Great Experience in Prague

I will start off by saying CET does a great job with organizing events and trying to get students to feel at home in Prague. The Berlin trip was awesome and so was the trip to Cesky Krumlov. I was on the FAMU side of CET. The program at FAMU is slightly flawed, but it’s a great experience. It was amazing being surrounded by people who also had a passion for film. The program doesn’t feel like college or school whatsoever. The schedule is all over the place and can take some time to get used to. The screenwriting class and directing class are entirely pitching for most of the semester. I was very disappointed with directing class, nothing was taught about directing styles or techniques. It’s important to know coming in that if you have an idea for a film that you are passionate about, do it. Some professors will try to push their own ideas on you and make your film their own. Listen to what they have to say because some of their advice is amazing but ultimately go with what you think is best. Some of the professors are awesome. Editing class was very helpful and insightful. The cinematography class was very informative. Storyboarding class is way too short, there should be more of those classes. The electives at FAMU are a hit or miss, some are great, some aren’t. The key is to just test them out before choosing. The lighting seminar is one of the most fun and helpful parts of the program. That is when you get hands on the camera and lighting equipment for the first time. Unfortunately, that is the only time you get to see the camera before shooting. In my opinion, much more time should be spent on preparation for the shoot instead of pitching/screenwriting. The best part of the program by far was production. I highly recommend getting on multiple sets to get as much experience as possible. Being on set is ultimately what the whole program is about. The program provides you the resources to go out and make a film. The best way to learn filmmaking is to get hands-on experience. This program gives you that. I believe that although there are flaws, the set experience you get is invaluable. I met great people here who have taught me a lot as well. I am very happy with what I have learned and would recommend this program to anyone interested in filmmaking.