Film Connection: We're Way Better Than The Competition

Real World One-On-One Private Film Education

Welcome to the Film Connection Film School, the only school that offers you a real world, one-on-one private education in film or television. If you are interested in pursuing a career as a film director, or a career as a Film Producer or a career as a film technician, or as it is sometimes called, as a member of the “film crew”, well then you have come to the right page. Film Connection Film School offers private, one on one, on the job training for all of the following careers in the film and television industries:

With us, your teacher is a real life working film professional that has agreed to either train you or bring you on to real film sets to apprentice and shadow them (and sometimes it’s both!) as they do their job working in film in one of the exciting careers mentioned above. You will meet with your mentor in private sessions and your mentor will also either take you on to real film, music video, commercial and feature film sets with him or her, or he or she will help to get you on other film projects so as you can learn the ropes, the real ropes, by working on real film and video production sets.

The goal of our 4 month, one on one and on set training course is to not only get you trained by a professional but to also get you trained by throwing you into the mix of a real film environment where you will be given the opportunity to well,….sink or swim. The film business is a 100% “contact driven” business which means that the best way (if not the only way) to get hired is to know the people doing the hiring. Sure you could learn all about “cameras” for example at a traditional film school but when you graduate how are you going to get yourself hired if no one knows you? You’ll have to start out, working for free as an unpaid intern to prove yourself, is how. Film Connection cuts the expensive and totally unnecessary step of going to a 35k Film School out of the equation and from day one puts you with a mentor who will help to get you trained on a real film set.

If accepted into our one on one, mentor-apprentice program, Film Connection will place you with one of the following film crew technicians: a professional film, commercial, TV, or music video cameraman, set decorator, script supervisor, assistant director, soundman or woman, post production supervisor, color correctionist, grip, gaffer, make up artist, special fx makeup artist, digital animator, line producer, production coordinator, unit production manager, post sound mixer, and more. You will learn in either one on one sessions and/or on real sets (career dependent, please talk to one of our Admissions Counselors for details).

Some of our students in the past have learned on these films: 

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

If accepted into one of the programs mentioned above you will learn the janitorial arts…(just kidding). You will learn how to be a competent film crew technician in the chosen field you choose of course! The Film Connection program is designed as an intensive 4 month, introductory film crew technician course that will teach you the basics so you can effectively get hired for pay in less than 6 months. And there’s more, upon graduation, if you have completed all of your assignments yo will have made over 25 real world connections in the film business.

The benefits of learning from a professional film crew person as opposed to a college teacher should be clear, but in case it’s not, let us explain:

First, studying under a film crew member that is daily faced with meeting the demands of the film business as opposed to a “teacher” who is daily faced with “just teaching” can help you to better prepare you for your career as a member of a film crew.

Second, learning from a real filmmaker on a real set or in a real film production company works to get you that much closer to the “action” so to speak. Where would you rather learn, in an isolated, pretend college environment where NO ONE gets hired, or next to a pro., in a real world studio or on a real set who might have an opportunity to hire you or place you on a real project?

Third, the fastest way to get hired in the biz is to have connections. At Film Connection your teacher is a working professional and a mentor (to you!) that makes their living in the film business. What that means is that your mentor has hundreds of connections (or else he or she wouldn’t be working), And if he or she has trained you and believes in you, guess who your mentor might recommend for the next job that comes his or her way?

How much can I make as a member of a film crew?
The following are yearly averages:

Testimonials

Are you ready to meet some of our graduates and read for yourself how our unique program works? Well for starters, check these out

BRENDON SLEE:  2007 SCRIPT SUPERVISOR STUDENT
I learned script supervising from my mentor Jenni Bobbit. Jenni and I would meet once per week around my day job and she taught me in private sessions how to be a script supervisor. We worked with real materials from a Paris Hilton film called “Bottoms Up”. We worked hard and as I trained with her I got to keep my day job. Now I know how to do script supervising.

BRIAN PACELLI:  2007 LOS ANGELES CAMERA STUDENT
My name is Brian Pacelli and I am from the San Francisco area. I moved to Los Angeles with the hope that I would be accepted into the Film Connection film program. My mentor is a professional camera operator and Cinematographer for television shows and feature films. He takes me onto real sets with him and I am his assistant. But in addition to taking me onto set with him he also meets with me one on one either on set or in persona and we go over what I will need to know to make my living as a cameraman or camera assistant in the business here in L.A. I don’t want to be a Director or Producer (yet), first I’d just like to make my living in the camera dept. Film Connection seemed like the perfect fit for me, it’s 20 thousand dollars less than regular film schools and I get to learn on real sets from a real professional. I am making connections as I am assisting on real TV shows. From what I’ve seen that is the only way to get hired in the business. There are film school graduates that come on to sets that we are working on and they are out getting coffee while I am working next to a real cameraman. From day one Film Connection got me on real sets. This program works.

YOSHI WONDERWOSSEN:  2007 HOUSTON FILMMAKER STUDENT
I studied under my mentor who owns a film production company here in Houston. We worked together four times per week. It was cool cos’ they were able to base my training around my schedule. I learned camera, a little editing, and lighting. My mentor was great. Thanks Film Connection, you saved me 30 thousand dollars and now I have over twenty real world connections in the business.

Additional Film School Information