college? a lot of my film major friends are in nyc or LA and are able to get internships with directors/fiml industry people to help them with a head start. It honestly depends on your work ethic. Do not forget that the saw film was made by 2 college film students!!
if you have time please check out my last questions, I really need the help of someone involved in film as I am a pre med and know nothing about cameras
I happen to think that the opportunities have never been greater, depending on where you want to go in the industry. There are a gazillion streaming channels now. Just Netflix alone is adding 700 new original productions to their lineup in 2018. It takes a lot of people to do that.
That said, the opportunities depend on your drive, talent, and connections… AND what you want to do.
People who work on productions are classified as “above the line” (budget-wise) and “below the line.” The above the line people are the top-billed ones: directors, producers, major actors, screenwriters, DP’s, etc. The below the line people are the other hundreds of names you see in the credits. As you can understand, the above the line positions are the most difficult to aspire to; they are the people you read about. But as for the below the line positions, it’s much easier.
This is the path my son took: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18274791#Comment_18274791
btw, the best connections, IMNSHO, do NOT come from internships or attempting to network with people you do not know, but rather by working with a lot of people in film school, working their films (as well as your own), and becoming invaluable to them. That in-school network then becomes your “connections” for getting jobs later.
Last bit of advice: NO STUDENT LOAN DEBT. It takes a while to get started on your career, and with debt, you may have to abandon your dream, just to get a job that pays enough to service your student loan.
Agree with NO debt and networking. Our relative majored in cinema at USC and has been networking there and since, helping folks with their movie projects. It can take quite awhile to ever be self-supporting in cinema so you may need to do multiple jobs just to pay bills. Some folks do videos for weddings and other events, some witk hourly, flexible jobs.
If one has big loans, one has fewer options.
Check out Loyola Marymount University (LMU)! It’s right in the heart of the film industry in LA with great connections.