InFocus Film School Blog

Do you have a story waiting to be told? This is your chance. We are offering a film school scholarship for the best pitch!

Whether you have a great film idea, concept art for 3D animation and visual effects characters, or a personal story and unique worldview you want to share, you can earn up to $10,000 off the price of tuition. With this film school scholarship, you will be studying in the heart of Canada’s film industry, Vancouver, British Columbia. 

 

Click here to learn more about our film school scholarship!

Examples of What You Can Pitch for a Film School Scholarship

Are you unsure what you should pitch? Here are some examples of different pitches you can prepare based on your program, however, you are not limited to only these. You can pitch whatever feels authentic to you! The main thing we are looking for is the drive and passion to succeed in this industry.

Film Production

• Film or TV show idea (written or video)
• Video or photography portfolio
• Tell us about yourself (written or video)
• Why do you want to be a filmmaker? (written or video)

 

Screenwriting

• Film or TV show idea pitch (written or video)
• Film or TV show script (written)
• Previous written works including books, short stories, poems, etc
• Tell us about yourself (written or video)
• Why do you want to be a screenwriter? (written or video)

 

3D Animation

• 3D animated film or TV show idea pitch (written or video)
• 3D animated character idea (written or drawn)
• Sample drawings, sketches or digital art
• Tell us about yourself (written or video)
• Why do you want to be a 3D animator? (written or video)

 

Documentary

• Documentary or Doc Series show idea pitch (written or video)
• Previous written works for non-fiction publishing including magazines, newspapers
• Tell us about yourself (written or video)
• Why do you want to be a documentary filmmaker? (written or video)

 

Visual Effects

• Case study on a film or show with great VFX (written or video)
• Sample drawings, sketches or digital art
• Tell us about yourself (written or video)
• Why do you want to be a VFX artist? (written or video)

 

Graphic Design

• Graphics campaign you would do for a major brand (written or video)
• Sample drawings, sketches or digital art
• Tell us about yourself (written or video)
• Why do you want to be a graphic designer? (written or video)

 

How to Make a Great Pitch

A great pitch is the key to getting your film made. It’s your chance to convince others the value of your project or idea. When pitching for your scholarship, get creative. Do you have previous work samples? Show us what you have. Do you have an excitable personality? Film yourself talking about your idea. Are you amazing at drawing or creating concept art? Or great at writing? You can do it all.

 

We want your pitch to be authentic to you. The scholarship recipients will be chosen based on their passion to grow in this industry and the potential we see in their creativity, storytelling and professionalism. 

 

At InFocus Film School, you will be part of a creative community. Not only are you learning from industry leaders who have worked on some of today’s most popular productions, but you will be surrounded by opportunity in this evolving industry post-graduation. There is a reason why Vancouver is called “Hollywood North”. If you want to learn more about InFocus and the Vancouver film industry, click here. We look forward to welcoming you into our family and support you from the day you enter our doors to long after you leave us!

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Wondering if film school is right for you? Hear from 6 screenwriters who went to film school to learn what’s in it for you!

By: Sophia Lin

Filmmakers tend to debate the decision to go to film school, speaking of hands-on skills, experience on-set, and more. However, this topic often goes largely untouched for another foundational population of people in the industry: screenwriters. While learning how to hold a camera or create a lighting setup seem like tangible, practical skills, honing the craft of writing can feel more abstract.

 

But take it from these 6 screenwriters who went to film school and have made a name for themselves writing innovative, outstanding screenplays. Time after time, their work has received critical acclaim. They have had some of the greatest directors vying to bring their creations to life. For many, film school opened their mind to the nuances and possibilities of the art of screenwriting. It was also an invaluable chance to get their foot in the door for others. 

 

Regardless, for these 6 screenwriters who went to film school, things certainly turned out quite well for them. They all started in the same place: as bright-eyed film students.

1. Charlie Kaufman

New York University

One of the greatest American screenwriters of his generation, Kaufman is the mind behind staples such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and the breakthrough Synecdoche, New York. For him, film school gave him his first break in the industry and kickstarted his professional network. 

 

While at NYU, he met fellow screenwriter Paul Proch, and the two wrote countless scripts and plays together. Soon, they found themselves writing comedic work for National Lampoon while working to get their scripts produced. Finally, in 1991, one of Kaufman’s spec scripts gained attention. From there, Kaufman found an agent, moved to LA, and has risen to the top of the screenwriting world.

2. Paul Schrader

University of California, Los Angeles

Schrader is an iconic name in film, best known as the scribe behind Raging Bull and Taxi Driver. His film school journey started unconventionally, when one summer he decided to take as many film classes as he could at Columbia. There, he met Pauline Kael, a prominent film critic, and began to consider a career in film. Kael helped Schrader get into UCLA and then set him up with a job as a newspaper critic.

 

While at UCLA, Schrader remembers seeing the film Pickpocket and notes that it formed his career path, educating him on the differing artistic views between filmmaking and film criticism. Fresh out of school, he leveraged his writing skills to secure positions at the Los Angeles Free Press and Cinema magazine. He subsequently fully turned to screenwriting, and in the 1970s, his Taxi Driver script was picked up by none other than Martin Scorsese.

3. Jane Campion

Australian Film, Television and Radio School

One of the buzziest films this awards season is The Power of the Dog, written and directed by Campion. While many may recall her previous standout feature The Piano, few know that Campion attended the Australian Film, Television and Radio School back in the 1980s to find her footing in the industry.

She credits film school with setting her free, giving her the chance to find herself through film. Learning how to express her energy, as she puts it, she began writing and shooting a series of short films. One of these was titled Peel, and upon submitting it to festivals, she won the Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes — and the rest is history. Today, she has plans to open up a “pop-up film school.” In this creative structure, she wishes to impart the film education she received to the next generation of screenwriters who went to film school.

4. M. Night Shyamalan

New York University

Most famous for writing The Sixth Sense and more recently, the Unbreakable Trilogy, Shyamalan got his start studying film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Shyamalan has been enthralled with the medium of film since a young age. Film school provided him with the space to create without limits. 

While in school, he wrote his first of two early feature-length films, Praying With Anger. This led him to win the American Film Institute’s top prize for a debut film. Along with this huge accomplishment, he secured his first agent. The genre reinvention he explored in his first film, which put a twist in the classic coming-of-age tale, would sow the seeds of his radical screenplays down the line.

5. Steven Zaillian

San Francisco State University

One of the few people to truly master both screenwriting and directing is Steve Zaillian. He began pursuing his interest in the arts by enrolling in film at SFSU. Zaillian used his time in film school to explore, taking art department classes that crossed over with history of film and venturing into foreign cinema studies.

 

For him, film school hugely influenced him, creatively and personally. He recalls discovering neo-realist and French New Wave films, with films like The 400 Blows opening his eyes to the power of realism. These explorative forms of film education went on to shape his career, like many other screenwriters who went to film school, serving as inspiration for the gritty screenplay Gangs of New York and his standout Academy Award-winning screenplay Schindler’s List.

6. Diablo Cody

University of Iowa

As a female screenwriter in a male-dominated industry, Cody began her career by breaking boundaries. She enrolled in a media degree at the University of Iowa. While taking classes, began her writing career — though from the unorthodox realm of blogging. With this, she honed crucial storytelling skills, as well as developed her signature style of quick wit and biting sarcasm.

Noting that her degree provided her with a safety net, she freely moved between jobs in radio and advertising. But soon, she dove into screenwriting — and a few months later, came out with her first feature-length screenplay titled Juno. This would go on to win Cody nearly every major screenwriting award, her offbeat, no-holds-barred style having won over critics and audiences alike.

 

 

Overall, these six screenwriters who went to film school have had exceptional careers that started their first day in the classroom. By going to film school, you have a chance to hone your storytelling skills. After getting a film education, you can make the stories you envision come to life. Storytelling is a sort of magic and film school can help you develop it.

 

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Wondering how to become a filmmaker after film school? Here are five tips from film director and InFocus instructor David Michán on developing in the film industry.

By: Kennedy Randall

The journey to becoming a filmmaker is not always an easy one. I sat down with David Michán to hear about his life-long love of filmmaking, teaching, and learning. Michán grew up in Mexico and has been drawn to filmmaking ever since he was in middle school. When I asked him what made him decide to become a filmmaker, he has know it was his destiny since he was twelve years old. Michán said, “I was already doing storyboards about my friends in class and putting them into ‘movies’.” His savvy eye started young; if his friends paid him a nickel, he would tell them how his story would end – “everybody wanted to know if they were the hero who saved the day.” Attracted to stories and films from a young age, he always knew he wanted to pursue filmmaking. 

The day after graduating from his Bachelor’s Degree in Communications and Science, he took a chance and flew to Los Angeles. This is where his filmmaking career began; where determination, hard work and creativity have led him to a successful career in film. Keep reading for five tips from award-winning film director David Michán on how to become a filmmaker after film school.

1. Get The Basics

When David first made his way to Los Angeles after getting his bachelor’s degree, he was determined to jump right into the film industry. Los Angeles has some of the best filmmakers in the world, and he wanted to “learn from the best.” He worked hard for five years in LA and tried out many roles on set. Michán wanted to reach his dream of directing films and this was hard to do without the basics of film school. Rodrigo Prieto, alumni of Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica, recommended that Michán go back to school and gain the theory, history, principles, and other knowledge that film school provides. 

He decided to go back to school and attend Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica to gain the skills he was missing. Film school perfectly complemented his experience on set, completing “the knowledge circle.” Mixing real world experience with practical education of film school creates a well rounded filmmaker and opens up your potential in the industry. After getting the basics, David found it easier to pursue directing in the film industry.

2. Network

Film school teaches you the basics of filmmaking, but beyond that, you gain a network of friends and coworkers. Michán highlighted the importance of networking in film school, saying “the friends you work with in school are the friends you are going to work with in the future.” He has been working with a friend from film school across the globe. For fifteen years, he calls him whenever he has a new project. 

Keeping in contact socially and professionally is another important part of networking. Keeping your ears open to oppurtunity will help you become a filmmaker after film school. Michán said that if he can’t do a job, he will pass it along to the people he keeps in contact with from film school and vice versa. By exchanging work, experience, and passions, after film school, you can continue learning and growing from your classmates.

3. Work Your Way Up to Become a Filmmaker After Film School

When I asked Michán whether it was difficult to make a name for himself in the film industry after school, he replied, “it was no easy task and it still isn’t.” Michán says “You have to be very proactive in the film industry … go and look for opportunities after you graduate.” You also have to be willing to start from the bottom, which can be hard for the ego, especially after finishing a degree!

 

Michán took a film he made during his undergrad to production agencies in LA, but nothing panned out. However, the companies saw the drive and passion in Michán and offered him a production assistant role on set. He saw this as a chance to learn how things functioned on set and learn as much as he could. He would ask to be closer to the director so he could hear what the director was saying. The production company saw that Michán was committed and wanted to work hard. They promoted him, eventually to second assistant director. Being open to starting from the bottom and working your way up is important when you become a filmmaker after film school.

4. Keep Diversifying

In an industry like film, there’s always more to learn and expand your knowledge. After getting a bachelor’s degree in Science and Communication, years of on-set experience in Los Angeles, and a degree from one of the top film schools, Michán still makes it a priority to diversify his skill set. He saw special effects becoming more common in film and he decided to learn more about them. He came to Vancouver, Hollywood North, to learn more about VFX and is involved on many special effects teams. By learning another skill that is becoming valuable in the industry, Michán put himself one step ahead of other directors.

 

As well, when you are a film director, your hours are not always stable. This gives you a lot of time to learn new skills. Michán said that in between projects, he focuses on writing his script for his upcoming feature film. He also brushed up on other skills useful for filmmaking like photography.

5. Always Listen

“Listen to your teachers… you don’t go from crawling to running a marathon,” Michán said with a laugh. When we were talking about the most valuable lessons he learned from film school he reflected on being a young aspiring filmmaker. When you are young, believe you know more than anyone else and that nothing can stop you. You want to just rush right into your dreams. Sometimes, when teachers tell you to slow down and be patient, it seems like a waste of time. But it is important to learn the basics and follow steps to become a filmmaker. Teachers are there to guide you with their experience, not cut your creative mind.

Lucky for us, we now have David as an instructor on our team to guide our students to their dreams! Michán finds teaching to be extremely rewarding because he gets to “motivate new students to create.” His love for the film industry is unmatched and finds it rewarding to inspire others. By teaching, he gives back the magic that his teachers have inspired him in. David said that the magic of filmmaking lies in the power we have to transform something from paper to pictures and shares that everyday with our students. We hope that these five tips on how to become a filmmaker after film school help you find your magical place in the film industry.

 

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Looking to get started in graphic design? Check out 10 tips on how to get the ball rolling.

By: Carmen DeCampo

Graphic design is a very popular field, and it’s expanding year upon year. The combination of creativity, communication skills, and knowledge of current trends appeals to those who thrive on challenges.

However, getting your foot in the door can be tricky.

There are many methods to make this process easier. We’ve put together a short guide to give you a leg up into the industry and get started in graphic design.

 

1. Do Your Research Before You Get Started in Graphic Design

Becoming a graphic designer takes a lot of hard work, along with loads of creativity and passion. Before committing to a career, it’s important to do some research so you know what you’re getting into.

There are many people who initially choose a career path focused on something they enjoy doing. However, they may end up unhappy as their interest/hobby transforms from pleasure to pressure.

If you love art and design, graphic design may be the perfect choice. It’s advisable, nonetheless, to take your time before making any concrete decisions.

2. Choose The Right Course

It’s very difficult to get your foot in the door in any career without some sort of formal qualification. There are thousands of courses to choose from with graphic design—online and offline.

Some people can break into the industry without having studied design, but they are few and far between. That’s not to say experience isn’t important, but it’s a lot easier to get started with a solid grounding in theory and principles.

Doing a course that combines theory with practical experience is an excellent way to get started in graphic design. Understanding theory and putting it into practice are fundamental steps in pursuing a career in design.

3. Nurture Your Creativity

It goes without saying that to excel in any artistic field requires creativity. Design is leaning towards the digital realm. The field is beginning to emphasize skills like web design, UX and UI design (User Experience and User Interface), and online marketing.

When you’re getting started, practicing your creativity in all these fields is essential.

4. Get To Grips With Software

As we mentioned, graphic design has shifted towards digital media. Thus, a thorough understanding of design software is essential for newcomers to the industry.

Even more important than understanding, though, is the ability to use that knowledge in growing your creative skill-set. Getting started as a graphic designer isn’t easy. While knowledge of software is good, experience and curiosity are valuable beyond comparison.

A graphic design course and/or qualification is often the best path when it comes to combining theoretical knowledge with practical skills in software like Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop.

5. Learn Design Principles – Observe And Practice

Whether you pursue a formal qualification or plan on teaching yourself, having a comprehensive knowledge of design principles is a prerequisite.

Look at the work of other designers for inspiration and then decide why they appeal to you. The best way to understand concepts like space, color, and balance is to see how they work in practice. You need to know what role images and visuals play, how text and font set a tone, and how color use influences emotions and evokes a response.

Analyzing a design you like can make it evident how the use of different elements evokes different feelings and reactions. Understanding the application of theory is what helps a designer develop and perfect their own style. Knowing what works, why it works, and how to use it creatively is crucial.

6. Self-Brand As A Freelancer

If you’re just starting out in graphic design, you’ll most likely find yourself facing many decisions: where to study (or whether to study at all), what specialization to pursue and more.

Research has shown that the vast majority—around 90%—of graphic designers work as freelancers. Therefore, every new entrant into the industry is facing fierce competition.

It’s never too early to start building yourself up as a professional with your own brand and style.

Looking at others’ work for inspiration only goes so far. Perfecting your own creative approach is what will ultimately make you a sought-after design professional. Apart from that, starting to freelance early is a great way to gain experience and add to your portfolio.

7. Build A Portfolio

Having a portfolio is a must for anyone working in creative industries.

For a graphic designer in the 2020s, a portfolio must include work that demonstrates a high level of skill and a thorough understanding of design principles. As we mentioned earlier: building an impressive portfolio begins early in a designer’s career. You can bolster your portfolio with any and every freelance assignment you complete.

Even if you have yet to finish your studies, laying the foundations of your career is something that you must give attention to. The keystone of which is your portfolio. It is important to you put yourself “out there” as a designer. Every job will depend on convincing potential clients that you have the knowledge, talent, and creative flair to deliver what they’re after.

8. Seek Out And Welcome Feedback

Not many people who enjoy being criticized. However, there are some careers in which taking feedback is a prerequisite.

Graphic design is, undoubtedly, one of them. 

Success as a designer, therefore, requires a thick skin and the open-mindedness to see your own weak spots. As well, a desire to put in the necessary effort to improve them. 

9. Gain Experience – Any Experience

The unfortunate reality is that almost everyone only wants to employ people with experience. Alas, this may leave younger designers between a rock and a hard place.

How do you get experience when nobody wants to hire someone without it?

This might mean doing some design projects for NPOs which, unfortunately, are not financially profitable but look great on your resume.

10. Learn To Communicate And Collaborate

Your ability to make connections with people is a skill necessary to get started in graphic design. Although graphic design involves a lot of creativity and individual effort, carving out a career in the field demands the ability to communicate and collaborate with all sorts of people.

Working for clients and working with clients are an integral part of the design field. As soon as you start focusing on graphic design, it is wise to start to practice networking and seek out clients.

It isn’t easy to get started in graphic design, but it is rewarding. Especially if you’re following your passion.

 

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