Importance of Getting Full Time (Higher) Education in Filmmaking

Filmmaking involves ideation, exploration, and formation of a concept. It is the art form which combines creativity with logic and lets a filmmaker cast his thoughts in a tangible fashion. In order to acquire proficiency and higher capabilities of transforming your thoughts into action, technical knowledge is a must. Film schools aim at providing not only the theoretical knowledge behind it but also imparting valuable practical experience to the students entering this field. And of course, it involves multiple levels of people working on a particular project, so it requires a specialist with the exact knowledge of handling functions. The importance of higher education is equivalent to learning how to play guitar, if you want to be a guitarist.

A film is created and is based on a story or an idea, the connection between what a scriptwriter or a director perceives to what we see on the screen is what film education serves to do. If an idea is backed with proper resources and background knowledge, only then it can fully culminate into its actual form. Thus, a film school helps a prospective filmmaker to leverage his ideas by inculcating in him the right set of skills. A film school degree can help a budding film professional in more than one way.

Secondly, a specialized degree, such as in screenplay writing or film photography provides adequate context and critical understanding of building acumen in a concrete direction in Filmmaking. A formal education roots Filmmaking practices in film theory and locates it within the global context. This was also a primary reason for the establishment of film schools in India as recommended by the S.K. Patil Commission. The importance of film education is elucidated in Dibakar Banerjee’s, a prominent director, screenwriter, and producer words, and “If we did not have the incursion of film school students into the industry, we would have an even more frightening scenario of mediocrity. Their exposure to the fine details, a certain rigor for cinema and even their tryst with world cinema in their classes balances the existing ethos of commercial cinema in the industry.”

Thirdly, a higher education degree in Filmmaking serves to leverage the power of media more consciously. The content of often have the high influence on the masses. A formal degree puts this notion into perspective and equips a filmmaker with the tools and knowledge to determine the extent of influence of their message through their films. This is especially important for documentaries. Many documentary filmmakers consider presenting the right message to the audience a sensitive art which is developed over time. Learning direction or screenwriting then is no different from developing a hardware.

Lastly, higher education in the film industry also helps a person to gain recognition. If you have successfully completed a professional diploma or a degree course, you possess the tangible proof of your skills and training. It is all the more important if it’s from a renowned institution. Along with proper experiential learning, recognition serves to present more opportunities and prospects for filmmakers. And once your work is recognized, it is only a matter of time that it would reap huge benefits. A successful filmmaker knows the importance of standing out from the crowd and developing a novel concept. Higher education and experience can go a long way in providing the requisite recognition to excel in the industry.