NEED ADVICE: SF State, UC Santa Cruz, CSU Northridge

[jtccollins]

I applied to the above schools as a Film Production major and I applied to these schools for there film program. I got accepted into all of them and was just wondering if anybody has any information on them.

SF State
UC Santa Cruz
CSU Northridge

Thanks!

 

[Chris W]

CSU Northridge

@Quack Girl @Tammy went to CSUN and hopefully can give you advice.

Not sure about other ones though.

 

[Chris W]

UC Santa Cruz

I think @TheVirtualFilmmaker went there actually and may be able to help you.

 

[TheVirtualFilmmaker]

I applied to the above schools as a Film Production major and I applied to these schools for there film program. I got accepted into all of them and was just wondering if anybody has any information on them.

SF State
UC Santa Cruz
CSU Northridge

Thanks!

Hey, I did my undergrad in Film and Digital Media (Production Concentration) at UCSC. Feel free to ask any questions you may have!

 

[jtccollins]

Hey, I did my undergrad in Film and Digital Media (Production Concentration) at UCSC. Feel free to ask any questions you may have!

Cool. I really just wanted to know how the program was? How much do you think is theory based on how much is hands-on experience? Also, UCSC is kinda known for it's drug culture. I'm not one to participate it that sort of stuff and I am not necessarily a fan of people doing it (but I'm not going to be rude about it, they can do it and I don't have to participate ya know) I guess my question is does the drug culture mix with the video production students?

 

[TheVirtualFilmmaker]

Cool. I really just wanted to know how the program was? How much do you think is theory based on how much is hands-on experience? Also, UCSC is kinda known for it's drug culture. I'm not one to participate it that sort of stuff and I am not necessarily a fan of people doing it (but I'm not going to be rude about it, they can do it and I don't have to participate ya know) I guess my question is does the drug culture mix with the video production students?

So like most film programs, the intro classes are mostly theory with choices to take production classes as you complete the prerequisites. After taking certain mandatory intro classes, you get to declare your track - General, Critical and Production. The first two are mostly film theory while the latter is more hands-on production. Students in the first two tracks may also take production classes but preference is given to production track students first. This was the general overview of the curriculum but things may also have changed since I graduated in 2019.

The drug culture at UCSC, in my opinion, is no different than any other school. I spent four years at UCSC and never did drugs and I am a teetotaler. I knew people who were into stuff and I also had friends who weren't. So it's mostly a mixed bag, as with any school. You will be as involved in the "drug culture" as you decide to be.

Hope this helped

 

[niki]

Hi VirtualFlimmaker, can you please provide some insights about the UCSC film program facilities and equipment/ internship opportunity and study aboard program

 

[scaldwellkerson]

I applied to the above schools as a Film Production major and I applied to these schools for there film program. I got accepted into all of them and was just wondering if anybody has any information on them.

SF State
UC Santa Cruz
CSU Northridge

Thanks!

I went to SF State, so my insight there is that out of the 3 it might be the most affordable, but SF is an expensive city. Also the teachers are amazing and extremely supportive and great resources. SF State is also a great school if you want a well rounded education that isn't just focused on getting you working in Hollywood, it's much more indie/experimental. CSU Northridge will get you as close to LA out of the 3 and I know they have a good program and again it's a CSU so it's affordable. I knew a couple cinematographers that I've worked with in San Francisco that went to UCSC and had good things to say about it but they also took classes at some of the local Bay Area community colleges and said they found those equally as beneficial, so take from that what you will. I think it all depends on what your focus is for film school, where you want to be, and what you want to spend.

 

[marcthomas]

Hey, I did my undergrad in Film and Digital Media (Production Concentration) at UCSC. Feel free to ask any questions you may have!

To TheVirtualFilmmaker,

I saw your post back in 2021 about the film and media studies program at UCSC. Would you be willing to answer some questions about the program and your experience?
Thank you,
MT

 

[Tammy]

I graduated from CSUN film option major so I can provide you a little bit more information, our head of department called Nate Thomas graduated from USC, and he trains students in USC way which means our classes setting, classes arrangement, teaching style, etc all follow USC film production program. But CSUN doesn’t have as much resources or advanced equipment as USC. Be competitive and self-disciplined to make yourself stand out.