Film school confidential
How to get a film
education without mortgaging your future
Film
is an art form that depends on technology.
As Kathryn Emslie, director of the film/TV
programs at the Canadian Film Centre, puts
it, "You can't divorce 'craft' from
'creative' in film." Currently, interest in
learning new film-related technologies is
growing rapidly, and film studies is a
program of choice for post-secondary
students.
"Interest has increased
almost exponentially in the past few years,"
says Chris Aylward, program director for
film studies at Ryerson University, "to the
point where we receive over 1,000
applications for 50 spots. It's highly
competitive." Aylward speculates that the
increase is due to the higher profile of
film-related careers, and the fact that many
high schools have introduced video equipment
into their coursework.
Darlene Lim, who
graduated from Ryerson's film studies
program in 1999, says she chose film school
because "I really love storytelling, and
film is the one area where I have the
ability to depict things the way I want."
Lim enrolled in an acting program at York
University before switching to Ryerson. "I
figured if I can't be an actor, then
I'm going to boss them around," she jokes.
Right now there's a
bewildering number of institutions in
Toronto teaching film-related courses. Some
universities, like Ryerson and York, offer
bachelor's degrees, while private schools
like Trebas Institute and the Toronto Film
School offer a fast-track diploma option.
Some, like U of T, offer theory and
criticism only; others, like Sheridan
College, specialize in computer animation.
"A student considering
film should research all the schools,"
advises Aylward, "and get a thorough
understanding of what the commitment is, in
terms of time and money. Because film school
is not cheap. Look for a school that
provides the emphasis on what you're looking
for -- if you want to write, if you want to
direct, if you want to study film theory or
history, different schools cater to
different interests."
Aylward's right -- film
school is not cheap. Trebas charges $12,900
for a nine-month course, for example, while
York and Ryerson charge $1,000 per course
(typically, students take four or five
courses per year for four years). In
addition to tuition, students are usually
responsible for covering their own
filmmaking costs, which can be expensive.
To Scott McLaren, who
graduated from York in 1995, the prohibitive
cost of taking courses was one of the main
drawbacks to his experience. "Ultimately, I
don't think I learned too much from film
school.
"I wasn't the most
stellar film student around," he admits. "I
started out in production, then went into
video production and eventually got a
screenwriting degree, just because it was
the cheapest way out of there. I watched a
lot of film students do their third- and
fourth-year film projects and spend anywhere
from $3,000 to $15,000 on things that were
ultimately unwatchable."
McLaren says his
experience at York was generally positive,
however, because "it allowed me to network
and meet some cool people I'm still working
with."
Lim agrees with that
idea. "The biggest thing I took from Ryerson
was the people I met there," she says.
"'Going to war and back' with 50 classmates
for four years makes you very close. There's
still a support group that I lean on now. I
would say that's the biggest benefit to film
school. When you're working in Canada, where
the industry for independent film is small,
you depend on the charity and kindness of
others, so it helps to have 50 friends who
know what they're doing and might be willing
to help if you feed them."
Still, $30,000 is a lot
of money to spend on making friends -- most
graduates of film programs hope to find
work, too. McLaren has forged his own career
by starting the On the Fly festival and his
own production company, Punching Bag
Productions, while Lim is still trying to
break into the industry. She was one of her
year's most promising students;
her second-year film project,
Little
Moments, won the Norman Jewison
Filmmaking Award and has been selected for
several film festivals, including the
Sprockets children's festival. But she still
has to do temp work to make ends meet.
"It's definitely a
struggle," says Lim. "Not to say there isn't
work in the field, but finding work that
affords you the opportunity to learn is very
difficult. It's relatively easy, if you're
persistent, to get production assistant
work. And that's good to a degree -- I
worked in a production office for about a
year -- but none of that stuff gets you
anywhere near learning the craft of
directing."
A film degree can be an
expensive gamble, and a lot of successful
directors never bothered to get one.
Although David Cronenberg and Atom Egoyan
made films while studying at U of T, neither
got a degree in film -- Cronenberg studied
English and science, while Egoyan took
international relations.
However, there's
another option open to film professionals:
the Canadian Film Centre, the industry's
unofficial "finishing school." The
Alliance-Atlantis residents' program, the
backbone of the centre, provides a
five-month course for writers, directors,
producers and editors.
"We're not looking to
recruit people who want to be filmmakers,"
stresses the centre's Emslie. "We're looking
for people who have actually gone out there
and done some work on their own." A typical
applicant has already made one or two short
films, and usually comes from a background
in documentaries or experimental films.
Though the Film Centre
may be out of reach for many budding
filmmakers, Emslie has some advice for them:
watch more movies, especially the classics.
"I think it's a shame that more filmmakers
seem to be coming who don't know Godard,
don't know Truffaut and don't know a lot of
history. They think they're being fresh and
innovative, when really what they're doing
is just repeating what's gone before."
Emslie also suggests
that people interested in making movies make
use of local film co-operatives. "Some of
the film co-ops have done really great
stuff. Trinity Square Video, LIFT [Liaison
of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto] --
they've done workshops on everything from
how to edit to how to work with actors.
Those have been terrific -- their value
should never be underestimated in terms of
teaching skills."
McLaren seconds the
idea of Trinity Square Video (593-1332) and
LIFT (588-6444). "My advice to anyone who's
considering a career in the film industry
would be to begin with themselves and a
video camera," he says. "Begin with
something small and inexpensive -- that can
be your camera or your friend's camera or
your friend-of-friend's camera, or one that
you get from a video co-op. Begin, and find
out whatever it is you want to learn. Shoot
some stuff and get some personal experience,
and then you'll know what it is you need
more of. You may end up saving $30,000. Or
you may end up spending your money wisely."
WHERE TO STUDY FILM
CANADIAN FILM CENTRE
Diploma/degree: None --
advanced training for filmmakers
Minimum entrance qualification: Filmmaking
experience is essential -- applicants are
required to submit their scripts and films
and pass a one-on-one interview
Tuition: $4,500 for the Alliance/Atlantis
resident program
Scholarships: Various
Length of program: Five months
(July-December)
Application deadline: Feb. 2
Web site: <www.cdnfilmcentre.com>
Famous alumni: Don McKellar (Last Night),
Clement Virgo (Love Come Down),
Vincenzo Natali (Cube)
Enrolment: 250-300 applicants for 28 places
(eight writers, producers and directors;
four editors)
Student/camera ratio: 2:4, with each
director shooting four or five films over
the five-month program
HUMBER COLLEGE
Diploma/degree: Diploma
Minimum entrance qualification: 75-80 per
cent high school average, plus world
experience
Tuition: $1,600 a year
Scholarships: Various
Length of program: Three years
Application deadline: Feb. 4
Web site: <www.humberc.on.ca>
Famous alumni: No household names, but you'd
be hard-pressed to find a film shoot or
post-production house without a Humber grad
Enrolment: 72 students accepted from 2,000
applicants
Student/camera ratio: 6:1
ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART
AND DESIGN
Diploma/degree: Diploma
Minimum entrance qualification: High school
diploma plus review of applicant's portfolio
Tuition: $4,323
Scholarships: Various
Length of program: Four years (first year is
Foundation Studies, then students can move
into Integrated Media)
Application deadline: March 2
Web site: <www.ocad.on.ca>
Famous alumni: Experimental filmmakers
Michael Snow, Kika Thorne, Ross McLaren,
Wrik Mead, Lynne Fernie; video director
Floria Sigismondi
Enrolment: 60-70 second-year Integrated
Media students
RYERSON UNIVERSITY
Diploma/degree:
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Minimum entrance qualification: High school
diploma
Tuition: $4,000-$5,000 per year
Scholarships: Various, including
scholarships endowed by Bruce McDonald and
Norman Jewison
Length of program: Four years
Application deadline: Feb. 2
Web site: <www.imagearts.ryerson.ca>
Famous alumnus: Bruce McDonald
Enrolment: 50 in first year, 200 overall.
Over 1,000 hopefuls apply
Student/camera ratio: "Fairly high" -- but
ratio decreases as students progress since
cameras get more expensive
SHERIDAN COLLEGE
Diploma/degree: Diploma
Minimum entrance qualification: High school
diploma plus world experience
Tuition: approx. $4,500 per year
Scholarships: Various
Length of program: Three years, plus
one-year post-grad program; Sheridan also
offers a shared degree program with York
Application deadline: Early March
Web site: <www.sheridanc.on.ca>
Famous alumni: Gemini Award-winning sound
editors Stephen Barden, Craig Hennigan and
Jill Purdy; experimental filmmakers Mike
Hoolboom and Phil Hoffman
Enrolment: 65 accepted from 1,600 applicants
TORONTO FILM SCHOOL
Diploma/degree: Diploma
(full-time placements only)
Minimum entrance qualification: Students are
considered on their own merits -- portfolio,
motivation, etc.
Tuition: $17,800
Scholarships: One $500 cash award
Length of program: 50 weeks (full-time)
Application deadline: Any time up to the
start of each course in October, January,
April or July
Web site: <www.iaod.com>
Famous alumni: Program only started two
years ago, "but Danny DeVito has stopped by"
Enrolment: 15 (increases to 30 in April)
Student/camera ratio: 4:1, but as program
progresses, ratios may go down
TREBAS INSTITUTE
Diploma/degree: Diploma
(full-time placements only); two film/TV
programs: production and post-production
Minimum entrance qualification: High school
diploma, plus entry exam
Tuition: $12,900
Scholarships: Only upon graduation, to top
student (up to $3,000)
Length of program: Nine months (full-time)
Application deadline: Four weeks prior to
start dates in January, April, July, October
Web site: <www.trebas.com>
Enrolment: 20 students accepted from 60
applicants
Student/camera ratio: 20:8
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
Diploma/degree:
Bachelor of Arts (Film Studies)
Minimum entrance qualification: High school
graduating average above 80 per cent;
students apply to Humanities/Arts & Science,
then, having achieved 70 per cent or more,
take the film program in second year
Tuition: $1,000 per course (typical
courseload is four to five courses)
Scholarships: Various
Length of program: Four years (Specialist)
or three years (Major)
Application deadline: March 1
Web site: <www.utoronto.ca/cinema>
Famous alumni: Atom Egoyan took three or
four courses here, as did Grass
director Ron Mann
Student/camera ratio: No cameras -- the
course is strictly theory, criticism,
history
YORK UNIVERSITY
Diploma/degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Minimum entrance qualification: High school
average of at least 80 per cent, plus
portfolio, work experience, etc.
Tuition: $1,000 per course (typical
courseload is four to five courses)
Scholarships: Various
Length of program: Four years
Application deadline: March 15
Web site: <www.yorku.ca>
Famous alumni: Cinematographers Mark Irwin (There's
Something About Mary, Twister)
and Paul Sarossy (The Sweet Hereafter,
Exotica); Rhombus Media, one of
Canada's top production houses, was founded
here in 1979
Enrolment: 60 accepted into first year; 250
enrolled over the four-year program
Student/camera ratio: Different types of
cameras used (e.g., Super 8, 16mm) mean the
ratio changes throughout the program.
