There are many universities and colleges that offer film-related courses. You will find that some of these courses are called the certificate in film and video at the most basic level. Certificate courses are normally aimed at people who would like to be involved in the film industry or at least be aware of what it takes. Other certificates courses will give you more knowledge and an opportunity to gain work experience in the film industry. These are often coursework based on interning in a production company or doing research in a university or college.
Film courses can be very broad. Some offer purely academic courses where all that you learn about the film business is taught. These are the kind of courses that you might have to take in order to gain a degree. At other times colleges will offer courses like the master of fine arts in media and entertainment management. These are more complex courses and will give you a higher level of education and allow you to focus on the more creative aspects of the trade.
There are also other kinds of courses. For example there are dance courses and drama courses that will help you understand the craft and commerce of cinema. These are all the kind of courses that can give you the necessary skills for working in the film industry. Other courses offer more specific instruction. For example, they may teach you the art of script writing and how to write a good film script.
The courses are broken down into two main areas. Firstly there are the theory courses that teach you the basic concepts and theories that you need to study in order to work as a professional in the film industry. These include such subjects as story structure, plot structure and pacing. You will also learn how to develop and construct characters and decide what mood the movie should evoke. All this will form the basis of your learning, so it makes sense to choose carefully.
Then you have the practical side of studying. This involves a lot of hands on work experience. You may end up working alongside a real life director. Or you could start your course at a real cinema. This would give you the opportunity to work with the people who work behind the scenes and see their point of view. In addition, you might also end up taking some film course at a community college which would allow you to apply the knowledge you have learned in the classroom to a real cinema.
After you have finished the course you will have the opportunity to put your learning into practice by taking a final examination which will show you if you have done well. If you pass you will be awarded a diploma. If you fail you will need to take the course again but you do not have to repeat it. However if you are successful you may be invited to take part in a cinema masters course which will help you continue to develop your craft and commerce of cinema.
However, if you wish to continue your education you can. There are many colleges, universities and film schools that offer courses in film studies and you could choose to further your education there. By studying film you will be able to appreciate all the different aspects of cinema and how they have developed over the years, and this in turn will help you to develop your craft and commerce of cinema.