Graduation season is upon us. As a recent graduate (where did the time go), it's weird to think that I'm done with college. The past four years taught me a lot, and this past semester, while insightful, was hectic: several consecutive weekends working on sets and worrying about nothing except final film projects. Below are a few things I've learned from being a film major.
1. Making a movie is hard.
There's a lot that goes into making a movie (see below), and when you don't fully understand the process, it's hard to grasp just how difficult it is to make one (even the bad ones). There's a lot of moving parts, and it requires a lot of organization, time management, and patience. It's stressful and exhausting. If one thing goes wrong, it could throw off the rest of production (not always, but the threat always looms), so problem solving skills and crisis management are also important to have, or have someone on the crew who has those skills. In a nutshell, making a movie is just really hard (eloquent, I know).
2. It takes a long time to make a movie.
I used to wonder why feature length films took months, and some years, to release from the time they started production to the time they finally came out in theaters. The first production class I took opened my eyes as to why the process is so long. There's a lot that goes into making films: writing a script, finding cast and crew, getting locations, actually shooting it, editing, etc., etc. Even my small, 5-10 minute projects took a couple of months (I also had other classes to worry about, but you get the idea).
3. Sleep is for the weak.
This semester especially was a test of how much I could function with limited sleep, and I'm sure others (in any major) can relate. Between working on my main film project, working on other people's projects, and trying to finish work for my other classes, sleep was virtually non-existent. There were a few times where I questioned whether I should work on an assignment until the wee hours of the morning, or give up and do it the next morning before class. Who needs sleep anyway.
4. It's important to mesh with your crew.
One of the worst things that could happen on a film shoot is having a crew that doesn't work well with each other. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that. Working with people who you get along with, even if you haven't known them for a long time or only just met them, walking onto a set and knowing you'll be able to work together is a great feeling. It makes everything run much smoother. During one of the projects I directed, my AD (assistant director) was an incredible grounding force, and took on a lot of my stress so I could worry about only what I needed to. My producer worked fast and got things done if I needed something from her. Because of them and the rest of the crew and cast, the whole shooting weekend was a lot of fun and felt less overwhelming than it had in the weeks leading up to it, which wouldn't have been the case if none of us could work together.
5. You can learn from everyone around you.
Working on sets is where I picked this one up from. I'm not a technically savvy person, so listening to other people talk about cameras and lenses and whatnot made my head spin, but the great thing about it was that they were more than happy to explain something to me I was curious about, tech related or not. I worked with a director of photography who's practically a walking encyclopedia for film, and I loved watching him work. When my professors and classmates provided notes to either myself or others about their work, we took the criticism seriously and used it to improve our work. I didn't go to college to be taught by other students, but they were valuable sources and I learned a lot from them.
6. Connect with the people around you.
You always hear people talk about the importance of networking in college. It wasn't until I got to Hofstra that I really started talking to people (probably because I finally had something in common with other students), but once I did, I realized that they're people I hope continue to stay in my life somewhere down the road, even if it's only a few. Over the past couple of semesters, I started to build up relationships with a couple of professors whose opinions and criticisms I value and trust. I met a few people I get along really well with who I wouldn't hesitate to reach out to again in the future. It doesn't hurt to know people, even if for now they're just students or recent grads too.
7. It was all worth it.
If I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing. Well...that's not entirely true. I would change a couple of things, but looking back, I'm glad I ended up where I did. Even though the hard parts sucked, and many of my doubts still haven't gone away, knowing what I know and who I've met makes everything feel just a little bit easier.
While I'll still probably spend endless nights panicking about the future, I've learned valuable lessons during my time at college, especially after becoming a film major, and I plan to hold on to them as long as I can.
