5 Things Film School Taught Me
When I started film school, I thought I knew what I was signing up for: writing scripts, analyzing movies, maybe pulling the occasional all-nighter with too much caffeine. Turns out, film school ended up being part boot camp, part therapy, and part crash course in both art and survival.
Here are five lessons that stuck with me:
1. Notes Are a Love Language
I used to take feedback like a personal attack. But film school taught me that notes (whether brutal, confusing, or spot-on) are actually someone investing in your work. Once I stopped guarding my scripts like a diary and started listening, I realized every note is a chance to sharpen, not a reason to spiral.
2. “Good Enough” Gets You Further Than “Perfect”
Perfection is the enemy of finishing anything. I learned that a messy draft beats a blank page every single time. Some of my best breakthroughs happened in “rough” work that I never would’ve discovered if I’d sat paralyzed, waiting to make it flawless.
3. Grow Your Network
I always thought “networking” meant meeting agents or industry execs. Turns out, it’s the classmates pulling all-nighters next to you. Those peers become collaborators, references, even future hiring managers. The friendships I made in workshops are more valuable than any lecture.
4. The Business Matters
I came in ready to live in Storyland forever. But the reality is: this industry is still an industry. Pitches, coverage, contracts, deadlines, those aren’t “sellout” things; they’re survival things. Knowing the business side doesn’t kill your art; it makes sure your art actually gets out into the world.
5. You Can’t Write What You Don’t Live
Film school introduced me to many different voices: the professors who shaped me, the peers who challenged me, the filmmakers we studied who broke the mold. But the biggest takeaway? Nobody else has my perspective, history, or voice. The best pages I’ve ever written came after heartbreak, a trip, or reading the label of a wine bottle. Film school reminded me that living life outside the classroom feeds the art inside it.
While I didn’t get the magic formula for success (spoiler: there isn’t one). What I did learn was the foundation to write with confidence, collaborate with generosity, embrace failure, respect the business, and protect my voice. Those five lessons will follow me long after graduation and into every writer’s room, production set, and every story I tell.