Well it depends what you consider bad grades are. I know kids who get yelled at if they get a B and i know kids who get a sigh of relief if they get a C. Anyway, It will be tough to get into any school with poor grades and no SAT scores. I know it kinda sucks because you could be great at using a camera but you dont have the grades to get into a film school. However, you dont have to go to film school. Some of the most famous directors never took one film class. A great example of this is Tarantino. He never went to film school yet is doing quite well in the film industry.

If i were you i would go to a local community college and make films while you are there. Also, while at community college you should try to raise your grades and if you want transfer to a film school. Remeber film school is NOT the key to a good film maker. Experience can help you the same amount or more.

If you dont go to film school then try to get some sort of education. Whether it be a liberal arts degree, a community college degree, or a degree in underwater basket weaving. I would just get some form of education because that always looks good on a resume and (here comes the sappy part) itll just make you smarter

It ends up being completly up to you. Is film school needed? No. Will it help? sure. Should you make films without a film education? yes yes and yes

good luck

"Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write 'War and Peace' in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling." - Stanley Kubrick

I believe that a film school will help. I'm planning to enroll in a polytechnic ( I don't know what's its counterpart in the U.S., but it's like a technical training college; it has courses like engineering, business etc), in its School of Film & Video after I leave secondary education.

That's the only way to start a film-making career in Singapore... I think aspiring film-makers in the U.S. have more opportunities even if they don't have paper qualifications. So rocket attack, as long as you've the passion, you can strike out yourself. That's the advantage of youth 🙂

My experience is that a film school course can be helpful- you get to make loads of contacts (and friends) with your peers, you get the opportunity to meet some industry types (depending on what your uni policy is to outside lecturers!) and probably most importantly, you get to use school equiptment to make your first films. Without my degree my showreel would be a bit lacking in content at the mo... 🙂