Top Film Schools

paying3tuitions
Sat, 05 May 2007 23:06:31 +0000

Add to the top 3 already listed: AFI (American Film Institute??) and Chapman University- Dodge College of Film (new building just opened; l0 year old program).
The accept rates are 5% and 8% for directors, maybe 25% for screenwriters, so be sure to also apply to many more that are not the top 5.
I can throw out the names of ones I’ve heard of, but surely others can add more. Here are the ones I know of: Emerson (Boston), Ithaca College (Roy Parks School of Communication), University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, American University in Washington, D.C (I think, or if not then George Washington U in Washington D.C.)
There’s a place in Florida and another in North Carolina – can someone who knows those name them please?
In the New York City area, if you don’t get in to Tisch, you’d also be wise to have also filed an applicaiton with State University of New York at Purchase for their B.F.A. program, very competitive, at least you can live in a suburb of NYC; however, the college itself is very plain and unappealing architecturally. The studetns there network very well with each other and go into New York City by train regularly.
There’s an unaccredited program called NYFA in New York City where lots of people are making films, but it’s not a college credit program. If you don’t get into a college you can go there and make films, but it’ll cost like an expensive college. At least it gets you here to build up a resume/portfolio to reapply the following year.


Regarding USC, UCLA, Tisch and CHapman – they have very different ways of admitting and educating. For USC, I believe you submit a portfolio. For Chapman, definitely so and they determine before you’re a freshman if you’re in that major and train you right from the start as a major. But remember: 8% admit rates.
UCLA requires that you study general subjects for the first two years and THEN submit a portfolio, for determination for the major that can ONLY begin in Junior year. So, if you’re there and don’t make it into the major, that’s not so nice. They believe in ensuring people gain a solid liberal arts foundation before beginning to make films, although you do take one or two film courses as a freshman or sophomore.
Out-of-state tuitions at UCLA are $40K/year and this is so for a resident of any U.S. state except California. For a Californian, UCLA tuition is $5 or 6 thousand.
Chapman is private, costing around $40K with a total student population around 5,000 instead of the very large size of UCLA. Chapman isn’t in the heart of LA, it’s out in a suburb 40 miles from LA downtown. But Chapman’s building/equipment is outstanding.
NYU/Tisch awards a B.F.A. (bachelor of fine arts) while UCLA gives a B.A> (Bachelor of Arts). Within the film industry I’m sure everybody’s heard of, and is comfortable with a B.F.A. The BFA degree is only about 25 years old, but it’s understood within the arts world certainly, perhaps less familiar in the world of business, etc. If your plans change and you want the more standard B.A. that indicates you got a solid undergraduate liberal arts education, then it’s worth thinking about.
No matter how good you feel you are at this point, I’d encourage you to apply to many schools, maybe 6. It’s time consuming because of the portfolio requirements.
Two “safety” schools not from the top 5 is recommended. A different concept of a “safety” is to apply to schools that have film-related programs (such as production, managemetn, stagecraft) so you’re sure to get in somewhere.
Everybody here wants to be Steven Spielberg. It’s competitive. BUT YOU CAN DO IT!!! Good luck