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becoming an American in Deutschland - studying film production?
Virum
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Registered User regular
I applied to one school this year (missing a couple of classes for a UC transfer so I just applied to the private school of my choice). Initially, I'd been interested in studying abroad in Germany, but if I do that I don't want to study abroad through an american university because that's way too expensive. I know Germany has pretty cheap education. The private school [Chapman University] I applied to is 40K a year, so I'm still tossing around the option of maybe going to Germany for my major, but I'm concerned about the possible lack of job placement, and the schools there maybe not being quite as advanced as Chapman's facility's.
Unfortunately, I'm not fluent in German; I've taken 3 junior college semesters of it so I can work my way around the grammar and fumble out somewhat complex systems after I've figured out all the "verb kicking"as I call it and genders.
Anyways, so, I looked into HFF Potsdam which seemed to be one of the more renowned film schools, but it seems I have to be fluent in German to attend. Bugger.
Then I stumbled across the Städelschule (Frankfurt), which according to http://www.daad.de does English teaching as well, and I read this about their film program:
I like that. One of the reasons Chapman was my top choice was because they are very production oriented and the fact that they have 24/7 access to their soundstage and encourage lots of side projects to class assignments.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything on their home page relating to their film program, but I found this via google:
http://213.138.52.53/StaedelFolder.pdf
Also, I have no idea what exactly needs to be done for me to study over there; I know I need a visa, but I also need to know how to get a job; I'm still researching all of that.
I really don't know what I want to do. Study abroad, possibly save money and get a whole new experience, or study at Chapman (should I get in), have better job placement opportunities and possibly access to better equipment. And not have to worry about not having my car.
Arg.
Unfortunately, I'm not fluent in German; I've taken 3 junior college semesters of it so I can work my way around the grammar and fumble out somewhat complex systems after I've figured out all the "verb kicking"as I call it and genders.
Anyways, so, I looked into HFF Potsdam which seemed to be one of the more renowned film schools, but it seems I have to be fluent in German to attend. Bugger.
Then I stumbled across the Städelschule (Frankfurt), which according to http://www.daad.de does English teaching as well, and I read this about their film program:
At the Städelschule, film is taught as an autonomous discipline like painting, architecture or sculpture. The class meets regularly for projects analysis and technical demonstrations ranging from traditional film to the latest in digital video. All creative and practical steps are carried out by the student
I like that. One of the reasons Chapman was my top choice was because they are very production oriented and the fact that they have 24/7 access to their soundstage and encourage lots of side projects to class assignments.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything on their home page relating to their film program, but I found this via google:
http://213.138.52.53/StaedelFolder.pdf
Also, I have no idea what exactly needs to be done for me to study over there; I know I need a visa, but I also need to know how to get a job; I'm still researching all of that.
I really don't know what I want to do. Study abroad, possibly save money and get a whole new experience, or study at Chapman (should I get in), have better job placement opportunities and possibly access to better equipment. And not have to worry about not having my car.
Arg.
Virum on
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http://www.filmschule.de/engl/frame_engl.php3
I'm not so sure about Berlin and Frankfurt, but Cologne is THE place for media people in Germany, which sometimes makes living here a bit annoying, but well....
The Internationale Filmschule is supposed to be pretty good and it is not private but works with public funding, which actually is not a bad thing here in Germany because it means the government gets to check if they are not pulling anything wildly stupid or wasting money/ripping off their students.
I know of a guy who joined a private school for actors and had to spend tons of money only to be told 5 months later that he actually wasn't talented enough to attend.
Ok, even though we got study fees here in Germany since last year, I can tell you that your studies will be a lot cheaper than at this 40k a year school, the fees will not exceed 1500 dollars a year, probably less.
That means you could get to know another country, learn a new language, study AND save money.
To me the thought of paying 40k a year for something that should be free(or at least much more reasonably prized) like education is totally outrageous and snobbish/elitist, but I know that things are different in the US.
So the "Film Studies" program is more of a "Film Production" program right? In the US, Film Studies usually doesn't involve making films, just tearing them apart under brutal criticism.
1,500 dollars? Are you kidding me? I thought it'd be closer to a 5,000 euros.
Would the 1500 dollars include housing? Or would I have to sort that out. The English pages aren't very complete and my German isn't good enough to easily read the website since I have to consult a dictionary every 3 words.
40K a year is definitely outrageous and I keep hearing the people at that campus are snotty and snobby, which also makes me not want to go there.
Anyways, I go to a private university and have had some experience with studying abroad. For studying abroad, you only have to pay the minimum amount of money to the school to keep you registered and allow the credits to transfer while you are studying abroad. If you get accepted, look into this. Although I recommend staying in America a year, then going abroad after you at least get college experience under your belt. It's one thing to go off to college; it's another to go off into another country that you have never been to and learn there.
For example, it's $20k a year at my University, yet you only have to pay about $5k to stay registered to get the credits transferred over for a year of studying abroad. And studying over there is really cheap since it's subsidized by the Government.
Also, look into getting Göethe certified (ie study and learn German right away). This is a certification the German government gives to people who show a comprehension of the German language. You can even get higher certificates as well as business certification. These are excellent things for a resume.
If anything, working towards a certification yet not passing will at least get key German parts into your head. Most cities in the USA have a way to take the Göethe test. I was able to test at my University because we had two German professors.
In all honesty, you need to learn German if you want to go over there. You can pass by on English if you're simply traveling on vacation, but Germany prides itself on being German for their media (hope that makes sense). TV shows are dubbed as opposed to subtitled like in other countries, and when you get into areas like Bavaria if you don't even understand German, God help you if you have someone speaking Bayerisch to you. People speak and understand English, but oftentimes they can understand English but reply in German.
Germany is a great country (and sorry Librarian, but Düsseldorf is better than Köln
Sorry if this was more about Germany than studying abroad, but people always assume everyone in Europe will speak in English when you go over there. It's like that is some of the smaller countries, but Germany and France are the exceptions.
I live in California and I'm aware of how many good film schools there are here, but I really want to live in Germany and I really want to become fluent in the language. I've taken three college semester courses in it and I've enjoyed it a lot and I've always wanted to achieve fluency which really only happens if you live in the spot.
I know my German isn't nearly good enough to attend lectures and write papers at a university which is why I was looking for an international type school that had at least beginning classes in english so I could have a chance to assimilate.
My intention wasn't to study in Germany and speak English, one of the reasons I want to study in Germany is because I want to become fluent in the language.
And I don't want to spend so much for an american education. Even if you go for the 5,000 dollar a year UC system, I'll still be looking at 10,000-15,000 dollars, not including film expenses and stuff. Whereas I could be studying in a foreign country, learning a language even better, and get a whole new experience.
I plan on being more of an indie filmmaker anyway, so I'm not too concerned about hollywood contacts school could get me.
And Germany is pretty expensive as well. Did you know that one Euro (about $1.18) only gets you a single cheeseburger at McDonald's, whereas a buck gets you a double cheeseburger here? It's madness!
But it really is expensive over there. Cheap beer, everything else costs more than here in the states, and is in smaller portions. Hell, I picked up a 2 pack of socks over there that cost me about 5 euros. Just basic socks. While it may not balance out with education expenses here, you will have to pay money. Especially in electronics, unless the school gives you the equipment. And don't even think about shipping anything in a timely manner to or from the states without giving up about $120 bucks for a 12x12 box. As a rule of thumb, just see what you buy in a week, count it up, and then multiply it by 1.5. That would be roughly what you spend in Europe (a little overestimate but better to be safe than sorry).
Also, have you ever traveled to Europe before in general, not even Germany? Culture shock can hit you pretty hard, and you don't want to dedicate so much time and then realize you don't want to do this anymore.
You seem energetic, and I believe students should travel the world while they can, but you just have to get this stuff down on paper in front of you and look at the pros and cons. Best of luck in whatever you endeavor.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
It's hard to find a job in Western Europe in general. There are a lot of Eastern Europeans coming west to take jobs that they are very qualified for, yet the money just isn't there in Poland and Hungary. Plus labor laws and such are a completely different beast from working in the US.
But I would see film as being different, as it is more a work for hire type of business/industry (film people would know more about that). As long as you have your visa and have investors, you should be fine, at least from a student standpoint.
I took
To mean that he wanted a job on the side. But on rereading it, it seems likely that he means jobs after graduation, in which case my concern doesn't really apply.
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
Thank you all for your suggestions, advice, and information.
I've decided to that I'm going to apply to San Fransisco State University which will be about $1,583.00 per semester. Housing's expensive too, about $10,000 a year. So around 14,000 dollars a year. That's a lot more palaptable since I'll definitely qualify for financial aid.
They have a study abroad program, so I can go to Germany for a semester through them.
Thanks guys.