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For Brooklyn College (CUNY) Feirstein - MFA in Producing in New York
Does anyone have advice about the portfolio requirements? The second option is straight forward but is the first one supposed to be technical?

Thanks for your help!
OzymandiasVII
For USC Cinematic Arts - Film and Television Production (MFA) in California
Hey guys. I have a specific question regarding the Directing/Film Production MFA program.

My ultimate goal is very specific and obvious - I want to shoot a feature movies. But not a huge-blockbuster-Hollywood type of movies, but rather a movie that would someone classify as indie. Existential horror or maybe some provocative cinema or both - with visual and narrative experiments etc. In the perfect scenario of my future I'm working with A24 entertainment company on my own feature film - something like Hereditary, Lighthouse or even Lars von Trier-type of cinema.

And in a few articles I found a disturbing information about the USC that it's not actually a place for "future indie filmmakers" and I'm wondering why would someone say that. I heard that AFI is a better place for my goals but I did not apply to it because they require two films and I had only one. But it's not a case - I know that USC is one of the best (if not the best) film schools in the world, so why how it can actually be a bad choice for someone who maybe wants to make "indie" films? I hope that it's not true and, if anyone knows, someone can help me understand what is the actual difference between the programs and why USC sometimes referred to as a place that I would not fit in with my specific goals.
One member found this helpful.
Avec Love
Avec Love
This is a pretty common myth about USC. It doesn't really matter what type of movie you want to make. The program at USC is not about what kind of art you should make or what space you should work in - it's about how to actually get that project made.

The student population has a bad wrap for only being interested in "Big Hollywood Blockbusters", some people are interested in that - but overall I find people's interests are pretty eclectic. A majority of the professors work on independants and a majority of student directors go on to do either Television or Indie work.

Furthermore, I'd consider A24 a commercially successful distribution company - being that USC's focus is "industry", that is WELL within USC's wheelhouse. After all, "Industry" and "indie" are not mutually exclusive.

Beyond that, plenty of students here are fans of A24's output and I'd say their mindset is not so far off from your own.
1 members found this helpful.
OzymandiasVII
OzymandiasVII
Thanks so much for such a detailed response!
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