Best Film School Alumni Advice

For our annual Best Film Schools in the U.S. & Canada feature, we surveyed a select number of indie moviemakers and industry vets who are far enough removed from their film school experience to have some critical distance while reflecting upon it, but not too far removed that their memories are clouded by nostalgia. Here’s what they had to say.

Sarah Elizabeth Mintz, writer-director of Good Girl Jane

Tisch School of the Arts at New York University

Sarah Elizabeth Mintz on the set of Louder than Bombs

What should aspiring moviemakers consider when picking a school?

So much of an education at NYU is about the city — New York City is one of a kind. For me, that factor held a lot of weight in my choice. Their alumni ain’t shabby either. Ask yourself what minds have come out of the institution? What films? Another big big thing is “focus.” Are you looking for a production track or a film studies track? I locked in on getting my hands dirty on set, but there’s plenty to be learned by watching, analyzing, and discussing.

What’s an area of focus that every film school needs?

Story development is key. Simply, if you don’t know how to tell a story, people won’t be moved by your work. But on a more practical level, I’d have to say production. I spent every weekend of my college experience on set either working on my own films, my peers’ films, or PA-ing bigger jobs. Set is a wonderland of experience. You meet the personalities. You learn the terms, the etiquette, the protocol. The experience is invaluable if directing is the end goal. And being on set is fun!

Maya Anand, manager of Talent Relations and Awards at Netflix

Columbia University School of the Arts

Maya Anand Best Film Schools in the US and Canada Film School Advice

What’s an area of focus that every film school needs?

Alumni Relations. The transition out of school into the industry is one of the most difficult stages of a career in this business, and the communities driven by alumni relations can be an important support system for graduates looking not only for work but mentorship and guidance as they enter the industry.

What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were a film student?

Stay open to where your work will take you. When I started school I was convinced that my dream to be a director was the only path to fulfillment in this business, but as I’ve pushed myself to be open to the ways my passion for cinema and filmmaking can shape my career, I’ve been wonderfully surprised by opportunities to discover and build communities and work with collaborators across the field.

Did you have a mentor during your program? If so, what invaluable lessons did you take away from that mentor?

My thesis advisor pushed me to build a network of people who I trust to evaluate and comment on my work through its many stages. To this day, the people I brought into that inner circle continue to be my compass and sounding board for both work and career choices.

Harrison Atkins, writer-director of Lace Crater, co-editor of Madeline’s Madeline, and co-executive producer of Easy

Northwestern University Department of Radio/Television/Film

Film School Alumni Advice High Resolution

Harrison Atkins on set of his short film “I Love to Wait.” Photo by David Brundige

What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were a film student?

It’s important to listen to your impulses, but it’s also necessary to recognize that sometimes others can understand your work better than you can. I think about a film I made in college that was 20 minutes long. My professor told me I could edit time out of it, but I didn’t believe him. Now when I watch it, I cringe because it’s so easy to see elements I should have removed.

Did you have a mentor during your program? If so, what invaluable lessons did you take away from that mentor?

My professor Spencer Parsons at Northwestern University taught me so much, I don’t even know where to start. He helped foster my appreciation for ambiguity, formal play, and the sublime. He’s got an encyclopedic film knowledge — he’d watch something I was working on and recommend me movies I’d never heard of, which would invariably blow my mind.

What did you do right out of film school?

Immediately after graduating, I worked as assistant-editor/DIT on Joe Swanberg’s Drinking Buddies. After that, I moved to New York and started hustling and shooting stuff with my tribe of homies.

Miguel Silveira, writer-director American Thief, faculty at Columbia College Chicago

Columbia University School of the Arts

Film School Advice Alumni Advice

Miguel Silveira on the set of American Thief

What should aspiring moviemakers consider when picking a school?

The most important questions an aspiring filmmaker should ask themselves as they look for their ideal school are:

1) How do I want to spend the next couple of years of my life?

2) Where do I want to spend the next couple of years of my life?

3) Do I want to adhere to the industry’s needs and spend my time in film school as if it was a trade school or do I want to study film in the artistic and historical sense described by the term cinema?

What’s an area of focus that every film school needs?

In today’s world, no film school should be racist or sexist by omission. If a particular school doesn’t promote diversity and inclusion, this school has failed to catch up to the times and is only perpetuating a worldview that limits cinema’s potential.

Jason Lester, writer-director of High Resolution and “It Was Like a Dream I Remember from an Easier Time”

Tisch School of the Arts at New York University

High Resolution

(L-R) Jason Lester, Ellie Bamber, and Justin Chon on the set of High Resolution

What should aspiring moviemakers consider when picking a school?

I don’t necessarily believe you need to be in the heart of the industry action while at film school, but you should try to place yourself somewhere that you think is going to be creatively inspiring at this point in your life. For me at 18, that was New York. It’d likely be somewhere quite different now.

What’s an area of focus that every film school needs?

In their race to promote production capabilities, a lot of film schools undervalue their critical studies departments (and often these departments are pretty Eurocentric). Every film student should be educated in global perspectives on cinema. Learn from those who came before you, and seek out films with diverse perspectives!

Also read: The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, 2020

What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were a film student?

You will eventually be embarrassed by everything you made in film school, so approach each project fearlessly. You will never again in your filmmaking journey have so much freedom to fail, and that should be liberating. It’s like that Samuel Beckett quote: “Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” I love that ethos.

What did you do right out of film school?

I moved back home to L.A. and began working in the music video industry. Shortly after, I optioned the rights to Tao Lin’s novel Taipei, and turned it into my first feature, High Resolution, which came out in 2018.

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