# Guys, I need some help from people that have been through this progress....



## Drew Johnton (May 19, 2003)

I know people probably make posts like this ALL the time... but i am looking at film schools, and I am losing alot of sleep over this, and will probably continue to until i get accepted somewhere.

I have a 3.586 GPA (but that is a bit old and I got straight A's since then).... and I scored 1100 on the SATS which i only took once so far...

I am looking at the following colleges...

NYU (as a reach school)
Miami
Ithaca
Temple - Maybe

Miami is really my #1 choice

Well... what i am basically asking is for alittle insight.... What are my chaces for these schools?...  I have already gotten answers to these questions but not from students like you guys... just from guys in suits...

Does anybody go to these colleges and can tell me what you got in with?... Or can anyone suggest to me another school that is good and i have a good chance of getting into?...

I know I am being very vague... but any information you can supply would help me out.

P.S... I will also be atending the New Yowk FIlm Academy this summer if that helps me at all with College.


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 19, 2003)

I know people probably make posts like this ALL the time... but i am looking at film schools, and I am losing alot of sleep over this, and will probably continue to until i get accepted somewhere.

I have a 3.586 GPA (but that is a bit old and I got straight A's since then).... and I scored 1100 on the SATS which i only took once so far...

I am looking at the following colleges...

NYU (as a reach school)
Miami
Ithaca
Temple - Maybe

Miami is really my #1 choice

Well... what i am basically asking is for alittle insight.... What are my chaces for these schools?...  I have already gotten answers to these questions but not from students like you guys... just from guys in suits...

Does anybody go to these colleges and can tell me what you got in with?... Or can anyone suggest to me another school that is good and i have a good chance of getting into?...

I know I am being very vague... but any information you can supply would help me out.

P.S... I will also be atending the New Yowk FIlm Academy this summer if that helps me at all with College.


----------



## TizzyEntertainment (May 19, 2003)

Well, id say NYU is the best film school out of your list. I assume you are looking for a good film program. Bearing that in mind, I would stay away from Miami (UM) They have a less then stellar film program. If your looking to come to Florida, I would go with FSU. Great film program. They pay for film stock, and development themselves, and select 5 scripts a year, to which they give the each student a $25,000 budget. (most shoot 35mm) Imm not as familiar with the other programs, but i havent seen anything worthwhile come out of UM. My two cents.
R. Michael

"Luck, is when opportunity, meets preperation." "There are 3 sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth, and none of us are lying" -Robert Evans


----------



## JASONvb (May 19, 2003)

Hey Tizzy... What other schools do the same sort of thing?  Im looking for a good film school that isnt USC or NYU.  $25000 sure sounds nice.... Any other schools that have similar incentives?

Thanks
jason

"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time"


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 19, 2003)

Really? You don't think Miami is that good...

I know NYU is better... I just said Miami as my first choice because i don't think I have the grades to get into NYU...

I'd imagine FSU is hard to get into also, right?

Pretty much I'm  looking for a good school that i can get into...How hard is FSU to get into... harder or easier than NYU?


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 19, 2003)

I checked some information on FSU and from what I found... the average SAT scores are 1128 and the average GPa is 3.63... well I'm pretty dam close...

But that information seems a bit low... i excpected like a 1300 sat and a 3.8 GPA...

Does this information sound accurate to you guys?... this is hwere i found it... 

http://www.a2zcolleges.com/misc/Advanced_details.asp?ID=455

This is the kind of info I'm looking for... and I know i can probably ask my guidance counselor and stuff about this but thats from one perspective... i'm interested in the Student perspective.

thanks for your help


----------



## Alan Denton (May 19, 2003)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> i don't think I have the grades to get into NYU <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well now don't say that. I got in with a 3.65 GPA, which is pretty comparable to what you have. My SATs, however, were better. If you have the chance, take the SATs again, only this time buy the review book and study for them. 

Also, take the SAT II subject tests. NYU says that they don't require that applicants take them, but they "suggest" that they take three

...that means take them.

--Alan

------------------
http://www.alandenton.com
------------------


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 19, 2003)

If you don't mind me asking... what was your SAT score?

I have been taking the SAT classes and all that and hve been working hard... and taking all kinds of practice tests...  

and as of now, 1100 is my best score... and it was on the one that counted.

My SAT tutors say I still have potential to do better on the June 7th test...

I wish i could find a website that will tell you what GPA and what SAT scores you need to get into specific schools...  I haven't found that yet and it is hard to find that kind of information on the college's website.... anyone know where i can find this information?


----------



## TizzyEntertainment (May 19, 2003)

Yeah, that info sounds about right for FSU. They really encourage the talented over the intellegent. (or something like that) As for other schools that will give you a budget, I think FSU might just be the only one. Only one I know of anyway.
R. M.

"Luck, is when opportunity, meets preperation." "There are 3 sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth, and none of us are lying" -Robert Evans


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 19, 2003)

Great. 

Those are pretty encouraging words... its good to know i have somewhat of a chance.

Do you think going to the NYFA helps me at all?  I signed up for it thinking it doesn't, but i heard somewhere that it might.


----------



## Alan Denton (May 19, 2003)

I usually refrain from blurting out my SAT score, but you asked, so it was a 1420.

To study for the test, I bought the "Ten Real SATs" book and took every test in it. Also, to improve my verbal score, I found a list online of the 100 most common SAT words and memorized all of them. And trust me, a whole bunch of those words were on the test and it helped my score a lot.

That list can be found here:
http://www.quia.com/jg/66022list.html

Just give it your best shot. Good luck. I'm glad to see that you're not one of those people who takes the test once without preparation and just  settles for whatever you get. I hate that "I'm just a bad test taker" excuse. How far is that attitude gonna get ya, you know?

--Alan

------------------
http://www.alandenton.com
------------------


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 19, 2003)

WOW.... i wish i could get a score that high... and you studied on your own.. you didn't even take a class?

I have the same book and I have a whole bunch of lists of words that i am in the process of learning...  

i have a 590 math and a 510 verbal... i figure i can still go up alot in verbal.

You have encouraged me to work harder... I thank you.


----------



## Imperial Pictures (May 19, 2003)

You should take a look at SCAD. I am going there this fall. They offer scholarships for your films if  they are good enough and judge you by a portfolio, not an essay for the film program, unlike FSU (which is gay). 

There equipment is fantastic. They update all their software every 6 months. The computer art and film departments this year were combined in the same class for joint projects involving films with special effects. They have one of the only 5.1 surround sound editing sweets. Their editing equipment I believe totalls to like 20 million. They stuff they have is amazing. They have the HiDef camera that was used on Star Wars II. Go check out the site. This school is marvelous. I visited FSU, NYU, UCLA, USC and a few others and this one won my heart over.

Thomas Verrette
tommy21485@earthlink.net
Imperial Pictures


----------



## Hoeks (May 19, 2003)

ok here how I got into NYU...well I am international student and therefore, I have a bonus....but probably it helps.

I had baaad high school grades (average C) from switzerland (well...it is impossible to have A's in our schools...yet, my grades were actually really bad even for our high school grade system). However, I went to Long Island University, scored a 4.0 in my first semester, did the SAT's (with the how to crack the SAT book help), scored 1240 (670 math and 570 verbal), wrote a nice essay, did a nice shortfilm (my first film in my life actually...as a director), send that to NYU and got in as a transfer student. as you see, it is worth to give it a try. Write an excellent essay, get 2 excellent reccomendation letters and your chances are ok.

some words to the SAT. My english was not great as I did the test. In fact, I guessed every single "level 5 hardcore" question in verbal. YEt, with the help of all those books, I scored a 570 and surprisingly, 90% of my level 5 answers were correct...I did not understand a single word in them...so get the book and practice, it helps a lot


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 20, 2003)

will deitly look into that svannah school.

Geez... 1240 and you didn't even know english.

Again... another post that has inspired me to work my but off.

DO you think that if i didn't get accepted to NYU... it would be easier for me to get in as a transfer student?


----------



## Hoeks (May 20, 2003)

well I do had 7 years of english in junior and high school...u know, the 2 hours per week foreign language stuff

it is definitely easier to get into NYU as a freshman than as a transfer....rumours say that the acceptance is around 20% as freshman and under 5% as transfer. But those are not facts.

However, it is always worth a try...you cannot loose more than 55 dollar for the application.

I have the strong feeling that NYU looks more into the essay, the background and the reccomendation letters than grades...but what do I know


----------



## Drew Johnton (May 20, 2003)

Thats pretty encouraging, thanks.


----------



## DenverFilmmaker (Jun 7, 2003)

This is my personal opinion, take it or leave it, I ran across this site searching for something else.
I always wanted to go to film school as a kid, but I couldn't and ended up becoming a small businessman instead.
Now however, I have the money and time to do whatever I want, and I've started my own little film business.
I thought I'd better get educated, so I went back to school and I quickly figured out that film school is a big waste of time & money.
You either have the drive or you don't.
If anyone on any set I've worked on has attended film school, they are getting coffee or pushing a broom, honestly.
If you are worried about your GPA or SAT score, going to film school might be for you. If you are worried about getting 2 more pages of script out of your 400' magazine or if your tungsten is going to blow the fusebox, that's different.
Take your money, attend the Action/Cut filmmaking seminar (much more usefull than the other one), read the 5 C's of cinematography, rent every DVD you can find with a director's commentary (these are real hit and miss), and then rent equipment to experiment on your own. (PS - always rent on Friday to get a free day, especially on Labor & Memorial day weekends)
Don't pay $20,000+ to go to NYU or any of the others just to get pounded with 5,000 hours of theory (Werner Herzog is not a God by the way) and shoot 200 feet through an Arri 16 (you can do this for free at my house), it doesn't benefit you and it's a waste of time if you are serious about getting into the business.
Rent a camera, buy the stock, make some shorts, make some more (or a feature if you have rich friends), and beg for jobs as a gopher on any set you can find, so you can watch and learn.
Learn by doing, not talking - the schools will talk your socks off and you'll leave broke with 1,500 pounds of $200 books and no real idea how to compose, light or get any depth out of a shot, let alone tell a story or make a feature (that anyone would sit through).
What you will spend on books alone would fund a feature shot on short end or recanned 16mm stock.
I've spent thousands and thousands of dollars on classes/seminars & books, and all the best stuff I've learned I learned myself from books, DVD's and playing with a camera on my own.
Now that I know how films and film productions really work I'm glad I didn't attend film school 20 years ago, I'd probably be working at Burger King right now still trying to pay off my student loans.
Please - if you do go to film school, don't graduate and borrow $200,000 from friends and family members to make an absolutly horrid movie that's so bad it's frightening. I've seen 4 kids do that so far. Please don't do that - borrow money from someone you don't like or care about to make your first 2 or 3 bad movies.
I might sound cynical, but I was just browsing the net looking for used equipment and came across this site, and you're getting an honest opinion from someone in the business who's worked on a number of projects and wasted a lot of money on bad schooling. You can learn more from having a few beers with a decent cinematographer than a semester at film school.
I can give you a list of DVDs and books to buy if you are serious about being a filmmaker. It's a short list, but effective material.
16mm crystal sync cameras go on e-bay for as little as $800, kodak is just an 800 number away, and yes you can do it without anyone holding your hand. It's not brain surgery. Keep your money.
If you're just looking for a fun major, flip a coin, the schools are a toss up, it's what you make of them more than what they make of you.
Like I said, that's my op - take it or leave it, but don't send me hate mail. It works for me and now I'm happily making cool little films on reasonable budgets.
If the Toxic Avenger can make a profit, there's hope for all of us. I love Loyd Kaufman, but my dog can operate a camera better than that, and he doesn't even have a thumb to get a reading off the light meter.


----------



## Drew Johnton (Jun 8, 2003)

Your Opinion is very interesting, I've heard from many that would agree with you.  However, I still want to go to college for film... whether it helps me or not, I'm going to go to college to mahor in film and something else *to fall back on of course, UM requires a 2nd major if your majoring in FIlm)...

And can I get that list your talking about.?


----------



## Titus (Jun 10, 2003)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Drew Johnton:
will deitly look into that svannah school.

Geez... 1240 and you didn't even know english.

Again... another post that has inspired me to work my but off.

DO you think that if i didn't get accepted to NYU... it would be easier for me to get in as a transfer student?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey Drew not to get to personaly but are you rich? I mean your family? Cause I know the New York Film Acadamy is 25 grand for several weeks. Plus those colleges you named are twice that amount of NYFA. So how do you plan on paying for all this?

Dangerous Minds make the most sense


----------



## reelbigfish (Jun 10, 2003)

well i got a 1550 and had a 3.98 gpa (4.6 adjusted). i'm going to ucla this fall.  one place to look would be csulb, spielberg went there...i'm told they have a good program.


----------



## DenverFilmmaker (Jun 12, 2003)

Drew writes "...whether it helps me or not, I'm going to go to college to mahor in film and something else to fall back on of course, UM requires a 2nd major if your majoring in FIlm).
And can I get that list your talking about.?"

Uhhh.... no actually.
I thought you were serious about this film thing, If you don't know what school to go to and you need something to fall back on, you're pretty much doomed. 
It's 100% or nothing in this business, Noone tolerates half assed wannabee people who don't have a full understanding of the process and can't perform under pressure.
I won't bother typing the list out for you, it won't do either of us any good.
Getting anywhere in this business takes the drive of a horny dog in a prosthetic leg factory. Rotting away in some overpriced college learning useless crap is the last thing you need to do.
Spielberg graduated from there?
What, one of a class of.... lets guess 200 or so?
How many of thier film school grads have gone on to do absolutly nothing and ended up working at fast food joints and WalMarts?
I'm guessing about 99.9%, which is the nationwide average.
Good luck to you in your endeavors.


----------



## Drew Johnton (Jun 12, 2003)

shadowless... I'm not "Rich"... meaning I don't live in a mansion in a rich part of town...  but my family can afford something like NYFA and if I got into an NYU then in my father's mind there is nothing better that the money can go towards anyway.

We have the money... and my whole life it was my fathers idea that paying for college was the top of the mountain... Its first priority...

Reelbigfish... I wish i could get the SAT scores you got..  How do you do it man? seriously?  Thats quite the accomplishment.


----------



## Drew Johnton (Jun 12, 2003)

DON't JUDGE ME...  Just because i'm being safe and having something to fall back on DOES NOT mean that my pashion for filmmaking is any less than yours or not good enough to acheve success...

I happen to have lots of pashion for filmmaking... it is all I eVER think about... My pashion is strong and jut because i'm playing things safe... DOES NOT mean my pashion is enough...

I think its the people like you, that Probably DIDN't play it safe... and is finding no succes at all... and really wish they have because they realize that there PRIDE got the best of them and now they're doing nothing.

Don't judge other people....

SPeilberg majored in English.

Don't forget that.


----------



## Chris W (Jun 12, 2003)

I agree. Getting a college education is important - not only in what you will learn education wise but I'm where I am today because of my school. (BU) College is what you make of it.

The entertainment business will still be there when you graduate from college.

-Chris
Studentfilms.com


----------



## Sc (Jun 22, 2003)

> Originally posted by DenverFilmmaker:
> 
> 
> Now that I know how films and film productions really work I'm glad I didn't attend film school 20 years ago, I'd probably be working at Burger King right now still trying to pay off my student loans.
> ...


----------



## Darkfire001 (Jun 22, 2003)

Hmm, Ive been teetering between going to Duke, UNC, NCState, MSU, and UVA. But Im not sure which of those has the best minor film program. My parnets have said that they dont many me taking film as a major, but I plan on taking it as a minor and Im wondering which of these schools at least has a decent film program.


----------



## StrawberryMoon (Aug 4, 2003)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hoeks:
ok here how I got into NYU...well I am international student and therefore, I have a bonus....but probably it helps.

I had baaad high school grades (average C) from switzerland (well...it is impossible to have A's in our schools...yet, my grades were actually really bad even for our high school grade system). However, I went to Long Island University, scored a 4.0 in my first semester, did the SAT's (with the how to crack the SAT book help), scored 1240 (670 math and 570 verbal), wrote a nice essay, did a nice shortfilm (my first film in my life actually...as a director), send that to NYU and got in as a transfer student. as you see, it is worth to give it a try. Write an excellent essay, get 2 excellent reccomendation letters and your chances are ok.

some words to the SAT. My english was not great as I did the test. In fact, I guessed every single "level 5 hardcore" question in verbal. YEt, with the help of all those books, I scored a 570 and surprisingly, 90% of my level 5 answers were correct...I did not understand a single word in them...so get the book and practice, it helps a lot<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How come you had to take the SATs in college? I thought foreign students only had to take TOEFL. I'm asking cause my friend had to take that and he hated every minute of it.


----------



## Ademu (Aug 9, 2003)

...is not really needed. They do teach you to be like everyone else, well some schools do.

What film school is good for, is teaching you how to do sound, cut your own film and etc. These are worth it. Like some famous guy who's name slips my mind once said "Technical people can't be taught creativity. Yet creative people CAN be taught to be technical. This creates an omnipotant being." lol

Those words are true, though.

"We'll be able to get all the things we ever dreamed of... front, and rear spoilers for the cars!"


----------



## Hoeks (Aug 10, 2003)

na sadly, international students have to take the SAT as well, unless their already finished 30 credits at university


----------



## TheBoyRacer (Aug 31, 2003)

So what if Speilberg, "sort of" went there.  I went to their film festival and was EXTREMELY disapointed. They were much worse than I expected. But I can't say for sure if that's a reflection of the school or just the students themselves.

Film school is what YOU make of it.


----------



## Ren_R (Nov 8, 2003)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Drew Johnton:
I know people probably make posts like this ALL the time... but i am looking at film schools, and I am losing alot of sleep over this, and will probably continue to until i get accepted somewhere.

I have a 3.586 GPA (but that is a bit old and I got straight A's since then).... and I scored 1100 on the SATS which i only took once so far...

I am looking at the following colleges...

NYU (as a reach school)
Miami
Ithaca
Temple - Maybe

Miami is really my #1 choice

Well... what i am basically asking is for alittle insight.... What are my chaces for these schools?...  I have already gotten answers to these questions but not from students like you guys... just from guys in suits...

Does anybody go to these colleges and can tell me what you got in with?... Or can anyone suggest to me another school that is good and i have a good chance of getting into?...

I know I am being very vague... but any information you can supply would help me out.

P.S... I will also be atending the New Yowk FIlm Academy this summer if that helps me at all with College.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

NYU is really overrated, you're just paying for a name.  Do you really see a grand difference from NYUs films compared to other schools?  It's just a hefty price tag.  

I got declined appyling there with a 3.99 something GPA and a 1250 on my SATs coming out of high school.  One year later I reapplied with a 3.7 GPA out of college - University of the Arts, and got accepted as a transfer, but couldn't afford it.  They throw thousands of dollars of "phantom" costs once you're accepted.  You pay hundreds of dollars for "registration" and "entry" fees for various "departments" on top of them literally forcing you to buy $1500 dollars on CAFETERIA MEAL PLAN CREDIT.  

I'd recommend a smaller school that focuses on learning every possible bit of technology from Adobe Premier, After effects, Pro tools, FCp and analog tech.  that will give you every possible angle to accomplish whatever you need with artistic and technological craft rather than shoving this Hollywood "production" mentality into your heads.  

Focus on a school that gives you the most freedom and has the best technology available and will teach it to you - that way your film career is totally in YOUR HANDS.  A lot of these BIG NAME schools totally take over your projects, telling you not to do something that's not marketable, or if they don't believe in it themselves, plus a lot of these big schools, like NYU OWN THE FILMS YOU MAKE.


----------



## Hoeks (Nov 9, 2003)

NYU is really overrated, you're just paying for a name. Do you really see a grand difference from NYUs films compared to other schools?


Now that is very funny

first, NYU let you do WHATEVER you want with your films. There is no restriction. One girl in my class almost made a porn, eventually she will do one as a documentary..hardcore...

second: NYU has great teachers and great hands one work in the production classes...more, every weekend you can work on several upper class films as a crew member, which is a great experience.

Yea, I sound like a fanboy...but I have the best time in my life at this school. Yes, it IS expensive...but you got hundreds of motivated and talented students, great teachers, great facilities and a school that lets you do what you want. If comemrcial or non commercial, it does not matter. they probably tell you it may be bad to do this and that, but they let you do it nonetheless.

and no, again, NYU does NOT own your films

it is funny that so many people say so bad things about big schools like NYU and USC...but they never went to one. Yes, there are idiots here...but everywhere else as well

I cannot say more than that I get a awesome education and that I have great fun here at Tisch. Just as an example sophomore year: You direct in your first smester 5 16mm films and you help on 16 others. Second semester, you direct 5 TV multiple camera films on a sprofessional build set and you help on 36 projects(!!!)

if that is not hands on and great, what else?


----------



## Ren_R (Nov 10, 2003)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hoeks:
NYU is really overrated, you're just paying for a name. Do you really see a grand difference from NYUs films compared to other schools?


Now that is very funny

first, NYU let you do WHATEVER you want with your films. There is no restriction. One girl in my class almost made a porn, eventually she will do one as a documentary..hardcore...

second: NYU has great teachers and great hands one work in the production classes...more, every weekend you can work on several upper class films as a crew member, which is a great experience.

Yea, I sound like a fanboy...but I have the best time in my life at this school. Yes, it IS expensive...but you got hundreds of motivated and talented students, great teachers, great facilities and a school that lets you do what you want. If comemrcial or non commercial, it does not matter. they probably tell you it may be bad to do this and that, but they let you do it nonetheless.

and no, again, NYU does NOT own your films

it is funny that so many people say so bad things about big schools like NYU and USC...but they never went to one. Yes, there are idiots here...but everywhere else as well

I cannot say more than that I get a awesome education and that I have great fun here at Tisch. Just as an example sophomore year: You direct in your first smester 5 16mm films and you help on 16 others. Second semester, you direct 5 TV multiple camera films on a sprofessional build set and you help on 36 projects(!!!)

if that is not hands on and great, what else?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


On my application, they made me sign a contract, stating all films are property of NYU, even the ones you do NOT MAKE FOR CLASS.  If you make a film all on your own, not using NYU equipment, they make you legally sign a waiver that it's NYU property regardless, just because it was made while you attended their school.  

And any school that has you work on 36mm has their head up their ***.


----------



## NotaMono (Nov 10, 2003)

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Ren_R:
And any school that has you work on 36mm has their head up their ***.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, particularly when 35mm is far more common.  The must feel that extra mm goes a long way.  Just playin' with ya Ren.  

Nota "Too sardonic to can" Mono

[This message was edited by NotaMono on November 10, 2003 at 01:46 PM.]


----------



## Hoeks (Nov 10, 2003)

eht now I am confused myself

cause one of NYUs marketing things at film is that they do NOT own your films

however, who cares, NYU is totally eager to put them into the big festivals anyway and if you make money with them, its all yours


and I am myself surprised how many people shoot 35mm here...however, NYu does not give ya the quipment and money, studens find ways to raise it


ehe now I begin to be a real fanboy

but just the fact that I feel totally happy and grateful to be here should be a sign that this school rocks

believe me, I dont just say that


----------



## Alan Denton (Nov 10, 2003)

the films are yours. But you do have to credit the school and say that the movie was made while attending NYU.

------------------
http://www.alandenton.com
------------------


----------



## Hoeks (Nov 11, 2003)

oh here we go thx alain


----------

