It’s that time of year again! September means one thing…the start of a new academic year and an exciting time for lots of students around the county heading off to their first year in college.
If you’re starting out in film school or even kicking off your second or third year, here’s a few short tips to make the most of your time.
Put Your Best Foot Forward!
Give 110% because as the old saying goes ‘you only get out what you put into it’. Be passionate about your work and give it your best effort. Don’t be scared to use your initiative and go that extra mile, you’ll get yourself noticed in a good way and that won’t do you any harm in the long run.
Sometimes you might need to spend extra time in the evenings and weekends working on your film projects. Keep focused on your goals and you’ll end up with great results.
Learn to Think Critically
Have a go at this little critical thinking quiz and put your skills to the test!!
Critical thinking is one of the most important skills to learn no matter what you’re studying. In any career, it’s essential to think critically to get the job done.
Listening is a very important first step and learning how to filter out unnecessary information. Take good notes in class and learn how to quickly scan them for important info. Look to identify the main points, concepts and the reason they are being covered by your lecturer.
Be Open Minded
Always keep your options open.
You might have entered film school thinking that you were definitely set to become a director. Keep your mind open though as you might find you fall in love with producing or editing – you wont really know until you try all these skills and work out what you enjoy, and what you’re good at. Give every topic a fair shot – you never know where it might lead!
Network
Meeting the right people is essential. Not just for the social life! But if you network into the right circles, it will open doors and opportunities professionally.
Do your best to get to know your class mates and lecturers and hook up with them online. LinkedIn is a great platform to grow your professional network. Take the time to set up a profile and keep it up to date with your achievements.
To learn a bit more about networking have a read of our recent post – 5 Ways to Improve Your Networking Skills.
Industry Experience
Literally jump at any opportunity that comes along to get industry experience during film school. If you get your networking right, these chances should come along more often.
Having on- the-job experience is especially important to a student early on. You’ll be able to take what you learn in college to work and vice versa.
If you build up a bit of industry experience, you’ll be ahead of the posse on graduation day!
Learn from the Pros
Always try and pick up tips from the pros, whether that’s your lecturers, guest lecturers, events, film screenings or from online filmmaking blogs.
These people have generally been round the block more than once and learning from their experience could save you time and hassle – listen up!
Best of Luck
From everyone at Pulse we wish you the best of luck in film college, have an amazing time and make the most of it.
Oh and one final tip, watch tonnes of kick-ass films throughout the year!!!
[openday]
FOLLOW US
