Should I go to film school (and where)?

losborrachos

New Member
So I'm an international student. I've always been interested in Production Design and I definitely want to go to graduate school. But I don't know if I should get an MFA in Production Design or Theater Scenic Design or something else entirely. Ideally, I want to be able to work in both film and theater because I love both and would like to keep my options open.

Right now I'm getting a BA (not BFA, I know my school is lame) double majoring in Film/Theater and Humanities with a minor in Visual Arts/Design. My school's not in the top tier for Film but it's relatively known (the Animation program, however, is among the best in the world). I have a 3.8 GPA and am in the Honors program (writing my thesis on art direction in third-world cinema). I've also worked on various student and faculty films and designed mainstage theater shows, so I figure I have a slightly decent chance at getting into film school.

The complication, though, is that being an international student, funding is kinda limited. Most scholarships only offer awards for up to 2 years. NYU would be my ideal choice but it's a 3-year program (and so are most well-known Scenic Design MFA programs). I've thought about applying to AFI and Chapman for Production Design and maybe Purchase College for Design and Technology because they're 2-year programs. How are these schools in terms of financial aid and scholarships?

Also, if anyone's studying production design, how comfortable would you be designing for theater? Because right now at my school it's really hard for the theater design students to work on student films (the system's not in place yet for that, which is a pity). But it seems that in the real world, people with theater scenic design training cross over easily to film and not the other way around.

Sorry, this is my first time posting and I have a billion questions. But people seem to be very helpful here and I need help figuring out this grad school thing. Most people (even my film professors), when I tell them about my plan to go to grad school for production design, just kind of go :confused:
 
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