Do I really need a film degree?

As I was reading more about becomming a successful filmmaker, what worries me is that I stumbled upon many articles that encourage people to avoid film schools because they do not really need degrees to become successful filmmakers.

I am not the self-taught type of person and I believe that going to Uni would help me because a Film School has teachers that can guide you and provide you knowledge which would be very difficult to obtain otherwise.

What worries me however is that it seems that many film producers and directors do not have any training or degree. Which means you can land a job in this industry without graduating from Uni. This is a bit confusing for me as I am researching more Film Schools that I could attend (I live in United Kingdom) and I do not know which way to head towards, because Film School also seems to be expensive. Do I really need a film degree? What is your input on this?

It can be extremely confusing when you do not know anyone who has either graduated or attended film school to ask for feedback.
 
No, you do not. Becomming a filmmaker is not like becomming a doctor or lawyer. You need talent, skills and a very good portfolio. You also need to know the right people to get the job because you can have the best portfolio, if no one sees it, you will never get the chance to show the world what you can do. A few social skills and marketing knowledge could help you. But really, it is not that difficult if you start going to events to meet people and if you volunte
 
If degrees alone would help us in our careers, all graduates will have a bright future ahead of them. You need to put in the heavy work and actually be good at what you are doing. The method by which you "become good at what you are doing" depends entirely to you.
 
A university degree is not needed but if you plan to go to a college or university, there are benefits. If you want to be a director/filmmaker, I recommend taking your core filmmaking courses along with literature, mathematics, art and philosophy classes. These will give you skills that will equip you with a breadth of knowledge about storytelling, technical mindset and world vision that will give you a leg up on some who simply attends a independent film school. On the other hand, if your goal is to simply be a part of the process, get on as many film shoots as possible to learn the nuts and bolts. There’s nothing that will teach you a process better than hands-on experience. Both approaches are valid.
 
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