If you want to know how to make movies, the best thing you can do is study. Many people don’t think they need to learn about filmmaking and acting before pursuing a career, but it’s important to learn about what you want to do in life and do what you can to grow in the area, Says John Bonavia.
Here are three reasons you’ll benefit from going to acting school.
You’ll get to know the industry.
By going to school, you’ll learn more about the industry’s history and get to know the films and actors who shaped it. Many phenomenal actors and filmmakers have gleaned wisdom and advice from those before.
For actors, the school can help you gain confidence, give you a perfect platform to use your talent, and allow teachers to offer helpful advice and guidance. Often actors have little acting ticks they don’t recognize or see. Some overuse pauses or sighs or have a go-to stance they repeatedly use for different characters. Acting teachers can help you break out of those ticks and help hone your skill at the same time.
Practice makes perfect.
To grow and mature, you need to be making content. Once heard that it takes 10,000 hours for a creative to master their craft. So if you’re an aspiring filmmaker or actor, being in a school can give you time to practice.
Having feedback from your lecturers can give you insight into areas you didn’t realize needed work. Just the other day, I was hanging out with a friend, practicing monologues together. You can decide to try accents that you were rusty using.
Acting and filmmaking are all about teamwork, says John Bonavia. If you don’t have the luxury of connecting with friends who can help build your skills, a school can be an easy place to find people who can help.
You’ll make connections.
You’ve got medical professionals and chefs, artists and creatives, builders and painters, accountants and IT techs, etc. It does take a team of people to create a movie. Many of these teams are built because of film and acting schools. It’s a natural way of building up the connections you make, especially if the school you go to has guest lecturers who work in the industry. You never know who may see you and ask you to crew their next film or audition for their movie.
Students have the most natural place to keep learning, growing, and connecting with the film community, which can give them an edge in their future careers. It’s worth thinking about and seeing if going to school is the best idea for you.
