3 answers
John
Student
Roxbury Township, New Jersey
9
Questions
Asked
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Double concentration?
I want to go to the L.A. Film School and major in Film Production but I would want to have my concentration on either Directing or Cinematography. Is there any way I could have my concentration on both?
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3 answers
Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
1179
Answers
Updated
Michelle’s Answer
Hello again, John !
We meet again ! Glad to know that you are definite about moving to L.A. It is certainly beautiful there and you will meet a lot of people in the industry which will be important. What you major or concentrate in will be up to what the school you choose offers. There are really a lot of great schools in L.A., my favorite being The American Film Institute in Hollywood. Your inquiry earlier today mentioned that your plan is to attend The Los Angeles Film School on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
At the L.A. Film School, you would be majoring in Film. Cinematography is part of that major study and within the major of Film. Cinematography is one separate Bachelors Degree and Directing is one separate Bachelors degree. If you major in Cinematography, you will learn everything about using cameras and using film and also how to fine tune film.
If you go for a Bachelors Degree in Directing, you will learn how to direct a film, how to make a film universal and you will learn acting. I may be wrong, but this specialized school does not seem to offer a minor for a major. My guess, and it's just a guess, is that they have designed the program so that you will get an experience in directing and cinematography regardless of the two major programs you have to choose from. If you need to change this, you will have to look into different schools, though. An academic school like UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) or USC (University of Southern California) would have a major and a minor type structure. So it's up to you how you'd want to do this. I think that you will come out knowing everything you need to know about your career, however, regardless of which academic path you take.
Always remember that you have a choice. If you are still in New Jersey, you may be able to phone or e-mail with the school to get 100% exact current information. Look at their Linked In Profile, too. They have a public Linked In page which has information and their phone number and I have left the link for that below. If you already have a Linked In account or plan to start one soon, you can follow their page and receive notifications from them anytime they add information.
I hope that this was helpful to you. Best wishes and never give up !
THE LOS ANGELES FILM SCHOOL LINKED IN PAGE https://www.linkedin.com/school/thelosangelesfilmschool/
We meet again ! Glad to know that you are definite about moving to L.A. It is certainly beautiful there and you will meet a lot of people in the industry which will be important. What you major or concentrate in will be up to what the school you choose offers. There are really a lot of great schools in L.A., my favorite being The American Film Institute in Hollywood. Your inquiry earlier today mentioned that your plan is to attend The Los Angeles Film School on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
At the L.A. Film School, you would be majoring in Film. Cinematography is part of that major study and within the major of Film. Cinematography is one separate Bachelors Degree and Directing is one separate Bachelors degree. If you major in Cinematography, you will learn everything about using cameras and using film and also how to fine tune film.
If you go for a Bachelors Degree in Directing, you will learn how to direct a film, how to make a film universal and you will learn acting. I may be wrong, but this specialized school does not seem to offer a minor for a major. My guess, and it's just a guess, is that they have designed the program so that you will get an experience in directing and cinematography regardless of the two major programs you have to choose from. If you need to change this, you will have to look into different schools, though. An academic school like UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) or USC (University of Southern California) would have a major and a minor type structure. So it's up to you how you'd want to do this. I think that you will come out knowing everything you need to know about your career, however, regardless of which academic path you take.
Always remember that you have a choice. If you are still in New Jersey, you may be able to phone or e-mail with the school to get 100% exact current information. Look at their Linked In Profile, too. They have a public Linked In page which has information and their phone number and I have left the link for that below. If you already have a Linked In account or plan to start one soon, you can follow their page and receive notifications from them anytime they add information.
I hope that this was helpful to you. Best wishes and never give up !
Michelle recommends the following next steps:
Polita Barnes
Marketing
1
Answer
Burbank, California
Updated
Polita’s Answer
My advice is a lot more general than the other great advice here. I'll just say that you need to remember that no matter which course you choose, you are not locked into anything -- even if you get a degree with a specialized concentration. As you learn and grow within the art, science, and process of filmmaking, you might discover new interests and directions that you did not anticipate. Be open, learn all you can. I promise you that if you grow your skills and want to move in another direction than that of your degree, and you show promise in that area, absolutely no one is going to stop you.
Matt MacLennan
Screenwriter
3
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Matt’s Answer
Hey, John.
So, directing and cinematography are very different jobs so it is smart to learn about both if you're not sure if you want to be a director or cinematographer yet.
If the school won't let you pick a double concentration then:
1) it might be easier to take one in school as a major and then independently study the other on your own (researching videos and books on the subject)
2) use a lot/all of any your elective credits to take the courses that aren't in your concentration. So you take electives that are cinematography in addition to your focus on directing.
I did that in my Creative Writing program in college. The school said you were only allowed to pick one specialty - screenwriting, poetry, prose - so I picked poetry. But then I just took every screenwriting and prose class I could.
It was really helpful to me because I ended up learning that I really wanted to be a screenwriter, not the other kinds of writers.
So, directing and cinematography are very different jobs so it is smart to learn about both if you're not sure if you want to be a director or cinematographer yet.
If the school won't let you pick a double concentration then:
1) it might be easier to take one in school as a major and then independently study the other on your own (researching videos and books on the subject)
2) use a lot/all of any your elective credits to take the courses that aren't in your concentration. So you take electives that are cinematography in addition to your focus on directing.
I did that in my Creative Writing program in college. The school said you were only allowed to pick one specialty - screenwriting, poetry, prose - so I picked poetry. But then I just took every screenwriting and prose class I could.
It was really helpful to me because I ended up learning that I really wanted to be a screenwriter, not the other kinds of writers.