Did I waste 4+ years? « Videomaker Forums

NormanWillis
Member

>>If something is your passion, you need to pursue it and you need to know that what you are doing is something that you enjoy. I once heard that "if you love what you do for a living, you will never work a day in your life," and I believe this wholeheartedly which is why I am now less than a year from a business degree with emphasis on the entertainment industry with hopes to get a hybrid film/business masters after that.

Amein.

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composite1
Moderator

"Bovine Scatologic"

HA! That's a good one and I shall add it to my personal lexicon.

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TDedmonSBP
Member

It's a popular radio-friendly catch phrase of one of the talk radio guys I listen to, I love it.

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composite1
Moderator

On your poll I chose 'other' as your first choice wasn't specific to my answer. I think if you can swing it, go for 'training' (i.e. certifications), a 'degree' (BA, MA, MFA) and work in the field. Why? Because if you're 'in this to win this' you'll constantly need to update your info and refine your techniques to stay current. I would like to think that ultimately you would like to produce larger and larger productions as you go along. Going to conferences, training seminars and attending university grade courses will not only keep you abreast of the latest gear and techniques, it will allow you to network with other industry pros. My company's latest film went into production from a chance discussion at a conference with reps from a large production equipment firm. Had I not attended the conference, the project never would have happened.

Another reason to follow such a course is your competition. Every six months new college grads with shiny new degrees in production get turned out into the marketplace. You're going to have to compete with them, all those who came before you and all of the one's coming up behind you. Quiet as been kept, the days of 'just going out and working in the industry' are over. The trend now is to use these shiny new grads as unpaid interns. Yeah, they don't have full capabilies as production personnel but they have the higher end basic skills I mentioned earlier in the thread. Who do you think is going to get picked for internships? Some schmoe off the street with no background in production and no secondary skills or the schmoe fresh out of college with the basics? Additionally, you may find yourself not wanting to have your own outfit and want to work for a studio or production house. When you go up for those kind of gigs you'll be up against razor sharp competition. In today's economy, the comp is sharper than ever. The more knowledge, training and practical skills you've acquired will give you more opportunities to work.

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MazdaMan
Member

Although I have absolutely no training or education in audio/video I do have a direct personal experience in another equally competitive field, professional racing. I spent $25,000 for a 1700 hour automotive tech school program 900 hours of that was NASCAR training, fabrication, chassis apps, aerodynamics, dyno operation, engine building, safety systems, the works. All of my instructors were either retired from nascar or currently employed on a team. The curriculum DID NOT teach enough to get you onto a team getting paid and probably 90% of the graduates couldn't even get on a team as a volunteer. The way I saw it I payed all that money to pick the brain of every instructor I had for every second of the 6 hours I saw them every day. I asked them questions until they started running out of answers. I graduated with honors, top 5 of my class and started knocking down the doors of every race team in charlotte, craftsman truck teams, busch teams, grand american series, daytona prototype teams, winston cup. 1.5 years of being turned out the door and even watching them throw my resume in the trash in front of me, finally I got into a machine shop paying minimum wage, I had a heart beat so I was qualified, after all machine shop skills are required in racing...

I kept pounding down doors, it took me 2 years to get my first interview, I didn't like the way it went but 2 weeks later they called me back for a 2nd interview and another 2 weeks I get a call that I've been declined. A while longer goes by and one night I get a call from a guy, he tells me his name but not who he's with and wants to know what my ambitions are. I tell him about what I want to do in racing and he asks if I would be willing to take a janitor position on a team until they had an opening. I said yes without hesitation, we arrange for an interview, he says not to waste my time with making up a resume for him to see, they'll learn everything they need to know in the interview. Come to find out the director of operations was personal friends with one of my instructors at school and asked him to send over his recommendations for 3 of his previous students. After a 6 hour interview they hire me into their engine program with a few major deciding factors, first was that I completed the school program I was in and therefor showed dedication, 2nd was because I asked them just as many questions in the interview as my instructor said I did in school lol, and lastly they felt I was capable of learning any tasks needed and was humble enough to learn lesser things first. At the time the team was Evernham Motorsports, our top driver was Kasey Kahne.

Might be a bit too much detail but I wanted to paint the clear picture that I would have never gotten there without the school and my instructors and as you can guess every nut who has ever turned a wrench on a car is knocking on their door for a dream. However a second point I would like to make is if it was worth it? After working with that team for a year I learned that if I spent that 25 grand on a mechanical engineering degree at UNC Charlotte I probably could have walked right into most of the teams without much resistance and may still be in racing now. When the economy started going south and sponsors started backing out the guys with the ME degrees kept their jobs and I didn't. The choise of what and were you go to school might be the bigger question to ask than if it was worth the time.

Sorry for the long post.

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flogonojo
Member

I haven't read all the posts, but I want to post my two cents since I graduated a year ago from college with a degree in Television/Radio. I have felt a similar way, not that I wasted 4 years (otherwise I wouldn't have discovered that I like video), but I could have gotten a lot better education if I went to the right school. Let's just say our communication dept. was/is in dire need of some help. I feel as if I've learned as much or more after college working solely freelance video jobs.

Like everyone else has said, don't victimize yourself...pick up a cam and start making videos. Even if it's just going to the park and shooting random people. What I've found is that if you want to be in this line of work you really have to love it. I'm a Christian, and I really believe that no matter what your line of work is that God will provide what you need if you trust in Him. He has me! Anyways, I hope you find what you're looking for zeta1983. (Wow...I didn't realize that this thread was started 1 year ago. That's when I graduated!)

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gldnears
Member

Zeta, Schools which teach " creative " subjects seldom teach more than the mechanics. I don't know how one goes about learning the creative instincts associated with film and video other than by exposing themself to many, many hours of their chosen craft.

Do you really want to be a successful editor? I would suggest that if you could, you should jump into the fire in LA. See if you can weasel your way into an internship at a major studio. See if you can somehow crash the gate at the Editor's Guild and find employment as an assistant. Most top line editors are technologically handicapped and embrace assistants who can fight the computer wars and keep everything in the editing room organized and workflow uninterrupted. Being an assistant will expose you to more creative aspects of the craft than 100 years in school. Assisting should provide a living and client contacts which will ( hopefully before too long ) lead to an editor's chair.

A career as an IATSE member will provide excellent benefits and retirement!

RWC

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grinner
Member

You did not waste 4 years if you had a good time, man.
I've seen many get a degree in this field thinking that would some how entitle them to a high-paying job, or even help with that. Then they get a chip on their choulder when they see they have to do the same legwork as the guys who just made a reel and started networking. Your reel gets ya gigs, don't think a degree does. It doesn't.
While I have three degrees and have never used one, man college was no waste for me. The parties alone were worth the time. If you have the opportunity, you should go. If you just want to get to work in this industry, create a great demo reel, cold-call every production facility in your market, take what is offered (yes even if that is working for free) and climb the same ladders we all had to climb.
Enjoy it. It's pretty freakin' fun.

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