# talent - not grades!



## insomniac (Mar 24, 2005)

my honest confession is that my high school grades literally sucked. terrible. i mean like no chance in hell of getting into one of the big film schools.

i DO, however, have a lot of portfolio work, have some actual professional experience, and tend to think i'm fairly talented.

i was wondering if anybody knew of some film schools that allow you in based solely on talent. Cal Arts used to, but now they apparently decide based on grades as well. there's schools like New York Film Academy and Full Sail, but those are still more like quick-fix trade schools rather than the real deal. i wouldn't even have a problem with that, except they're still just as expensive as the big schools. and don't have any on-campus housing.

so does anyone know of any schools that take you based purely on talent? or schools similar to full sail or nyfa that may have on-campus living or somewhat cheaper tuition?


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## Trespasser (Mar 24, 2005)

Columbia College in Chicago has a great film department and is easy to get into, and they do have a relatively lower tuition rate than most of the big schools. Also they do have 2 dorms for residence.


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## lilyofshallot (Mar 25, 2005)

You could go to a college for a year or two and make really good grades and then transfer into a film school.  Most of them have transfer programs and most colleges look mostly at college grades at that point.


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## vincentmeloy (Apr 6, 2005)

I think CalArts still doesn't care about grades or SATs.
Columbia College Chicago has an open enrollment, so any HS grad can get in, making it a huge and well equipped film school (about 2000 students in film I think)
Brooks Institute will take about anyone who can pay the tuition


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## alex c (Apr 7, 2005)

if ur not thinking about transfering, try something like sva or pratt, or columbia.


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## Hoeks (Apr 7, 2005)

I was in a similar situation

My way was to go to a smaller college like C.W Post: LIU with a decent film programm, work my ass off, get a 4.0 and transfer to a big school.

I guess that's my advice. In the end, it was a better way than going to NYU as a freshman. I got a lot of 16mm experience at post as a freshman.


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## alex c (Apr 7, 2005)

hoek,

when u transfered to nyu, did you have to supply a portfolio from post, or did u just take classes involved with film. also if u did supply a portofolio, was it really good, or just average?


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## Hoeks (Apr 8, 2005)

I did have to send in the regular portfolio

1 essay
film or screenplay or photos
I sent them my first film I ever made (I made it at post on 16mm on a K-3). I think they liked it...it got into this small festival at my school and got very good responses.

However, I did have a 4.0 at post (which was really not a hard thing to do, easy school) and I am foreign (NYU loves us, I know, it's unfair)

But I got friends they transfered into NYU with TERRIBLE hichschool grades after visiting a college and doing decent there. Portfolio is 50%, grades and SAT 50%


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## Evan Kubota (Apr 9, 2005)

"so does anyone know of any schools that take you based purely on talent? or schools similar to full sail or nyfa that may have on-campus living or somewhat cheaper tuition?"

Not to be an ass, but if you're so talented, shoot a feature and go to LA to shop it around. A studio is bound to immediately give you a contract with a $700,000 advance on your first script. 

Seriously, schools are schools. If your grades suck, they will probably not let you in. Your work may be decent, but they probably have hundreds of applicants who have demonstrated they can successfully function in an academic environment and have decent portfolios. Most film schools have no interest in people who fail to succeed at anything except what they are passionate about.


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## Nervous Larry (Apr 12, 2005)

I definately got into NYU randomly, probably in a drawing. I know people with the same if not better grades and more professional portfolios than me and they got rejected. Maybe it was because I went for early decision? That school is seriously crazy sometimes. I probably didn't deserve to get in. Too bad I'm poor.


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## johnnyvox (Apr 13, 2005)

does anyone know anything about CalArts film directing MFA program?


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