by Steph Greegor (@stephgreegor)

When you first pick up Jason B. Kohl’s handy little book (that fits nicely in a purse or briefcase for easy travel), you may think an acceptance letter to film school is a prerequisite. But it’s not.

Film School: A Practical Guide to an Impractical Decision is a delightful and practical 195-page piece of nonfiction that any beginning filmmaker-film school or no-can pick up and use to help guide his or her career.

Now, to be fair, not everything in this book can be used by everyone. For example, there is a section for international students that has to do with visas and the like. Then there are sections like chapter four, “Craft an Exit Strategy,” that are seemingly aimed at the graduating film student, but could very well be for any beginning filmmaker who just completed their first film without the benefit of film school.

The best film festivals to enter, having perseverance, how to break in, and how not to break in… These lessons apply to the newly minted graduate as well as the “working as a waitress while I made my first film” non-graduate.

Each chapter of the book also uses a “list” approach to break down complicated film discussion into easily digestible pieces of information that a novice can understand.

In the “Applying to Film School” section, the ins and outs of the application process are laid out succinctly for the student. An emerging filmmaker might say, “I can’t afford film school so this doesn’t apply to me,” and therefore skip ahead of this chapter, but she’d be making a mistake. Hidden within the apply section are all the good trade magazines to read, as well as other useful information.

Even more useful and buried in the appendix are forms that any student or emerging filmmaker can use: from budgeting for film school to a film festival tracking template to a list of books every filmmaker should read.

Kohl certainly shows his experience walking the rough road to becoming a filmmaker in this book and the bounties one can harvest if she holds true to her dream. Inspiring quotes from the likes of Martin Scorsese mixed with Kohl’s own words of comfort and tough love make Film School not only a practical guide for beginning filmmakers and students, but an inspiring read that makes filmmaking feel like a reachable goal for those who dare walk the path.

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Steph Greegor is an award-winning journalist and prize-winning screenwriter based in Columbus, OH. She was recently brought on as faculty to teach Intro to Screenwriting at the McConnell Arts Center in Columbus and is currently producing and directing her short film, OLSKY. You can learn more about Steph at her website, www.stephgreegor.com.