The Truth About Florida Film School Reviews

Posted: April 4, 2012 by

If you search Florida film school reviews on the Internet, it’s likely that you’ll find several schools that are very well-reviewed and highly rated. In recent years, Florida has become a hotspot for film production (especially the Orlando area), rivaling places like New York and Los Angeles. It’s not surprising that film school has become big business in this region.

However, there is one critical question you won’t find answered in most of these reviews—and that is: does the film school help you connect to the film industry?

Why is this question so critical? Because no matter how good a film school claims to be—or how good other people claim it to be—without film industry connections, you will find it difficult to get a job after you graduate.

The thing is, with many other professions, earning a degree from a prestigious college or university actually says something about how qualified you are. For example, a new lawyer who graduates from Harvard Law School will be held in higher regard that someone with a law degree from a virtually unknown college in a remote part of the country. In cases like these, school rankings matter a lot more.

But the film industry simply doesn’t work this way. In film, nobody really is concerned about what film school you attended.  The people doing the hiring will want to know two things: who recommends you (connections) and what you’ve worked on (experience). This is why Florida film school reviews won’t really tell you what you need to know. It doesn’t matter how highly ranked your film school is—if it doesn’t connect you to the film industry, it is probably not worth the money. (In fact, a lot of successful film professionals never attended film school at all!)

Now, just to be clear—you need an education in film.  It’s just that there are many ways to get that education, not all of which include going to a high-profile film school. If you want to learn filmmaking in Florida, for example, one of the best places to learn it is from inside an actual film production company. And one way to get your foot in the door is to enroll in a film school that uses the mentor-apprentice approach.

This kind of film school doesn’t always appear on school review lists, but it is highly effective because it places you as a film apprentice in a real production company, learning the ropes directly from the professionals. There is no better way to get educated in film, because you get the experience and the connections you need while you are learning.

As a new filmmaker, your goal should be to launch a successful career, not to earn a degree from a highly ranked school. Florida film school reviews won’t tell you everything you need to know, so do your own homework to decide which Florida film school is best for you.