Film School'er
Member
Choosing the right film school
So here is a post I just wrote for my site but I thought it might be helpful here so enjoy!
Film School'er Question of the Day #1
So this is the first in what I hope to be many Q and A posts where I attempt (I wanna stress that) to answer common questions about film school from readers of the site. This first question actually comes from a forum that I follow (troll), and after giving a short answer to the poster, I realized a longer post might help a lot of people out.
Q: How did you determine the best film school to go?
A: I think that this question is a little bit of a misnomer, as everyone's idea of what the best school is probably radically different based on what they want or need out of a film school experience. So while I chose SCAD's film program, that might not be at the top of the list for some people, and it might fit others just perfectly.
I can however walk you through some of my thinking in how I went about choosing schools, but keep in mind that one size does not fit all.
The first thing I did when I declared to the world that I wanted to attend film school was go out to the store and buy a copy of Film School Confidential. I really recommend you check out this book, even if you just browse through it at your local bookstore, as it has really in-depth information about what to expect at every major film program in the country from costs of attendance, costs of projects, equipment availability, what to expect from the surrounding town/city, and the lowdown on professors/classes to take or avoid.
After I was able to study this book for quite a while I assembled a list of criteria that I wanted in a film school”¦
- The school had to be somewhere warm (Being a Chicago resident for 18 years, this becomes a big deal)
- The focus had to be on narratives, as I want to direct feature films someday. Keep in mind that some schools specialize in various types of filmmaking, such as documentary or experimental, so make sure to research this and think about what kinds of movies you'd like to be making when you graduate.
- Access to equipment had to be moderate to high. A lot of the time I'm brainstorming projects on my own or with friends, and thus I wanted to attend a school that would allow me to check out the equipment in my free time to make my own films. It's easy to check this if you have a copy of Film School Confidential, as they rate each school's equipment availability.
So with this list I was able to create a short list of programs that I wanted to apply to
USC, FSU, UCLA, SCAD, and for reasons not on the list above NYU and Northwestern.
I applied to all the schools on the short list, and ended up choosing to attend SCAD because I really liked the location (Savannah, GA is a beautiful town), the amazing equipment and access that students are granted, and the savings in cost relative to some of the other programs.
But, like I said above, no program is the “best” for everyone, and it really will come down to what you, as a filmmaker, need to succeed. If you need to constantly have teachers structuring your time, go to NYU. If you need time to explore for yourself and are self driven, check out SCAD. At the end of the day, the school that will make you most happy is unique to you.
http://filmschooler.com/?p=90
So here is a post I just wrote for my site but I thought it might be helpful here so enjoy!
Film School'er Question of the Day #1
So this is the first in what I hope to be many Q and A posts where I attempt (I wanna stress that) to answer common questions about film school from readers of the site. This first question actually comes from a forum that I follow (troll), and after giving a short answer to the poster, I realized a longer post might help a lot of people out.
Q: How did you determine the best film school to go?
A: I think that this question is a little bit of a misnomer, as everyone's idea of what the best school is probably radically different based on what they want or need out of a film school experience. So while I chose SCAD's film program, that might not be at the top of the list for some people, and it might fit others just perfectly.
I can however walk you through some of my thinking in how I went about choosing schools, but keep in mind that one size does not fit all.
The first thing I did when I declared to the world that I wanted to attend film school was go out to the store and buy a copy of Film School Confidential. I really recommend you check out this book, even if you just browse through it at your local bookstore, as it has really in-depth information about what to expect at every major film program in the country from costs of attendance, costs of projects, equipment availability, what to expect from the surrounding town/city, and the lowdown on professors/classes to take or avoid.
After I was able to study this book for quite a while I assembled a list of criteria that I wanted in a film school”¦
- The school had to be somewhere warm (Being a Chicago resident for 18 years, this becomes a big deal)
- The focus had to be on narratives, as I want to direct feature films someday. Keep in mind that some schools specialize in various types of filmmaking, such as documentary or experimental, so make sure to research this and think about what kinds of movies you'd like to be making when you graduate.
- Access to equipment had to be moderate to high. A lot of the time I'm brainstorming projects on my own or with friends, and thus I wanted to attend a school that would allow me to check out the equipment in my free time to make my own films. It's easy to check this if you have a copy of Film School Confidential, as they rate each school's equipment availability.
So with this list I was able to create a short list of programs that I wanted to apply to
USC, FSU, UCLA, SCAD, and for reasons not on the list above NYU and Northwestern.
I applied to all the schools on the short list, and ended up choosing to attend SCAD because I really liked the location (Savannah, GA is a beautiful town), the amazing equipment and access that students are granted, and the savings in cost relative to some of the other programs.
But, like I said above, no program is the “best” for everyone, and it really will come down to what you, as a filmmaker, need to succeed. If you need to constantly have teachers structuring your time, go to NYU. If you need time to explore for yourself and are self driven, check out SCAD. At the end of the day, the school that will make you most happy is unique to you.
http://filmschooler.com/?p=90
Last edited by a moderator:
