I attended the M.F.A. program at The American Film Institute and have been directing film and theatre since graduating, as well as teaching at a number of film schools, including the New York Film Academy, where I have been deeply involved in curriculum development, as well as teaching directors craft, acting, and producing. It is difficult to compare AFI and NYFA because they are extremely different and both equally effective in their missions. Generally, AFI is a graduate/post-graduate institution and most of my classmates had already excelled in some aspect of the business and were seeking to make a professional transition into filmmaking. The New York Film Academy assumes that the student may have no prior experience and therefore gives the opportunity to experiment extensively with all aspects of filmmaking, from directing and writing, to cinematography and acting, in order to help the student discover which aspect of this field might be right for him or her. At the AFI, I made three shorts in a year, and then, after becoming one of five directors chosen for the second year, I directed a longer thesis film, which premiered at Sundance. This helped to secure my first feature directing job. However, I already knew a great deal about directing prior to attending the AFI. And having served on the admissions committee there, I can tell you that students with a strong sense of focus, maturity, and prior achievement, not to mention a B.A. are most likely to be considered (this from my perspective and not speaking on behalf of AFI admissions, by the way). The New York Film Academy, while offering a masters in film, might provide a better choice for college-level students who do not have extensive knowledge of the craft because the curriculum at NYFA is more detailed in terms of director's craft, directing actors, lighting etc. as well as more nurturing on a daily basis in terms of students having access to faculty, facilities, and equipment. Ultimately, a student in the NYFA one-year program will make eight films in all formats (16mm, digital, 35mm), which will help him or her to better discover their creative voice. Also, the New York Film Academy is different from other places I have taught or attended (such as NYU) in that the administration is accessible and therefore immediately responsive to curriculum requests, such as adding classes and courses each group feels they need more instruction in, without having to go through all sorts of bureaucratic procedures. In short, I loved being a student at AFI, but if I hadn't already directed a lot of theatre, worked with actors extensively, or assisted on several studio features, I don't know that I could have survived there as well as I did, since they tend to accept students who have already been through college and have attained a certain amount of life experience, not to mention professional credentials in some aspect of the arts, other than filmmaking. If I knew little about directing, producing, or directing actors and wanted to spend a year making a lot of projects to develop my voice in a nurturing environment, I would most likely have chosen NYFA. Either way, there are many NYFA student films that have gone on to screen at Sundance, Cannes, and Tribeca as with any of the other film schools. If you write a great script, cast powerful actors, and direct the film with a unique aesthetic, regardless of which film school you attended, your work will get noticed.
Whatever school you choose, students should visit classes and observe, first hand, rather than going off message boards and what they are told in marketing materials. If you can observe a few shoots and instructors, that will give you a much stronger idea. Plus, the location of the school, its campus, and the energy of the student body also has a lot to do with where it will be best for you to matriculate. Again, whether it be NYFA, NYU, AFI, etc., they all have their strengths and weaknesses, but ultimately, it's about whether that individual student has the discipline, talent, and passion to pursue a filmmaking career and which environment is right for him or her.
