What do I need to attend AFI conservatory?

[Film School Questions]

What do I need to attend AFI conservatory? Any tips on applying?

 

[Chris W]

What do I need to attend AFI conservatory? Any tips on applying?

FilmSchool.org has recently interviewed AFI's admissions department for advice on how to get into AFI's film school. It's a long interview that offers a ton of advice on what is the most important part of your application to work on. Here's an excerpt:

What do you consider to be the most important part of the AFI application?​

J.M.

We have a holistic approach to our applications review process, meaning that we look at each part of the application but not each part is weighted equally. But I would say the two most important parts are the portfolio and the narrative statement.

People tend to focus more on the portfolio but skimp on everything else, including the narrative statement. It's probably even more important than the portfolio because in the narrative statement, we're asking you to tell us your story. Who are you as a human being? What makes you laugh? Why are you passionate about filmmaking [...] and the discipline that you're applying to, specifically?

A.P.
We certainly look at experimental films [...] and documentaries, because all of that is storytelling. But you have to remember AFI is a narrative, visual storytelling school. I can't tell you how many people come into the interview portion and they're not able to share the movies and television shows they like and the kinds of stories they want to tell!

Applicants need to like come in a room and be ready to share that and be excited about storytelling. Sometimes, that's lost in the application and we wonder if they'll be happy at AFI. It's sort of like not understanding what AFI is about.

G.M.C.
I think that you should also keep in mind that there has to be a bit of a through line with what your narrative statement is telling us about who you are and what is in your portfolio. There has to be a sense of identity. You could think when you're applying to AFI that you want to be a horror filmmaker or a comedy person. Then while you're at AFI, you discover this whole other side to you – that happens all the time.

The number one thing that we don't want is for you to think that you have to put yourself in a box. People look at our alumni and they think of David Lynch. I keep mentioning him because he's probably a huge reason why people apply to AFI. He's inspired a lot of filmmakers, but some people are like, 'I have to be David Lynch in order to get into AFI.' It’s like, we had David Lynch. We don't we don't need another one!

AFI is not limited to that kind of filmmaking. If you are a dark comedy person, lean in hard into who you are […] and the kind of stories you want to tell. More than anything, have fun with it. The more you are true to yourself in that application, the more you'll stand out.

See the full interview here:

How to Get Into AFI Conservatory: Exclusive Advice From the Admissions Office (Part 1)

Ask anyone about where to go to film school, and you’re bound to hear the American Film Institute Conservatory. First established in 1967, AFI is world renowned for producing pioneers and trailblazers in the film industry. In 2020, the Hollywood Reporter ranked AFI as the top film school in...

• Alexa P.
• Apr 7, 2021
• 5.00 star(s) 1 ratings
• Reviews: 1
• Category: Admissions Dept. Interviews

FilmSchool.org also has calculated data on acceptance rates, film experience, minimum GPA, undergraduate degrees, and age of accepted applicants for AFI programs from the 3,300 applications in our database. Current acceptance statistics are below:

AFI Conservatory - Screenwriting Acceptance Rate (All Programs/All Years)

41%

Admitted

52  out of   127   Admitted

15%

Waitlisted

19  out of   127   Waitlisted

44%

Not Admitted

56  out of   127  Not Admitted

See our full Admission Statistics for this program including interview and acceptance notification dates, accepted GPAs, waitlist acceptance rate, demographics of accepted applicants, $ amount of scholarship awarded, and more...

AFI Conservatory - Production Design Acceptance Rate (All Programs/All Years)

75%

Admitted

9  out of   12   Admitted

8%

Waitlisted

1  out of   12   Waitlisted

17%

Not Admitted

2  out of   12  Not Admitted

See our full Admission Statistics for this program including interview and acceptance notification dates, accepted GPAs, waitlist acceptance rate, demographics of accepted applicants, $ amount of scholarship awarded, and more...

AFI Conservatory - Producing Acceptance Rate (All Programs/All Years)

59%

Admitted

37  out of   63   Admitted

11%

Waitlisted

7  out of   63   Waitlisted

30%

Not Admitted

19  out of   63  Not Admitted

See our full Admission Statistics for this program including interview and acceptance notification dates, accepted GPAs, waitlist acceptance rate, demographics of accepted applicants, $ amount of scholarship awarded, and more...

AFI Conservatory - Editing Acceptance Rate (All Programs/All Years)

74%

Admitted

20  out of   27   Admitted

7%

Waitlisted

2  out of   27   Waitlisted

19%

Not Admitted

5  out of   27  Not Admitted

See our full Admission Statistics for this program including interview and acceptance notification dates, accepted GPAs, waitlist acceptance rate, demographics of accepted applicants, $ amount of scholarship awarded, and more...

AFI Conservatory - Directing Acceptance Rate (All Programs/All Years)

20%

Admitted

30  out of   152   Admitted

13%

Waitlisted

19  out of   152   Waitlisted

68%

Not Admitted

103  out of   152  Not Admitted

See our full Admission Statistics for this program including interview and acceptance notification dates, accepted GPAs, waitlist acceptance rate, demographics of accepted applicants, $ amount of scholarship awarded, and more...

AFI Conservatory - Cinematography Acceptance Rate (All Programs/All Years)

40%

Admitted

21  out of   52   Admitted

15%

Waitlisted

8  out of   52   Waitlisted

44%

Not Admitted

23  out of   52  Not Admitted

See our full Admission Statistics for this program including interview and acceptance notification dates, accepted GPAs, waitlist acceptance rate, demographics of accepted applicants, $ amount of scholarship awarded, and more...