AFI 2012

[RWF]

Originally posted by TheRealSV:
@RWF, they look for strong narrative films. AFI really focuses on the story so a short film that you directed, produced, edited, etc with a strong well executed story is what you should submit.

Thanks for the info. It does seem a little weird though considering David Lynch got in and is probably one of their most respected and involved alumni. And his early films were far more abstract than his later films.

 

[TheRealSV]

Yeah David Lynch's stuff was always weird. And the Alphabet which he won the AFI production grant was very strange. I think at that time because there was a much smaller number of filmmakers due to the fact it was extremely costly to make a film, AFI wasn't as strict on overall narrative. Now anyone can make a film on their cellphone or digital camera so I think they really seek those that have the fundamentals of storytelling first and foremost. It's like the 180 rule. You need to know it to be a good filmmaker but you don't always need to abide by it. Once you have a solid understanding of the rules, you can break them but you need to understand the rules first and how to break them to make a quality film. I think that's kind of what AFI is trying to say when they seek strong narrative pieces.

 

[EJ]

Hey guys, I'm a 1st year fellow at AFI. Let me know if you have any questions. I'd be happy to answer them.

Hey! Hope all is well. I could see that you're at AFI, so I hope that you can answer a few questions for me I'm writing to you because I'm thinking about switching programs. I just completed my first year at NYU Grad film. But, unfortunately, the program has disappointed me big-time. Now, I'm on a leave of absence for the next year. In my opinion, the teachers at NYU have not been professional enough (they forget to show up to classes, are very late and unprepared). I don't know if this is the standard in American film schools, but I suppose not! So I wanted to hear, how you would review the AFI program after being a student there?

Specifically, I would like to know:
How would you rate the teachers?

How would you rate the students?
(I do feel that the students in my program are ambitious, but more then a few pay their way trough the classes. Some pay co-students to do homework etc.)

I suppose that students pay for their own films in the program. How much would you consider the costs to be per year? And, how much are extra school related costs, (that are not tuition) - should one expect?

What do you think about AFI's exit strategy?

Would you recommend the program?

Thanks so much for taking your time to read the questions, I hope it wasn't too many

All the best,

E