Syracuse University

Syracuse has a beautiful campus and great atmosphere. Also, the alumni & professor connection is great. Just the fact I graduated Syracuse has gotten me my first job, first feature as a DP, and many other career opportunities.

I'm in my last year at Syracuse University as a member of the department of Film and Media Arts, and it's been a lot of ups and downs. There's a lot to like about this program, the primary virtue being a result of its core philosophy: molding the student into a "total filmmaker" by teaching them all aspects of the production process, therefore allowing them to be more effective directors and producers. As someone who is looking to work as an independent writer/director, this was perfect for me. I learned more at Syracuse in my first year working on Senior Thesis sets than I ever did in high school, and the program's intense focus on production gives each student plenty of on-set opportunities. It's my understanding that some other film programs don't let students even touch a camera until their Junior year, and I'm grateful that Syracuse gave us a chance to start making films from day one. You continue this focus on production throughout your time at the school, culminating with each student being required to write/direct their own Senior Thesis film.

The program has been undergoing a bit of a renaissance the last few years (in 2020, long-time department chair Owen Shapiro retired, and only now in 2024 do we have a permanent new department chair, David Tarleton) and as a result it's been a little inconsistent about the curriculum and expectations for students. Prior to 2020, Syracuse was known for being pretty cutthroat, with a mandatory "Sophomore Critique" session taking place at the end of your second year, where faculty members would review your work and decide if you were allowed to continue in the program. Since the change in leadership, this culture has been walked back a lot, and the program is much more focused on fostering collaboration over competition. It's hard to tell what the biggest changes will be in the next few years, but it's safe to say that the program will be changing!

The biggest benefits of the program for me personally were the access to equipment (I work part-time at the school's rental house, which pays well and gives you good hands-on experience with professional gear) and the abroad opportunities. Syracuse has a unique partnership with FAMU in the Czech Republic, allowing students to spend the Fall or Spring semester of their Junior year in Prague shooting a short film on 35mm. If shooting on celluloid is an important factor to any prospective student, I would almost recommend attending Syracuse just for this one opportunity.

The biggest issues with the program are its cost (nearly $70k a year!), its underwhelming alumni network, and its lack of proper real-world production logistics training.

The cost is due to the fact that Syracuse maintains (or attempts to) a top-tier NCAA basketball & football team, in addition to offering an expansive, well-maintained campus and other university facilities. The unfortunate reality of this is that very little of your tuition fees will go directly towards the Film and Media Arts department, resulting in slightly outdated gear (the equipment cage offers Canon C300's and Sony FX6's, but nothing from Arri or Red) and requiring you to provide the financing for all of your class projects.

In terms of the alumni network, FMA is just too young to have any real notable alumni. One of the few exceptions is Dan Silver '01, who currently works as the head of non-fiction content for Netflix, but connecting with him and other alumni is a difficult process that isn't really facilitated by the university. Additionally, because the university is located in Syracuse, New York (barely a city in itself and four hours by car from NYC) your connections don't end up being particularly valuable outside of the niche Central NY film scene. Syracuse has one major production company, American High, which is known for producing a series of teen comedies, most notable 2019's Big Time Adolescence starring Pete Davidson. However, getting a position at this studio is nearly impossible, as you're competing with every other member of the FMA department, not to mention students in the entirely separate Communications degree at the Newhouse School. Syracuse does offer a semesterly Los Angeles program where they assist you with finding an internship, but if you're planning to go anywhere but LA when you graduate, this isn't very helpful.

Lastly, the film program really struggles to teach practical production skills to its students. A lot of my peers have learned the skills they need to write/direct, but very few of them were taught the process of running a set, resulting in unorganized shooting schedules and logistical catastrophes. I recognize that these are skills you could learn from a few months working in the industry, but I really believe that this gap is actively harming student productions and subjecting student workers to unfair treatment like 16hr+ work days. This is not only limited to students sets however, as I spent the summer working on a faculty member's feature film, which was marred by numerous incidents of unsafe behavior, ineffective prep work, and abuses of power. I don't believe the school does a very good job of teaching students the right way to run a set, and I wish the school would focus more on this.

The bottom line is, Syracuse is not perfect, but I think if you take it for what it is, you can get a lot out of it. Unless the school changes substantially in the next few years, I would say it's a great fit for the aspiring independent writer/director/producer who wants to learn everything they can about the production process. For those who want to specialize more in a specific field, like cinematography or production design, I would not recommend Film and Media Arts and would instead push those people to find a program with better facilities and a more specific focus on that field. Additionally, you should expect to have to work on your own to fill in the gaps in the school's education when it comes to production logistics (find yourself a good producer!) and alumni networking.

If there are any current SU students or alums out there, I would love to hear your thoughts! Also, if you're a prospective student, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions.