A
female
age
30-35,
anonymous
writes:I know this is relationships but i really could use some third party advice! I'm going to university and want to know whether i should study the what i hope to pursue a career in, or whether i should study something else??Basically, i want to write, edit and produce films. I in fact went to college to study film and passed with great grades! So i figured the next step is university to get my degree.. But after talking with a close family friend who has been working in the film industry for over 15 years. He said that you don't need a degree in film to work in the film industry. In fact, Christopher Nolan along with other film directors and people in the industry, don't have a degree in film.He said that i should study something else that isn't film, so that i have a fall back. And in my spare time build up a showreel. I just don't know if that is a good idea, i mean having a degree in something else when i know i want to pursue films, just doesn't make sense? I wont be surrounded by people with the same ambitions and i'll feel like i'm stepping further away from my dream...Is he right, should i not study film and pursue a degree in something else as a fall back. Whilst building a showreel in my spare time? Or would it make more sense to just study a degree within film??
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male
reader, JohnnyXXX  +, writes (15 August 2011):
Not really sure how degrees work in the UK, but I think I get what you're talking about.
You already had some time in film to learn the basics. Now you should study in a field that will pay well and will allow you to work a M-F Day Job.
I'm a musician and after years of dealing with broken down equipment because I was always working minimum wage jobs, I finally got a good job and am now able to pay my bills AND buy new "toys".
Use that good job to buy yourself a camera and a good computer with good editing software and follow your passions in your spare time. If you make it to the point that you can quit your day job; great! If not; you're not going to wake up in your late 30's one day and realize that your life is 15 years behind everyone elses.
A
male
reader, Red Green 0289 +, writes (14 August 2011):
All too often people follow degree programs because they are "interesting". While there is a lot to be said for following your passion, you need to be a well rounded person. You need to get involved with multiple people in the industry, find out what they really do 8 to 12 hours a day, how they earn a living and make ends meet. Get their advice (you've gotten one already!) and learn from them.
Earning a living is not easy, and it's getting harder and harder each year. In the UK you have many immigrants moving in and they're well educated and will take over your job market. I suspect that most of them are NOT sending their kids off to an art college.
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A
female
reader, celtic_tiger +, writes (14 August 2011):
 I work at a UK university, and I see countless students taking 'film' 'media' etc .....
To be perfectly frank, there are so many people taking these arty degrees now, that they are devalued. They are what's known as 'soft' subjects.
Getting a degree in film studies, may interest you, but it is not worth the same in the job world, as a more academic degree. Even in the world of film making, it is not essential. What else can you do with a degree in film? To employers, it pigeon holes you totally.
My advice, would be to do a more academic subject, something that can be applied to a multitude of different jobs, industries and situations. With the excessive amount of graduates now the market is saturated. The majority of these are graduates of soft subjects, media, film, social science.... those doing the more academic, more difficult and ultimately more useful subjects are getting few and far between. But, a graduate with a first in media, is on a very different level, to one with a first in physics, business, law or english.
Employers are looking for core skills... english, maths, science.
Film is something that is creative... you can either do it or you cant. A three year degree will not suddenly make you into a film maker. It might give you skills, but you can learn those on the job. You cannot teach creativity. If you have natural talent, create your own showreel, make your own films... employers will like the fact you have taken the initative. They will like work experience, and on the job experience far more than evidence that you have sat in lectures for 3 years.
BUT have a backup. I tell my students that they need to be employable, that is the ultimate goal of doing a degree. No point doing 3 yrs of study, then not be able to get a job, or be unqualified for many others.
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A
female
reader, Battista +, writes (14 August 2011):
I would think that you could do a much more useful, and respected, degree that would still be useful in the film industry but also be a good useful qualification with transferable skills. How about doing a modern foreign language? A friend of mine studying French has done a great module on French films, which she has found interesting. I would think that a useful degree + a demonstrable extracurricular interest in films, such as a show reel as you say, and maybe running a film society or something like that, would be much more useful. You might well get the chance to do a dissertation in a foreign language degree as well in which you could probably focus on films if you wanted to.
If for whatever reason you can't get a job in the film industry then you need to have a good degree as a back up. Listen to your friend, ESPECIALLY as he is lucky enough to have 15 years' experience in the industry. He knows what's he's talking about so I would really follow his advice.
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A
male
reader, Odds +, writes (14 August 2011):
 Get a more useful degree, something applicable (Anything outside of liberal arts - try math, science, engineering, agriculture, even business). If filmmaking is your passion, make and edit films in your spare time with friends.
The film industry is extremely competitive, and most people who try to get into it fail. A film degree does nothing towards improving your chances. Getting into film is about taking crap jobs from no-name producers, then making a great impression on those no-names, then hoping the no-names become successful and somehow remember you. You need a backup plan no matter how dedicated or talented you are.
The only thing I would add is pick a useful degree you can actually devote time to, something you can do without hating, or preferably even enjoy. You will not pass mechanical engineering classes, for example, if you hate it too much to study.
Don't get a liberal arts degree of any sort. You will be tens of thousands of dollars (pounds, euros, whatever) in debt for something that is equivalent to a GED in the job market.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (14 August 2011): Why not contact TV and film studios direct and ask them - see if there are apprenticeships or internships - ask them the best way into the business?
I can see the advice on getting a fall back degree is good - he knows the business I guess, but doing a degree in something you love, is appealng...Plus if you have a year in industry you can build up contacts and get experience before completing your degree
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