School or self-taught?

[TomFoolery]

I checked self-taught. While I did get a degree in Media Production, most of the production classes were in video. I did take one 16mm class, but didn't shoot super 8 until after I graduated.
Plus, even while I was in school, most of the knowledge I wanted to know about shooting film, as well as editing I had to go it alone. Unfortunately, the University was more geared towards television production, which didn't (and still doesn't) interest me, even though I edit television commercials for my 9 to 5. Gotta get that dough for my small films!

[etimh]

Both, of course. Mostly self-taught on matters of actual production as I initially started using video and film within a fine-art context as an undergrad. But while working on advanced degrees in critical film studies, I learned the most in terms of history, cinema aesthetics, criticism, and theory. This background informs most of what I do while making films today, even though I'm still learning and perfecting the technical issues. So, all things considered, I had to go with "school for your knowledge."

Tim

[drsanchez]

Saying self-taught implies I know something. Believe it or not, any self-teaching I do is a direct result of my recent interest in computer programming. I've learned almost everything I know using Google as a gateway, nothing formal except 1 semester of Pascal in 1987. That attitude of learning spilled over to learning filmmaking.

However, I'm toying with the idea of doing industrial videos as a career change and will take a television production course at our local cable-access channel to get the basics.

[filmamigo]

Both, but I voted film school because I found the rigour, the exposure to lots of gear, and the collegial critiquing of work to be very instructive. Plus, film history and theory classes were a great way to see A LOT of films you can't rent at the local Blockbuster, and learn about them within their particular contexts.

School gave me a solid grounding in photographic exposure, Super 8 and 16mm, and let me use gear like AATONs and Steenbecks that I never would have touched on my own. It was a perfect way to grow the knowledge I had learned on my own.

Dave

[steve hyde]

...not taught - just beginning to learn the craft. I took basic photography in high school and have joined a writers group with a focus on screenwriting. I'm currently in graduate school at the University of Washington in Seattle in a social science program (human geography) This university does not have a film program (for better or worse..)
But Seattle does have a film industry so most of my learning has come from talking to friends in the film industry, helping out on projects, asking for help with my projects and of course participating in discussions in this forum.

It is remarkable how much one can learn about filmmaking through various internet resources, however film school offers two very important things:

1) social networks in the industry
2) a portfolio of short films

My goal is to continue networking locally (and globally) and to develop a portfolio. Who knows what will happen after that....First I have to get my shorts made.

Steve

[mattias]

isn't the question really whether we went to film school or not, and not where we think we learned the most?

/matt

[steve hyde]

edit: double post

[steve hyde]

isn't the question really whether we went to film school or not, and not where we think we learned the most?

/matt

.....am I off topic?

[mattias]

i was referring to people who went to film school but still consider themseves self taught. you obviously learn more after school than in school, so if that's the question i'm very surprised anyone would check the chool alternative unless they graduated yesterday. ;-)

/matt

[Nigel]

I went to film school. I have nothing against saying it. I went highly regarded schools at that. Did I learn my craft in school?? No. Did I learn my craft as I grew?? Yes. The question can't be answered in a clean cut manner.

There are very few if any people that learned about this art solely from school...

I read the question as. "Did you go to film school?"

Well, Yes.

Did I learn everything I know from film school??

Well, No.

I know that no matter what I do I need a good gaffer. I know that while I can make an exposure and explain how I would like the light I am not the best person to actually light the set. I learned that while I have an image in my head that image is not what the movie is all about. It is only part of a larger picture. I learned that despite the fact that when a fat person makes a joke about being fat it isn't funny unless you surround them with people that are fatter than they are.

Moreover, film school taught me that the Clown that scoops up the Elephant shit in the circus still says he is in "Show Business."

I know I have produced some pretty shitty work....I know that everyone does. I also know that when it is over it is over and that if I fuck up to take it. To learn to try something new. To ask in a new way for what I need.

This Summer I shot a film that is the best script I have read in a long long long time. I blew it in many ways. Some my fault. Some things were beyond my control. I know that if I had communicated better and stood my ground a bit harder I may have just maybe been able to get the money I needed to pay people to help me get the images I know were worth the script.

Good Luck
PS--What I really learned in film school is to wear very comfortable shoes and knee pads. Yep, knee pads. You look like a fool but you will be happy in the morning. When you are 6'4"(193cm) you spend a lot of the time on the ground to get the shot...

[P.w.Shelton]

I'm self taught and still learning. I think it can go either way though. It really depends on what type of person you are. I bothers me when people say "Screw film school!" because one can always learn from many different sources.

[S8 Booster]

went to a basic course in what was to become my local S8 club in the early 80s which was quite good since it as all on reversal film for projection. occationally real pros from the industry showed up and did som gigs on special themes - they were all great but they admitted: you amateurs are able to ask 1000 times more questions than any pro are capable of replying too (they did not mention that half of the questions were outright silly though)

however, what this course thought me was how simple filmmaking really is - but real learning was done later while shooting my own stuff. the most proudest i am from my shooting was being able to edit my film in cam shooting with sound carts - not cutting or starting a scene mid movement unless n obvious match were in the pipeline - and at the same time not cutting or stopping the shoot in the same state regarding the sound.

when i learned this properly my homemovies really improved, my shoot concentration became really good and i felt that i became much more clever to compose the scenery on the fly when required.

this again made my ability to do proper filmwork much better - i gained better knowhow about how to make "feature" films rigging scenes - composing etc - easier seeing options turning up not initially in the script etc.

the "professionals" in our club never shot sound striped film so they never got trained to making dynamic and fast decision making under challinging shooting conditions. this - in my view - made their films lazy and slow in the progress - too scared about making errors even with slow docu style films.


apart from this i think Nigel touches the core. it is like driving a car - the driving schools may teach you to get quite safely form A-Z but do they teach you to explore the full poetential of the car - nope.. the real learning usually starts when you got ur license.

s/hoot

[EDIT: voted for self taught as the initial training course was only an introduction - the rest is on my capé.]

[mattias]

Yep, knee pads.

i use a pair of carpenter pants with built in pads, plus they have outside pockets that the light meter doesn't fall from when you bend over. and for when i don't have a gaffer they swallow an incredible amount of tape, c47's, blackwrap and gels too.

/matt 6'3"

[sunrise]

I went to university and know a lot about how the eye works, how the brain works and a lot of theoretical/philosophical stuff. I was also taugth many aspects of basic filmproduction techniques, mostly editing.

I was one of the first to insist on shooting on film when doing projects, but now many people do (mostly for the crappy or nostalgic look). I was never taught to shoot film, but how the human mind and body experience them. But I found that very useful in production too.

I also find that my work gets a whole lot better when I work with a good crew (goes without saying, but I mean I perform way better).

michael

[gianni1]

My parents shot countless rolls of 8mm in the early-mid 60's, with me shoting bits of that stuff like Foxes and Grizly Bears in Yellowstone, untlll our camera was stolen out of some 3rd world hotel...

[edit]

Did some formal education in High School and College, but mostly self taught with personal projects and ambition which lead to photography and videography.

[/edit]

I only got inspired by the 8mm Goddess last year, when one of my former students showed me his personal Sony Cinealta camera system... and said... I can do that....


Gianni in Londinum