<p>Most Film Schools seem to have such limited spaces, are there any safety schools for film production?</p>
<p>I think that the trick would be to find a school that 1.) is a very solid match/safety academically and 2.) allows any student to declare a film major, the same way the student might declare a history major, without having to present a special film production application, portfolio, or reel. </p>
<p>I’m not sure about whether such colleges exist, but I’m sure someone here does. The problem is, as soon as a legitimate production major begins to have a separate admissions process, even if the college that houses the production program might be a straight-up safety for the student, there are no guarantees.</p>
<p>Like Nester said, D used a couple schools that did not have separate film admissions, at the time the two strongest we could find that she would apply to were American and Ithaca. Early action acceptance to LMU and Emerson eliminated the need to apply or look for more. For a financial/admission safety she applied to Montana State, the strongest of a weak set of northwest regional schools. I think there are other solid programs without separate admission/portfolio requirements, and you could find the strongest in-state public if they have a program. Some of these schools set a gate in their program, like 3.0 or better in introductory classes to weed them down to manageable size, read the fine print. Depending on career interest, there are varying emphases within communication and fine art programs. You’re right though, most of the big respected programs are far from safeties.</p>
<p>Thank you. @jtmoney - Congrats to your D.</p>
<p>We found that UNC - Wilmington does not admit to the major until after you have completed 3 introductory courses, with a minimum grade. The downside to that is not being able to take, or SIGN up for, any other film courses until those are complete, which means you are lucky if you can get classes you want in your Jr year (according to a Film student there). They also limit the number of out of state students. Despite these drawbacks, this is our safety (more of a financial safety) for my son.
We are also applying to 2 other schools that only admit based on academics, not portfolios, but they are VERY competitve.</p>
<p>My S is making progress on his list. He is considering a few state schools as well as some with no separate Film School, but Film as a major within Literature, Science and the Arts. He is not interested in Film Studies, so this eliminates some very good schools.</p>
<p>My son and his friends/classmates found success after graduating from Ohio University’s Media Arts department with a B.S. in Video Production. There was lots of opportunities for filmmaking, as well as their annual Shootout competition. He was an Honors Tutorial College (HTC) student. And it should be a financial safety for you, if you guys are in Ohio. One thing to keep in mind: OU has rolling admissions and the Media Arts slots fill fairly quickly.</p>
<p>Don’t look only for “film” programs. Film these days actually means digital and there are many names for what has been traditionally thought of as “film” programs. One thing to look for is the degree awarded. “Film” usually comes with a BA degree and is more artsy oriented in many cases. “Media Arts” and other names like this may come with a B.S., and is more skills-oriented.</p>
<p>OU’s film school is for graduate students only, unless you are in the HTC. But I talked to the department chair recently and he is looking for only two freshmen for next year.</p>
<p>Another school to look at is Colorado Film School, which was named one of the top 25 film schools (see another thread in this forum on the top schools). I think their selection is not too selective, given that not too many people have heard of it. But it looks very interesting and might be worth investigating.</p>
<p>^ I was aware that OU had an undergrad Film program, and that you had to be in the HTC. And that an interview is required. They are only accepting 2 Film majors in the HTC? That is daunting. Thanks for the info.</p>
<p>Yes, only two. But I recommend the Media Arts/Video Production major, which <em>does</em> accept non-HTC freshmen.</p>
<p>Your kid may not want to go this route</p>
<p>The New York Times just had an article about how tough it is for new graduates in this field.</p>
<p>Yes. I know. He is aware of the difficulty. But, I’m not going to tell him not to pursue his dream. I’m going to support him. Thanks for the concern, though.</p>
<p>Maybe it depends on who you work with and how much you want to push your career. My son went to a not-well-known school and graduated in 2009. His group’s capstone film garnered some success, but what’s interesting are the careers since then of those who worked on it. Here are the ones living in LA and making it in the film (or TV) industry:</p>
<p>Role on the student capstone film ==> career now
- Director ==> TV and film production work, including director gigs
- Cinematographer ==> extremely successful in Hollywood with various camera-related jobs
- Editor/VFX ==> very successful VFX work on films like Transformers 3 and Real Steel (Oct 2011), including being THE VFX department for an independent film that went to Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, and Toronto Film Festivals
- Casting/AD ==> Network TV series work
- Production Design ==> Now at Dreamworks doing production design
- Composer/VFX ==> very successful VFX career on films like Tron Legacy, Transformers 3, Percy Jackson, etc
- Special Effects Makeup ==> Art Director for films and TV series
- Grip ==> now working on a TV series
- First Asst Camera ==> working in film industry
- Gaffer ==> first assistant camera on several films</p>
<p>And this is from just one student film in a school which was certainly NOT one of the “brand name” film schools. So maybe it ain’t as bad as one might think, if you have the drive, the talent, and you work the contacts.</p>
<p>Wow, that’s impressive. Congrats to your son and his peers. Goes to show how far education, talent and drive can take you. Much continued success.</p>
<p>Have you looked at Emerson and BU in Boston? Emerson is a top notch school, but has more places than some of the better known programs. BU’s program is in the school of Communication. UT Austin also has a fabulous program. All of those accept those with good but not stellar academics, and the admission numbers are higher than those of some others. American University in DC has a documentary and environmental slant, is a good one as well. Have you looked at Desales or Depaul? Both film programs look good. Fairleigh Dickinson, Colorado and Purchase also have interesting looking programs as well.</p>
<p>Yes, he has considered most of those and some are on his list. Thanks. He actually has good stats. 2260 SAT and 34 ACT. It’s just that schools with separate Film Schools seem to have such limited spots available. He has found some good matches and safeties. Thank you everyone!</p>