# NYU Help



## nikmad (Dec 3, 2004)

Hello guys
Well im from India and I just got the inspiration and everything as in ”¦ I just came to know what I want to do and that is film-making ”¦ and since you know im a beginner and I know nothing would you care to help me out?
I just went to the NYU site and I read everything so here are my questions:
1.	Since im an international student I need to give TOEFL and SAT but do I need to give SAT 2? 
2.	Should my resume contain only the films I have made and the scripts I have written ... in short what all do I need to write in my resume .. just give me an overview? (heh)
3.	I want to apply for directing so should I send a 10 min film or a screenplay?
4.	The essay which id have to write”¦ should that be an essay explaining what inspired me to choose this or any event? ”¦ Which one is better?

As you can see I know nothing about all this but I have the confidence and I know what I have to do ”¦ I guess that's all I need but yes ill have to work for it ”¦ so would you guys please help me out?
I'm eyeing only NYU and I want to get in there.
(And I don't want to study in India or even want to make films here ”¦ they are just not my thing)
But ill be applying in 2006 early decision i.e. i'll be going there in 2007, so I have loads of time ”¦ 
I know im asking a lot .. but the help given will be much appreciated


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## nikmad (Dec 3, 2004)

Hello guys
Well im from India and I just got the inspiration and everything as in ”¦ I just came to know what I want to do and that is film-making ”¦ and since you know im a beginner and I know nothing would you care to help me out?
I just went to the NYU site and I read everything so here are my questions:
1.	Since im an international student I need to give TOEFL and SAT but do I need to give SAT 2? 
2.	Should my resume contain only the films I have made and the scripts I have written ... in short what all do I need to write in my resume .. just give me an overview? (heh)
3.	I want to apply for directing so should I send a 10 min film or a screenplay?
4.	The essay which id have to write”¦ should that be an essay explaining what inspired me to choose this or any event? ”¦ Which one is better?

As you can see I know nothing about all this but I have the confidence and I know what I have to do ”¦ I guess that's all I need but yes ill have to work for it ”¦ so would you guys please help me out?
I'm eyeing only NYU and I want to get in there.
(And I don't want to study in India or even want to make films here ”¦ they are just not my thing)
But ill be applying in 2006 early decision i.e. i'll be going there in 2007, so I have loads of time ”¦ 
I know im asking a lot .. but the help given will be much appreciated


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## alex c (Dec 5, 2004)

1. no, im pretty sure u dont need sat 2
2. the resume should be a list, with the ttile of the work, the medium, how long, and a breif synopsis. never make it essay style
3. i garuentee u will not get in unless u make a 10 minute or under short. thats everything for that school
4. It depends on ur event.  whether its entertaining enough.


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## titaniumdoughnut (Dec 6, 2004)

well, by 2006 they may require the new SAT, which may or may not preclude the requirement for SAT IIs completely. i KNOW they require three SAT IIs for people who did not have a "normal" high-school experience (i.e. homeschoolers)

i'd send them an email


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## nikmad (Dec 8, 2004)

Well .. thanks a tonne ...
And yes .. i will be giving the new SAT .. since im joining after 06 ... 
and as i said any help given will be much appreciated .. so thank you ....
I will send em an email i guess


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## Drew Johnton (Jan 2, 2005)

i'm in NYU and din't have to take SAT IIs.

being an international student... you have a great chance... in my opinion.


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## mlav (Jan 8, 2005)

hi. i was just wondering - will sending in photographs instead of a 10-minute video lessen my chances of getting into NYU?

do you know of anyone who got in with a creative portfolio that consisted of photographs or storyboards but not an actual short film?

another question: i'm an american citizen but i've been living in asia for about ten years. this is where i finished high school. should i apply to NYU as an international student/regular admission?


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## titaniumdoughnut (Jan 9, 2005)

for the second question you might want to email or call their admissions office, i'm afraid i don't know the answer to the first question.


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## Evan Kubota (Jan 9, 2005)

Film is different from other disciplines in that you don't simply go to school to learn it. You would intuitively assume a school can teach you how to make films, similar to learning computer programming or chemistry. It doesn't quite work that way. If you have no experience making films I don't recommend paying $20,000 a year to attend NYU to try to learn. It's largely self-taught, like music. Anyone who goes to Berklee hoping to become a rock musician and make albums is going to be sorely disappointed. They usually end up on the fringes of the industry, either as music professors, producers, mixers, etc. Many NYU graduates go on to become grips and assistants on Hollywood productions - some don't even make it out of NYC. A few have been successful, but IMO the system of going to film school to become a director hasn't functioned effectively in years. When was the last well-known director who came from the film school system? Probably in the 70s, with Lucas, Coppola, and Spielberg, many of whom were film-school dropouts.


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## mlav (Jan 10, 2005)

thanks. will keep that in mind. i really am serious about film and i'm starting to conceptualize a short for the app. thanks again.


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## Alan Denton (Jan 10, 2005)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> When was the last well-known director who came from the film school system? Probably in the 70s  <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I wouldn't say that. Off the top of my head... Wes Anderson is pretty well known. So are the Coen Brothers (I know Joel went to film school). Morgan Spurlock, Todd Solondz, Mark Forster, Alexander Payne...

Granted, not all household names, but don't just write them off like that. Give them time. They're young.


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## Eric01 (Jan 11, 2005)

Film school is incredibly silly for one reason: it's quite difficult to academicize something creative.  Oh, but how they try.  You'll spend an entire semester on sound recording freshman year and they'll ask you to buy three pricey text books about it.  Ridiculous, but welcome to Tisch.

Now, that doesn't mean NYU wasn't the right option for me, nor for you.  It's wonderful to have a place to experiment and see what works and what doesn't.  Compared to other film programs, you do have the oppurtunity to make a decent number of projects, and the equipment, though poorly managed and maintained, is often better than what other schools have.

Most importantly, you meet your collaborators.  I came away with two- an editor and a director- that are simply indespensible.  If you can't see yourself not going to film school, and you can afford it, and you have realistic expectations, then it's not a bad place to be.

(Just don't buy the textbooks.)


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## alex c (Jan 11, 2005)

"I wouldn't say that. Off the top of my head... Wes Anderson is pretty well known. So are the Coen Brothers (I know Joel went to film school). Morgan Spurlock, Todd Solondz, Mark Forster, Alexander Payne...

Granted, not all household names, but don't just write them off like that. Give them time. They're young." -ALAN



correct me if im wrong alan, but i do believe that wes anderson did go to the university of texas at austin, but he was a philosophy major, and owen was an acting major.  They just happened to write a good script together. I mean, bottle rocket, even though its a great movie, it wasnt that impractical to make if u werent a film major.


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## Alan Denton (Jan 11, 2005)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> wes anderson did go to the university of texas at austin, but he was a philosophy major  <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah hell. You're totally right. That's the risk when you go off the top of your head: you could be wrong and look like an idiot.

...But I know that those other names are valid, though.

--alan


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## mlav (Jan 11, 2005)

apparently, wes anderson's actually a tisch alumnus. according to an article in NYUtoday, anyway.


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## Evan Kubota (Jan 12, 2005)

"I wouldn't say that. Off the top of my head... Wes Anderson is pretty well known. So are the Coen Brothers (I know Joel went to film school). Morgan Spurlock, Todd Solondz, Mark Forster, Alexander Payne..."

Yes, but this is 6-7 out of how many graduates? The hard truth is that almost everyone who goes into film school wants to be a successful director (note that I didn't say Hollywood, although that is frequently the case). Very few achieve that, and the ones who don't break in are left in massive debt with a degree which doesn't mean anything anywhere.

Alexander Payne graduated from UCLA, and he gave a talk at my brother's school... his thesis film was very well received and he made a lot of contacts right out of school. He was apparently expected to be the most successful out of his graduating class, but he didn't land a directing gig for years. Apparently he was living hand-to-mouth for a while, and his experience was the most successful out of the graduating class that year...

It just goes to show you that working in the film industry is a crapshoot. People who plan on going to film school but have little to no technical or practical experience crack me up - I'm sure their intentions are good, but you should realize that film school is not going make you a filmmaker. If you have plenty of extra cash, go for the contacts, but realize that you're not really there to learn the basics of your craft - you should already have a working knowledge of production.


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## Hoeks (Jan 22, 2005)

Film is different from other disciplines in that you don't simply go to school to learn it. You would intuitively assume a school can teach you how to make films, similar to learning computer programming or chemistry. It doesn't quite work that way. 

-------


I completely disagree with this. I came to NYU without any knowledge, I read books, I worked my *** off on studentfilms, I studied and now I am a senior and I'm doing pretty well. I get more offers to DP 35mm films than I can take. I didn't know anything about photography before but I guess I just had a basic talent of composition and lighting. All the technical stuff like color temperature and what not is really just sitting down and reading a book. memorizing and then practicing. I don't see why you should have prior knowledge of that (of course it helps...). I will shoot my thesis in late summer (mostly with money I raised BECAUSE of NYU...and that is a lot of money...just because of NYU's name and some teacher recomendations)

In my opinion, film school is INCREDIBLY helpful as long as you listen to your profs (because they DO know more than you...), work hard (too many NYU kids just dont do ****) and keep being humble and nice.

Of course most people will never direct, but that is not the film schools fault, it's just a matter of talent, luck and more importantly, lack of PASSION.

People told me they don;t have to go to film school to learn film making, they just read books. This is a possibility, but will you be able to work on 10+ high quality shorts each year by reading books? Or do you get to work with SAG actors all the time? Real film? Not to mention all the great screenings at school. Last semester goerge lucas, wes anderson, martin scorsese and many others came by to chat. I sound like a NYU fanboy but I am just speaking out of my heart that film school was by FAR the best time I ever had in my life and I learned an incredible amount of knowledge. You can go to film school and do nothing and get nothing out, but if you go there saying byebye to your hobbies and life outside film, then you will succeed.

just my 2 cents


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## Hoeks (Jan 22, 2005)

another plus in film schoool: You do a kick *** short, you go to your film school festival, win there, that will help to get your film into Cannes, venice and LA film festivals...and BANG, you got an agent. If that is not a good start of a career...


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## jerez (Jan 24, 2005)

I couldnt agree more with hoeks. There are so many opportunities (especially in New York) in film and media that can all be achieved through film school. Of course you still get a good libral arts education and from what i have read youre allowed to major or minor in business when going to Tisch. For some reason i believe that kabuta is very negative and wouldnt take advantage of all the oppurtunities offered to him (internships etc.). However, being a 20 million dollar a movie director is pretty unrealistic, but it would be wrong  to limit yourself to that in such a huge industry!


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## Hoeks (Jan 24, 2005)

jerez, I just realized a day ago that you sent me a private message...sorry i was kinda gone from this boards


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## jerez (Jan 25, 2005)

Yea that was a really really long time ago. Anyway, since then ive gotten into nyu and will be going in the fall, are you a junior?


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## Hoeks (Jan 25, 2005)

Senior now


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## jerez (Jan 26, 2005)

Ok then i wont see you next year. Have a nice life and good luck!


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## Evan Kubota (Jan 26, 2005)

"I completely disagree with this. I came to NYU without any knowledge, I read books, I worked my *** off on studentfilms, I studied and now I am a senior and I'm doing pretty well. I get more offers to DP 35mm films than I can take. I didn't know anything about photography before but I guess I just had a basic talent of composition and lighting."

That's just reinforcing what I originally posted! The technical stuff they can teach you or you can read in a book, it makes no difference. However, if you don't have talent you aren't going to be taught that in school. No one who goes to NYU as a bad filmmaker will become a better filmmaker. They may become more technically proficient, which is fine, but does nothing other than disguising the relative quality, or lack of, in their ideas.


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## alex c (Jan 26, 2005)

i still think college is an experience that someone should go through. its just another stage in life, and while ur there, might as well study film, and if ur studing film, might as well go to a better school for it.


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## Hoeks (Jan 27, 2005)

ok I agree with the talent part Kuboto, I guess I did not read carefully enough.



Jerez, I'm graduating next fall, so I will be there for one semester


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## Josh (Jan 27, 2005)

I agree that college is something that everyone should do. It's an important transition to the "real world." I also think that you can study whatever you want; it's not essential to study film if you want to be a filmmaker. No program will turn you into something that you're not. If you have the drive and the talent, than you can succeed even without a college degree. 

What I don't agree with is the "NYU or bust" attitude. I know someone who wanted to study film at USC, but was rejected so they went to law school. Top film schools are good, but they are not essential. No school will hand you talent on a silver platter, and no school will hand you success, no matter how good their reputation is or how good their connections are. The best thing that a top film school will do for you is get your foot in the door, but you need to work if you want to stay there and continue to work your way up. No matter where you go, college is what you make it, folks, so make it good.


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## jerez (Jan 27, 2005)

This conversation is true for EVERYTHING, not just film.


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## Hoeks (Jan 28, 2005)

I agree with JW, I hope I dont look like an NYU or Bust guy

I just love the place


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