--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Film is a very specific world in which I…" description: "\"Film is a very specific world in which I don't think you really need to go to film school.\" — Dave McCary" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/dave-mccary-21617_cinema_film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i_649829.jpg" --- # Film is a very specific world in which I don't think you… ![“Film is a very specific world in which I don't think you really need to go to film school.” quote by Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/dave-mccary-21617_cinema_film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i_649829.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/dave-mccary-21617_cinema_film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i_649829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/dave-mccary-21617_cinema_film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i_649829.jpg) > “Film is a very specific world in which I don't think you really need to go to film school.” [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Practical experience can outweigh formal education in film making. **In simple terms:** Experience can replace school. Key Takeaway Learn by doing, not just studying. Themes film education experience Mood inspirational confident Type advice motivational When to use this quote - directing - screenwriting - production - career development Key Concepts practical learning skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - Do you have a portfolio that shows your skill? - How can you fill gaps without school? A Different Perspective Formal training may provide networking and theory. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Film school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film-school/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [You don't necessarily need to go to film school to learn that part of it. But what I valued was that it gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meera-menon/you-don-t-necessarily-need-to-go-to-film-school-to-learn-that-part-of/) [Meera Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meera-menon/) > ['Vogue' is a very specific world. You are 'Vogue,' or not 'Vogue.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/vogue-is-a-very-specific-world-you-are-vogue-or-not-vogue/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > ['The Lobster' is very particular, and we did need to create a very specific world with specific rules so the whole premise would work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/the-lobster-is-very-particular-and-we-did-need-to-create-a-very/) [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/) > [Once you prove yourself, that you're a utility player, they're going to contact you and say, hey, yeah, we need you for a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-bergen/once-you-prove-yourself-that-you-re-a-utility-player-they-re-going-to/) [Bob Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-bergen/) > [I don't need to do a film unless I'm convinced it's worth my while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijayashanti/i-don-t-need-to-do-a-film-unless-i-m-convinced-it-s-worth-my-while/) [Vijayashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijayashanti/) > [When you're in the process of becoming an actor, you think that you just need to get that one film. But once you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidhhi-agerwal/when-you-re-in-the-process-of-becoming-an-actor-you-think-that-you/) [Nidhhi Agerwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidhhi-agerwal/) > [ I stopped doing that \[photojournalism\] and wrote some screenplays on speculation, because even though I wanted to direct, to direct you need a lot… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-hanson/i-stopped-doing-that-photojournalism-and-wrote-some-screenplays-on/) [Curtis Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-hanson/) > [Politicians need a film appreciation course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-kashyap/politicians-need-a-film-appreciation-course/) [Anurag Kashyap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-kashyap/) > [You have to know that your collaborators want you to make the movie that you want. Don't back down because you think it's nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-decker/you-have-to-know-that-your-collaborators-want-you-to-make-the-movie/) [Josephine Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-decker/) > [And it's just my opinion that I don't think film school is necessary for filmmakers. But I don't want to discourage someone who really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/and-it-s-just-my-opinion-that-i-don-t-think-film-school-is-necessary/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [My M.F.A was in directing, and all the films I've made, for film school and after, I've written, directed and shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-s-fletcher/my-m-f-a-was-in-directing-and-all-the-films-i-ve-made-for-film-school/) [Geoffrey S. Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-s-fletcher/) > [I think you get out of film school what you put into it. If you don't care about making movies, film school will do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-king/i-think-you-get-out-of-film-school-what-you-put-into-it-if-you-don-t/) [Richard King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-king/) > [I'm a believer in film school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-durkin/i-m-a-believer-in-film-school/) [Sean Durkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-durkin/) > [I think I've always wanted to direct, but I didn't go to film school. I was lucky enough to work in movies, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-think-i-ve-always-wanted-to-direct-but-i-didn-t-go-to-film-school-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [ I went to NYU graduate film school and met Pam \[Romanowsky\], and after doing a few things with her I thought she had the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-franco/i-went-to-nyu-graduate-film-school-and-met-pam-romanowsky-and-after/) [James Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-franco/) ## More by Dave McCary > [Working on 'SNL,' you can have a really stressful experience or a really bad week, and I could see how much of a nightmare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/working-on-snl-you-can-have-a-really-stressful-experience-or-a-really/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [It's unfortunate that it's not realistic that you can get people to come to a movie theater not knowing anything about the movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/it-s-unfortunate-that-it-s-not-realistic-that-you-can-get-people-to/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [At 'SNL,' we don't have the luxury to perfect things. However a video turns out, that's what we have to present. There's a number…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/at-snl-we-don-t-have-the-luxury-to-perfect-things-however-a-video/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [I think of our YouTube experience very much like a gym. We were practicing and getting stronger with each rep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/i-think-of-our-youtube-experience-very-much-like-a-gym-we-were/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [Once I got into film, I was never like, 'I want to make comedies.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/once-i-got-into-film-i-was-never-like-i-want-to-make-comedies/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [Everybody has their own story or they've been shaped by their upbringing, and we have to love them for what that experience created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/everybody-has-their-own-story-or-they-ve-been-shaped-by-their/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [Even if I'm not having the best time in a social situation, I'll force a smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/even-if-i-m-not-having-the-best-time-in-a-social-situation-i-ll-force/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [My dad was a Seventh-Day Adventist pastor, and from an early age I was put off by being force-fed a belief system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/my-dad-was-a-seventh-day-adventist-pastor-and-from-an-early-age-i-was/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [My dream was never necessarily comedy. I really wanted to make film or television and was interested in darker stuff over comedy, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/my-dream-was-never-necessarily-comedy-i-really-wanted-to-make-film-or/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [I totally cared - that I didn't have access to the money to get the coolest clothes ate away at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/i-totally-cared-that-i-didn-t-have-access-to-the-money-to-get-the/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [When you go into pre-production on a movie, you can spend weeks and even months working on the nuances of the animatronics on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/when-you-go-into-pre-production-on-a-movie-you-can-spend-weeks-and/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [I just don't like filming scenes where it's like, that's not how people talk. People aren't saying a joke every five seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/i-just-don-t-like-filming-scenes-where-it-s-like-that-s-not-how/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [On YouTube, we were our own masters. We could sit on an edit until we got it right, we could choose quality over quantity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/on-youtube-we-were-our-own-masters-we-could-sit-on-an-edit-until-we/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [And it's just my opinion that I don't think film school is necessary for filmmakers. But I don't want to discourage someone who really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/and-it-s-just-my-opinion-that-i-don-t-think-film-school-is-necessary/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) > [I think I'm just a little, for a lack of a better word, primal in how I operate in all aspects of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/i-think-i-m-just-a-little-for-a-lack-of-a-better-word-primal-in-how-i/) [Dave McCary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) [Explore all 29 Dave McCary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/) ## More Cinema quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [You have to have a great director to make a great movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/you-have-to-have-a-great-director-to-make-a-great-movie/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [There was a time in the 1980s when I worked in 22 films a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/there-was-a-time-in-the-1980s-when-i-worked-in-22-films-a-year/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [To an ever greater extent out experience is governed by pictures, pictures in newspapers and magazines, on television and in the cinema. Next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crimp/to-an-ever-greater-extent-out-experience-is-governed-by-pictures/) [Douglas Crimp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crimp/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [I'd love to work in the States; I'd love to work anywhere where you get a good script and a good part to play.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-carmichael/i-d-love-to-work-in-the-states-i-d-love-to-work-anywhere-where-you/) [Laura Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-carmichael/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > ['Rear Window' isn't really a horror film, but it is a psychological drama, which I love. It is very tense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-silvers/rear-window-isn-t-really-a-horror-film-but-it-is-a-psychological/) [Diana Silvers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-silvers/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [I am not interested in churning out a certain number of films every year. For me, it's about the quality of work. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepika-padukone/i-am-not-interested-in-churning-out-a-certain-number-of-films-every/) [Deepika Padukone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepika-padukone/) [Browse all 23,940 Cinema quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Film is a very specific world in which I don't think you really need to go to film school.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dave McCary" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i-don-t-think-you-really-need/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cinema" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i-don-t-think-you-really-need/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/dave-mccary-21617_cinema_film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i_649829.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/dave-mccary-21617_cinema_film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i_649829.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/dave-mccary-21617_cinema_film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i_649829.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Film is a very specific world in which I don't think you really need to go to film school.” — Dave McCary", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dave McCary", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-mccary/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Film is a very specific world...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i-don-t-think-you-really-need/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-mccary/film-is-a-very-specific-world-in-which-i-don-t-think-you-really-need/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```