Temple University - School of Theater, Film and Media Arts Reviews & Admissions Statistics

Growing up, I knew I'd be an arts major and professional, I just struggled to figure out what medium I wanted to commit my adult life toward. The closest thing I got to film before choosing this program on a whim was a brief exploration of stick figure animation and messing around in iMovie. I knew nothing about the program going in, nor did I have experience with any of what I'd be doing.

In your first semester you take two film classes and they are as simple as it gets, you learn how to analyze films (picking up all the terminology along the way) and everyone produces a short film as their final. It was especially simple in my case, considering that they place you in subsections based on your experience, and I was put in the least experienced section, as not-so-subtly explained by a substitute teacher one day. In that section of maybe twenty students, I think only two of us remained in the program all the way through graduation (and we became roommates and each other's go-to collaborator). To be fair, COVID-19 arrived in my 2nd semester of freshman year, but I still get the sense that the administration expects low retention overall.

I won't speak much more on courses due to how the pandemic did affect them, but I will say that you will get the most out of this program out of the classroom. Whether or not you're doing it for class; just suck it up and make bad films, learn why they're bad, then work your way up to okay films, learn why they're just okay, etc. Professors respond best to students who are putting in the work not just for a grade, but out of a genuine interest in the subject matter. The best professors even incentivize missing class (on the rare occasion) if you're going to be on a set.

I highly suggest going for a concentration, because the administration doesn't care as much for the students that choose a more independent / customized track. I personally chose to get the Music Technology certificate at Boyer instead, since the film program's sound courses were a bit lacking and didn't teach ProTools. Despite doing work-study and being a campus ambassador for a major studio, I was basically invisible as a student. The only way to work around this is by getting involved on thesis films. Junior theses are good, but definitely aim for helping multiple senior theses (graduate theses too, if possible).

Overall, Temple does give you the necessary resources to succeed. It's certainly not an abundant amount, but honestly, I think it's better this way for absolute beginners. You get the entire Adobe suite, the tech center is equipped for all post-production needs (I even did V.O. and scoring in there). I know that people like the dedicated film editing rooms in Annenberg too. The theater program being the only other program in the school means that you have a direct connection to all of your actors. It's a big school, so cliques for crewing do develop, but there's plenty crossover and there's relatively less ego than at the more prolific film schools. The few organizations that have stayed alive over the years do great stuff, especially Temple Smash if you want to try sketch comedy. Finally, the Diamond Screen Film Festival is an incredible incentive and opportunity for students. Seeing your film on a big screen and "competing" for the various awards brings a lot of life to campus.

I graduated in 2013 and know several recent graduates ( 2017-2019 classes) as well. My personal and their related experiences are the basis for the sum of this review. I currently work as a DP & AC in Los Angeles. I was out of state and found it quite affordable. With some small scholarships & grants, I was only left with around $16K in student loan debt, which ain't bad at all. The film school isn't any more expensive than any other degree on campus to my knowledge. For PA residents it's a very affordable school and that is where a significant amount of the students are from for sure. Many others like myself were from surrounding mid-Atlantic states, and then you had a peppering of people from everywhere else. Philadelphia is fairly popular film making city, with lots of trickle down from NYC and good amount of local industry as well.

Temple's film program is interesting. It is relatively small and doesn't make a ton of "lists" but you'll find a surprising amount of Temple alumni with substantial careers in the industry. Temple ultimately gives you what you put into it. Among my peers, by the end of Junior year, it was clear which students would likely go on to have active careers within the film industry based on how they "moved" through the film program. When I was in the program, their where no "concentrations" and you had to forge your own from what courses were offered. It was easy to get lost as a student there. The best students recognized what they wanted to do in the industry and used whatever the school might offer to achieve it. I see now they do offer concentration tracks in cinematography, screenwriting etc. and I'm glad they made that change. I think it will help many students feel less lost. For what it's worth, the list of required and suggested elective courses for the Cinematography track very closely mirror the courses I chose to take in my time there. They don't look to be offering more than there were in 2009-2013, but they are definitely presenting it better.

The school offers modest gear and facilities, with tools that in 2020 are plenty enough to make a film with. Access was tiered and tied to classes, you aren't going to be shooting on RED or Amira until your maybe 3rd, probably 4th year. You also wont be renting out any of the "good lights" if you aren't enrolled in a lighting, cinematography or thesis course. They boasted a fairly large collection of 16mm & Super 16mm cameras and shooting film is an active part of the curriculum. Professors were generally knowledgeable and encouraging. Many of them had respectable bodies of work, especially in documentary and independent film circles. Temple is actually known to produce great documentary filmmakers. However, I found that to really learn how a set worked, what roles there were in play, what practices and techniques were considered standard and professional...I needed to not only work on any and every student project I could, but also find local sets to crew on and do my own research. Speaking particularity to cinematography and camera department, I found that the gear & practical "on set" education I got solely from courses at Temple where CRAP compared to the USC/Chapman/LMU alums I met in LA. And that is honestly to be expected...those schools have tons of money, resources, connections and of course the price tags to go with them.

Community is probably the most important thing you get from film school and this is where Temple shines to me. We stick together. The "indie" offerings from the school often force the students who really want to succeed to push each other to do so. All film schools breed tight knit relationships among students, but I felt that Temple with the backdrop of Philadelphia as your formative environment, really make for some tight bonds with the peers you knew wanted to "make it" in larger markets like LA or NYC. More formally, Temple does have a very strong Los Angeles internship program that is probably the single most crucial part of the program to consider. It definitely gave me and countless other students the legs to make it to LA after school, obviously with career connections, but also adjusting to LA living, housing, etc. There is a house LA that has served as a place for new graduates to room in (its like a 5 bedroom house) and find their footing in the city. Somewhat legendary, as the landlord is a Temple alum and its been exclusively rented (for cheap) to Temple alums for over a decade. There is also a good amount of alumni in the NYC market given its proximity to Philadelphia, and the school will support intern programs there as well. That Temple bond actually makes for a great alumni network in LA and NYC.

All in all it's a good program that will give back what you put into it. Like any film school, you should always be looking for work outside of academics...crewing on local sets, shooting beyond classes, etc. But when your school is somewhat obviously not up to snuff with the industry's latest and greatest, the drive to go the extra mile kicks in even harder. Success in this industry means you have to hustle and, even if unintentionally, Temple pushes it students to do just that. Despite Temple's lack of "hollywood training" I had just as much (and sometimes more) practical experience than those big ticket school alums, because the program inadvertently made me seek out professional opportunities pretty much from Freshman year. It's a program & environment that show you a path to success, but it's up to you to work hard and go down it.