Our Film School's Tuition
Traditional Film Schools have outdated themselves with their high priced cost of education. 30,000 - 150,000 dollars for a film school in this economy? No thank you.
The Film Connection's tuition of 7,750 plus 650 (Program 1) covers everything: your private one on one learning with your mentor as an apprentice, session work and additional lesson opportunities, all your books and materials, all software including Final Cut Pro, your very own website, SEO self marketing classes, student services counseling and additional mentoring (if needed), and one year's worth of real job placement assistance. That's 8,400 total for everything. 75% LESS than those overpriced diploma mill film schools.
The Film Connection's tuition (13,500) for Program 2 includes everything except housing: your mentors, your guaranteed internship, and all your books and materials. Plus you get to pitch your movie. This program available in Los Angeles only.
There are no hidden costs or fees associated with our accredited film programs.
How We Compare to Other Film Schools
What Every Film Professional Knows
The common refrain among those who made the mistake of going to a traditional film school goes something like this:
"I could have made my movie for what I wasted on traditional film school."
or
"I graduated film school 100,000 in debt, and when I graduated I had no real connections. So, I was forcced to work as a waiter. Because my film school did not get me any connections, I was forced to make my own, which wasted a lot more time and a lot more money."
or
"I wish Film Connection had been around when I was starting"
The New Reality...
Back in the days before the economic crash, the sky was the limit. Students like you could afford to be frivilous with your decision making. Credit was easy, homes were overvalued, and student loans were abundant. But as you know, those days are over. Welcome to your new reality.
In today's highly pressurized new world, only the strong will survive. The ones who succeed are those that make intelligent monetary decisions.
Film Connection - Saving your Dreams One Student at a Time
We're not trying to talk you out of your dreams. You can still be successful as a film director, producer, editor, cinematographer, screenwriter, or more, but you MUST approach your career from a different and smarter angle.
Don't let student debt kill your dreams. When you're worried about survival (because of your debt) you can not climb the ladder of success easily. Why? Because all your thoughts will be consumed with trying to pay that debt down. It's an endless cycle of fear and regret. Don't turn your dream into a nightmare. Keep it simple, and low cost so you can focus on what's important: your career as a filmmaker.
Most traditional film students graduate without a job or connections. All they have is a few short films and tons of debt. Worse, they know no-one inside the film business. All they know are other students (i.e., their competition).
At Film Connection your entire learning experience is targeted at meeting people who could employ you (connections). That's why we're called the Film Connection. Does this mean the Film Connection is guaranteeing you a job? Absolutely Not. But what we do guarantee is this: We are putting you in the one place, in fact, the ONLY place, where jobs are ever offered- at film production companies...FOR 75% LESS MONEY.
Let's be clear...
We are an accredited film school updated for the 21st century. We are low cost, frugal, no non-sense, and placed inside working film production companies.
You will learn everything you learn at a traditional film school, but you are learning for less money, and in a more leveraged place than a college classroom. Wherever there is a film production company, there is a Film Connection Film Institute program ready and willing to start training you.
Food for Thought
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The Real Cost of Tuition
Whenever you are looking at film schools, don't forget to include interest costs accrued over 10 - 25 years. What this means is a tuition cost of 38,000 will actually cost you up to 100,000, not including books, materials, living expenses, and moving costs.- That's not the case with Film Connection. There are no hidden costs, interest accrued on 7,750, or 13,500 is comparatively low, and there are no moving expenses because you'll learn where you live.
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The Real Cost of Campus Education
We're not talking dollars here. We're talking common sense. On a traditional film school campus, you learn with upwards of 50 or 60 other unemployed students, and from a professor who is not making his or her living in the film business. If they were, they wouldn't be teaching at a film school.- At Film Connection you learn privately, one on one, from a working professional. Your only competition is yourself and how hard you want to work.
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The Real Cost of Zero Connections
It's common for many students to graduate from traditional film school without any connections. This forces them to take day jobs they don't want to be doing (waiter, bartender, telemarketer, etc).- At Film Connection, you learn inside a real film company- the only place where jobs are offered when available. Make no mistake. In the film business, who you know is more than half the battle- it's the whole war.
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The Real Cost of a Degree
In our ever-changing world, college degrees are meaning less and less, especially in the film business. Please be warned: if you are going to a traditional film school to get a degree in film, you will soon realize it is absolutely meaningless, and very expensive. Nobody ever looks at a traditional film school graduate's diploma and hires them because of where they went to school.- Film Connection doesn't offer degrees because as we said, for film, they are meaningless. While we do offer a certificate of completion, our true value is the on the job training with hands-on experience, and the opportunity to make as many connections as you can muster. Like it or not, film degrees mean nothing. The experience and connections you will garner at Film Connection could mean everything.
Note to Parents and Students:
Don't get us wrong, we're big fans of traditional education. If a degree in something is important to you and your family, we encourage you to pursue a degree in something useful, i.e. Business, Psychology, Information Technology, Law, Medicine, Accounting, etc.
However if your educational goals are targeted at employment in the highly competitive film business while learning the craft of filmmaking, Film Connection is the wisest choice.
Film Connection is available part time, nights, and weekends so you can keep your existing job or attend traditional school. We also offer Full Time courses.
The Real Cost of Film Connection
We value your considering. With that in mind, here are several of our payment options to tell you how much our 7,750 film school education will cost, including interest, in black and white. Please note the following example is for Program 1 only. To get the facts on Program 2, please contact an Admissions Counselor.
Option 1 - Pay in Full
7,750. This is your best option, as you will save all interest and graduate with no debt. By choosing this option you will SAVE yourself almost two thousand dollars in interest.
Option 2 - Internal Financing 1-Year Plan
Select this option if you cannot pay the 8,400.00 up front and you wish to spread monthly payments over one year. A down payment of 2,700.00 will be required to start.
Annual Percentage Rate: 16.00%
Finance Charge: 580.43
Amount Financed: 6,400.00
Number of Payments: 12
Amount of Each Payment: 580.43
Total of Payments: 6,965.02
TOTAL TUITION: 9,665.02
Option 3 - Internal Financing 2 Year Plan
Select this option if you cannot pay the 8,400.00 up front and you wish to spread monthly payments over two years. A down payment of 2,700.00 will be required to start.
Annual Percentage Rate: 16.00%
Finance Charge: 1,117.39
Amount Financed: 6,400.00
Number of Payments: 24
Amount of Each Payment: 313.23
Total of Payments: 7,517.15
TOTAL TUITION: 10,217.15
Option 4 - Sallie Mae
The Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan is an ideal solution for students because it helps students save money, pay off their student loan faster, and build credit.
