AFI (Screenwriting) vs Columbia (Directing/Screenwriting) - Fall '15

[eggparanoia]

Hey all,

I'm in the fortunate quandary of having to decide between AFI and Columbia in the next two weeks. AFI seems like a great place for people who know they want just writing for two years -- and to be where the action is. Columbia seems like a great place for people who want more of the auteur-ial experience for up to 4 years -- some writing, some directing, some producing -- in a city that is awesome but, well, not LA.

I am specifically interested in writing for television and running my own show. Any advice would be hugely appreciated right about now!

Thanks and best of luck to everyone on this. You're my heroes.

 

[Chris W]

Tough one... you'd probably run into more "real people" to inspire you in you in your writing in NYC.

AFI does sound like a great experience too though. Business contacts would hopefully be good. But also writing is something that you can do anywhere... and it doesn't make any difference if you have contacts if you don't have good scripts.

But personally after living in LA for 14 years... living in NYC sounds neat to me so I'm biased. For a writer I would think life experience would be very good and NYC offers more opportunities for that than LA. Everyone in LA is trapped in their cars. Less chances of meeting people to inspire your stories but maybe that's just me.

It's a tough one for sure. I've never lived in NYC so that sounds like a fun new adventure to me. But LA is one as well for sure and I'm not knocking LA at all.

This is definitely the place to be to break into the business. But you could also always come here after school.

I'm interested to hear what others think.

 

[eggparanoia]

Tough one... you'd probably run into more "real people" to inspire you in you in your writing in NYC.

AFI does sound like a great experience too though. Business contacts would hopefully be good. But also writing is something that you can do anywhere... and it doesn't make any difference if you have contacts if you don't have good scripts.

But personally after living in LA for 14 years... living in NYC sounds neat to me so I'm biased. For a writer I would think life experience would be very good and NYC offers more opportunities for that than LA. Everyone in LA is trapped in their cars. Less chances of meeting people to inspire your stories but maybe that's just me.

It's a tough one for sure. I've never lived in NYC so that sounds like a fun new adventure to me. But LA is one as well for sure and I'm not knocking LA at all.

This is definitely the place to be to break into the business. But you could also always come here after school.

I'm interested to hear what others think.

So true Chris. Though I'm from NYC -- so I'm biased as well!

Just a side note: Thanks so much for creating this website, Chris. It has been a goldmine of information and encouragement. So grateful.

 

[Chris W]

So true Chris. Though I'm from NYC -- so I'm biased as well!

Well if you're from NYC maybe LA will be quite the new adventure after all. In that case I'd go for LA. But that's just me. I can't wait until my kids are a little older so we can go on our own "adventures" soon. I'd love to be able to pick up and live somewhere else maybe another country again for a month during the summer when the kids aren't in school. Long story short I'm all for new things and new life experiences. I've never lived in NYC so that's why I'm biased towards trying that out. I drove out to LA in September 2001 (arrived a week before 9/11) without a job prospect whatsoever and it has turned out to have worked out just fine.

Just a side note: Thanks so much for creating this website, Chris. It has been a goldmine of information and encouragement. So grateful.

That's awesome. I'm so glad you like it. I still can't believe I started the site in 1998 (as Studentfilms.com) so there's quite a wealth of built up knowledge here if you take the time to search for it... Although I don't think the forums themselves didn't really start until 2000?. The oldest post I can find is from October 2002 but I know a forum of some sort existed in 1999 or 2000. I purchased FilmSchool.org at the end of last year for the film school part of the other site.

Anyways as a side note... I thought of the idea for Studentfilms.com while studying abroad in college my junior year. So... it's always good to have new adventures.

 

[Chris W]

But back to the original topic... it also seems the two programs would teach you two different things... AFI would be screenwriting only but Columbia would be more rounded...

It depends what you want to learn. A well rounded education might be better. So in that case you should go for Columbia. But then again this is starting to sound like Battle of Wits.

MAN IN BLACK: All right: where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right and who is dead.

VIZZINI: But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you. Are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet, or his enemy's? [pauses to study the MAN IN BLACK] Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I'm not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool; you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

MAN IN BLACK: You've made your decision then?

VIZZINI: Not remotely. Because iocaine comes from Australia, as everyone knows. And Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you.

MAN IN BLACK: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.

VIZZINI: Wait till I get going! Where was I?

MAN IN BLACK: Australia.

VIZZINI: Yes -- Australia, and you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

MAN IN BLACK: [beginning nervousness] You're just stalling now.

VIZZINI: You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong. So, you could have put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard which means you must have studied. And in studying, you must have learned that man is mortal so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me.

MAN IN BLACK: [nervously] You're trying to trick me into giving away something -- it won't work --

VIZZINI: [triumphant] It has worked -- you've given everything away -- I know where the poison is.