It’s been great to discover just how willing people are to help me out along my journey. I used to feel very shy about my dreams, so I never discussed them. What I’ve found since starting this blog is that I have a number of friends who have a number of friends for me to meet, given my areas of interest.
This past week, I had the privilege of meeting three new folks. One is a filmmaker, another does sound for films, and the last one is an author and business owner. All three were recommended to me by people who felt they had something to offer my mission.
The filmmaker, the only one I haven’t met in person, was fantastic because of his overall enthusiasm for his field. In a challenging industry, he’s finding projects that interest him and doing what he loves. As an added plus, though he’s currently not in New York, he’s here often, and always looking for people to help out on his films. He loved the “No MFA Project” concept, so hopefully we will be able to meet up later this year.
The woman who does sound for films was also an inspiration. Over a cup of coffee, she offered advice on which film jobs tend to be more lucrative, the life of a freelancer, and also the positions which tend to hire women as opposed to men. One such job is script supervisor, a position I’ve always found interesting. A script supervisor is in charge of making sure things remain consistent from scene to scene. (For example, if a girl leaves her house in a yellow sweater, she can’t show up at the party in a purple parka.)
She was also helpful in discussing film education. In agreement on the craziness of a $105,000 MFA, she suggested instead taking courses at other schools in New York for a fraction of the cost. I myself had recently discovered that to do the one-year screenwriting program at New York Film Academy, a program similar to Tisch in terms of developing writing and filmmaking skills, is $27k, about a fourth of Tisch’s cost. My new friend also recommended that I look into courses at the School of Visual Arts and the New School. After having done so, I’ve learned that to take a basic filmmaking or film editing course runs around $800.
Finally, the author/businessman was great in that he encouraged me to clearly imagine my goals for the next five years, and got me considering all the different ways of handling my future. He himself has held a variety of positions in his life, and is definitely not the type to ever miss an opportunity or fail to give something his all. He helped me to reevaluate how I might want to approach this next year. For instance, my current job might not be the perfect fit, but another job could be a better fit and continue to offer me stability and growth while I learn about new things.
What I’m realizing is that the No MFA Project isn’t only about learning new skills; it’s also about reflecting on my life, where I want to go, and how to get there. It’s about figuring things out. A great way to do that is through the new people I meet and what they have to teach me. Thanks so much to everyone who has helped connect me with someone!
Have someone you think I should meet? Check out the “Who Should I Meet?” section below and send me an email!
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