University of North Carolina - School of the Arts

I cannot express in words how valuable your education will be at this school.

I've only been here for a single semester and I have already directed my own short on a sound stage and have been a part of 16 others in my film section.
I've also worked on two six day shoots for 4th year films and started pre production for four 3rd year films as well as two 2nd year films. My main point being is that your film classes are not the only source of the film education you get here. You're working on location just 4 weeks into your first year and the school funds the making of those films.

Other film schools just don't operate like this and you won't get what everyone is looking for: EXPERIENCE, if you don't go here. Gaining it is not just expected, its required. We must work at least 12 hours in production and 12 in the art department before the end of each semester.

The film school is composed of only 300 people and you interview with the upperclassmen before they hire you for jobs on the thesis films so networking is practiced everyday and you have copious opportunities to leave a lasting impression on them before they go out into the world. There are also many active job boards only for our alumni. Alumni also come back all the time to hire our students on commercials and projects they are working on.

We are also allowed to use the acting students on campus (if we follow specific rules) and they enhance the quality of our films tenfold.

The community is also fantastic. Its an arts conservatory so everyone here understands each others passions and their dedication to them. Its a highly competitive environment but we all do our best to lift each other up.

Overall this school is small and no one has really heard of it, but those who have know just how talented and skilled our students are.

Overall, this is my first choice out of all the schools I want to go to next year because they work you like you are going to work in the industry. You have the ability to work on other students' projects every weekend and gain that experience early on. As a freshmen you work in every single position in a project. You direct your own film and then work as an editor on your friend's and then again as a DP on someone else's project and so on. This school's approach to teaching is the very definition of hands-on and that experience is more valuable than what most other schools can offer with their many required classroom courses before you're allowed to even touch a camera.

Also, I'm very attracted to the opportunity to work as every single role on a project. If you don't necessarily know what area you want to focus on, you have the ability to test everything out and figure out what you are good at. Junior year is when the faculty helps you declare your "major."