Ham + Cheese Premes on TMN

damman, between you and jpopalis, you're going to make H&C a hit! Thanks for spreading the word, much appreciated. I was just saying to jpopalis that my favourite scenes are also the audition scenes, mostly b/c Jason and Mike wrote them with such complete authority and performed them with conviction (there's nothing stronger than an actor having truly lived a scene before doing it).

At the expense of going off tangent on this thread (but b/c I started it, I don't mind) - I will throw my 2 cents into the whole film school question (which is covered a lot on various message boards) --- although I never did get my Ryerson degree (and I've never been asked to show one either) - I think what I liked most about film school is the fraternity one acquires with other filmmakers.

I would say that, beyond the crap shoot of hoping to get some great teachers, you are going to film school primarily to meet a group of other talented young filmmakers and feed off the energy that really can exist only in such a protected environment.

Learning about equipment? I guess. Learning how to shoot a film? Sure, okay. But really, you go to meet people and interact - whether it's classmates or teachers. The classmates I went to school with were amazing filmmakers and I learned a great deal from them - and still work with many of them to this very day. I'm not familiar with the Van Film or LA Film schools - but I've heard good things about both. Ryerson was (and still is) one of THE BEST film schools in the country - and the fact that it's right downtown and in the thick of things is terrific for young filmmakers - it had a great energy (even though every 4th student film was shot at lake Devo). It really comes down to what can you afford and what do you want to learn? Obviously, graduating AFI masters in directing is a fast track to Hollywood, and gives you amazing exposure to agents and producers.

If you want to learn how to thread a 16mm camera, you can do that without spending the thousands in tuition. I also think that sometimes you can learn a lot by volunteering on set as well as going to school for it - sometimes even more. The $30k you spend on film school could be spent on making a decent feature or spectacular short - but who's to say you're ready for it without some formal training? I dunno. I went to film school but kept a very keen eye out for professional work, and when I felt my academic career was at a standstill, I went for it.

Each person is different. If you have absolutely no connection to film, and live in a city or area that doesn't have a thriving film industry, sometimes film school is the only way for you to get involved with the process. But I wouldn't worry too much about the degree, unless you at some point want to teach (which is extremely valid). Film is an incredibly easy profession to get into (really, almost anyone can get a volunteer P.A. gig on a film set tomorrow if you wanted to) - but very hard to stay in for any length of time. It really is about the last filmmaker standing - and if you have stamina (which I think is sometimes even more important than talent or luck), you have a chance to make it. Film school sometimes is the starting point for that adventure. And if you asked me what's the easiest way to make a movie? I'd say - just go out and make it. Ham & Cheese is living proof of that.

Shoot Good Film,

WPS