We film majors have a pretty amazing degree. We get to analyze movies and genuinely love what we are doing with our Laurier lives. From the screenings to the classes (and every impossible theoretical reading in between), we all have a common experience, and who better to narrate that than Disney movies! Here is a list of things that, if you’re a film major, you’ve definitely thought.
1) When you see that you can pick your own film for the final essay.
There is no better feeling than being able to write about Harry Potter or Mean Girls.
2) When someone claims they don’t like Andre Bazin.
You can’t just not like Bazin. He’s film royalty and, to be honest, his theories are some of the easiest to understand.
3) Everyone and their mother (and grandmother, brother, dog, next-door neighbour, estranged cousin Joe, etc.) tells you that you can’t get a job with a film degree.
From history to economics, and from marketing to communications, film is such a versatile degree that you can go anywhere with it.
4) And the famous “Oh, so you want to make movies?”
Though Laurier has a great production option, the majority of our courses are academic. It’s a shame that people don’t realize the strength of the film scholars in their hallways.
5) And the cherry on top is when you hear someone from another major saying they’re taking a film class to boost their GPA.
Yeah, it’s a fun course, I’ll give you that. But you’re taking Classical Film Theory to boost your GPA? Unless you’re literally failing, it’s probably not going to happen.
6) Eating every single Wilf’s app at Film Society’s Kino Hearts events.
The best kind of Wilf’s apps are all of them (but especially the free ones).
7) Attempting to read anything by Sergei Eisenstein.
He’s got great ideas, don’t get me wrong, but he’s just not what any of us would call accessible.
8) Trying to keep up with both readings and screenings.
Think your readings take up too much time? Try having those and having to watch three movies a week.
9) And then realizing how many of them you missed at the end of the semester.
How do we always manage to get so far behind? What do you mean I can’t watch six movies in five hours?
10) When you make it to the scheduled screening and don’t have to worry about those missed movies.
Honestly, I always feel so productive when I make a screening. Five more organizational points.
11) Having to watch horror movies for class.
Of course, we have the Horror and Gothic class, but non-majors would be surprised by how often horror films pop up in seemingly random courses like Film History and East Asian Cinema. They’re worth studying, after all!
12) Getting a mark back is even scarier, though.
Multiple choice is few and far between, so every essay grade feels like Russian Roulette and you never really know where you stand.
13) Making the best of friends along the way.
Yeah, they might be a bit weird, but the best people are film majors. They are some of the kindest people I’ve met.
14) The thankfulness to be connected.
Once you’re in the secret inner group, you’ve got graduates for years looking back and protecting you. It’s a Filmie family, after all.
15) When someone claims Film Studies is an easy major.
It gets us really fired up. Try taking a class, if you think it’s so easy.
16) But you wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
Being a film major? Truly fabulous.