How necessary is Film School?

To me Film School is a luxury, not a necessity. Many of our favorite movies were created by people who either went or dropped out of film school. Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) never went to film school, and takes pride in the fact he didn’t.  “When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, no, I went to films.” Film School is useful for a lot of things, and can be beneficial. It provides knowledge of film, the process of filmmaking, and is a great place to meet other filmmakers and possibly make connection in the film industry. But just because you go to school for something doesn't mean you are guaranteed that profession or that you’ll ever be good at it. A great example is Michael Bay, who went to film school but makes terrible movies such as Transformers.

Director Paul Thomas Anderson  (Boogie Nights, Phantom Thread) went to film school for about two days before leaving after being told, “Anyone who's here to write Terminator 2, just walk out.”  In which he took as “We write serious films here.” Film School can teach you the steps but it can't choose your creativity and where your mind is going to be drawn to. There isn't just one type of movie, there’s good, there's bad, there's funny, there's sad, there’s action, there’s romance, etc. There also isn’t just one way of writing or directing, each person has their own unique way of storytelling and means of painting a picture. Film School can't decide what kind of artist you can be, only you can. There's more to film than just knowledge, you need passion, you need determination, you need heart. You can't spell heart without art.

-Roberto Hoyos