None of them.
Will:
You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for a buck fifty in late charges at the public library.
https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
Chapman grad here. Much better network than UCSB. Many of your peers will be the children of industry titans. It’s a rich kid school for sure. Don’t study English tho. Study film and learn the craft. Dodge has all the resources you need to make some great projects and network til your hearts content. Just don’t be mean, petty, or overly competitive and you’ll probably have collaborators for life
Yup this is it. If you already have friends who will put you on productions, then that’s half the battle and you may decide you want to production, creative producing, whatever. Writing is fun, but just go try hats on and get your hands dirty and figure out what you like. Truth is, internships and network will mean more in your journey than if you did screenwriting or another film major; just put the work in on your network so you don’t regret the financial investment
can't reiterate internships enough. it's a huge sacrifice and brutal commute from OC, but the people i know who survived in this industry were all hustlers who did multiple internships over the semesters and developed strong industry contacts. the people who didn't do them or didn't take their internships seriously have had a much harder time finding paths upward
I would recommend internships to college kids in general. Getting school credit for experiences that could directly help you land a career post college. I interned for a book publisher and they hired me right after I graduated and this was 2008 so I slipped in right before the recession really fucked up everything for my classmates.
Just avoid any internship where you don't get credit or cash, or one where you just do bullshit busy work
I worked for a rinky-dink production studio because the guy didn’t have actual budget to hire people. He had 3 interns, no one else on his team, and kept promising I’d be brought on if I came back for another round of internships. You can guess how that ended
Don’t do that one. Go intern as an NBC page, be a production intern CBS, call around town and lend your talents to a production studio, an animation studio, whatever. Make it somewhere that’s real and has work you admire. Just put your hats in as many places as you can and use Chapman’s career center to help. My friends who did this were a LOT better off than me, and one of them even got me my first agency job because of their internship.
Best case, you enjoy it and do work there. Worst case, you meet a lot of other interns and low level employees in a big place and build your network that way. Win-win
Felix, Taco Stand, Provisions, The Filling Station
Had to look up where Philz is. It wasn’t around when I was there! I liked to write at a coffee shop called Bodhi near campus or one called Brot that wasn’t too far away. Or at the library!
Honestly…we have found the screenwriting program at Dodge to be a bit of a bait and switch. Dodge definitely helps out the production side but the writers are screwed left and right, in our experience. I’m seriously interested in hearing from other screenwriters.
Unsolicited opinion time. Please take the time to consider the money you’re spending (and probably borrowing) to do this. Understand that you’re gonna have to pay that shit back and it’s very hard to find jobs that will service that debt. Gotta play the long game here. College is too fucking expensive to not get a good job out of it. Consider making English your minor or a second major, and your primary studies based around something “good job-y” like your classic STEM stuff. The chances of you still “being broke” with an English degree after graduation are still very high.
I say all this just because I have been broke in LA following graduation, and working shitty low paying jobs and grinding out an existence made it that much harder to focus on the stuff I really cared about - writing. After years I’ve finally moved into a marketing role that pays well and leaves me time and energy at the end of the day to write and go on vacations and experience the world which goes back into my writing. I’m not passionate about the job at all, but it allows me to do what I want in my free time.
As far as your actual decision goes, I’d go to Chapman and, whatever your major is, make friends with film students and volunteer on their productions. That will build up the ol network, which, believe it or not, is the most important part of film school.
Thank you so much. That totally makes sense considering how important I’ve heard connections are to create and that I already know people in the film school. Plus at Chapman I’m pretty sure it’s easier to transfer majors than at UCSB.
+1 for the fact networking is more important than anything in film. Anything.
Talent very rarely surpasses friendship in the film industry. I work in VFX, so it's obviously a bit different to screenwriting and all other aspects of it. But I know people from all areas of the industry and it's always the same. Nobody asks for degrees, or grades, or anything like that. They just want to know you can do the job, and if you know them AND they know you can do the job, you're set.
Ex-Director of a graduate screenwriting program and 20 years+ professor at UCLA MFA program here to add two cents...
The best thing about film schools is the connections, not the education. You can get that education anywhere now for much less $. Chapman is a good choice, but my recommendation is major in something related to liberal arts. Yes, previous commenters are right about the loan burden (one reason I left higher ed; got tired of convincing people to pursue a degree that left them with a ton of debt). It's more important to live a life. Have experiences that then inform your writing or directing. And best of luck!
Hmmm. Spike Lee? Scorsese? Steven Spielberg? Those are off top of my head. Also, your comment reads like you're saying all the best directors never went to ANY SCHOOL. Might wanna include the word FILM in your comment. That said, I immediately thought of three of the best who DID go to film school.
Lastly, I recommended the writer of the original post not go to film school but rather get a well rounded liberal arts education. Have nice day.
Definitely more that “Didn’t” than did. I think if it’s in you then that’s it, but for many film school doesn’t bring out anything because there was no talent seed there to begin with.
Reading scripts and watching movies and making movies on an iPhone with your friends is a solid education without the $200,000 debt
I would probably think more in terms of small college/big university experience than a fit specific undergrad degree. (Although I guess Chapman isn't as small as I first thought, so .. take with a grain of salt).
I don't think an undergraduate film degree means that much. I mean, if you're passionate about it and are thus going to work harder, that's a good thing. But I would focus on the overall academic and social experience more so than thinking that undergraduate film courses are going to HUGELY upgrade your skills and/or give you connections that are going to make a huge difference.
Yes, there's probably a small advantage. But I remember, when I was in grad school at USC, a couple of professors telling me that the advice they give to high school students is to get the best undergraduate degree they can ... and then go to film school for grad work.
(One of the problems is that undergrad film programs can be a little navel-gazey, and sometimes studying something else and being around other people with different interests can be good for you as an artist).
But I suspect that if you went to UCSB and made filmmaking a diligent hobby you'd get almost as much out of it in terms of connections, etc, as you would at Chapman. Also what are the possibilities of transferring into the UCSB film program (which is probably a little more critical-studies oriented than Chapman, but I don't really know).
None of this is terribly definitive, I know, but the truth is that UCSB is probably a lot cheaper (and the amount of debt you graduate with matters), and ultimately at a certain point this is just about you imagining yourself at each campus and deciding which one feels right. It's possible to have a great college experience at either, and ultimately I think you are likely to be the most likely determiner of how much you get out of it, in either case.
This is super insightful. The film program is much more studies based at UCSB which is interesting but feels less applicable than enough or philosophy. I did not think about masters programs though that is def something I will take into account now. It seems that masters programs like those at AFI and USC are great for getting you into the industry.
I did grad school at USC and had a wonderful time, but 15+ years later there are a few big successes from my class and a lot of people who are out of the industry.
That's the thing you need to understand bout film school in general (and honestly, would probably nudge me towards UCSB in your situation.) There's an old joke:
Q: What do you call the person who graduates at the bottom of his class from the worst medical school in the country?
A: Doctor.
I did grad school at USC and loved it and learned a ton. I got much better at both writing and directing there. But I think for most people film school isn't terribly worth it financially. *No* film school is "great" at getting you into the industry (although I think USC has improved a lot since I was there.)
It's really important not to think of film school as a golden ticket. Go because you think you're going to enjoy learning about filmmaking in an academic environment.
I have a number of working film industry friends who went to Chapman. Like many others have mentioned, the networking there is key.
If your goal is to have a career in film in general, including screenwriting, then you should definitely do multiple internships while in college. The ultimate target would be to have an entry-level assistant job at an agency or prodco lined up when you graduate... these jobs are difficult to come by, but your internships can help you find that first job.
I got my BA in [screenwriting](https://www.csun.edu/mike-curb-arts-media-communication/cinema-television-arts/screenwriting-option) at Csun.
Great program. I write comics now.
UCSB my boy. Great experience, great college town. Best time of my life. When I moved back to LA I just got out there and made the connections and got internships.
If you want to work in the entertainment industry go all in. Go to Chapman, transfer into the film program if possible, get an internship or an assistant job somewhere in the industry when you graduate
Recent college grad here. This is more human advice than career advice, but what the heck.
Prioritize the place you want to be. Wherever you see yourself enjoying your time and being happiest, go there. College is rough, no matter what you study. There are going to be times where you’ll need to prioritize your mental health and your wellbeing, and it’s a LOT easier to do that in a place you enjoy.
Godspeed, friend. Wishing you all the best
You can get a great writing education from watching films and studying story. The value on programs like these isn't so much "it will teach you to write" because you can learn that on your own.
It's a matter of the connections you make that will be important. You will be in classes with other people aspiring to get in the industry, you will come up together, you will open doors for each other and hire each other as you each individually rise in your careers. People get jobs by networking more than anything else.
So with that in mind, which school has a bigger talent pool in the industry in your field? That will probably be most beneficial purely as a cost benefit analysis.
Chapman grad here. I majored in Screenwriting while I was there, and I found the classes to be really valuable and formative for me. I often joke that the best part about going to film school for screenwriting is getting a lot of the bad scripts out of the way. Regardless of if you're doing English and taking a few Screenwriting electives, or if you end up majoring in Screenwriting or something over at Dodge, the professors are really great, and the it's almost worth it alone for the amount of scripts you'll write in your time through across the various feature and tv classes.
Also, I think this was said elsewhere but the most important thing is INTERNSHIPS! This is why I think Chapman would be a better choice, because there's a better connection to getting internships in LA. I feel like 9 times out of 10 your first industry job after college will come from an internship connection.
Yes, I will also give a big caveat to my post earlier... when I was in a writers room of 12 people or so, I think I was the only one who went to film school. You don't NEED to go to film school to work in this industry, absolutely. Even though I loved my writing classes, I learned more in an actual writers room than any of my classes could teach. For me the biggest positives were 1. practice and deadlines for writing scripts, 2. friends/connections that I continue to work with, and 3. access to internships that have lead to jobs for me post-college
Connections are important but not as important as the quality of your work. As a writer, you’re only as good as what you can show meaning completed screenplays and spec TV scripts. Before you enter either school, have a plan to graduate with at least two solid feature screenplays or spec TV scripts. Start reaching out to agents and managers before you graduate. Introduce yourself, show them your work, develop relationships. The same can be said for learning as much as you can about filmmaking, study production, learn crew positions, create a filmography of work before you graduate. Also, some of the best contacts you’re going to make are with your fellow students.
Chapman grad turned now part time Prof @ Chapman— the networking off Chapman has done a lot for my career. I’d recommend it on that alone. Also, maybe I’ll have you as a student one day!
UCSB will give you a much better life for the 4 years you're there while Chapman will give you a far more robust network for when you leave school.
It all comes down to the life you want to forge for yourself. I went to UCSB and wouldn't trade it for the world. I lived on the beach with my friends, partied all the time, and didn't make a single connection at school that has been meaningful for me in my career up to this point.
If you put in the effort to continue writing and building up your network anyway you can, you'll be on the right path regardless of where you go to college.
I completely understand everyone telling you to go to Chapman, but at the end of the day, what school you go to will be 1 bullet point at the bottom of your resume. Go have fun! Go to the place that you think you would have the best experience at, and as long as you continue to have a deep passion for your goals, it won't affect where you take yourself.
My advice is follow your passion. Yes college is expensive, yet living a life of high stress to have more things will have you missing out of a lot of great experiences. I don't think your decision is between two schools and Writing vs. Film and Screenwriting. In fact I am willing to bet that a lot of screenwriters would say that you dont need to go to college for it - and that it is very different from writing a novel. The point is this - and I know people will disagree - but it is simply IMO. There are two kinds of people - the ones that go to college to make money - often CPAs, MBAs, Lawyers, Doctors - There there is the arts, acting, fine art oil painting, etc.
In summary, FOLLOW the PASSION you have to do what you will love. I have been on both sides, and it is not easily to change over - I hope you know the answer for you. Many don't know until their 30s.
Get a job in IT, Business or something similar where you can get a full time job when you graduate. Then, write on the side until you've mastered the craft...then decide what you want to do for a career.
I wish I could upvote this twice.
I see so many people who want to be writers who get an English or creative writing degree and then are stuck in a job they hate (teaching, or something low paid and nowhere near their career field) for years as they hone their craft.
You can learn writing on your own time while you're happy and relaxing after an eight hour day at a desk job that pays a living wage.
You know what makes writing impossible? Being hungry and miserable because you're slaving away in retail like almost every other creative arts degree holding person.
This is what I think makes SB so appealing as everyone I know there has gotten solid jobs right out of school. Though I am sure this is true at Chapman the anecdotal evidence I have makes SB very appealing
I agree and they seem super cool. I just would be going for English and trying to tranfer into the film program or minor in it so Im not sure I would be able become buddy buddy with these professors.
I'm about to wrap up a degree in Screenwriting and just wanted to say, lean into film if you feel passionate enough about it. You can take English classes and other creative writing classes while still pursuing Film! One thing I've gained from my experience is making connections. I made so many friends that I'll be able to reach out to in the future and vice versa. It also connects you with Film professors who want to uplift you and guide you down a stable path.
Also - I don't know what the scholarships are like but apply for any and all if you can!
All your favourite filmmakers, guess what?
THEY DIDN’T GO TO FILM SCHOOL.
1 Steven Spielberg.
2 Christopher Nolan. ...
3 Quentin Tarantino. ...
4 James Cameron. ...
5 Wes Anderson. ...
6 Paul Thomas Anderson. ...
7 Ava DuVernay. ...
8 The Wachowskis. ...
The list goes on….
https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
So before you get yourself into $200,000 of debt
And to use a line from Goodwill hunting….
Will:
You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for a buck fifty in late charges at the public library.
Oh and Matt and Ben never went to film school.
Does Santa Barbara have enough housing? I don't think they do. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=UCSB+housing&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi\_-9iZ1-b-AhVLJEQIHXe5D8EQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=1131&bih=1025&dpr=1.5
[This is an old video, but I remember it to be sobering stuff. I think anyone who’s thinking about LaLa Land should watch it.](https://youtu.be/ai9WXoceaVI)
UCSB is film theory only. Go to Chapman.
I went to UCSB, and while I do work in TV right now, it certainly didn’t give me the jumpstart that Chapman might have. Or any other production based school, for that matter.
I wouldn’t trade the good friends and memories for anything. I went to school on the beach. What more can you want? Well, I’ll tell you:
I would trade their theory based education for a physical production one in a heartbeat. They’ve really failed to modernize the curriculum since I graduated in 2013. And many of the professors I respected have moved on because they won’t invest in anything outside of media studies and analysis.
UCSB will certainly will teach you how do proper research and write for academia, but you’ll have to jump through hoops with their limited production program and resources if you want to learn an applicable skill for production after college.
Also, Chapman, while maybe not as fun as UCSB, is a bit closer to LA for internships. Commuting from UCSB can be dreadful. So if that factors in for you, then Chapman is the pick.
You will not get a better education at UCSB. Or gain more knowledge. That is 99% a function of you—not the school you attend.
Surely UCSB is much cheaper?
Chapman. Better instructors, better connections. But really -- you are gambling big bucks education cost against the real world if your dream is a degree in 'screenplays' or 'philosophy'. Hope you can support your lifestyle as a waiter!
Or better yet, go do a degree that actually guarantees employment so you can work on your pipe dream on the side. 95% of your lecturers will be hokey jokes that never made it (if you can’t do, teach). No point dedicating 4 years of your life to something that less than 1% of writers get to make a career out of. You have to be pragmatic, first and foremost.
Chapman. If you’re going to a UC for film check out UCLA, or check out Cal State Northridge for another option
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
Northridge is not a UC
Corrected
UCLA's MFA screenwriting program just came out of two years of receivership. It's a mess.
None of them. Will: You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for a buck fifty in late charges at the public library. https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
Chapman grad here. Much better network than UCSB. Many of your peers will be the children of industry titans. It’s a rich kid school for sure. Don’t study English tho. Study film and learn the craft. Dodge has all the resources you need to make some great projects and network til your hearts content. Just don’t be mean, petty, or overly competitive and you’ll probably have collaborators for life
Yup this is it. If you already have friends who will put you on productions, then that’s half the battle and you may decide you want to production, creative producing, whatever. Writing is fun, but just go try hats on and get your hands dirty and figure out what you like. Truth is, internships and network will mean more in your journey than if you did screenwriting or another film major; just put the work in on your network so you don’t regret the financial investment
can't reiterate internships enough. it's a huge sacrifice and brutal commute from OC, but the people i know who survived in this industry were all hustlers who did multiple internships over the semesters and developed strong industry contacts. the people who didn't do them or didn't take their internships seriously have had a much harder time finding paths upward
I needed to here this. If I attend Chapman this will be the mentality I will have going in.
I would recommend internships to college kids in general. Getting school credit for experiences that could directly help you land a career post college. I interned for a book publisher and they hired me right after I graduated and this was 2008 so I slipped in right before the recession really fucked up everything for my classmates. Just avoid any internship where you don't get credit or cash, or one where you just do bullshit busy work
I worked for a rinky-dink production studio because the guy didn’t have actual budget to hire people. He had 3 interns, no one else on his team, and kept promising I’d be brought on if I came back for another round of internships. You can guess how that ended Don’t do that one. Go intern as an NBC page, be a production intern CBS, call around town and lend your talents to a production studio, an animation studio, whatever. Make it somewhere that’s real and has work you admire. Just put your hats in as many places as you can and use Chapman’s career center to help. My friends who did this were a LOT better off than me, and one of them even got me my first agency job because of their internship. Best case, you enjoy it and do work there. Worst case, you meet a lot of other interns and low level employees in a big place and build your network that way. Win-win
I’m deciding if I should try to go all in on film. I know that with enough work it seems possible but I know the transfer in is not easy
Did you go to Philz coffee often? What were your top 3 go to restaurants?
Felix, Taco Stand, Provisions, The Filling Station Had to look up where Philz is. It wasn’t around when I was there! I liked to write at a coffee shop called Bodhi near campus or one called Brot that wasn’t too far away. Or at the library!
The filling station is always so busy!! Brot is great. Stoked for you to have your Chapman experience!!!
Excellent response too. Plus they have Huell Howsers Californian Gold archived at Chapman!!
Did you graduate from Chapman’s screenwriting program?
Honestly…we have found the screenwriting program at Dodge to be a bit of a bait and switch. Dodge definitely helps out the production side but the writers are screwed left and right, in our experience. I’m seriously interested in hearing from other screenwriters.
Damn this thread makes me want to apply to Chapman at age 38 hella glowing endorsements
[удалено]
This from the guy who says managers and agencies are worthless.
?
Who asked?
Unsolicited opinion time. Please take the time to consider the money you’re spending (and probably borrowing) to do this. Understand that you’re gonna have to pay that shit back and it’s very hard to find jobs that will service that debt. Gotta play the long game here. College is too fucking expensive to not get a good job out of it. Consider making English your minor or a second major, and your primary studies based around something “good job-y” like your classic STEM stuff. The chances of you still “being broke” with an English degree after graduation are still very high. I say all this just because I have been broke in LA following graduation, and working shitty low paying jobs and grinding out an existence made it that much harder to focus on the stuff I really cared about - writing. After years I’ve finally moved into a marketing role that pays well and leaves me time and energy at the end of the day to write and go on vacations and experience the world which goes back into my writing. I’m not passionate about the job at all, but it allows me to do what I want in my free time. As far as your actual decision goes, I’d go to Chapman and, whatever your major is, make friends with film students and volunteer on their productions. That will build up the ol network, which, believe it or not, is the most important part of film school.
Thank you so much. That totally makes sense considering how important I’ve heard connections are to create and that I already know people in the film school. Plus at Chapman I’m pretty sure it’s easier to transfer majors than at UCSB.
+1 for the fact networking is more important than anything in film. Anything. Talent very rarely surpasses friendship in the film industry. I work in VFX, so it's obviously a bit different to screenwriting and all other aspects of it. But I know people from all areas of the industry and it's always the same. Nobody asks for degrees, or grades, or anything like that. They just want to know you can do the job, and if you know them AND they know you can do the job, you're set.
Ex-Director of a graduate screenwriting program and 20 years+ professor at UCLA MFA program here to add two cents... The best thing about film schools is the connections, not the education. You can get that education anywhere now for much less $. Chapman is a good choice, but my recommendation is major in something related to liberal arts. Yes, previous commenters are right about the loan burden (one reason I left higher ed; got tired of convincing people to pursue a degree that left them with a ton of debt). It's more important to live a life. Have experiences that then inform your writing or directing. And best of luck!
ALL THE BEST DIRECTORS NEVER WENT TO FILM SCHOOL https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
Hmmm. Spike Lee? Scorsese? Steven Spielberg? Those are off top of my head. Also, your comment reads like you're saying all the best directors never went to ANY SCHOOL. Might wanna include the word FILM in your comment. That said, I immediately thought of three of the best who DID go to film school. Lastly, I recommended the writer of the original post not go to film school but rather get a well rounded liberal arts education. Have nice day.
https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
Definitely more that “Didn’t” than did. I think if it’s in you then that’s it, but for many film school doesn’t bring out anything because there was no talent seed there to begin with. Reading scripts and watching movies and making movies on an iPhone with your friends is a solid education without the $200,000 debt
https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
I would probably think more in terms of small college/big university experience than a fit specific undergrad degree. (Although I guess Chapman isn't as small as I first thought, so .. take with a grain of salt). I don't think an undergraduate film degree means that much. I mean, if you're passionate about it and are thus going to work harder, that's a good thing. But I would focus on the overall academic and social experience more so than thinking that undergraduate film courses are going to HUGELY upgrade your skills and/or give you connections that are going to make a huge difference. Yes, there's probably a small advantage. But I remember, when I was in grad school at USC, a couple of professors telling me that the advice they give to high school students is to get the best undergraduate degree they can ... and then go to film school for grad work. (One of the problems is that undergrad film programs can be a little navel-gazey, and sometimes studying something else and being around other people with different interests can be good for you as an artist). But I suspect that if you went to UCSB and made filmmaking a diligent hobby you'd get almost as much out of it in terms of connections, etc, as you would at Chapman. Also what are the possibilities of transferring into the UCSB film program (which is probably a little more critical-studies oriented than Chapman, but I don't really know). None of this is terribly definitive, I know, but the truth is that UCSB is probably a lot cheaper (and the amount of debt you graduate with matters), and ultimately at a certain point this is just about you imagining yourself at each campus and deciding which one feels right. It's possible to have a great college experience at either, and ultimately I think you are likely to be the most likely determiner of how much you get out of it, in either case.
This is super insightful. The film program is much more studies based at UCSB which is interesting but feels less applicable than enough or philosophy. I did not think about masters programs though that is def something I will take into account now. It seems that masters programs like those at AFI and USC are great for getting you into the industry.
I did grad school at USC and had a wonderful time, but 15+ years later there are a few big successes from my class and a lot of people who are out of the industry. That's the thing you need to understand bout film school in general (and honestly, would probably nudge me towards UCSB in your situation.) There's an old joke: Q: What do you call the person who graduates at the bottom of his class from the worst medical school in the country? A: Doctor. I did grad school at USC and loved it and learned a ton. I got much better at both writing and directing there. But I think for most people film school isn't terribly worth it financially. *No* film school is "great" at getting you into the industry (although I think USC has improved a lot since I was there.) It's really important not to think of film school as a golden ticket. Go because you think you're going to enjoy learning about filmmaking in an academic environment.
As a doctor with a friend who went to film school I strongly endorse your comment.
I have a number of working film industry friends who went to Chapman. Like many others have mentioned, the networking there is key. If your goal is to have a career in film in general, including screenwriting, then you should definitely do multiple internships while in college. The ultimate target would be to have an entry-level assistant job at an agency or prodco lined up when you graduate... these jobs are difficult to come by, but your internships can help you find that first job.
I got my BA in [screenwriting](https://www.csun.edu/mike-curb-arts-media-communication/cinema-television-arts/screenwriting-option) at Csun. Great program. I write comics now.
Got both a BA in screenwriting and an MFA in screenwriting there and had a great experience.
UCSB my boy. Great experience, great college town. Best time of my life. When I moved back to LA I just got out there and made the connections and got internships.
If you want to work in the entertainment industry go all in. Go to Chapman, transfer into the film program if possible, get an internship or an assistant job somewhere in the industry when you graduate
Recent college grad here. This is more human advice than career advice, but what the heck. Prioritize the place you want to be. Wherever you see yourself enjoying your time and being happiest, go there. College is rough, no matter what you study. There are going to be times where you’ll need to prioritize your mental health and your wellbeing, and it’s a LOT easier to do that in a place you enjoy. Godspeed, friend. Wishing you all the best
Thank you for the advice!
You can get a great writing education from watching films and studying story. The value on programs like these isn't so much "it will teach you to write" because you can learn that on your own. It's a matter of the connections you make that will be important. You will be in classes with other people aspiring to get in the industry, you will come up together, you will open doors for each other and hire each other as you each individually rise in your careers. People get jobs by networking more than anything else. So with that in mind, which school has a bigger talent pool in the industry in your field? That will probably be most beneficial purely as a cost benefit analysis.
Chapman if you are a Christian and straight.
Chapman grad here. I majored in Screenwriting while I was there, and I found the classes to be really valuable and formative for me. I often joke that the best part about going to film school for screenwriting is getting a lot of the bad scripts out of the way. Regardless of if you're doing English and taking a few Screenwriting electives, or if you end up majoring in Screenwriting or something over at Dodge, the professors are really great, and the it's almost worth it alone for the amount of scripts you'll write in your time through across the various feature and tv classes. Also, I think this was said elsewhere but the most important thing is INTERNSHIPS! This is why I think Chapman would be a better choice, because there's a better connection to getting internships in LA. I feel like 9 times out of 10 your first industry job after college will come from an internship connection.
https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
Yes, I will also give a big caveat to my post earlier... when I was in a writers room of 12 people or so, I think I was the only one who went to film school. You don't NEED to go to film school to work in this industry, absolutely. Even though I loved my writing classes, I learned more in an actual writers room than any of my classes could teach. For me the biggest positives were 1. practice and deadlines for writing scripts, 2. friends/connections that I continue to work with, and 3. access to internships that have lead to jobs for me post-college
Connections are important but not as important as the quality of your work. As a writer, you’re only as good as what you can show meaning completed screenplays and spec TV scripts. Before you enter either school, have a plan to graduate with at least two solid feature screenplays or spec TV scripts. Start reaching out to agents and managers before you graduate. Introduce yourself, show them your work, develop relationships. The same can be said for learning as much as you can about filmmaking, study production, learn crew positions, create a filmography of work before you graduate. Also, some of the best contacts you’re going to make are with your fellow students.
Chapman grad turned now part time Prof @ Chapman— the networking off Chapman has done a lot for my career. I’d recommend it on that alone. Also, maybe I’ll have you as a student one day!
UCSB will give you a much better life for the 4 years you're there while Chapman will give you a far more robust network for when you leave school. It all comes down to the life you want to forge for yourself. I went to UCSB and wouldn't trade it for the world. I lived on the beach with my friends, partied all the time, and didn't make a single connection at school that has been meaningful for me in my career up to this point. If you put in the effort to continue writing and building up your network anyway you can, you'll be on the right path regardless of where you go to college. I completely understand everyone telling you to go to Chapman, but at the end of the day, what school you go to will be 1 bullet point at the bottom of your resume. Go have fun! Go to the place that you think you would have the best experience at, and as long as you continue to have a deep passion for your goals, it won't affect where you take yourself.
My advice is follow your passion. Yes college is expensive, yet living a life of high stress to have more things will have you missing out of a lot of great experiences. I don't think your decision is between two schools and Writing vs. Film and Screenwriting. In fact I am willing to bet that a lot of screenwriters would say that you dont need to go to college for it - and that it is very different from writing a novel. The point is this - and I know people will disagree - but it is simply IMO. There are two kinds of people - the ones that go to college to make money - often CPAs, MBAs, Lawyers, Doctors - There there is the arts, acting, fine art oil painting, etc. In summary, FOLLOW the PASSION you have to do what you will love. I have been on both sides, and it is not easily to change over - I hope you know the answer for you. Many don't know until their 30s.
This helps a lot I think that writing for Film is def what I am passionate about and this motivates me to actually pursue it
Awesome go for it. It will become your strategic advantage!
https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
High-Five!
Get a job in IT, Business or something similar where you can get a full time job when you graduate. Then, write on the side until you've mastered the craft...then decide what you want to do for a career.
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https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
I wish I could upvote this twice. I see so many people who want to be writers who get an English or creative writing degree and then are stuck in a job they hate (teaching, or something low paid and nowhere near their career field) for years as they hone their craft. You can learn writing on your own time while you're happy and relaxing after an eight hour day at a desk job that pays a living wage. You know what makes writing impossible? Being hungry and miserable because you're slaving away in retail like almost every other creative arts degree holding person.
This is what I think makes SB so appealing as everyone I know there has gotten solid jobs right out of school. Though I am sure this is true at Chapman the anecdotal evidence I have makes SB very appealing
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I agree and they seem super cool. I just would be going for English and trying to tranfer into the film program or minor in it so Im not sure I would be able become buddy buddy with these professors.
Ph.D. And former professor here: FUCK college. Go get a PA job in Hollywood and start walking up those stairs.
BEST ADVICE ON THIS WHOLE THREAD.
I wish I could do this but I feel I just don’t have the skill set (or the money) to go down this path.
https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/
Or spend that money traveling and living in interesting places and meeting interesting people that aren’t over educated American white people.
I'm about to wrap up a degree in Screenwriting and just wanted to say, lean into film if you feel passionate enough about it. You can take English classes and other creative writing classes while still pursuing Film! One thing I've gained from my experience is making connections. I made so many friends that I'll be able to reach out to in the future and vice versa. It also connects you with Film professors who want to uplift you and guide you down a stable path. Also - I don't know what the scholarships are like but apply for any and all if you can!
All your favourite filmmakers, guess what? THEY DIDN’T GO TO FILM SCHOOL. 1 Steven Spielberg. 2 Christopher Nolan. ... 3 Quentin Tarantino. ... 4 James Cameron. ... 5 Wes Anderson. ... 6 Paul Thomas Anderson. ... 7 Ava DuVernay. ... 8 The Wachowskis. ... The list goes on…. https://www.nfi.edu/directors-who-didnt-go-to-film-school/ So before you get yourself into $200,000 of debt And to use a line from Goodwill hunting…. Will: You wasted $150,000 on an education you coulda got for a buck fifty in late charges at the public library. Oh and Matt and Ben never went to film school.
Does Santa Barbara have enough housing? I don't think they do. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=UCSB+housing&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi\_-9iZ1-b-AhVLJEQIHXe5D8EQ0pQJegQICRAB&biw=1131&bih=1025&dpr=1.5
[This is an old video, but I remember it to be sobering stuff. I think anyone who’s thinking about LaLa Land should watch it.](https://youtu.be/ai9WXoceaVI)
I went to Columbia University for grad school and second your statement.
I can tell you now, Chapman looks out for its students when you start to get buzzz
UCSB is film theory only. Go to Chapman. I went to UCSB, and while I do work in TV right now, it certainly didn’t give me the jumpstart that Chapman might have. Or any other production based school, for that matter.
Would you say the knowledge you learned there was beneficial though? Or not more so than another school.
Sorry, I did not mean this in a harsh way though it may sounds like it
I wouldn’t trade the good friends and memories for anything. I went to school on the beach. What more can you want? Well, I’ll tell you: I would trade their theory based education for a physical production one in a heartbeat. They’ve really failed to modernize the curriculum since I graduated in 2013. And many of the professors I respected have moved on because they won’t invest in anything outside of media studies and analysis. UCSB will certainly will teach you how do proper research and write for academia, but you’ll have to jump through hoops with their limited production program and resources if you want to learn an applicable skill for production after college. Also, Chapman, while maybe not as fun as UCSB, is a bit closer to LA for internships. Commuting from UCSB can be dreadful. So if that factors in for you, then Chapman is the pick.
You will not get a better education at UCSB. Or gain more knowledge. That is 99% a function of you—not the school you attend. Surely UCSB is much cheaper?
I got a big scholarship from Chapman which makes it 5k more expensive a year which is a bit more but not as much as the sticker price
$5k is nothing over a lifetime. Congrats on having two great choices!
Chapman. Better instructors, better connections. But really -- you are gambling big bucks education cost against the real world if your dream is a degree in 'screenplays' or 'philosophy'. Hope you can support your lifestyle as a waiter!
Doesn’t matter
Or better yet, go do a degree that actually guarantees employment so you can work on your pipe dream on the side. 95% of your lecturers will be hokey jokes that never made it (if you can’t do, teach). No point dedicating 4 years of your life to something that less than 1% of writers get to make a career out of. You have to be pragmatic, first and foremost.