During my first year at Saint Joseph’s as a communications major, I took a digital filmmaking course and truly loved it; the creativity of the entire process and being in charge of my own innovative story. In this class, I made three short narratives; all directed and written by yours truly. I thought it was so fun making a story out of nothing and having my friends try to act it out.
As a communications major, I was unsure of what path I wanted to take. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out what sub-field to go into considering communications is so broad. It focuses on media and journalism, but can actually be applied to many different career opportunities. The key to figuring out what to do with your communications major is to see what you have passion for in your life.
My Journey into film
I was nervous about choosing film as my minor because the film industry is just a difficult field, but after seeing how many career opportunities there are, I was encouraged to take the leap.
Making movies and directing is what interests me; the visual importance of movies. Screenwriting is also a very fascinating field of film, just not one that I feel would work for me. For my entire life, I have been a film fanatic. Name a movie and I’ve probably seen it or it is on my never-ending movie list. Movies were always a way for me to escape reality, but as I’ve grown I’ve found that I truly appreciate the artistic expression of movies. I love the detail that goes into filmmaking and the reasoning behind even the tiniest of choices. Some of the movies that sparked my interest are Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
I have a very visual brain. My memory is borderline photographic and I even have a type of synesthesia that makes me see time in my head. Meaning, I am a visual artist and learner. If you find yourself to be someone who can imagine an entire plot in your head like me, you should consider a film minor.
Like communications, film is also a very adaptable field. The skills you would develop from having a film minor would be applicable in a wide variety of careers. As well as the skills developed from being a communications major. As a communications major, we develop the skills of understanding information that is not being said directly and we can communicate things more effectively. With knowledge of film, you strengthen your creativity skills and know-how a movie or ad would affect a person’s beliefs.
What could you do with an interest in film?
The most well-known fields of film careers are:
- Directing
- Editing
- Broadcasting
- Photography
- Screenwriting
- Photography
To understand what you could do with your film minor, you need to pick a specialization. One sub-field of film that really interests you and one you think matches your personality. Once you pick this field and advance in this area, you will be able to find people who will employ you for the skills you have. There are infinite opportunities for people with an interest in film, no matter what sub-field they decide to pursue. Even celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey and Oprah, have used their communication degrees to get a foot in the movie industry!
recent events in the film industry
In case you aren’t aware, there is a strike going on currently in the film industry. TV and film writers are on strike because the media production industry has grown by billions of dollars over the past decade, and
writers are not getting fair compensation for their work. Every three years, the Writers Guild of America represents 11,500 writers to negotiate a new contract with major Hollywood studios. This is a very large problem considering without writers, there would be no industry. As they continue to negotiate, all we can do is hope that in the future writers are fairly paid for their work because without their work, there are no movies/TV to profit off of anyway. Since this is something that is affecting everyone in the film industry, including myself or anyone who plans to be in the industry, it is important to be educated on recent events. I would recommend looking at the New York Times because they have been up-to-date on all of the events of this negotiation.
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