Film production

For film production which university is the better option University of Creative arts Farnham or University of Arts London ( London college of communication) ?

3 years of fees wouldn’t cover the cost of a second hand arri alexa camera

You don't need an arri alexa. One thing that was ingrained into me at college and also what many professionals have said through tutorials and what I discovered as I started freelancing is that you need to master the basics using simple gear. If you can do that and get nice cinematic footage on a cheap camera, imagine what you could do with a proper camera like an arri.

Most uni's don't even use arri's. Granted some do but mine had Sony FS5 MK2. My personal camera that I've had since college which I still use today even for client videos is a Panasonic lumix g7m. That only cost £700 at the time. Its not about the equipment, it's about the creator...

Even if you use an arri at uni, when you graduate, you aint gonna be able to afford an arri anyway. You're still gonna have to save up and buy a cheaper camera. But aswell avoid the cons of film school and get a head start

Whether using industry standard kit matters depends entirely on the sorts of jobs you’re interested in doing in the industry.

Most CILECT film schools have industry standard kit.

I would have to politely disagree. Unless you're shooting a hollywood film, a commercial for a high end client (talking major global brand), or anything in between, then you'll most likely use high end industry gear such as an arri or a RED. Even then, most productions rent out gear. Only few directors have their own equipment. Like nolan for instance owns 1 Imax camera. When he shot dark knight, he had to rent them all out.

If you think....current professionals in this industry have clients at different levels. Some low, some high. They all want different forms of content like interviews, product commercials, documentries, corporate videos, etc. Not all of them can afford industry standard gear. If they all needed that indsutry standard gear, stuff like an arri would cost much less due to supply and demand. But the fact is, its the elite of the elite. Only so few can afford to buy or rent it.

Theres a lot of talk especially with technology evolving so quickly on how things are shot nowadays. Zack synder recently shot a short film on his iphone. I'd definently recommend checking it out. Its on youtube. He made it for the sole purpose to prove you don't need high end gear. The russo brothers have also mentioned that more and more films are being shot on cheaper and new tech such as go pros, phones, low end cameras, etc. The documentary "seaspiracy" (which is on netflix) I believe was shot on a Sony a7siii. That's a fullframe mirrorless camera which costs just over half a year's worth of tuition fees.

You seem to assume that everyone studying a film degree wants to be a director.

Experience with different types of kit (particularly industry standard - and it's not just about the cameras it's about the rigs the sets the editing suites the sound stages etc etc etc) is an important skill set if you're interested in different roles - and can be important if you plan to get into directing through exploiting those other skills to get onto sets and make contacts. You'll never get an entry level job using an industry standard camera if you haven't used anything more complex than a go pro.

It doesn't actually sound like you're aiming at a job in the film industry - which is fine - but that doesn't really mean you're giving good advice to students who do want to go down that path. If you're aiming for a career making adverts and corporate videos and haven't been studying at a CILECT film school on industry standard kit then I can absolutely understand why you think a film degree isn't a good investment. But for many students who are aiming for a different path to you a film degree is the only way to build up their practical experiences and showreels (and industry networks) to a point where they can get into the jobs they want.

I see where you're coming from. But going back to the original argument, I still stand by what I stated about film school being pointless. I would love to work on a film set. It is my dream to break into the industry. But no one is going to give you a job as a junior editor or camera operator right off the bat. Nearly most people will have to start off as a runner and work their way up. This industry at the end of the day is more about who you know than what you know.

Sure it's great to work with industry standard resources but if you're working as a runner for several years before you get promoted to something else, what use was using all that equipment at uni for. Technology is constantly evolving so either: 1) the gear you used will be outdated by the time you actually make it in the indsutry 2) you will have most likely forgot a few things since it wouldve been several years since you last used said industry gear.

For instance, lets say someone wanted to be a sound mixer, why spend 9k a year for 3 years when you could spend a few hundred/maybe a couple grand at most for cheaper gear and learn themselves.

As for software, theres so many standards used in the industry (premiere, avid, finalcut, Nuke, maya, etc). All of these are available to consumers so its not like you have to go film school to learn. I pay £24 a month for my Adobe subscription and I get everything I need. That covers editing (premiere), vfx & compositing (after effects) and sound (audition). I learnt to use audition myself through youtube. Now I'm capable of most things I need to produce good quality sound like EQ-ing, denoising, etc....

Also with the introduction of open source software that the industry is also adopting such as davinci resolve and blender. Again, stuff you can learn yourself. I'm learning blender atm. I've been following tutorials online from the blender website and other 3rd parties such as blender guru. David sandberg (the director of shazam and annabelle) literally created the end credits for annabelle in about 30 mins on his laptop using blender. He has a channel on youtube where he gives advice on things such as this topic we're discussing. His channel ame is ponysmasher.

The industry is changing drastically. Film school was a thing of the past. If people really are determined to break into the industry, why not built their portfolio themselves, why rely on coursework. As for networking, there are soooo many networking events which can be replaced in lieu of film school. The BFI regularly host events and functions. Its great just to attend and learn a few things and make connections. I attended one of their free lectures on film vs digital and I ended up meeting a film composer who I've got to know and linked with on my social media. He's offered to produce my soundtrack for my next film if I want him to.

Its stuff like that, if people have the drive and passion, they will make it work.

Of course the examples I gave were limiting but it applies to almost any role in the industry.

P.s. I forgot to mention but a popular question the lecturers giving the talk at the BFI were asked was whether film school was worth it. Unsurprisingly, they said the same thing: no. It's just that time and technology are evolving and its cheaper and easier for people to learn themselves.