Differences NYFA vs. AFI???

[Jayimess]

I know, I know...What's funny to me, is that the "rally," as it was called earlier, makes them less credible in some way, to me anyway.

 

[TNuttall]

As an instructor at the NY Film Academy, and a fellow of the AFI as well as an NYU alum, I can vouch for the previous posts from my fellow faculty members. I will say, one of our greatest strengths as a school involves our own experiences at other institutions like the AFI. The teachings of both professors and students/fellows alike play their way into my lessons for the students at NYFA. So in a way, our students are getting valuable knowledge from the AFI, NYU, and USC (among others), all in one classroom at NYFA. Pretty cool at my estimate.

 

[Michael Young]

It is funny, but the MFA degree is the standard academic qualification for teaching fine arts at the undergraduate or graduate level (so most of our faculty have 'em) and since we respect those schools, a great number are MFA alums of AFI, NYU, USC, and UCLA. These same instructors also happen to be writers, directors, cinematographers, and great teachers. Jayimess insists that our instructors are still graduate students at other schools, but s/he is wrong. It is possible that a teaching assistant or instructor in our high school summer programs would be a grad student, but that is also uncommon.

 

[Michael Young]

BTW, Tim above (Hello Tim) is not currently an instructor at NYFA. When he taught here (in New York and in our Disney programs); he was a BFA graduate of NYU Tisch, a phenomenal camera and lighting instructor, and was working as a DP. We hope he will teach for us again when he completes is MFA at AFI!

 

[Jayimess]

I don't insist anything. I have heard it from several graduates of your programs. That they are graduate STUDENTS who need extra money. Specifically, I heard most recently, this fall, that UCLA screenwriting students teach at your school. Not graduates.

The fact that NYFA keeps sending faculty member after faculty member after faculty member after faculty member here to sign up and type hype is so strange I don't even know how to comment on it anymore.

 

[Michael Young]

Your irritation that people who actually teach or studied at NYFA would want to respond to the original question or to the thread is not justified. Your knowledge and opinions of USC are based on your own experiences there and the posts that bother you so much.

 

[Michael Young]

oops! that was "and the posts that bothered you so much are based on those writers first hand experiences"

 

[Jayimess]

Actually, I find it very strange that someone who teaches at a film school would stumble across this site, which is a community for students and school applicants, and offer nothing more to the community than PR for the very institution that pays their bills.

Once is interesting. Again and again and again is effing strange.

I don't feel irritation, it's almost entertaining to me. If anything though, it's sad. I would love to have a good feeling about your school. But I don't.

Obviously, NYFA has garnered free publicity on this site for itself, and those reading this site will make their own decisions.

And for the record, my discussions of USC are based on my own experiences as a student. Nobody pays me to talk about USC, I do it because I want to help people. You and your little cadre are clearly trying to garner applicants and students.

I'm nothing like you.

 

[Merkin Muffley]

I agree, it is strange that these people keep registering just to promote the NYFA.

I was planning on attending AFI in the fall but I think I will attend NYFA. Can I teach at NYFA with a MFA from NYFA or do I need a degree from a school with a slightly better reputation?

I am sure NYFA is a great place to get started if you have no filmmaking experience and the MFA program may be great, but all of these posts (from accounts that were created specifically to promote NYFA) make your school seem like it has something to hide. You don't see the instructors from other MFA programs on here arguing the validity of their schools. These other schools have strong reputations based on the quality of their programs and the support of their alumni.

I have no problem with NYFA, but I am suspicious about the quality of the MFA program after reading this thread. Would instructors at NYU or AFI be on here arguing about the quality of their film programs if a handful of people spoke negatively about them on a forum? Probably not.

 

[Michael Young]

I am writing because this site is a source of information and opinions for people thinking about film school. It is important to me that the person who started the discussion and those reading about it get accurate information about NYFA.

You are committed to helping people in their decision making process. The NYFA faculty who posted also care a great deal about helping students as they help them become filmmakers even though they are (horrors) paid to do so. It does not invalidate their opinions.

Our Academic Dean at the Universal Studios campus is Chad Rocco (MFA, USC). I have just asked him about any UCLA grad student teaching for us, he was sure it wasn't the case. But if the students you spoke to say it happened, then they obviously thought it was the case. In screenwriting, many of our instructors went to USC for grad school, and because of that I think Gulino's "sequence approach" has influenced they way we teach screenplay structure.

Our curricula are always evolving, and the educational and professional backgrounds have a big impact on our students.

Okay, I'll shut-up now.

 

[ShanteAndri]

Oh goodness this thread is wild. I actually read every response because I also am looking at these two colleges. I have no film experience and it seems that I am leaning more towards NYFA because even though the website isn't fancy. The reviews have told me they accept entry level even for the MFA. AFI does as well but I know absolutely nothing about film. I plan to visit Los Angeles next month and tour both campuses to make my final decision.
contact me if you all have any suggestions www.shanteandri.com

 

[Willi]

How many NYFA grads are teaching at NYU, USC etc.?

 

[Jack Bauer]

I heard that NYFA was not accredited. Their degrees are not accepted mainstream schools, such as USC, UCLA, NYU, etc..

 

[yonkondy]

NYFA should never be a top choice.
If a film school is too easy to get in, it isn't worth your time. (I don't even think you really have to compete to get accepted.)
NYFA is a business, foremost, a school second.

 

[denverfilm]

Hey everyone....I have read this thread, and this arguing and debate is quite dumb. Both NYFA and AFI both offer MFA programs in Filmmaking as we all know, but NYFA's program is only a few years old. AFI has a decades long reputation of producing talented people who go on to have very successful careers. NYFA obviously hasn't proven itself, but they are just nowhere NEAR the education that AFI,USC,UCLA,NYU, Columbia can offer you. It really should be in the same discussion as the schools listed. I'm sure the professors care and what not, but lets be honest, thousands of people don't apply like they do for USC,AFI,UCLA, NYU....

Thats all. I just think anyone debating this is wasting their time. Its not even a discussion.

 

[ignatiusreilly]

I had a great time reading this.

It would seem that the entire NYFA faculty got top honors at AFI/Tisch. Strange...