Learning the craft of filmmaking in film schools
The 1999 film American Beauty, while appearing to take place in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, is another example of “movie magic” used by filmmakers around the world. The aerial shots used for this film were actual shots of Sacramento, California, not Chicago. The producers initially wanted to film these shots of San Jose, California, but the police department refused to allow the team’s helicopter to fly closer than 300 feet due to being in a neighborhood and concerned about noise. Eventually, the crew had to follow the laws and decided to use Sacramento as their Chicago suburb. If this fascinates you along with seeing your name in the movie credits, then you’re probably in the right direction by getting trained in this interesting field of expertise.
Sacramento film schools are obviously in the perfect state for learning how to make movies. With Hollywood being the film capital of the world and only a few miles away, this metropolitan area offers the aspiring film student the best of both worlds. The location of this California capital has never been less than ideal for anyone wanting to train in this area—it’s only a few miles away from where much of the movie magic happens.
Sacramento film schools offer many types of traditional and alternative film schools. Teaching production, directing, screenplay, editing, cinematography and many other related courses, there is a film school for each type of training. Whether you choose a school that offers a film degree or an unconventional school that offers hands-on training from day one depends entirely on the student and the type of learning they prefer.
Some schools like The Film Connection offer an alternative for the future creative filmmaker. Its widely acclaimed mentoring and mentee program provides a professional who works to “walk” the student and teach him everything he knows. This type of training has been seen as the most exciting and advantageous for the student in several areas, including introduction to industry experts.
You have to accept the fact that this type of industry is mostly about hookups. So whether he earns a four-year degree or participates in a mentor-mentee program, he should take advantage of the relationships he builds along the way because one of them could land him his first job.
