Latest Film School Reviews

Antioch's MFA in Dramatic Writing is unlike any program I've encountered. What sets it apart immediately is the mentorship model — your mentors are working writers, actively engaged in the industry right now. I had Joy Kecken, Angela Harvey, Ross Brown, and John Cariani( who is an a playwright and actor) and together they’ve worked on shows like, Swagger, American Horor story, Kindred, Law & Order, the marvailous MRs. Maisel , The Black List, Cloak and Dagger, The good Wife, The Wire, Home land, The Princess Diaries, All My Children, The Cosby show, the facts of life, the suite life of Zack and cody, Webster, Step by step. … literally the pool of knowledge is endless) The feedback is rigorous and honest, and they genuinely push you to go deeper than you thought you could.

One of the most transformative parts of the program was the field study component. Which is basically, finding a way to give back to your community or the worl, and factoring in the arts to all walks of life and how you, as a creative and help cultivate and conect with the world and the betterment of it. Benign in California which is a Hollywood space that seems to be all about money, profit and connections, I was overjoyed to have the opportunity to go inside a prison and help produce a play with incarcerated participants. I cannot overstate how profoundly rewarding that experience was: it reminded me exactly why storytelling matters. Watching people connect through performance in that environment reinforced everything I believe about the power of art to humanize, heal, and create change in the world.

I was blessed and lucky enough to be able to receive a scholarship from the school of $10,000 from the Eloise Klein Healy Scholarship Fund. Which really goes to show how community focused this MFA is.

Antioch takes social justice seriously as a creative lens. The program understands that what we write and what we put into the world carries weight — and it asks you to sit with that responsibility. For writers who believe their work should mean something beyond the page, and should be impactful, this is the place to grow. I think that is sooo important and should be taught in other schools. Connecting with people, with your audience is how you make great writing. While here I learned to really dig into my authentic voice and dig even deeper to find the message behind the voice. What am I saying and why.

This school is a freaking NIGHTMARE. I was sexually harassed and bullied by foreigners in my class and the school took their side because they cater to rich foreigners over everyone else. I had exlax put in my coffee during shoot, I had to change classes lost 6 months of my GI Bill and they thought they were doing me a favor. A foreign student stole my mother's, who is a professional artist. painting and I had to deal with all kinds of drama to finally get it back, the school refused to help me, and the guy who stole it demanded I buy him an expensive external drive because he said his was broken while we were shooting in his apartment with permission, so I bought him a new one and then he wanted the old one back to recover what was on it, clearly if it was recoverable you would have checked that first so it was a scam to get a new external hard drive and the school told me to give the broken one back and I said no I paid for it ffs and this guy is trying to scam me after he already stole from me. The school hates veterans, they had Steven Spielberg as a guest and the school told us none of the veterans were allowed to attend, too many people wanted to attend so they kicked us out so that all the rich foreign students could get in.
If you are a veteran DO NOT attend THIS school, there are other better options, literally any other option is better than this Anti-American sexists PSO school and their failed bitter staff.

Also you have to pay for film and tons of other things, so the costs are way more than advertised. And because a lot of the actors in the acting program they want you to work with are foreigners without driver's license so they expect you to drive them around with no compensation to include driving rental trucks full of equipment and if anything goes wrong because you are the driver it is legally on you which is bs. And you would think working with a bunch of rich foreigners would at least help with expenses, I have never seen a bunch of cheap freeloaders in my life with as much audacity as these students, they are rich spoiled and many on their own for the first time, so it feels like babysitting a lot of the time. And and the teachers when I went there seemed to resent veterans being in their classes, they really disliked us and it was uncomfortable. Many of the veterans who started with us left and lost their GI bill money due to it so please be careful with THIS school because they don't care if they rip you off and screw you offer.

I love being a part of the Antioch Creative Writing community. The mentors are really supportive, they push you to do your best, but are great at tailoring that to whatever YOUR best is, not expecting a one-size-fits-all definition of what that means.

I truly found my community at Antioch. As a returning older student, I was uncertain if I would feel comfortable in a low-residency program at first. What a delight to discover that not only did Antioch offer me a supportive environment to explore my abilities as a writer, but also that the faculty and staff went above and beyond to ensure my comfort and success. I still stay connected with both faculty and fellow students. Antioch is an exceptional place to learn and grow.

While I was there, parts of the directing track felt like they were still evolving, so the quality of classes was a bit uneven. Some were genuinely helpful, others less so. That said, I think that’s true of most programs, especially since everyone comes in with different backgrounds and goals.


What really stood out to me were the people. There are some faculty members who are deeply committed and generous with their time, and I was lucky to connect with an advisor who made a big impact on my experience. My cohort was another highlight: small, collaborative, and made up of people with really different tastes and strengths. That mix made the program feel dynamic, and I’ve continued working with several of them since graduating. Even though a couple of courses (especially editing and a post-production workflows class) didn’t quite land for me, the overall environment made up for it.


I got a lot out of the mentorship side of things, but also from being on set. Both directing and collaborating on larger productions. The undergrad crews, in particular, are incredibly driven and talented, and having access to that kind of support system is a real advantage.

Ultimately, I think the program is a bit of a "What you make of it" and a bit of a luck of the draw in terms of which professors you get for certain courses and who is in your cohort. But Chicago is a great city to live and study in, and with a 35% tax credit passed, I'm hopeful the city continues to grow in terms of its film/TV.

I love this program so much. If you are interested in TV Writing this is the best program for it. We have incredibly talented writers and the classes are small and personable. It is very hard to beat this value.

You really kind of get what you pay for with this program. It might be one of the cheapest programs out there but it’s also one of the most disorganized and least useful. Most of what will learn will be from your peers, which could be really great or really bad, or from the couple of actually insightful faculty members.

If you absolutely need to join this program to just start getting your feet wet, it can still work as the connections you make can lead to work (even a couple of the professors have offered some work to students), but don’t expect to do much learning while in the classes.

The School of Cinematic Arts has essentially been created in the image of a corporate film studio. Artistically successful films you make at this school will be made despite layers of bureaucracy and a pervasive “Hollywood” sensibility toward filmmaking. That being said, my experience as a student here has put me on a path toward having a career in film and has made me the filmmaker I am today.

Someone once used the analogy of a lighthouse to describe SCA. The name and prestige of the program are like a beacon that attracts filmmakers who are serious about their craft from all around the world to one place, where they meet and collaborate with each other. The students in your cohort will quickly become your dearest friends and collaborators. The goal of film school is to find your people, and SCA ensures that these people are passionate, hardworking, smart, creative, and full of potential.

As an undergrad production student, you are required to take a class we call 310 (or 508 for grad students). In this class, over the course of a semester, you work in trios and rotate crew positions as director, DP, and producer/editor to produce three films. I entered the class as one filmmaker and came out the other side completely changed. It is, without a doubt, the best class I’ve ever had on filmmaking.

At the end of the day, it is what you make of it. If you are lucky, as I have been, to attend this legendary (and expensive) program, it is up to you to make your time worth it. USC will not make you a great filmmaker. Don’t think that you need USC to make it in film. That is up to you.

I did the 27 month, online, Digital Cinematography Bachelor’s degree at Full Sail. It is basically a film degree with the added focus of trying to prepare you for the realities of being an independent in your area.

For the most part, I loved my time there. At graduation I received the Advanced Achievement Award which is the top award (not based solely on GPA) given.

As a school that pretty much takes anyone who can find a way to pay, you have a wide variety of students there; some who probably shouldn’t even be there contrasted with others that are highly driven and very talented (and everything in between). One of the best VFX artists I’ve ever met, in my decade plus in indie filmmaking, is a friend that I met while I was there.

In my own case, after over a decade of the self-taught indie filmmaking side of things, I decided I wanted to see what the film school side of things looked like. I then set a dream goal of getting an MFA from AFI. To try for that, I needed to get a Bachelors first.

I first heard of Full Sail when I met Director Steven C. Miller at a filmmaker meeting around 2016 or so. He was a speaker and then we hung out and talked afterwards. We are still friendly to this day (saw him about a month ago). Steven is a member of the Full Sail Hall of Fame. This, as well as being able to knock out a Bachelors in under 27 months and (as a father) being able to stay home while doing it, eventually led me to the school.

You basically have a new online class each month. For some this pace doesn’t work, for me it was perfect. A LOT of your learning will demand you to be a motivated self-starter. A number of students had problems with the pace or with feeling instructors weren’t holding their hands enough. So, if you go, just be prepared to take charge of your own outcome.

With my experience I assumed I’d probably know everything that was taught. The reality was that I learned a number of things while there or, minimally, saw other approaches to getting things done.

There were a number of classes that I really enjoyed and some of the professors (like Randy Baker) are really great, knowledgeable, and make themselves available to students as much as possible. I also made a number of friends (even though it was the online program) from the program. We still talk daily to weekly and some of us have worked on each other’s film projects (editing, vfx, graphic design, writing, that sort of thing).

I recommend the program if:
1. You want to get a Bachelor’s degree in a short amount of time.
2. Your preference is to be able to stay home and get a degree.
3. You are a highly motivated self-starter.

Additionally, you’ll receive gear for your program (called a launch box). The Digital Cinematography program (when I attended) included a MacBook, lighting gear, and about a $10k FX6 package (camera, lens, tripod, etc etc).

I came into the MFA program as a novelist, with a focus on Fiction. I took the screenwriting elective that first semester, and was immediately adopted into the Screenwriting/Playwriting collective. The sheer enthusiasm for my work, and the work of everyone around me, was infectious. There is genuine excitement on the part of the instructors that is balanced by a transparent honesty that is never cruel but entirely practical. "Well, that didn't work," I heard early on, quickly followed by a vibrant conversation about the mechanics of how to transform a messy scene into a golden one.

By the following semester I was a double-concentration student, marrying Fiction writing to Screenwriting. The momentum simply carried me along, and I finished my third semester with two short plays, a complete one-act, and a screenplay.

This is a program that is absolutely focused on creating work that will be produced, and is marked by an incredible enthusiasm for the work - and the people creating it. I cannot reccommend it highly enough.

Hello fellow TV Writing and Filmmaking Community,

I’m here to give you my two cents on the TV Writing MFA at Stony Brook University. I’m a working screenwriter in (and from) Brazil, and I found this gem after taking a summer course at Columbia in 2014 with Alan Kingsberg, now the Director of the program at Stony Brook. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of Alan’s approach to writing. Still, the idea of moving continents for two to three years did scare me—I won’t lie. But boy, am I happy I came.

I’m in my second semester and already very impressed by the program. I could write pages on the program (that also features comedy, showrunning, Limited Series, Business of TV and so on) , but to keep it simple, I’ll focus on a recent experience to paint a picture.

Last semester, I wrote a pilot I’m a little bit in love with, based on an idea I had been playing with for a while but never found the time or energy to fully develop. Having the commitment made a huge difference. Every week, we brought in pages – whether it was our series idea, outline or scenes. One week, we’d present to the class; the next, we’d meet one-on-one with the professor in conference. It made all of us want to bring our A game. Not out of competition, but out of respect for our professor, our peers, and ourselves. I found the feedback incredibly valuable in shaping not just mine, but everyone’s work.

A quick note on the cohort: it’s super small. Mine has only nine people, which means you get a LOT of attention on your work and get to genuinely connect with your professors and peers.

This semester, in addition to writing a new pilot and a feature, we’re also taking an Acting for Directors class alongside the Film MFA students. I can’t stress enough how much of a game changer this has been. The professor, Shira-Lee Shalit, is amazing, a true “actor whisperer”. This class is simple, hands-on, and incredibly effective in teaching us how to communicate with actors in a collaborative and practical way. It’s not just about getting better performances (which I’ve seen firsthand), but ultimately about building something together.

Last week, I got to direct a scene from the pilot I worked on last semester. I reached out to two amazing actors from Esper with the help of the school and the whole experience was out of this world! My pilot takes place in an almost dystopian setting, and during the final run, I really felt it—the paranoia, the heat, the deprivation. I also felt one of the characters own “the win”, not just get it because I wrote it on the page. Witnessing the emotional arc land so perfectly was just plain awesome!

Seeing my script come to life got me pumped up in so many ways. I gained a deeper understanding of my characters’ motivations and backstory. I gained insight into things I may have gotten wrong, and others that felt even more right. Overall, it reignited in me the reason why I want to tell this story. Why I want to tell ANY story. And that’s a feeling that doesn’t come along very often.

I’m so grateful to the TV Writing MFA at Stonybrook. Just wanted to share with you all how powerful it can be to study here.

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first. Is it expensive? A little. Are most colleges? Of course they are! I dare anyone to find a University anywhere on this website that's considered cheap or even moderately affordable these days. They just don't exist anymore. Was it tough for me financially? Yeah, it was. But I would do it all over again a thousand times over for the incredible experience I walked away with... and that, you can't put a monetary value on.

Another elephant to shoo out of the room - this program is not for everyone. If you're into these high pressure, super-competitive tabling environments where you type until you bleed, this isn't gonna be your jam. If you don't want to write a poem or a novel or a screenplay or a stage play with the strong intent of making a social impact on the community or the arts, this may not be for you. This MFA program is about fostering a healthy creative environment and supporting each other's work and making a difference in our communities through our art. I had classmates in their 20s all the way up their 80s. I had colleagues from all walks of life, all spectrums of love. I have friends for life, people that I trust with the most vulnerable parts of myself, my words. So yes, this program is unlike anything else you will find.

It's centered in the heart of Los Angeles, anchored to the industry. Guest speakers come and go, giving you their amazing expertise. The 10-day residencies are so much fun. You can go in person, but even if you don't live in LA, that's fine. You don't even have to step one foot in LA to be in the program. You can still be successful and feel part of this great community of writers. It's possible, trust me.

This may sound a bit cliche, but you get what you put into it. If your goal is to only focus on one screenplay for the entire 2-year program, then that's what you'll get by the end of it all. I was ambitious, so I wrote A TON of projects from plays to screenplays to short films to poems (too many, honestly). But that's what I wanted for me, and the professors just ran with it. They encouraged me to do what I wanted to do. And that's another thing. These professors aren't just professors. These people care about you and your future. They call you up and check in on you. They're happy to read your work and give you feedback, because they're invested in you. That means a lot, you know.

Everyone's experience will be different. I can only tell you that it was the best educational journey I've ever had. I feel so much more connected to my craft than I ever have. I had moments of elation, of self-doubt, feelings of accomplishments and that sometimes-impossible weight of being human.

I love this place. I really do.

Would absolutely go back in a heartbeat! I loved focusing on Television Writing (rather than Features) and graduated last year with writing samples I can build upon. Due to the small class size, instructors are invested in your success, your classmates work hard to make your writing stronger, and you get real space to grow throughout the semesters. It is a tight-knit space where pursuing your dream won't break your bank account. I won scholarships and a TA position which covered my out-of-state tuition. Also living in NY is fabulous! No regrets.

I was accepted into the program as a poetry student, with the intention to "genre jump" or dual concentrate in screenwriting. During my first term, I took a playwriting elective with Colette Freedman that convinced me to completely switch my concentration to Dramatic Writing and never look back (though I did continue my study of poetry independently and through an elective course). In my four terms at Antioch I wrote: 30 annotations (on books of poetry, craft books, film scripts, novels, and plays), 50+ poems, three short film scripts, three 10-minute plays, a feature film script, a full-length play, and a one-act play. Halfway through the program, one of my 10-minute plays was accepted to a festival where it was performed as a staged reading. One month after graduation, I shot my first short film from a script I wrote during the program. And one year from graduation, my full-length play will be performed as a staged reading at a theatre conference. I say all this not to toot my own horn, but to show just how much an Antioch MFA student accomplish with the encouragement of a strong mentor like Colette. I learned something about life and about writing from every instructor I worked with, not to mention fellow writers in every cohort. While the low-residency aspect allows students the flexibility to complete all coursework remotely (a bonus for someone like me who lives in a small town far from California), flying south for the 10-day, semi-annual residencies afforded me the opportunity to make lifelong writer friends who continue to offer feedback and contribute to my work and well-being from afar. The Antioch MFA program is a community like no other, which allows writers to explore multiple genres through every term and fosters a better understanding of humanity in everyone who is willing to put in the work.

Antioch University Los Angeles’ screenwriting program transformed my love of writing from a hobby into a professional career. The curriculum is rigorous yet nurturing, designed to challenge you while giving you the tools and confidence to succeed. What sets AULA apart are its incredible mentors, diverse, accomplished, and deeply invested in each student’s growth. AULA will champion your voice and push you to realize your full potential.

The student and alumni community is equally remarkable. Kind, passionate, and collaborative, they create a network that supports you both during the program and long after graduation. I felt inspired every day by the energy, creativity, and generosity of my peers.

After being accepted to five top-tier MFA programs, I chose AULA specifically to study with Colette Freedman. Her guidance, insight, and unwavering belief in her students made all the difference in my development as a screenwriter and librettist. Every day I am grateful for the choice I made. AULA prepared me for the industry and helped me become a confident, professional writer ready to take on real-world challenges. For anyone serious about screenwriting, it is an exceptional program.

I graduated from the media studies program on the visual media track in 2022 with a 4.0. I found the program to lead me to where I wanted to be which at the time was in athletics video, Auburn had an incredible athletics video company that loves working with students. I felt I learned a little more through my student job in athletics than I did from class work itself. Coursework seemed to be surface level and didn’t push me as much as I wanted in the film direction. However, my confidence behind the camera and in editing grew a ton and I build strong relationships with peers and professors I regularly speak to and work with to this day

I went for a couple of semesters before dropping out. I really don't think this experience was worth 200k for a few different reasons.

Chapman is supposed to be the #4 ranked film school, so you would expect classes that are great and high quality. In reality, many of the classes are very basic and barebones. For example, the editing class during the second semester was basically sitting down in a movie theatre and reviewing other people's work. The editing teacher didn't bother to teach us new editing techniques and tricks. If I wanted to sit down and review movies, I could do that in my living room completely free of charge. If you're coming to Chapman to learn how to be a better editor, prepare to be disappointed.

Past reviewers have been correct. The head editing mentor who's first name starts with P (He may not be there by the time you read this) is known for being quite harsh and won't put up with as much bullshit compared to other teachers. At least he's honest and will tell you if your film sucks ass.

This is also a very competitive environment. You're definitely being judged by your ability to perform and if you're not performing up to expectations, you can be replaced and removed by other students without any second chances.

Mental health support is not the greatest here and because of the school's competitiveness, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the students have mental health issues.

Has an amazing learning environment that allows hands on experience as soon as possible. The equipment is a great start to understanding and working in a proper film space.

Professors and staff are great, the classes are small which is nice. Not the biggest fan of the admin though, but I usually don't have to deal with them too much

Great classes, great Professors, and a great selection of equipment for projects. Got to work on my thesis here, and had a great time with tons of support.