When I tell people I am going into film, I get one of three types of responses. Some people oh and ahh over it, telling me how it is so cool that I’m doing that. Others are a little taken aback, saying that they’ve never met a film major before. And the rest of the people scoff at me and ask me what I intend to do with my life after college. This is for those people.
It is no secret that I’ve always done well in school; I’ve received good grades since I was little, I test well, and I’ve never gotten into serious trouble. A lot of the people that were with me in the top of our class will be majoring in things like science, math, or other “smart” fields of study. The people who scoff at me usually ask why I’m not majoring in one of those subjects. I’m an intelligent woman, why waste it on an art major?
The truth of the matter is that if I picked one of those “smarter” careers, I’m pretty sure I would jump out of the building at some point in my life. I have no passion for that sort of \\
thing. I do, however, have huge amounts of passion for art. I have had a camera in my hands for as long as I can remember. I have a drive to get things done when I sit and work on a video project that I just don’t have when I sit down to do my math homework.
Furthermore, this is not a decision I’ve taken lightly. I have spent countless hours debating on what to do with the rest of my life. I wanted to be a veterinarian for a really long time, but after I decided that wasn’t for me, I was at a loss. Becoming a film major is the one thing I felt I could do for the rest of my life and not get tired of it.
Will I have a cushy job that pays me a lot of money? Probably not. Will I take on more projects that I don’t necessarily enjoy than ones that I do? Without a doubt. Will I make it to Hollywood? I hope so, but I’m not blind to how difficult that is. None of that matters to me. I will be doing something that I love, and that’s more than a lot of people can say.
What’s more is that film, or any career in art, is not any less smart than other fields. Movies are an amazing tool. They make you think, or laugh, or cry, or maybe even all three. That in itself is not an easy task. It takes a lot of intelligence to consider things like the story and camera angles to tell your story well.
Movies reach an incredibly wide variety of people as well; there is not a single person I know who has not seen a movie. A huge benefit to making films is the fact that different types of people watch a lot of different movies, making each genre its own unique tool for influence in society. Horror movies show the reality of our society. Romance shows audiences that there is love in the world. Comedies allow viewers to escape the seriousness of life, while fantasy helps them take a break from their life entirely.
Personally, I don’t know of other majors that can invoke all of these feelings and reach such a wide audience.
So, to all of the people who say I am wasting my intelligence on film, you’re wrong. I cannot think of a better way to use my smarts, because art can change the world.
