Sometimes I think we (Film Students) are a little to close minded about things. Don't get defensive just yet, hear me out. We all have our own ideas of the thing that we want to achieve that we narrow in on it and almost lose sight of all the possibilities that we can have as filmmakers.
There are those of us that put all our focus on the camera work, some people only work in editing, some people like sound, and I'm one of the people that likes writing more than anything else.
We can't do this. We should experiment with everything, see how it works, dissect it as an art form and experiment. If you don't feel comfortable with a camera, get behind one anyway. Don't listen to the “rules” of what you can and can't do with something, do what you want, learn from experience, learn from your failures. Create something new and teach it to your friends.
After I graduated from high school I set out to make a feature length film. It was essentially “Clerks” but set in a movie theater, and I did it. I have a copy of the film, the script, a journal I kept in production and I look back on it with VERY fond memories. But the film itself isn't great. The script is pretty funny, the acting isn't bad, but visually it is absolutely dreadful. While the final product of my creation wasn't something for me to showoff to producers with a “HEY INVEST MONEY IN ME” attitude, it was easily to this date one of the most valuable learning experiences I have EVER had.
Learn everything about the craft, yes you'll find stuff that you don't like and stuff you really really life, and take the time to find what you're good at. Just don't narrow yourself down to a few tasks before you try them, it could be the thing putting food on your table in a few years.
