Which Cal state has a better film program? I really want to have a job in the film industry after I graduate so which school would be a good choice for film production? I also would like to know which one is more competitive too
please help
I don’t know the answer but SFSU has really important alumni that are Academy-Award or Emmy-Award winners so it looks like SFSU has good outcomes
Check the departmental pages at each school.
Check the courses on offer within the specific majors.
See who’s teaching the courses and what their specific background is.
That information should give an idea if the programs are focused on narrative, documentary or experimental; above the line vs. below the line; cinema studies vs. film production; hands-on vs. theoretical.
You may want to contact a student in each program and ask them how difficult it is to get equipment, and what the tone of the department is when it comes to enlisting others to crew for you.
Is there a symbiotic relationships with other arts majors, such as theater or music?
You’ve got more research to do.
Reputations at individual schools are generally based on who’s teaching. If a professor then moves and the department changes focus, their previous reputation can remain, even if it’s no longer true. This is not a bad thing, it’s just that you wouldn’t want to go a school that no longer supports what it is you’re ‘heard’ that they support.
All of that said, the reputation of CSUN is that of a strong place for preparation in below the line jobs.
SFSU’s reputation is for strong narrative films and interaction with other arts.
Can’t really comment on CSUF, as I’m not sure if you mean Fresno or Fullerton.
Fullerton’s film program is housed within their College of Communications.
Both CSUN and SFSU’s programs are ranked in this year’s Hollywood Reporter’s top 25 film programs. SFSU ranks slightly higher than CSUN. Like @hop mentioned, both schools offer fictional film, but with different perspectives on film. CSUN is more conventional with slightly better facilities, while SFSU is more experimental with similar facilities. Both offer internship opportunities: CSUN enables you to deal more with studios; SFSU allows for work with tech powers such as google. CSUN puts an expanding emphasis on television, whereas SFSU not so much. Weather wise, CSUN, being in the valley gets unbearably hot in the late Spring and Summer, while SFSU is a little more cooler but overcast. Ultimately, I’d advise you to contact the cinema department staff to schedule tours with their department to get a feel for the facilities and equipment to see what suits you. Both schools are very similar in any ways.
One thing neither of these schools provide are a vocational training. These are universities that will offer courses in cinematic arts.Unless you are well connected or the next Kurosawa, I wouldn’t expect to land a $5 million job the moment you graduate. Usually, people in this business start as PA’s and work their way up through years of hard work and dedication. These aren’t 9-5 type jobs either.
Sorry I couldn’t help on the third school as I’m not sure if you are referring to Fullerton or Fresno. I haven’t visited the film departments at Fresno or Fullerton, but I can say SFSU and CSUN are both ranked where both Fresno and Fullerton remain unranked in top film schools.
I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. 