John Carpenter on the Benefits of Film School [Film Makers on Film Making]

Carpenter was a student on the film programme at the film programme at the University of Southern California. When interviewed later about the merits of the course, he commented:

They actually require you to make a lot of films, and so you get to work out a lot of foolish excesses. Once you've masturbated with the camera, you've got it out of your system. Eventually, you learn what works and what doesn't. You also get a solid grasp of technique: how the camera works, how sound works, and so on. Plus, being so close to Hollywood, USC would have directors visit and show retrospectives of their work. While I was there, I saw John Ford, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles, Luis Bunuel, and all their major films would be shown over a period of weeks. That part of it was an incredible education.