Four years! Tens of thousands of dollars? Many considering film school are overwhelmed by the commitment when they consider it, others never acknowledge to themselves what's involved, and only realize later what they've gotten themselves into. Going to a film school is no small matter, and deserves all possible consideration.
Much difficulty lies in the fact that potential film students only know that they love films, and have no idea if they have any aptitude in making them. They consider film school to be the place to find out, and they are mostly correct. The problems lies in the fact that it can take a year or more before students get a chance to make a film in film school, by which time they may get too entrenched in the routine of what they're doing to really step back and consider whether they have the talent to justify the extraordinary commitment that a degree program represents.
Those who are uncertain about their abilities or about whether they will enjoy the filmmaking process are well-advised to do anything possible to get some hands-on experience prior to making a big commitment. It is possible to produce a small film outside of school; however, working alone and without instruction, you may stack the deck against success.
Another possibility is volunteering to work on someone else's student film. This will provide a glimpse of the film-making process, but won't provide any answers as to the individual's abilities.
The best test may be a short intensive program that allows a person to make a film, like the program at the New York Film Academy where I worked as an instructor, in which students make three to four short films in eight weeks.
In any case, it is ill-advised to enter any field blindly. Enjoying museums won't make a person a good painter, nor will it guarantee that they will enjoy the actual work of painting. The same applies to enjoying films versus film-making. The best way for someone to find out if film school is for them or not is to try making a film.
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