Film School - Highs and Lows Past Review
By A student (Political Science and Government and Film, Wellesley College) - abroad from 08/27/2015 to 12/18/2015 with
CET Film Production at FAMU
I learned that I want to be a filmmaker and that I need to pay attention to my voice and what I want to say. It was good to learn the 3 act structure and a classical style of making a film (and experience some of the misogynistic attitudes prevalent in the film industry). I also had some of the best times of my life. The people I met were fabulous, I made so many life long friendships and got to travel around Europe.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 2 weeks - 1 month |
Review Your Program
|
* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
It wasn't balanced very well. We had very little to do and then once shooting started we had one week to cast, location scout, storyboard and finalize the script. We should have been better prepared for shooting itself as well. I think it would have been great to do a midterm project on digital in English so that once we used film and had a budget and czech actors and everything we could have been more prepared. |
|
* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Very unorganized. We got out schedules for that week each Sunday. Sometimes the professors would be 45 mins late to class because they thought it was in a different location. |
|
* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
They were great until they had mold and leaking problems. But once we complained the program moved us to better accommodations. |
| * Food: |
We bought our own food. |
|
* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
|
|
* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
I didn't need health services during my time but one of my friends did and she got what she needed. |
| * Safety: |
Extremely safe and wonderful! |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
Even though the program was extremely unorganized I would do it again because I met AMAZING people that I will be working with this summer and hopefully many more times in my career. I learned that I love filmmaking and got to be thrown into making something myself. |
Finances
|
* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Prague is a great city to be on a budget. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | Not sure but you can easily get a meal for $3 |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | Budget but also remember that you're studying abroad. Figure out what you want to "splurge" on, is it museums, food, cloths, art ect. |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
|
How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
All of the actors in my film only spoke Czech so I had to use what little language I knew. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | None |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? |
Other Program Information
|
* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
|
|
* Who did you take classes with?
Select all that apply |
|
| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
|
| * What could be improved? |
|
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I had made films with my friends in the down months before shooting starts. You have a bunch of people that have equipment and want to make films so make some! |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
