How to Pick Your Film School

If you have set yourself with an objective of being the next Steven Spielberg, then you probably should attend a Film School. Good news is, there are numerous fine film schools available. And the better news? You don't need to be in Los Angeles to find one.

Googling the term "film school" will provide you with a good place to start. Your search will definitely return with over a dozen choices. And because there are a lot of them, it's more likely that you will find one near you. Film production isn't just carried out in Hollywood anymore. The days of the biggest film studios controlling everything is done. However, a word of caution: Be sure that the school you have found is accredited. Checking if a certain school is accredited is relatively easy. Here's a link that will allow you to find the details on your intended school's accreditation: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

Online courses that offer courses in film production are also available. Some of these stress on digital productions. Some would even teach you about documentaries and how to make them.

Finances is the next thing to think about after finding a school and being accepted in it. How are you going to pay for the school? The majority, if not all, of the accredited schools will provide financial aid.

History of Cinema - As the course title suggests, this subject will walk you through how movies have changed over the years.

Screenwriting - You need to have a script to make a movie, and this class will give you the nuts and bolts of how to write one.

Financing - Making a movie costs money. This course shall then teach you on how to get financial backup in order for your movie to be materialized.

Budgeting - This is related with financing your movie.

Directing - Directing isn't just about shouting "action!" This course will teach you on the other aspects of this responsibility.

Camera Operation - This subject will not only teach you on how to operate a camera, but it also lets you appreciate this oh-so important equipment in movie-making.

Lighting - In a film production, the Director of Photography is the one who lights the film so that it looks realistic when viewed.

Editing - Once you've shot your film, it needs to be placed in the accurate order. Bear in mind that most movies aren't shot in the way that we see them on theaters. Tiny mistakes, goofs and flubs need to be edited too.

Sound Direction - This shall teach you on how to make the actions and the sounds blend naturally.

Special Effects - As early as now, be aware that anything that happens on the screen is a Special Effect. If a rock breaks a window on screen, this is a special effect. Don't confuse this with Special Visual Effects. Imagine "Star Wars".

The subjects mentioned above are just some of the ones that you will be able to study in a Film School. From the looks of it, Film Schools are really costly. There are alternatives, however. One of these is Film Connections: http://filmconnection.com/index.html. They can provide a mentoring program that just might get you behind the camera faster and for less money.

Any way you slice it, if you wish to call yourself a filmmaker, you can grab a camera and start shooting. But that can only give you so much - enroll in a qualified Film School if you want to know how to make a film, the RIGHT way.