For the aspiring filmmaker, film school is a joy. Not just does it serve to provide you with the rudimentary skill set you will need, but also it acts to mold your passion and give you the momentum as soon as leaving school, to produce work that is fresh and new. There are several schools in this country that have outstanding reputations.
Of course California will produce more film schools than you can shake a stick at, with New York a close second, but you will find plenty of film school opportunities in other parts of the country. I’ll discuss a few of the heavies first as they’re the “Pie in the Sky” for many aspiring filmmakers. The premiere school to go to would of course be the AFI conservatory. Founded in 1967, they offer 6 areas of course study: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design, and Screenwriting. AFI is especially devoted to traditional narrative film.
California Institute for the Arts (Cal Arts), was created in 1961 by Disney in 1961, with an emphasis on animation. San Francisco State University has a film program, also created in the 60’s amid the political expansiveness of that time and their course work is seriously influenced by experimental film. Then there is always UCLA Film School and USC also.
In New York, you have Columbia University School of the Arts and NYU. Both have heavy rosters of Directors and Film writers that have come up in the ranks at these schools. I imagine Spike Lee when I think of NYU.
These are the most well-known of them all, the ‘A’ list, and to get into these schools is practically a miracle from god, but if you do, you just scored Willy’s Golden Ticket. If you end up to be one of the numerous that are outside the golden gates looking at all of the happy film students, don’t lose hope. You will find lots of other film schools around the country which have fantastic programs where you can get the skills and training you need.
You will find some things that you must consider when selecting a school off of the ‘B’ list. How much is the education gonna cost? That is the bottom line, simply because if you get loans to get into school, you better be able to make those loan payments six months after graduation. To that end, the next thing to consider is what type of internships do they offer. See if you can have a conversation with the senior students in the film program so that you have an idea of what’s available for you as soon as you leave school. Who else has graduated from this school that is noteworthy?
Film School is that fantastic island in the middle of an otherwise uphill battle. The equipment loan programs in themselves are worth the price of admission. Here you’ll have the chance to make use of cameras, recording, and editing equipment together with edit bays and sound studios. There will be a pool of actors and crew to draw from as you each help crew for one another. For this one brief time you have the benefit of all this. Once on the other side, nevertheless, you are on your own.
The Pacific Northwest has a number of film schools. University of Washington has an outstanding film school. The Evergreen State University is notorious for their liberal/alternative education. Some take issue with the fact that there are no grades. Rather there is an evaluation system in place where the student and teacher write evaluations of themselves, the teacher, and the program. Greeners, as they’re called, pride themselves in critical thinking and their program, MediaWorks, has provided the film community with radical, cutting edge filmmakers.
No matter what school you decide to go to, enjoy it while it lasts. It will be the one place you are able to experiment and have the support you need to get your projects done. Plan on sleeping very little and learn to love pizza and Top Ramen.
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