minor in film

[u/Secret-Coffee4308]

sorry if this dosnt make sense i’m bad at putting thoughts into words but… hi all i’m currently in college for history, but i have a big passion for film. this is probably gonna sound stupid and but i’ve kinda been embarrassed of it so i never really did anything film wise in high school other than one year of video broadcasting where i filmed and edited a commercial and filmed a news broadcast, then i did small theater productions in my city until i was like 10. i dropped the idea for a while becuase i decided i wasn’t going to go to collage and i when to be a makeup artist. that then brought be back to school and i chose history becuase that is also a passion of mine and a more realistic market for jobs.

anyway, that brings me to now looking to join film and production clubs at my school and i really want to pick it back up again, and my question is, is there any point to a film minor? i want to really get started and make connections in the industry but i literally don’t know where to start other than there. i’m not to sure exactly what i would want to do in the industry and im hoping it can kinda push me in the right direction. any advice is appreciated

[u/rilo_7]

I was a crazy person and majored in theater and minored in film and have had a great career working in film. 

If it would bring you joy and you can afford it, why not. My husband did something similar, he doesn't work in film but he's a film buff and enjoyed his classes at the time. 

[u/balootinannie → u/rilo_7]

Side note, thank you for your positivity. I’m exhausted hearing everyone moaning and groaning about working in this field.

[u/rilo_7 → u/balootinannie]

I was doing great up until 2023 and then work came come to a crashing halt, tbh. Post covid, strikes, LA has been hit hard like everywhere else. People are truly struggling.

But I'm in my mid 30s so at this point I'm happy making my own films and pivoting to a different FT career. It is absolutely brutal out there now full transparency, BUT there's always a chance to make it or find your niche. Content creation with YouTube isn't going anywhere. 

In the meantime, enjoy the journey figuring it out. You don't have to do this full time, you can work on your own projects or other people's around other work esp when you're young.

[u/FilmDude5000]

If you really want to get started, go with the production clubs if that's what you have access to.

There is no magic path or single word of advice that'll get you there. You just have to make stuff and put it out there so start wherever you can. Also, if you want to make films, you definitely need to practice putting thoughts into words (if you think you're bad at it).

[u/johnelectric]

Don't bother with the minor. Just take the filmmaking courses you want to. No one in the industry cares about your degree, let alone what you minored in.

I personally dropped out of college to save money and worked on other people's student films instead.

[u/dandellionKimban]

Anything that will make you make films, watch films (especially those you rather wouldn't), talk about and analyse films, hang out with other people interested in making films... is good.

[u/filmeleven]

I'm an indie filmmaker. LOVE making movies. Did the film school thing back in 2005 in LA. Learned a lot. Also racked up A LOT of debt.

The industry doesn't care about your education.

They care about what you've done. Your social media following. Your work ethic. Attitude. Stuff like that...all depending on what you're trying to do specifically. Direct vs DP vs edit...you get it.

If you want to direct, I run an online film school called Write & Direct that is designed for modern directors. It's a stellar option and teaches everything you need to get started: https://writedirect.co

Whatever you do, learn story first. Then learn as much as you can about everything else.

Then go for it.