Spencer Hoffman is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and current film student. He is an avid consumer of cinema and television and enjoys sharing his insight on these topics within his features and reviews. He strongly believes in the power of the written word and the importance of truth in everything. Spencer aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s views of empowerment and raising all types of voices up. He hopes to entertain and incite meaningful conversation with his pieces.
Jul 27, 2024
Table of Contents
Intro
Leaving high school, I was completely unsure of what my calling was. I was never much of a STEM student and the passions I had like piano and drawing weren’t career paths I wanted to pursue. However, a creative writing class I took my senior year put the idea in my head: what if I was a writer? After one year of being undecided, wanting to be a writer snowballed into wanting to write films: as a screenwriter. I was shocked after being admitted into the major and finally began my career as a film student.
“When my son wanted to go to undergraduate film school, I called George Lucas, who told him: Don’t go. Learning to make a movie is like learning to drive. Anybody can learn to drive. It’s where you drive that counts.”
Although not a straightforward answer, I’ve drawn the conclusion that as an aspiring film writer, film school only prepares you as much as you let it.
Film in the scholarly world is a relatively new field. Despite film creation dating back to the 1800s, film schools did not become relevant in any sense until the 1960s with the creation of institutes such as the American Film Institute and the New York University Film Department. It can be argued, however, that film as a school practice has only just recently become a popular area of study for undergraduates. I remember my father telling me a story about when he was in college, studying film as a major was generally unheard of. Film classes might have been available depending on the school you went to but studying film with hopes of entering the industry was extremely taboo, let alone specific majors within a film department.
Most film schools are broken up into multiple majors that all fall under one department. This is the case with my school, Loyola Marymount University (LMU). At LMU, School of Film and Television (SFTV) students are required to choose a major within the department, such as screenwriting, production, or recording arts to name a few. Within a given major are classes required of all film students, such as Production 101, and major-related classes, like writing the feature for screenwriters. At the end of their four-year education, SFTV students are required to produce a senior thesis that encapsulates everything they’ve learned through the department, such as writing and directing their final movie.
As a screenwriter actively trying to enter the industry, I believe the ultimate way to improve as a writer and thinker is to constantly receive feedback on my work, criticism or not. At LMU, screenwriting classes are formatted similarly to a writer’s room where students are expected to prepare however much writing the professor asks of them and read their material to the class for feedback. Having participated in this classroom style for several years now, I have to say it has exponentially improved my writing skills and what does and does not make sense in the stories I tell. Professors and other faculty members of LMU have also been extremely useful in helping me apply to jobs and internships outside of school along with assisting in writing my resume.
Despite the education you receive from film school, is there any other benefit outside of the classroom? Most film students throughout their undergraduate careers are exposed to other film students, many of which allow them to participate in film sets and engage in film products outside of school. As anyone in the industry can tell you, the connections you can make with other filmmakers are crucial to your career because they not only allow you to grow as a filmmaker but also allow you to reach out to these same people for future opportunities and projects.
So, are film students ready for the industry? The concise answer is no. Having participated in education for a lifetime only to try and break into an extremely competitiveindustry right after is an unbelievably difficult feat that requires a great deal of hard work and dedication. However, film school allows students to get a taste of what the film industry might be like. In an industry that is all about the connections you create, film school is an excellent starting point for getting to know other filmmakers and working with others in a group setting.
Film school can only prepare you as much as you let it. Although no professor or student will be as critical as a room of producers, there are still great takeaways from a great film program. Depending on how much a student actively participates in their film education and engages with the community around them will decide what will prepare them for the entertainment industry.
Overall, film school can only prepare a student as much as they allow it to. As someone scarily close to concluding my undergraduate education as a film student, I have to say film school has prepared me for the industry more than if I had never attended. Attending a film program in Los Angeles has also played a part in helping, and it’s important to consider the financial burden that something like attending a film school can place on a student. However, if film school is something a student can afford and the student is undoubtedly passionate about the subject, then a student can use the tools presented at film school to better their chances of breaking into the film and television industry.
By Spencer Hoffman
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Spencer Hoffman is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and current film student. He is an avid consumer of cinema and television and enjoys sharing his insight on these topics within his features and reviews. He strongly believes in the power of the written word and the importance of truth in everything. Spencer aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s views of empowerment and raising all types of voices up. He hopes to entertain and incite meaningful conversation with his pieces.
Spencer Hoffman is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and current film student. He is an avid consumer of cinema and television and enjoys sharing his insight on these topics within his features and reviews. He strongly believes in the power of the written word and the importance of truth in everything. Spencer aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s views of empowerment and raising all types of voices up. He hopes to entertain and incite meaningful conversation with his pieces.
Spencer Hoffman is a writer for The Hollywood Insider and current film student. He is an avid consumer of cinema and television and enjoys sharing his insight on these topics within his features and reviews. He strongly believes in the power of the written word and the importance of truth in everything. Spencer aligns with The Hollywood Insider’s views of empowerment and raising all types of voices up. He hopes to entertain and incite meaningful conversation with his pieces.
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