Thirty Dollar Film School Bypasses Gatekeepers

0:00You're listening to a podcast right now, driving, working out, walking the dog. If you're into podcasts, chances are you have something to say too. With RSS.com, starting your own is free and easy. Upload an episode, and we distribute it to Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and hundreds more. Track your listeners, see where they're from, and start earning from ads like this. Even with just 10 listeners a month. If you've been thinking about starting a podcast, this is your sign. Start free at RSS.com. Have you ever had like this massive creative ambition? Oh, absolutely. Right? Like maybe you wanted to make a movie or record an album or write a book, but then you look at what it takes and you just immediately abandon it. Because the financial barrier to entry just feels, I mean, it feels impossibly high. Exactly. It's so discouraging. But for today's deep dive, we're looking at a really fascinating Wikipedia article that proves that barrier might just be a total myth.

1:01It really does. We're looking at a book called $30 Film School by Michael W. Dean. And our mission today is to explore how this one, super budget-friendly manual basically attempted to bypass all those expensive traditional gatekeepers. Yeah, it's such a cool concept. It really is. It proves that this sort of start to finish DIY ethic can be just as effective as, you know, a super formal, expensive education. So if you're listening, get ready because we are diving into how information and really art itself gets democratized. I love that framing because when you look at the facts of this book, it's not just some isolated gimmick, right? Yeah. $30 Film School is actually part of this entire $30 School series. Oh, right. There are others. Yeah. There's $30 Music School and $30 Writing School. And basically built this whole ecosystem for independent creation across all these different art forms. Which is wild. And the crazy thing is what actually came in the package because it wasn't just like a textbook with some theory in it.

2:01Right. No, it was very hands-on. Yeah. You got interviews with actual professionals in the field, plus a CD or DVD of extras. It's almost like, hmm, although I think about it, it's like one of those creative meal kit delivery services. Oh, that's a great analogy. Right. Like instead of just giving you a vague recipe for making art and telling you to go to the grocery store, it delivers the exact ingredients to your door. You get the interviews, the software, the extras. So you can cook up a project from start to finish without even leaving your house. You really can. And that start to finish DIY ethic is so incredibly significant. How so? Well, think about why people give up on those big projects you mentioned earlier. It's usually a psychological gap, right? You feel like an amateur. And the industry feels so professional and walled off. Oh, totally. You feel like you don't belong. Exactly. But by including those professional interviews right alongside the physical media, like the actual software on that CD, Dean, bridges that gap, he's basically saying, look, the pros use tools and here are the tools.

3:03Just handed right to you. It takes away the mystique. It tells the reader that you're only separated from the professionals by effort, not by access. That is such an empowering message. Okay. So this philosophy sounds great in theory, but did it actually work? It did. And to see how well it worked, we really have to look at the second edition of the book, which came out in March 2006. Okay. 2006. I remember that era. Yeah. So this second edition, the DVD it came with, didn't just have software and tutorials anymore. Crucially, it included 14 short films that were actually created by, quote unquote, graduates of the first edition. Wait, really? So actual people who read the first book made these films? Exactly. It moved from just being this theoretical DIY ethos to having measurable, real world impact. The proof is right there on the desk. Oh, wow. That is brilliant marketing, honestly. It is. But it gets even crazier because of that measurable success. This $30 DIY book started being utilized in formal college and university media courses

4:07on filmmaking. Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Are you saying actual universities were using this? Yes. The source specifically cites the humanistin and nomadic corkikulu. Human what now? Yeah, I know it's a mouthful. It's a University of Applied Sciences in Finland. They actually assigned it as curriculum. Okay. But isn't that, I mean, think about that for a second. The whole point of this book is to bypass the incredibly expensive traditional university route, right? Right. With a $30 DIY alternative. So isn't it highly ironic that formal universities are now assigning it as their official curriculum? Doesn't that sort of defeat the anti-institutional purpose of the book? I mean, I could totally see why you think that. It sounds like a paradox. But really, it's the ultimate validation of Dean's method. How do you figure? Well, think about those 14 graduate films on the 2006 DVD. That is verifiable proof of concept. When that Finnish university adopted the book, they were basically admitting that high level educational institutions recognized something very specific.

5:10Which is what? That practical applied instruction is just way more effective than purely theoretical academia when you're actually trying to make something. Oh, I see. Because so many film schools just teach you film theory. Exactly. You can write a great essay on Hitchcock, but you don't know how to turn on a camera. Right. You don't know how to actually export a video file. Exactly. So by using Dean's book, the university is saying, look, this guy figured out how to get people to actually finish a project. Let's just use his method. Wow. Okay. So it works for adults, and it clearly works for university students. But I want to talk about the part of the article that absolutely blew my mind. Oh, I know exactly what you're going to bring up. It's the ultimate proof of concept, the story of Emma Kenney. Yes. This is where it gets so good. So if you're listening and you still think you need to go to film school, Emma Kenney was nine years old. Nine. And she strictly followed the instructions in $30 film school to create her own film. A film called the New Girl in town. Right. And it wasn't just some cute home video that her parents put on the fridge.

6:12This crowning achievement, this nine year olds film, was actually shown at the New Jersey International Film Festival, which is just incredible. It's insane. I mean, it's like it's like handing a nine year old a Lego instruction manual and then sitting back and watching them build like an architecturally sound city approved suspension bridge. That is the perfect way to describe it. How is that even possible? Well, it's all about the age factor. It's actually a massive advantage in something really an advantage. Yeah. Think about it. If a nine year old can synthesize this information and achieve a professional milestone like getting into an international film festival, it completely dismantles the excuse that you need years of complex theory to create viable art. Oh, because she doesn't have any of that theory. She just has the instructions. Exactly. She doesn't have the baggage. An adult over thinks it. An adult says, oh, I don't have the right lighting. I don't have a cinematic eye. Right. Adults get imposter syndrome. Yes. But a nine year old just reads the book, sees step one and does it.

7:14It proves that clear instruction when you combine it with just pure execution is the ultimate equalizer. Pure execution. I love that. Yeah. It shows that you don't need prestige. You just need to follow the steps and do the work. Wow. You know, this whole deep dive really makes you rethink everything. It really does. So if you're listening to this and you're looking to maybe pivot careers or learn a new skill, or you just want to understand how modern media is actually made, remember this. The barrier to entry is largely a myth. It really is. Yeah. The walls aren't as high as they look. Exactly. The tools are absolutely accessible. If you just adopt that DIY mindset, you just have to start. But you know, it does leave us with a pretty wild question to think about. Oh, what's that? Well, if a simple $30 book and a DVD of tutorials can successfully replicate the output of a traditional film school, to the point where actual universities are using it as curriculum, right? And to the point where a nine year old can use it to get into an international film festival.

8:15Yeah. At what point does the traditional quote-unquote school institution become entirely obsolete? Oh, wow. Like, are we heading toward a future where the DIY ethic is literally the only true prerequisite for creation? It is a fascinating thought to leave on. Definitely something to chew on the next time you think about going back to school. You're listening to a podcast right now, driving, working out, walking the dog. If you're into podcasts, chances are you have something to say too. With RSS.com, starting your own is free and easy. Upload an episode and we distribute it to Apple podcasts, Spotify, Amazon music and hundreds more. Check your listeners, see where they're from and start earning from ads like this. Even with just 10 listeners a month. If you've been thinking about starting a podcast, this is your sign. Start free at RSS.com. This is a quest worth taking. On April 8th, Yamaha Resort and Casino at Sandmanwell is leveling up your nostalgia by giving

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