Latest Film School Reviews

I really enjoy taking classes here related to Film school. I appreciate Dr. White's lectures and he ensures that all his students understand the content he is teaching. Here we are able to get hands-on experiences and are able to see what the industry is actually like.

I am currently taking a class with Professor White, and I have enjoyed it a lot. He keeps the class engaged throughout the whole time. He talks, moves around the room, and leaves his PowerPoint to show the class other examples for us to understand more. He engages the students by asking us questions the whole class.

Very affordable place to go. The film program is not only fun, but very educational. I have learned very much in a short amount of time. It has been really cool seeing how the program tries their best to get students jobs after graduation.

Dr. Mike White always has the best choices in work attire and has a passion for good film. This program is great for anyone that has any passion or just enjoys everything film.

The film program at Wayne State College is an affordable way to learn about what it takes to produce, edit, and learn to make film. I have a class with Dr. White and it is one of my favorites.

Having done the online version of the program, I appreciated how available the instructors made themselves and that the scheduling of the program could be structured around my availability. The online program brought students from all over the world into the program and people from all sorts of industries. As such, the student body was varied -- those considering screenwriting professionally and those considering it a hobby. Applied basic screenwriting knowledge seems to be the minimal requirement for the program -- as in, some peers were writing their first feature. This type of inclusivity is great for the spirit of the program and the caliber of encouraging instructors. It's a great opportunity for a variety of people to learn screenwriting and try their hand at it. But it may be a surprise for some with more extensive screenwriting experience. However, no matter someone's experience, there is something to learn and the workshops are helpful. It fulfills its purpose as a program between undergrad and grad schools.

We were told it is a professional program because it is for those who are already professionals, or who already have a day job. The workload allows for a full-time job, but can be very busy, as well. During the 2021-22 program, passing and earning your CERTIFICATE for the program consisted of attending 8/10 of the weekly workshops for each of the 3 quarters; finishing a first act by the end of the first quarter; finishing a feature first draft by the end of the second quarter; and finishing another feature first draft by the end of the third quarter. The program also consisted of pre-recorded lectures and a Zoom Q&A with instructors, screenwriters, agents, and other industry professionals. Q&A's were recorded to be rewatched at your convenience.

Much of the program's experience comes from the workshop instructors -- keeping the same instructor through the first two quarters and receiving a new one for the third quarter. Each instructor will run their workshop differently and each has their own unique insight to add to your work and about the industry and craft. Different instructor styles will work for different students and will influence the finished product of your drafts.

I was a self-taught screenwriter with four completed (unproduced) features under my belt. This was my first experience of formal instruction. My biggest takeaways were knowledge of screenwriting structure and the workshop experience. It's exciting to see others' insights affect your work and for your own insights to affect their work.

If you are curious about screenwriting or want more practice, this program is a strong RECOMMEND from me. The instructors and students it generally attracts are supportive and kind and the instruction is helpful. I used a screenplay I wrote in the program as my application to grad schools and one of my instructors was a recommender. The program is a great stepping stone towards grad school.

Overall description:
Was in the filmmaking program for 4 Weeks and had to make 3 short films, and 2 practice films, in total. I would say this program is for someone who is just starting out, and it is very hands on so overall go if you want a taste of filmmaking. If you're intermediate maybe this isnt for you.

Faculty:
Directing, screenwriting, editing instructors were all great. Had 2 camera equipment instructors who taught different conflicting things so not sure who to listen to.
Editing dept guys were very helpful and offered us a lot of support.
One class said "casting" with no context and turns out it was the acting class that was supposed to do a monologue and we had to cast them for our films there and then, and the filmmakers did not know what or how to do it. Acting teacher was unbothered, just made the actors do their monologue and told filmmakers to "take down notes", and she leaves immediately after. She also abandons her acting students on some shoots for unexplained reasons so our directing instructor had to take over.

Administration:
Offered adequate amount of help online for visa process, but had a difficult time in person. I was given a student card for entry that had a printing error on the bar code and doesn't work. The card also did not have my preferred name on it. Had to pay $20 to have it replaced. Transport not provided to filming location (Griffith Park) so student had to fork out their own expenses, was made known to us.
Admissions did not allow my friend (non NYFA student) to enter the building for the screening of the film because they only have 2 shots of the vaccine, not 3. A negative PCR covid test sufficed, they said, but this was only made known less than 24 hours. Quite ridiculous as PCR tests take around 24 hours for results. In the end, my friend could not be present for my final screening.

Classmates:
Everyone was international (except one) and mostly trying out whether film is for them. Had a guy who went to film school in his home country and realised that this class was too elementary for him, and he left. Probably isn't going to help you with local connections.

Actors:
Was told by my directing instructors that its a gamble every program because every batch of students would vary in acting quality. Was lucky enough to work with a talented bunch of young actors. The actors are around 19-25 years old, some are local and some are international, but all of them seem to be professional, skillful and the collaboration was very smooth to say the least.

Cirriculum:
Monday to Friday. Most days are 9am to 6:40pm, which is about 3 classes. We had to use our weekends to shoot some of films at our own time and stayed back after class to edit. Usually I only have one Sunday free. It was actually a lot of content and worthwhile since the 3 films we do are same as the first 3 projects in the MFA program. I'm exhausted most of the time and have less leisure time than the acting students. We do everything from pitching, writing, filming, editing. It is a very hands on program.

Equipment:
Was given a box of equipment with lenses and a Sony FX6. Was all labeled and easy to use. Also was taught how to handle them. However tripods' quality could be better, a lot of them are loose and dont stay in place.

Location:
Does not have bus/train nearby so be expected to get here by car, or you can walk from the bus stop. Not much food choices around. There is a starbucks opposite the school. The building is like an enclosed office building. There's a small corner selling snacks and packaged food inside and vending machines around, but other than that not much. Actors have their lesson in another building quite far away from the main building.

Price:
Website says $3771 USD but be expected to spend more on transport, props etc. For international students expect to spend more on your visa and lodging.

I have done the 1 Year Program. Successfully shot Two short films. One of them won several awards and the second is still in post. All i want to say that the school will do its best to put you on your first steps of filmmaking.

One of the best experiences with incredible teachers and people. I learned much more than I expected, the program is very complete. When I finished I felt the confidence to continue building my path in film.

I fully recommend it

What an incredible opportunity to meet such talented people and learn from them! I had enquired about Production Design summer courses and, although they don't usually offer those, Carl organised one with a visiting professor, John Muto (Home Alone, Species). I got to experience both an academic and professional take on designing a movie; for someone looking to have a properly informed start in the film field, this was unbelievably helpful.

World class education received at NYU Tisch, with some remarkable faculty (those who care to teach are extremely helpful). Lots of bureaucratic nonsense that resulted in administrators lying to class regarding benefits and recourse for missed opportunities due to COVID. Many affected including alumni and current students.

At least one professor on staff has been publicly accused of abetting sexual harassment.

The graduate film program at NYU changed my life. I keep up with most of my classmates and a lot of my professors. I still work with a lot of my classmates on film projects currently.

Simply put, the film program in AU is a joke. Most faculties and student have no taste for film. You will not get enough training in any aspect of filmmaking. And the tuition is relatively high, so don't waste your time and money.

Met Film School (London) is all about how much you put in as a student. No one is going to make life easy for you, especially because is horrible at organization and communication. However, Met will provide interesting coursework, especially in the BA. You will learn and gain experience if YOU want to, because Met will only give you the blueprints of your academic growth. No reading, or barely movie watching in class. For the amount that the students pay, they should at least finance a part of the grad films, but no!

Pros- Location is close to film industry
- Practical Classes are useful to indie filmmakers.
- One will learn how to write good essays about film.

Cons- Writing is pretty much ALL you DO! The amount of filmmaking classes that are required is fairly minimal compared to the amount of lecture classes that will inevitably demand a seven plus page essay per class.

- The Film Curation is weak. It's either a heavy-handed drama, or a disturbing art film. "Vertigo/ The Godfather/ Seven Samurai/ Lawrence of Arabia/The Maltese Falcon" was not on any of the screening blocks of the classes I took.

Seventy five papers+less than five film projects+ frustrating curation+ job market that doesn't care that I wrote 75 essays= One Angry Man

**I will preface this review with the caveat that I entered in the fall of 2019 and finished in spring 2021, that was my choice, many students deferred because of COVID-19, but my review still stands with a high regard of this film school despite COVID-19.

My faith and trust in this film program solely lies in the faculty and staff and their dedication to helping the students, especially the undergrad seniors, try to finish out their final year with some work to show for their time at SFSU despite a university that completely denied our access to equipment, facilities, and classes. I'm not sure how other people's experiences were in film school around the country or even in other parts of California during the beginning and height of the pandemic, but the Bay Area was an incredibly strict and restrictive area for trying to control COVID. This isn't me complaining about this, but giving context as to the hurdles that myself and fellow classmates had to deal with in order to have a fraction of the education we were still paying for and were promised. My issue was that there was no give, for many months, on the school's allowance for undergrad film students to have access to equipment because it would encourage filmmaking, which encourages gathering, even though we were completely remote by March 2020. It never sat right with me, but thankfully the professors and staff of the Cinema program at SFSU fought for us constantly, and for that I will always be grateful because the school gave in and allowed certain classes to resume (remote) and allowed those classes access to equipment. If it weren't for them I wouldn't have and award winning and festival presented short film under my belt.

Now as far as the program goes, yes, it is a state school so a lot of emphasis on writing and theory is necessary to graduate, but during a normal school year you have access to taking production classes that fit whatever tract you are pursuing: if you want to be a director there is Directing Actors, Visual Directing, Advanced Fiction Filmmaking, etc. screenwriters can choose from Adapting the Screenplay, Writing for Short Films, Feature Screenplay, etc. editors have multiple classes to choose from for editing, there are also sound classes a plenty, not to mention the great faculty that have experience and classes for experimental filmmaking.

SFSU also boasts a robust variety of faculty and professors, some well known filmmakers have worked there (Cheryl Dunye worked there for years before going back to working in the industry) and speaking of which SFSU is the type of school where you'll learn who Cheryl Dunye is, or Julie Dash, or Patricia Cardoso, or Charles Burnett, etc. and their contributions to film and an approach that may be more relatable to a diverse body of student filmmakers that aren't just young white men. Queer cinema and studies is also largely supported and backed by amazing faculty who work in the Bay Area and support the queer community within that work. The take away for me as a black woman that went to this school was that they put an emphasis and importance on educated well-rounded filmmakers to know history that isn't just Scorsese, Coppola, Howard, or Spielberg. It's always why it's quite anti-Hollywood because the film history is rooted in showing the flaws of Hollywood from the perspective of who history has notoriously left out in this country. This shouldn't be revolutionary, but required knowledge. Also if you want a Cinema and Media Studies background, the variety of courses you can choose from are very impressive.

Unfortunately, the equipment and facilities are a little dated, but they have stepped up in buying newer cameras and they try their best, again it's a state funded film program in the most expensive city in the state. Transportation can be tricky, especially if you don't live in San Francisco, mainly because the school is on the outer edge of the city. Driving and finding parking can be a pain but it is doable. Getting to the school through public transportation is also a pain but the school provides you with a discounted Clipper card for BART and SF Muni, and there are buses dedicated to dropping you off at campus from Daly City BART the are free, it's just a long commute. And yes, San Francisco is very expensive, I couldn't imagine being 18 and trying to move here, so if you can get campus housing your first year and meet people to live with later in something affordable I wish you all the best. SF and the Bay is very unique and special though, and many students gravitate here because there are communities that are fully supported here more than other parts of the state and country and you can't really put a price or measure on that. The career assistance post-graduation is hard for me to navigate or comment on because they offer the CSU Media Alliance and other apps for jobs, but the industry in the Bay Area is very limited but not impossible, it just depends on what you want to do. I did get an internship my senior year with a company based in L.A. but that was also something that could happen because of the pandemic. If you have a true desire/tract in something and you become close enough with any of those professors, keep in good contact with them because I've seen them help many students with jobs or opportunities in the Bay Area and L.A.

If you're looking for an inexpensive program that can help you figure out what direction in film you would like to take, or a program that offers a variety of classes that help you focus on your specific tract in filmmaking, SFSU is a great pick. You'll be supported in any community you identify with and can feel comfortable knowing you're in a program at a school that understands how far the industry still needs to go but will show you who has helped push the industry forward, and it doesn't have to be in the Hollywood system.

Also something that seems to be important is that they do not take any ownership of the work you do. They also have a fairly competitive school film festival every year highlighting all the work from students selected in a very diverse film festival with decent prizes.

If you want a school where you're touching a camera immediately your freshman year and never stop, this might not be the school for you. If you want the hands on experience of film school while also learning a true history of American and world film and watching films you may not ever see in other programs down south, this may be a great choice for you.

The screenwriting tutor was an experimental art/essay filmmaker and without a professional background in drama. These days the course is ran by experimental art tutors rather than filmmakers with industry backgrounds. There is disorganisation with regard to production crewing, budget allocation and too many aspiring directors, and no aspiring producers. Too many productions greenlit without resources to fulfil the quota. Would benefit from more practical, hands on cinematography workshops. The course was shortened to one year which is not long enough to study each aspect of film as it endeavours. To write, develop, produce, shoot and carry out post. Whilst doing advanced academic papers alongside without much practical relevance. The standard of shorts could be improved.

My recommendation: don't go to Vanderbilt just to major in film. There are many more schools out there with much more robust and lively film departments than Vandy's. If you'd like to take on Cinema & Media Arts as maybe a second major or minor (like what I did) then it could be the perfect.

That being said, the professors are top notch and the courses are extremely interesting. I learned so much in my undergrad career even though I only decided to do a CMA major starting in my junior year (I already had two other majors at the time and the department was very helpful in making sure I met all grad requirements.)

The program is split pretty much down the middle when it comes to theory and production. So if you hate lectures but love being behind the lens (or vice versa), probably not the right fit for you.

Being a top private school, Vanderbilt costs $$$$$. Luckily, the school has a wonderful GRANT assistance program that helps students with financial need afford tuition with no need to repay loans. But, if you and/or your family are paying out of pocket, geez Louise. It's a lot.

Again, the department is very small, one of the smaller majors at Vanderbilt. Which has its pros and its cons. You get to know your professors well and likewise, they'll help develop your voice as a storyteller over those four years. But at the same time, the alumni network is comparatively miniscule which can be a hindrance in career assistance and mentorship upon graduation.

The NU Theatre program accepts about 50 girls and 50 boys annually. It is a BA program, so you are able to take classes outside of your major, and many people do. The majority of the students are type-A, and many have an inflated sense of their own importance. By contrast, the majority of RTVF students appear more laid back, because it is a less competitive program. Theatre and RTVF don't have a ton of crossover, although in recent years more crossover courses have been baked into the curriculum. It's very difficult to take Theatre classes as an RTVF major, whereas it's not too difficult to take RTVF classes as a Theatre major.

The majority of the theatrical productions put on annually are put on by StuCo, the student theatre coalition, which is essentially a bunch of student-run clubs with varying funding, with internally-elected student boards making the decisions on who will direct, produce, and act in the shows. This means that you have to be social and volunteer to help on student productions to have a chance at directing a show, and it helps a lot if you want to act, too. If you don't figure this out early in your time at NU, it's much harder to work on shows. If you have other social interests, i.e. Greek life or sports, you're pretty much screwed and it's unlikely you'll be performing a lot within the StuCo system. All shows at NU are extracurricular, so you'll be in rehearsal from 6-10:30PM or later multiple days a week after class, and you won't get school credit for it. RTVF has a similar system with student boards like NUWFA and Studio 22, which give some of the largest student film grants. For Theatre majors, the holy grail is to be cast in a TI show, which is a show put on by a local professional, Theatre MFA student, or NU faculty, in any of NU's largest/nicest theaters.

All in all, I learned a lot at NU, really enjoyed my classes - especially historical theatre, puppetry, and technical theatre classes - and loved certain professors. I did not come away with any deep faculty relationships, even with my acting teacher. The campus politics can be really aggro, but that's so many liberal arts colleges these days. It's particularly bad in the Theatre program. It's freezing cold for most of the year, but you get used to it. There is a strong nose-to-the-grindstone mentality and a lot of people there take school super seriously. It's generally not a very laid back or chill place. But, like any other program, it's what you make of it, and it's a very well-respected school.

My experience with ASU started in their Biochemistry and Biomedical Engineering program. Transitioned into Film and Media Studies after facing severe anxiety about my future in laboratory settings (sacrificed too many mice).

The Film and Media Studies program covers a ton of ground conceptually: histories, practices, laws, and politics. Additionally, the program includes a decent amount of time spent on learning and applying critical theories to films and film genres.