Why Film Schools Don't Work (save money, learn more by attending Film Connection)

Degrees and Diplomas Are Irrelevant in Filmmaking

Unless you desire to be a film accountant, a college degree or diploma is not a job prerequisite.  Degrees and diplomas carry little, if any, weight when it comes to getting hired in the Film Business.  Unfortunately, the goal of Film Schools is to grant you a diploma.  With The Film-Connection, the goal is always to get you hired.  We do this by concentrating on what's necessary for you to learn to make yourself attractive to those that do the hiring in the Film Industry.  The Film Connection believes the best way to learn a job is to do the job.   By learning your craft from your personal tutor, a real, working film professional, on real-world film and video shoots, you gain real-world experience and real-world connections that no college campus can duplicate.  That's because in Film Schools everything works perfectly.  In the real world, Murphy’s Law holds true (“If something can go wrong, it will”) and if you haven’t experienced that sinking sensation of having things fall apart in the middle of a shoot during your training, you just plain aren’t ready to be hired.  Industry pros know this.  That’s why they don’t hire someone just because they have a good resume or a diploma, and are reluctant to hire people fresh out of Film Schools because they haven’t been seasoned by the real world yet.

Your Favorite Director Did NOT Go To Film School

Before the advent of digital video, you almost had to go to Film School to get your hands on the expensive equipment that was required.  Now, with digital video it is possible for just about anyone to get their hands on all the equipment they need to make a movie.   In fact, a list of top current directors who did NOT go to film school is impressive:

• Quentin Tarantino - "Resevoir Dogs," "Pulp Fiction," "Kill Bill 1 & 2"
  
• Steven Soderbergh - "Sex, Lies and Videotape," "Traffic," "Ocean's 11"
  
• Robert Rodriguez - "El Mariachi," "Spy Kids,"Sin City" (also author of the book "Rebel Without A Clue")
  
• Richard Linklater - "Dazed and Confused," "Before Sunrise," "School of Rock"
  
• Spike Jonze - "Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation," "Ripley's Believe It Or Not"
• Steven Spielberg - Producer and Director, co-founder of Dream Works
  

Why The Film Connection Film School Alternative Works

The Film Connection has been offering it's learn by doing film program for 25 years.  We know it works, and we know why.  With The Film Connection you learn real stuff, real quick.  This is because our program let's you learn the job by doing the job, under the direct, personal, one-on-one, tutoring of a working film professional who is making a living in the film specialty that interests you.  The Film Connection is a viable Film School Alternative because it works, it saves you a lot of money, and gets you out in the job market in under six months.

Film Connection Film School Alternative		Traditional Film Schools
Real World Experience	What You Graduate With	A Diploma
One-on-One Private Tutoring on Real Film Shoots	Learning Environment	Crowded Classroom
A Working, Professional Filmmaker	Teacher	Professor
Over 100 Cities in the United States and Canada	Locations	Limited to Campus(es)
Six Months	Commitment	Up to Four Years
Affordable	Cost	Expensive

What It Takes To Succeed In The Film Business

It takes a special breed of person to succeed in the Film Biz.  It’s about dedication, focus, passion, ability to handle the unexpected, and a whole lot more.  The best description of a person who is right for the business is this:  Are you the kind of person who gets home at 3AM after working a 20 hour day, and when your alarm wakes you in two hours at 5AM for a 6AM crew call, you can’t wait to jump out of bed and get to the shoot?  If you aren’t, don’t bother applying with us, you don’t have what it takes. 

Because the real success stories are the people who wake up on their own at 4:45AM and already out the door at 5AM.  And wanting it to never stop--you have to want that too.  And it’s not about the money.  It’s about the work.  It’s about being a part of creating something out of nothing.  It’s the satisfaction of having pulled off something great, something that you know you have a right to be proud of…and it’s this passion for the work that is essential to success.


That's why we only accept one out of every twenty applicants (5%) to Film Connection.  We don't want to waste your time.  We don't want to waste our mentors' time either. 

The good news is that because the Film Connection's admission standards are so high we have an exceptional record of job placement (currently 74% of students who complete the entire Film Connection six month curriculum find employment in the film industry within a year of graduation.)