3 answers
Ella
Student
East Providence, Rhode Island
1
Question
Asked
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What are the best tips to choosing my career specialization within the film industry?
I am interested in the filmmaking industry yet I am unsure of what exactly I want to do such as cinematography, videography, and special effects.
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3 answers
Nicole Lucas Haimes
Director/Producer at Haimes Film, Inc.
5
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Nicole Lucas’s Answer
Hi Ella,
My suggestion is to find working cinematographers and special effects professionals who would be willing to give you 15 minutes of their time.
I would begin by targeting those whose work you like. Say you like the special effects in Wicked. Go to IMDb or if you can afford it IMDBpro (some list their contact info) . Once you have their names reach out on Linked-In or directly and to see if they would give you time to find out more about what they do.
Once on a call ask about what their day to day work life entails, how they trained and what they did to become successful.
I would not use this as an opportunity to ask for a job or an internship but just to learn more.
Once you’ve talked to several professionals in each category I think you’ll know a lot more and may be better equipped to make a decision.
When this process is done if there was one person who you really clicked with, you can always go back then and ask for an internship or to shadow them for a few days.
Best,
Nicole
My suggestion is to find working cinematographers and special effects professionals who would be willing to give you 15 minutes of their time.
I would begin by targeting those whose work you like. Say you like the special effects in Wicked. Go to IMDb or if you can afford it IMDBpro (some list their contact info) . Once you have their names reach out on Linked-In or directly and to see if they would give you time to find out more about what they do.
Once on a call ask about what their day to day work life entails, how they trained and what they did to become successful.
I would not use this as an opportunity to ask for a job or an internship but just to learn more.
Once you’ve talked to several professionals in each category I think you’ll know a lot more and may be better equipped to make a decision.
When this process is done if there was one person who you really clicked with, you can always go back then and ask for an internship or to shadow them for a few days.
Best,
Nicole
Steve Jacobson
Creative Leader/Content Creator/Producer/Editor/Storyteller
94
Answers
Westlake Village, California
Updated
Steve’s Answer
If you're not set on a specific career path, keep your options open. Learn from tech experts, creatives, and those who make things happen. Discover what excites you and where opportunities are. When the time is right, you'll feel it and know when to take the next step.
Michelle M.
Actress
3276
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Ella !
A bit of good news: you can learn and do all of it - cinematography, videography, and special effects. You don't have to choose one thing. Your interests are included in a path for Film. All three of your interests can be incorporated into a filmmaking career.
Students often learn aspects of special effects as part of their cinematography education. As well, Videography is often part of a Cinematography education. So I would highly advise looking at Film Schools to attend. If you look at Universities with a Film Department to enroll in, make sure they include videography in their Film Major Program. You can begin videography by using your phone camera and doing videos to upload to You Tube on a channel that you create. Think of a topic for your videos. There are some videos on You Tube that present how to make videos, too. This way, you'll have a head start for when you go to Film School.
How about some online film courses before college or film school ? The New York Film Academy offers a range of live, immersive online workshops designed for aspiring filmmakers - no experience necessary. Udemy offers a Beginner's Course in Film Making and Video Production. Another Udemy course, "Free Filmmaking Tutorial - Film school - Cinema 101" which is a great introduction course focusing on film history. There are also Compass Classroom's "Filmmaking from the First Directors, and StudioBinder also provides a series of free video master classes covering practical filmmaking and cinematography techniques but it is said these classes are from 2022. It shouldn't matter much.
So, your specialization would be Cinematography and the skills you will have would be knowing how to do special effects and creating videos. Now it's time to choose how you want to learn - at a University that has a strong Film Department or at a Film School that provides film study exclusively. The best ones for opportunity and being in the center of the action would be located in Los Angeles and in New York City. You can very well attend a local University that has a stellar Film Department. So think about this now. Ten miles from you is Rhode Island School of Design which offers a Bachelors Degree in Film, Animation and Video. The University of Rhode Island located in Kingston, offers a Bachelors Degree in Film/Media. And just to mention, Film Connection offers a film production program in Providence with one on one instruction from experienced professionals.
Since you are only 189 miles from New York City, NY, you can consider if you want to relocate to study your craft in one of the film hubs. Noted film schools in New York City are New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University School of the Arts, Pratt Institute, New York Film Academy, Brooklyn College, City College of New York, and the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television.
So no need to be concerned. All of your film interests can easily be achieved through a Film Major path. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best in this most exiting career !
A bit of good news: you can learn and do all of it - cinematography, videography, and special effects. You don't have to choose one thing. Your interests are included in a path for Film. All three of your interests can be incorporated into a filmmaking career.
Students often learn aspects of special effects as part of their cinematography education. As well, Videography is often part of a Cinematography education. So I would highly advise looking at Film Schools to attend. If you look at Universities with a Film Department to enroll in, make sure they include videography in their Film Major Program. You can begin videography by using your phone camera and doing videos to upload to You Tube on a channel that you create. Think of a topic for your videos. There are some videos on You Tube that present how to make videos, too. This way, you'll have a head start for when you go to Film School.
How about some online film courses before college or film school ? The New York Film Academy offers a range of live, immersive online workshops designed for aspiring filmmakers - no experience necessary. Udemy offers a Beginner's Course in Film Making and Video Production. Another Udemy course, "Free Filmmaking Tutorial - Film school - Cinema 101" which is a great introduction course focusing on film history. There are also Compass Classroom's "Filmmaking from the First Directors, and StudioBinder also provides a series of free video master classes covering practical filmmaking and cinematography techniques but it is said these classes are from 2022. It shouldn't matter much.
So, your specialization would be Cinematography and the skills you will have would be knowing how to do special effects and creating videos. Now it's time to choose how you want to learn - at a University that has a strong Film Department or at a Film School that provides film study exclusively. The best ones for opportunity and being in the center of the action would be located in Los Angeles and in New York City. You can very well attend a local University that has a stellar Film Department. So think about this now. Ten miles from you is Rhode Island School of Design which offers a Bachelors Degree in Film, Animation and Video. The University of Rhode Island located in Kingston, offers a Bachelors Degree in Film/Media. And just to mention, Film Connection offers a film production program in Providence with one on one instruction from experienced professionals.
Since you are only 189 miles from New York City, NY, you can consider if you want to relocate to study your craft in one of the film hubs. Noted film schools in New York City are New York University Tisch School of the Arts, Columbia University School of the Arts, Pratt Institute, New York Film Academy, Brooklyn College, City College of New York, and the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television.
So no need to be concerned. All of your film interests can easily be achieved through a Film Major path. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best in this most exiting career !
I’ll just pile on to what Michelle has offered, which is very informed. I also think if you intern on set, it might help you decide a little more about how you want to specialize down the line. Sometimes I learn things because they are being done badly. I recommended this to my daughter before she made her first film. Get on set!
Stephanie Dunnam
@Stephanie Dunnam - Great advice for the student ! Thanks for your contribution !
Michelle M.