- School Website
- https://conservatory.afi.com/directing/
Is a GRE required for admission? No
Is a portfolio required for admission? Yes
How many Letters of Reference are required? 2
Great directors must be great storytellers. The Directing program focuses on narrative, visual language and performance, offering Fellows a thorough understanding of the process of production from script to screen. Fellows learn to collaborate with screenwriters and producers, work with professional actors and incorporate the visions of cinematographers, production designers and editors into all their produced projects.
First year Fellows direct three substantial narrative projects that include an invaluable opportunity to work with actors from the Screen Actors Guild in a supportive, collaborative environment. The curriculum also requires participation in a directing workshop examining diverse directing styles, techniques and strategies, with specific attention to narrative point of view.
Second year directing Fellows team with those in other disciplines to create a short narrative thesis production, guided by professional faculty and utilized in class. Directors also develop a feature film or television project to be included in their thesis portfolios.
First year Fellows direct three substantial narrative projects that include an invaluable opportunity to work with actors from the Screen Actors Guild in a supportive, collaborative environment. The curriculum also requires participation in a directing workshop examining diverse directing styles, techniques and strategies, with specific attention to narrative point of view.
Second year directing Fellows team with those in other disciplines to create a short narrative thesis production, guided by professional faculty and utilized in class. Directors also develop a feature film or television project to be included in their thesis portfolios.
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Application Requirements
Directing applicants are required to submit the following:
Submissions will be accepted via a link to YouTube or Vimeo in the online application; DO NOT PASSWORD PROTECT THE VIDEO LINKS YOU PROVIDE IN YOUR APPLICATION. Please make sure all links are active until August 2022.
- Submit an example of a moving image project that you have personally directed and that best demonstrates individual talent and ability. You may submit the best 10 continuous minutes from a feature or a short whose TRT is longer than 10 minutes, or you may submit a completed short that is less than 10 minutes TRT. Submissions that are longer than 10 minutes will not be considered for admission. Only work that the applicant has directed (not co-directed) will be considered. The project should be in English or be subtitled in English.
- Direct an original short moving image project for the AFI Conservatory on the topic of“a shift in perspective.” The project should be no longer than 5 minutes in length and can be shot on your cell phone. We are interested in seeing your storytelling skills. Creativity is key here – not production value. Please consider health and safety concerns as you approach this prompt. Compelling stories can still be told within these limited conditions, and evaluations will be made in this spirit of appreciating the production value (and performance) limitations. This exercise does not require you to spend any money or have a large production value so you may use your cell phone for the project, if you wish. The project should be in English or be subtitled in English.
- Describe why you made the moving image project in #1 and the lesson(s) you learned from making it (one page maximum).
- Describe why you made the moving image project in #2 and the lesson(s) you learned from making it (one page maximum).
Submissions will be accepted via a link to YouTube or Vimeo in the online application; DO NOT PASSWORD PROTECT THE VIDEO LINKS YOU PROVIDE IN YOUR APPLICATION. Please make sure all links are active until August 2022.
Class Size
Enrollment is limited to 140 Fellows — 28 Cinematographers, 28 Directors, 14 Editors, 28 Producers, 14 Production Designers and 28 Screenwriters.
Internship Opportunities
Yes
DISCLAIMER: The information on this page is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time it was last updated. PLEASE verify with the school ALL due dates and requirements as they may have changed since our last update. If any info on this page is incorrect please let us know and we will update it. We are not responsible for missed deadlines or rejected applications due to out of date information on this page. Please do your due diligence.
