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💸 Will NYU Film School Make Me Money?
How do you balance the ideals of an artist and the reality of $$$?
Capitalism, Art, and Confidence
Yuki Soga graduated from NYU’s film school in 2018. His work has a biographical nature that is particularly valuable for young filmmakers.
Here are two films, four years apart, that highlight Yuki’s growth as an artist and the themes of career anxiety many film school students experience.
Joji, 22 | NYU Undergrad Senior Thesis Film
RT 14:31
✅ JoJi, 22 is being screened in film classrooms across the United States.
Joji, 22 is a very meta film.
The movie opens with Koji, a 30-something man who gave up on his passion for filmmaking to pursue a stable career.
As the film progresses, we realize Koji’s story is the senior thesis film of Joji, a 22-year-old film school student who’s nervous about where his career is going.
I was definitely thinking a lot about the practical side of film school at that time.
My school started by building us up as artists, explaining the importance art and our work have on society. But when we were about to graduate, the conversation became a lot more pragmatic.
4-Years-Later
RT 4m
✅ The Last Week Series is being screened in film classrooms across the United States.
After graduating, Yuki quickly found work as a freelancer. While he makes money from freelance editing, motion graphics, and crewing, he still puts in the time and creative energy to create his own projects.
He released his feature film, We Are Not Content, to the indie-film circuit
Recently, he’s produced a series of personal documentaries for YouTube and TikTok. The content of those essay films is similar to the themes Yuki explored in college, but with an optimism that comes with maturity.
When asked what’s changed since graduating school, he said
I just have to remember that I fell in love with filmmaking because I love the craft. I love the act of creating. Everything else is just extra.
I can take care of myself and make things. I’m pretty content with that.
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