I always had doubts about attending a film school.
I have a very independent mind, not keen on traditional teaching methods, and after looking into the matter online, I still had mixed feelings. For some, film school is fundamental in order to start working in the industry and practice with professional tools, for others a waste of time and money. I have always been inclined toward the second opinion; a good deal of the filmmakers I respect didn’t need one after all.
Then I came across Raindance’s MA in Filmmaking and, I have to say, I was skeptical at first. Why should I go to film school if I have to write the curriculum myself? I wasn’t sure but I got the bug, so after a bit of research I decided to give it a go.
A tailored journey
The Raindance MA in Filmmaking allows you to create your own learning pathway that needs to be approved by the faculty, and will be reflected upon by the student every step of the way. After that you will do a lot of research, to refine and re-think that first key module for your learning journey.
Having defined an in-depth plan for your studies, backed up by postgraduate-level research, you will then spend the remaining 4 modules on the subjects you need to learn in order to achieve your filmmaking objectives. To help you out, you are assigned two tutors, professional filmmakers, that will be with you during the journey.
I always knew I wanted to make movies, so the writer-director path seemed perfect to me. I started, but I wasn’t prepared for what I was about to experience.
The programme is not easy at first because it is so different from traditional film schools. I spent my modules covering specific parts of the filmmaking craft with the goal of shooting a proof-of-concept short film in the Sci-Fi\Fantasy genre.
A different type of film school
I was expected to apply the theoretical knowledge of my studies to my project and test different approaches in order to reflect on the process and learn from it. And writing a reflective report about the experience, also through the installation of a feedback loop, really makes the learning process more effective.
I focused my journey toward the writer-director path but I ended up absorbing so much more information about the craft and how the film industry works that now I realistically think of a ‘plan of attack’ to establish myself as a Film Director.
There is not a fixed schedule to follow, though, and I had to learn to be organised in order to make it to the end. During the program, in fact, I was responsible for my own learning, and I had to be on top of it the whole time.
But I think that the structure of this M.A., the learning principles and academic approaches that are taught to you, perfectly fit the independent filmmaking ethos. So, I not only have learned theory and practice of screenwriting and film writing and directing, but I have also acquired a tried and tested method to approach my projects, and my career.
On top of all that, there is also all the support of the Raindance Community: there are tons of filmmaking workshops, masterclasses, seminaries, networking events both offline and online, not to mention the festival itself…it’s a cool community of filmmakers to be part of!
In the end, I think that Raindance is a great ‘real-life’ film school, a thing that also gave me peace of mind attending the most independent of them all, and that the postgraduate course gave me confidence and kick-started my career.
But if you are considering taking the course, know that it requires dedication, perseverance and hard work. You need to go in 100% or don’t go in at all.
– Nicolo Riboni, Italy, August 2021
Did you know?
- Raindance members save 20% on filmmaking courses?
You can join online >HERE< and access freebies and discounts immediately - Our open courses are FREE for our HND, top-up BA and postgraduate/MA/ students
- You can book a free 1-1 consultation about our full-time degree filmmaking courses HERE
- The Raindance Guarantee: If any filmmaking course fails to meet your expectations, let us know at the break and we will make a full, 100% no-questions-asked refund
- We don’t teach ‘filmmaking’ at Raindance. At Raindance we make filmmakers.
Want to find out more about Raindance’s MA in Filmmaking? Find out more on our film school website.
Raindance promotes and supports independent filmmaking and filmmakers.
From new and emerging to industry pros, Raindance connects, trains, supports, and promotes visual storytellers through every step of their career.
The Raindance Film Festival runs each Summer in London’s Leicester Square.
Raindance has been delivering film training since 1992. A wide range of Open Classes to a 2 year HND Level 5 BTEC in Moving Images to a Postgraduate Film Degree are delivered to students on five continents, both in person and online.
