film school is a common term for pretty well any educational institution designed to training budding artists in movie making, includingfilm theory, film production, and writing for the screen.

For the most part, hands-on technical training is included as a portion of the courseload, such as finding out how to use light meters, movie cameras and other types of filmmaking equipment. Most film schools are one part of pre-existing universities and colleges, often in communication or art departments. Some of them are owned privately and not linked to universities, such as technical schools offering associate degrees.

Multiple debates have raged for years on the necessity of film school in permitting a person to enter the film sector. Of course, example of both can be seen, as famous directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola graduated from well-known film schools, however Quentin Tarantino had no formal film schooling.

The recent rise of independent digital video and filmmakers have transformed this argument somewhat, due to the fact that anybody with a few thousand dollars can shoot their own film (and some people have done it very successfully) with not much formal schooling in the film industry. Thus, it can be argued that the expense of going to a film school can now be better spent on making a movie.

Others contend that film school is necessary because it permits students to network and get in touch with others interested in filmmaking, as well as with people who might in the end offer them careers in the industry.