Archive for April, 2021

The Struggle of Film Schools to Stay Current

April 7th, 2021

Read the following story if you are serious about finding a film school in Colorado. Years ago, Mandy (not her real name) enrolled in an accredited university with a telecommunications major. Her wish was to make movies. But as she embarked in her studies, she soon lost interest, and eventually dropped out of the program completely.

The reason? The techniques they were teaching her were approximately 20 years old-and so was the equipment! The university did not have the budget to update their equipment, so they were making do with what they had. The problem was, Mandy knew that what she was learning wasn’t going to benefit her in the real world. Technology had long overtaken what she was learning in her classes. Obviously, not every college or film school has old equipment or teaches old techniques. Unfortunately, Mandy’s situation is one that represents what’s happening in the forefront of the formal educational system: struggling to keep up with modern technology.

The more troubling reality is that the experience of Mandy happened nearly 25 years ago, when technology was not advancing nearly as rapidly as it is today. Today, the changes are happening so rapidly that equipment and software have to be updated sometimes only a few years after it’s purchased. Colorado film schools face this dilemma the same as any other institution; if educational facilities were having trouble keeping up 25 years ago, imagine how hard it must be today.

Good thing that there are several decent film schools – some even are well- respected in the industry – today. But such decency in terms of techniques and technology isn’t achieved without sweat: schools have to spend lots of money to stay current. And where do they get the money to spend on this equipment? Of course, from the students – from you! A considerable chunk of your tuition money has to go toward keeping the equipment current, and keeping the instructors re-trained on how to use the equipment-which is why film schools can be so costly. In this type of industry, in order for them to stay competitive, they have to remain expensive.

But worry no more, as the industry itself is one area where it’s not as hard to stay updated. Since the film industry is the one making the movies, it sets the standards in terms of equipment, software as well as techniques. And since they’re in a business that thrives on being updated, they dedicate a percentage of their profits in doing so. So imagine how much less it might cost to educate film students directly on the set, or in the studio-because the current technology is built into the learning environment already. Obviously, learning film making under the tutelage of a professional is way less costly than being in a specialized academic facility. So if you are thinking about Colorado film schools, consider all your alternatives. There are alternative approaches where the “classroom” is in the field; one of these choices might be more what you require.

Colorado Film School offers one-on-one mentoring from Hollywood fil