Herb's Story - Part of my film and television history - Jim York

My good friend and colleague, Herb Sennnett recently sent me a link to his website reminding me about the origin of one of his really moving films.  Herb is a friend from my international academy days.  I'll quote him, below about how the idea for a movie about his days in Vietnam came to him…


"Several years back, I found a box full of old 8mm film and pictures. Nearly all of the photos and film footage was from my year as an infantry officer during the war in Vietnam. Noticing that the film was starting to deteriorate, I had the footage transfered to digital. After I picked up the finished product, I was at my desk at the Palm Beach Film School viewing the result when the school's director, Jim York, noted what I was watching. When I explained to him what I had, he said that I should put the film and photos together into a movie about my experiences. "

Here is a link to Herb's film.

Jim York

Film and Television Trade School vs. University Education - Jim York

In my experience running a film and television academy for both domestic and international students  I find myself often talking to prospective students about the value of career schools. I've found that the students coming in the door are looking for practical skills and hands on training.

I was lucky enough to see this article the other day.  It breaks down the numbers when it comes to considering the value of different types of education for different types of students.  It might be a helpful tool for students or their parents to have as they make their decisions about the right school.

Trade School vs. College

Jim York

Film and Television...and Asperger's Syndrome

Film and television creators are finally including more and more characters with Asperger's Syndrome. Sarah Kurchak, writer for Flavorwire.com, lists 15 interesting film and television characters with Asperger's appearing on popular shows, which you can read more about here.

A few years ago I was asked by Palm Beach Film School teacher Michael Lobsinger to executive produce a short documentary film about one of the teenage students at the school who had this autism spectrum disorder. The result was an informative, heart-warming film giving us a glimpse into the life of a teenage boy with Asperger's. The film is called "Divaan's Dream," and you can watch it here on the blog:

Film and Television programs that will get you hired.

Film and Television training programs that will get you hired.

The technology used in the film and television industry seems to change every six months or so. It's essential for people interested in finding their first job in the film and television industry

to be familiar with the most current industry technology.

5 Tips to improve your chances of getting hired in Film and Television:

1) Find an affordable career school that focuses on hands on, learn by doing training. 

2) Train on industry standard gear and equipment.

3) Practice, practice and practice.... make sure the career school allows you plenty of practice time and access to the studio equipment.

4) Put a demo reel together. It's important to create a video/audio package that showcases your abilities and skills.

5) Go all out in your job search. In the beginning, getting a job becomes your job. According to The Talent Equation by Matt Ferguson, Lorin Hitt and Prasanna Tambe "the average job seeker is now using 15 resources to find a job". Start developing a list of your resources.....and start making your list today!

Learn the skills.......then start your job search!

Jim York

Tribute to a Film and Education Legend

A legend in both filmmaking and education sadly passed away this week. I was lucky enough to meet him and offer my school's students his teachings. Here is the story:

I hired Herb Sennett to teach screenwriting at the Palm Beach Film School in early 2004. He was a very talented teacher with an amazing ability to connect and motivate each and every student in his classroom. Herb was part of the school's original team along with Heath McKnight, Jennifer Crozier, Bob Carter and John McCormack.

At the time, I thought it was important to teach the Syd Field approach to screenwriting commonly known as the 3-Act Structure: Act 1 Set-up, Act 2 Conflict and Act 3 Resolution/Outcome. Although Herb was already very familiar with Syd's work, I asked him if he wanted to come with me to Los Angeles to attend the 2004 Screenwriter's Expo. I knew Syd was scheduled to lecture and thought maybe Herb and I could get a chance to meet with him so we could officially ask permission to use his books and teaching materials to enlighten the filmmaking students at the academy. 

We caught him at the end of a standing-room-only lecture and I asked permission. Turns out... he was thrilled we wanted to use his materials. He was interested and very supportive of the PBFS. I ran into him a few more times over the course of the next several years and shared a few more conversations. It was a good feeling heading back to Florida knowing we initiated communication with one of the most influential screenwriting teachers of our generation and now the Palm Beach Film School was on his radar screen!

Thanks for your support, Syd!

- Jim York

How Continuing Education can Boost your Salary

For most of us, at some point in our careers we ask ourselves, "Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?" "What would happen if I followed my dream?" or "What can I do to increase my worth?" Whether it's changing a career direction entirely or simply enhancing the skills in your portfolio for your current job, continuing your education can have exponential effects.

But traditional universities can be expensive and time consuming. On top of that, colleges may not offer the right programs or courses for the specific areas you're looking to develop. In these cases, a more specialized career school is usually a better path.

From web development and health and fitness practices to acting and fashion design, there is a wide range of career school options that are designed to help you reach your goals. Not only do these programs add value from a pride perspective, but they can also lead to an increased salary.

Earlier this year, Huffington Post covered a story about a man who doubled his salary by participating in a nine-week program that teaches students how to write code for future software development and computer engineering jobs. A coding academy like this is a great example of a school that caters to a fast-growing market that helps drive employment for new jobs, as well as boost the resumes of participants who just want to add a little something extra to pump up their current careers. 

On top of building technical skills, many film schools, coding schools and other types of career schools help in other aspects of the job search or rise in the ranks within a company. When selecting a program, be sure to do your research and seek out a curriculum that includes hands-on training, communication with other students and instructors, and most importantly, a strong emphasis on employment placement leading up to graduation.

Photo credit: adamr on FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Film Beyond the Feature: A New Look at Corporate Video

If you're not in film or education and think this blog doesn't have relevance to your profession, think again. While most of the post topics cover career school and film and trends, many have applications across all industries.

For instance, I recently caught a blog post by James DeRuvo on doddle.com that should be an eye-opener no matter what your job is. The post covered a survey by SCRI International, Inc. titled, "Corporate Video Projects More Popular than Ever." It's an interesting read. doddleNEWS - recently acquired by thalo - is known as "The Easy Guide to Production," and was introduced to me by a friend and fellow filmmaker, Heath McKnight.

What does this mean for film schools? The redesign of the curriculum should now include classes set to meet today's needs, including webisodes and corporate video production since more and more filmmakers are being called to create these.

What does this mean for business professionals? Any entrepreneur (or individual with entrepreneurial spirit) would benefit from this type of education. Whether you own the company or serve as an employee for the company, they are going to have video needs for promotion. It could be as small as for social media tools like Vine or Instagram, or something larger such as YouTube or longer informative videos at conferences. 

- Jim York