If that is the case, what do you have to do to get there? Wikiversity.org says a few things about training to be a filmmaker, including the following:

1. “Filmmaking is not rocket science. Everything about filmmaking is extremely easy to learn. Anyone can do it if they wish.”

2. “The challenge is filmmaking requires learning a huge number of skills. Each skill is easy to learn but the number of things you must learn is huge. If you want to be an independent filmmaker, you must learn the equivalent of 20 different careers. Even if you are a fast learner, it can take you years to learn everything.”

That should be both encouraging and instructive. An education in the art is almost certainly required. So the next question is where to get that education? Is a four-year university degree required? Can filmmaking and related skills (cinematography, directing, producing, screenwriting, etc.) be learned in a technical-school environment without trying to earn a bachelor’s degree?

For better or worse, there are many options to choose from. Consider whether the university or arts school environment – as well as the physical location and costs – matter to you most. Here are some thoughts on the topic of film schools:

• University film schools or arts academies? There are many “name” universities that have a filmmaking program (U. of Arizona, UCLA, USC, Northwestern, City University of New York, Columbia University, and many others), while other schools have a clearer focus on arts and entertainment (Berkeley Digital Film Institute, New York Film Academy, California Institute of the Arts, Columbia College Hollywood, and others). What’s the difference? Some people want to study with non-arts people, while some prefer it the other way around. And some students’ parents insist they get a dual major with film in “something practical” such as accounting or teaching – not the most confident approach, but perhaps it won’t hurt to pursue one’s art with a broader worldview.

• Physical location of the film school. It goes without saying that film students will be shooting a lot of digital video on location as part of their study. The actual geography, people, architecture and weather of that location can be both backdrop and subject of their films. So the student might consider whether a rural, urban, desert or forested location provides them with the kinds of environment they would like to develop their skills in (certainly, a student could travel just about anywhere to shoot, but that would likely be at their own expense).

• Cost of the film school education. As a rule of thumb, a four-year university degree will be twice that of a two-year degree. Also, room and board fees generally follow the cost of living for anyone living in that particular city or town. Columbia University, in New York City, charges $24,724 per year for students in their MFA program, plus an additional $16,200 for room and board. In contrast, the Colorado Film School, part of the Community College of Aurora, will cost a Colorado resident only $9,200 to achieve a two-year Associate’s degree ($28,900 for non-state residents).

Not everyone is going to be the next James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar, Aliens) or Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), although a handful of aspiring filmmakers studying the art today may well be. It’s important to know that filmmaking doesn’t begin and end at the Cineplex. People with any of the many skills associated with filmmaking can find work in commercial shoots, documentaries, corporate productions and in education, in addition to the plethora of jobs in the traditional film industry. With the value of video on the Internet, savvy marketers are employing short films to draw traffic, sell products and educate consumers. Even trial lawyers produce films (i.e., they do hire filmmakers, though you won’t using an ARRI) to make their case in front of judge and jury in large-ticket litigation.

Filmmaking always has and always will be an exciting career for those who love the medium and love to tell a good story. As Wikiversity says, it’s a challenge involving a huge number of easy-to-learn skills and yet it might take years to learn. But in case it looks like fun to you, you’re right. It is.

Update: Post with the assistance of New York Film Academy and Wikiversity.org

The list price for the new Sony camcorder is just below $6,000. This is exactly the price point where you start wondering if it won’t be better to own it, instead of renting it every time you need it.

A detailed review as always comes from ProVideo. A few highlights:

• The camera can record 1080/60p, 1080/60i, 1080/30p, 1080/24p, and 720/60p in AVCHD, at data rates from 5-28 Mbps depending on format.
• In 24 frames per second, the FS100 allows shutter speeds of 3, 6, 12, 24, 40, 48, 50, 60, 96, 100, 120, 144, 192, 200 288, 400, 576, 1200, 2400, 4800, and 10000
• The FS100 uses a single “Super35mm” CMOS sensor with a color filter array; it’s 23.6 mm × 13.3 mm.

Now, the boards at IMDB are full of disparaging comments about Harrison Ford’s acting. There’s even suggestion about Jeff Bridges taking over as Colonel Graff.

Frankly, I can’t think of a better match for the cold Colonel. Jeff Bridges was fine in Men Who Stair at Goats, but you cannot take him seriously as a military establishment kind of guy.

Yes, the title is quite long and the release date is still a few months off but I’m very excited about seeing Gary Oldman in a meaningful role, i.e. not as a madman (from Azkaban or wherever).

If you are one of the people who own a DSLR from Canon, you are aware of their current trend to allow the camera to function as a camcorder as well (especially, the 5D Mark II). So the new C300 shows that the Canon can drop their hybrid approach and focus fully on a camera that is like DSLR in terms of form factor but has the feature set of a full-frame movie camera.

The important question is this: “Is Canon EOS C300 going to replace Canon X line, HVX200 or Sony’s new generation of indie video camcorders“. I think the answer is pretty clear – only if you have a pretty impressive budget! The list price of the new camcorder is 20,000 USD with the “real” price being in the 14,000-15,000 range.

So amateur filmmakers can forget about this camera but if you are shooting even a (semi) professional documentary, you could definitely go for it.

Adam Wilt is asking: Is BMD the new RED?

So, is BMD the new RED? They’re certainly revolutionizing what it costs to get into interchangeable-lens, raw-recording motion-picture cameras, just as RED did—but I don’t see RED, Canon, Arri, Sony, or other camera makers quaking in their boots. The BMC Cine Cam looks like a great DSLR-killer, but it’s a smaller sensor (or so I’m led to believe, so far), it’s “only” 2.5K (thus none of the 4K cameras need fear obsolescence just yet), and it’s unclear if the camera has the systems-level capability to satisfy productions beyond the lone indie-filmmaker crowd.

But it’s early days yet; the camera won’t ship for a few months. And, fercryinoutloud, it’s $3000! One can live with a lot of compromises for $3000.

I can live with $3000 for a cine camera. Of course, you will probably have to rent the lenses to keep the budget down.

I just found out that watching people discuss has exactly the same effect!

Video can be viewed here!

As Cinematical put it: “Video game fans were happy to see a film adaptation that actually tried to match the tone and impact of its video game predecessor.”

There’s a ton of photos at IMDB.

Apart from Jason Momoa, we get Ron Pearlman, Stephen Lang, and Rose McGovan (rumored to be groomed for Red Sonya at one point).

The world premiere is set for August 19! I cant wait to see the end of this swing in 3D: