Contrary to popular belief, majoring in film isn't just about watching movies - it's a lifestyle requiring intense self-discipline, persistence, an open mind, a thick skin, and plenty of creativity to spare...
...not to mention a whole lot of quirkiness. What society deems "bizarre" is the glue that binds us as Film Studies majors together, and I savor every single creative and intellectual pursuit that ensues along the way.
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1. Watching a movie is never just "watching a movie."
It's a time to analyze every single cinematographic/thematic decision and what it all means in the greater context of the work. You can seriously empathize with all the English/Lit majors out there for this very reason.
2. "Pulling an all-nighter" means spending 14+ hours in the editing lab.
Incidentally, that's where the majority of your social life happens as well.
3. All of your friends have acted in (or crewed on) at least one of your films.
Because nothing beats cheap/free labor, spending time with friends, and making something amazing together simultaneously.
4. You're seldom found without a camera. Ever.
And we're not talking a cell phone camera - it's a full-on DSLR or mirrorless with several interchangeable lenses. Gotta be prepared to get the perfect shot when you least expect it!
5. Watching The Room is a rite of passage for your friends.
"The Citizen Kane of bad movies," as my professor/advisor so famously put it.
6. Terms like desuturing, subversion, and deconstruction sneak into your everyday conversations.
You can't help it, really.
7. Behind every good screenplay you write is a bazillion horrible drafts.
As in, so horrible that you want to burn all evidence of them ever existing.
8. You're often mistaken for a gun enthusiast whenever you mention having to restock on C-47s for your upcoming shoot.
As one of my Film Studies friends duly noted, "All of our film equipment seems to have been named by kids trying to act like adults."
9. You've memorized the entirety of Laura Mulvey's Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.
And when it comes time to write 15-20 pages worth of in-depth analysis, you sneak in at least one quote from her because Laura Mulvey is a literal goddess.
10. Playing with toys is all in a day's work.
Dollys, cranes, jibs, RED Riders, gimbles - they allow for some breathtaking shots and are a blast to use.
11. TV Tropes entries make up the majority of your internet browsing history.
Ruining the lives of media buffs since 2004!!
12. Avant-garde/experimental cinema is criminally underrated, and no one can convince you otherwise.
Frustrating? Certainly, at least on occasion. But filmmakers like Stan Brakhage, Maya Deren, Su Friedrich, Kenneth Anger, and Michael Snow have exposed you to an entirely different way of seeing the world, and for that you are eternally grateful.
13. Group projects are actually the best.
The danger of too many cooks is ever-present, but it's a small price to pay when you have more connections to pull resources from, more ideas flowing during pre- and post-production, and more people to sympathize with during the filmmaking process. Plus, everyone's equally invested in the final product, so there's nary a straggler to be found!
14. You get extremely frustrated when people tell you that Film Studies is a pointless major.
15. Or that anyone can make a movie.
16. Or that there's no real academic component to it.
Oh, but there is. Your assignments regularly intersect sociology, psychology, literary/textual analysis, political science, history, and GWS––and that's not counting the physics, mathematics, computer science, and art components that come into play when the camera starts rolling!
17. Frankly, there are times where you wonder if it's even worth it.
Job prospects upon graduation are slim (to put it kindly), what jobs you can get don't pay very well for the most part, and even something as simple as an 8-10 minute film can take thousands of hours to complete. Then there's the stress, bouts of writer's block, sleepless nights in the editing lab, coordinating schedules and finding a cast/crew/locations on a shoestring budget, marketing yourself to festivals...Needless to say, it's incredibly easy to give up.
18. But when all is said and done, you can't imagine yourself not pursuing a major where everyone is part of a supremely quirky, amazingly creative and supportive family.
19. In the end, you're a Film Studies major because you're passionate about movies, and creating them grants you the privilege of communicating with others – one frame at a time.
