The first distinction that one should understand are the differences between attending an undergraduate or graduate film/cinema program. Undergraduate programs combine the general liberal arts education requirements that are necessary to receive a bachelor degree along with major specific classes in film and television. Usually the first two years are predominantly liberal arts while the junior and senior years include mostly major concentrated classes. Some programs start with film related classes earlier. Both USC and NYU start the beginning film student off with some film history as well as either video based (DV) or Super 8 filmmaking that progressively leads to more sophisticated film classes in later years.

Graduate program on the other hand vary more widely than the undergrad programs in scope, length and type. Graduate programs mostly consist of two years of in depth film and television coursework from day one. The resources that are at the student’s resources tend to be greater than in the undergrad programs and the projects that are undertaken are more in depth. For instance, in the undergrad program the ‘Senior Thesis’ project is a short film of between 15-30 minutes in length that the student writes, directs and leads a crew of peers in producing. This is a fairly common “thesis” at most of the top film schools.

Graduate schools vary greatly however. Some do a similar ’short film’ approach while others encourage the students to make a feature film. There are some programs, such as Columbia University’s Masters Program that are actually more than two years and that combine directing along with writing into an overall Graduate thesis involving the creation of feature length scripts and films that can be entered into competition.

The goal of undergrad and grad programs differ as well. While both types of programs can train the ‘technical’ skills of an aspiring cinematographer or cameraman for instance, graduate programs tend to groom their students to make films that can be entered into the festival circuit and garner notoriety and attention for the filmmaker in hopes of his either getting his film ‘picked up’ or him gaining representation by a talent agency. Undergrad programs on the other hand provide a more generalist education with the emphasis not being so much on the students creating ‘festival’ films but more on learning all the facets of filmmaking such as editing, sound, directing, camera, lighting as well as the business side of the industry.

For further information about if film school is worth attending and to get more detailed information about how to decide please visit http://www.USCfilmschool.com.

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The Location

NYU’s film school is located in Greenwich Village on the island of Manhattan in New York City. Going to school in such an urban location offers both positives and negatives. On a positive note, New York City is your campus and therefore you are in the mix of all the limitless cafes, stores, famous locations, iconic neighborhoods and interesting New York personalities that the city is famous for.

On the negative side, also, New York City is your campus so you don’t have the ‘protected campus experience’ you would have at a school with a closed off dedicated campus. In my opinion I viewed living, taking classes and making films in NYC to be a tremendous advantage. Where else would you get such great inspiration and material to draw from than in one of the greatest cities in the world. The only negative would be if you wanted to get out of the city to shoot or just to get some quiet away from the hustle of the city. It’s hard to keep a car in the city without spending a fortune but subways and trains can take you just about anywhere you need to go affordably.

The Curriculum

NYU Film School’s curriculum consists of classes in all the major areas of the filmmaking process. There are classes in sound, editing, writing, television technology and finally group classes where you make films together in small crews. Generally, as you move through the program the projects you work on become more complex. In beginning film classes you might make black and white 8mm or short videos.

As you progress you make longer and more complex projects and can choose between experimental type or narrative films. Generally students are given a certain amount of tape or film stock and the basic equipment such as lights and dollies that one would need. If a student wishes to make something that requires more complex props and/or equipment then they need to provide the funding themselves.

Generally, every student that wants to can direct their own films with other students acting as crew members on their films and vice versa. NYU has a good selection of equipment. It is not always the latest technology and technology changes so frequently, especially when it comes to video, but in general you won’t be lacking for anything. They have ample editing facilities running from old steenbeck for film splicing to computer systems for use of final draft and adobe premier. Again, if a student wishes to shoot more footage than the school is willing to supply film or video for the student can pay for additional developing, etc.

The Professors

Generally I found the professors to be competent with a few ‘exceptional’ ones thrown in. They are all working professionals with some more successful than others. In some classes you also have guest lecturers and occasionally famous alumni will teach a class such as Spike Lee or Woody Allen. Each week the school hosts film screenings and the director or producers of the film will show up to discuss with the class and take questions about how the film was put together and the history of making the film. These are great opportunities to network with successful alumni and often previous graduates of the program show up to watch these screenings so they are a great way to make contacts.

After Graduation.

Where I felt the NYU Film Program fell a little short was in career planning and direction. They didn’t dedicate a whole lot of time to teaching you how to build a career after you graduated. This is one of the flaws I have found in most film programs. Luckily, NYU has so many graduates that work in the industry that if you are proactive you should easily be able to find successful graduates willing to sit down and speak with you about your ‘after graduation’ game plan.

In recent years the school has been good at building up its active alumni organization on both the East and West coasts so whether you decide to be based in New York or Los Angeles you can utilize this resource to create a network for yourself which is very important. Overall, I found the NYU Film School experience to be a good one for those wanting a generalized education in different aspects of filmmaking before embarking on a career.

Film school, while it can be a great launching point for some people, is not right for everyone. There are a host of things to consider before spending the time and money on a film school. To learn more about how to make this decision please visit www.USCfilmschool.com.

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The proximity to Hollywood has made Los Angeles a perfect place for Film schools. The Institutes boast of facilities incorporating the latest production technologies, with some of them providing the opportunity of working with Hollywood personalities as well. This proves to be ample motivation for the students and encourages them.

These institutes employ professional filmmakers and highly qualified instructors to guide their students in the film industry. The courses covered by most of these institutes include cinematography, film producing, production design, editing, directing, story analysis and screenplay and sound designing. Digital video editing and workshops are arranged to provide hands- on experience in the projects. The entire process of creating motion pictures, starting with the conception, through the different production stages is taught in the workshops. The workshops provide practical experiences in filming and sound stage exercises. Documentaries are made by the students and hosted on the Internet for public viewing. The best film is chosen from the list of entries and mentioned under the name of the film. This encourages the students to strive harder.

Application forms can be downloaded from the Internet. A non-refundable application fee is required along with high school reports. Detailed information regarding the application procedure for international students is also available in the websites of the various Institutes and can be easily downloaded for reference. Any queries regarding the course contents, duration and other details can be sent by filling up the information form online. The tuition fees may vary from one Institute to another, including the course curriculum and duration. Additional charges are applied for the equipment used during the course tenure. Educational loans and scholarships are also offered to assist domestic and international students. Some of the institutes provide online campus tours, to give an overview of the infrastructure and the facilities.

There are 2 such Austin film schools which will be discussed here.

The first is The Film Connection Film Institute of Austin. This is an alternative style film school where you study on the job. A professional filmmaker will be appointed to a student to guide them in training your craft. The mentor/apprentice training environment will give you one-on-one experience, and give you one of the best ways to make the links you need to make in n the film industry.

You will learn with different classes, such as Film Directing Techniques, History of Film, Cinematography, Film Production, Film Editing, How to Write a Screenplay and How to Finance Your Film.

The other film school in Austin for our purposes here, is the Austin School of Film.

In there you will be taking courses in a more school-like ambience. Some of these courses include: Screenwriting Essentials, DV and HD Camera Basics, Sound Recording for Film and Video, and Digital Filmmaking.

Directing a movie is more than yelling “Action!” and “Cut!” A director is on overall charge of the movie. He or she decides who the cast will be, what locations and studios will be used for shooting, and the production schedule.

The producer will have more to do with the industry side of a film production. They hold the purse strings, so to speak.

A Film Editor will take the hours and hours of footage that is shot and put it together in a logical fashion. While the director will tell the editor which of the twenty-seven takes of a scene he or she wants in the eventual cut, the editor is the one who has actually puts it together.

The Cinematographer is the person who lights the set, and controls how the camera will film the picture. The director confers with the cinematographer on what the best angle would be for the camera to film. These are a few of the things that Austin film schools will tackle.

Here are some of the films made in Austin, Texas: Office Space, Miss Congeniality, Man of the House, Secondhand Lions, The Life of David Gale, Doubting Thomas, Slacker, Idiocracy, A Scanner Darkly, Waking Life, Spy Kids, Dazed and Confused The Wendall Baker Story, Grindhouse and How To Eat Fried Worms.

Austin Film Schools offer one-on-one mentoring from Hollywood film professionals. The Film Connection ’s mentor apprentice approach to filmmaking pairs you up with a working professional on actual film and video jobs – no teachers, no crowded classrooms, to massive tuition debts.

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The first thing that you should look for in your film school is the faculty. Find out who the instructors are and their background. Most film schools put up information about their instructors on their websites. It would even be better if there is an instructor in the school that you have an interest in working with, you know their work and admire their work. Maybe you know their teaching technique and would like to work under them as a student. Whatever the reason there should be some mentor personality at the school that makes the school the ideal choice for you.

When you visit the school, look to see if the students seem happy. While this may seem like a trivial point it is actually very important. A creative atmosphere is full of enthusiastic happy people. You will thrive in an environment like this and the creativity will flow freely from you. This is most important in a creative field like film making. Films are products of creativity and nothing more. The idea for a film comes from the act of creating.

Check out the kind of equipment the school has at its disposal. This may not be something that you can check into easily, but it is a good question to ask when you are taking a tour of the school. You need to learn how to use the right film making equipment that you would probably be working with when you pursue your film making career.

Further to knowing what sort of equipment the school has, it is important that the school gives you a lot of hands on training. These opportunities at working with different types of gear for different aspects of film making will give you significant experience to help your film making abilities. The school should encourage the creative use of their equipment to all students. The staff should be well versed in how to implement alternatives in the event of an equipment failure. This can happen frequently on a film set and the film making student who learns these lessons is a valuable resource on any film.

Lastly, find out if the school teaches all aspects of film making. They should teach scripts, storylines, how to work with actors, filming, editing and effective use of time. These are all areas that are valuable in the film industry. A well-rounded student will have learned all of these areas of film making. Most of the time there will be a crew on the film to handle most of the areas of film making, but there will be times when these skills will come in handy.

Learn Filmmaking from accomplished professionals from Hollywood and other film capitals at Asia’s Premiere Film School, the International Academy of Film and Television.

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These institutes employ professional filmmakers and highly qualified instructors to guide their students in the film industry. The courses covered by most of these institutes include cinematography, film producing, production design, editing, directing, story analysis and screenplay and sound designing. Digital video editing and workshops are arranged to provide hands- on experience in the projects. The entire process of creating motion pictures, starting with the conception, through the different production stages is taught in the workshops. The workshops provide practical experiences in filming and sound stage exercises. Documentaries are made by the students and hosted on the Internet for public viewing. The best film is chosen from the list of entries and mentioned under the name of the film. This encourages the students to strive harder.

Application forms can be downloaded from the Internet. A non-refundable application fee is required along with high school reports. Detailed information regarding the application procedure for international students is also available in the websites of the various Institutes and can be easily downloaded for reference. Any queries regarding the course contents, duration and other details can be sent by filling up the information form online. The tuition fees may vary from one Institute to another, including the course curriculum and duration. Additional charges are applied for the equipment used during the course tenure. Educational loans and scholarships are also offered to assist domestic and international students. Some of the institutes provide online campus tours, to give an overview of the infrastructure and the facilities.

Film Schools [http://www.e-FilmSchools.com] provides detailed information on Film Schools, New York Film Schools, Top Film Schools, American Film Schools and more. Film Schools is affiliated with Italian Cooking Schools.

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Several film-editing schools offer online or classroom training and courses on film editing. These courses cover the important aspects of editing, such as the basics of time and space, cutting shots and scenes, dialogue mixing with sound. They also include music, transitions, maintaining the continuity of the flow, adding the momentum and offering proper rhythm and pace.

The film editing schools offer extensive digital editing workshops, varying from four to twelve weeks and designed to make the students familiar with the necessary skills of a good editor. Highly experienced and certified instructors guide the students about professional methods to shoot and edit scenes, keeping with the storyline and flow of the movie. Students are also required to complete projects, providing them with hands-on experience in film editing.

The students are also provided with the latest and necessary editing equipment, manufactured by renowned brands. The fees of the course may vary according to the duration and content of the courses. There are projects involving professional clients offered by some of the famous institutes. Many Institutes have placement opportunities to ensure the students’ careers as film editors. These institutes welcome international students and offer migration assistance.

Detailed information of all the procedures regarding course enrollment and fee structures can be found online. Students may also download online brochures for reference purposes. However, it is important to check and compare the course content and career opportunities offered by the various Institutes. A discussion with an ex-student of a particular institute can be very helpful.

Film Schools [http://www.e-FilmSchools.com] provides detailed information on Film Schools, New York Film Schools, Top Film Schools, American Film Schools and more. Film Schools is affiliated with Italian Cooking Schools.

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School rankings often list top film schools based on criteria such as industry reputation and connections and student experiences. This means a large part of the school’s prestige comes from who graduated from that school and whether the school has a strong relationship with the film industry.

Other film rankings are usually based on user submissions. This means anyone with an opinion can vote. Although looking at these rankings might help you get a vague idea of which schools have reputations, the informality of these rankings should let you know that it’s better to find out for yourself rather than trusting the opinions of strangers.

Consider this: even if a magic equation existed that could objectively measure film schools in general and make a list based on this equation that would place the “best” film school at the top of the list, the best school might still not be the right school for you. Do some research and ranking of your own to find out which schools to consider. Try to consider the following when narrowing down your film schools to a choice few:

Are you going to focus solely on directing? While some students at film school focus exclusively on directing, some film schools require course work in other areas of filmmaking such as acting, writing, editing, and producing. Either approach may be right for you, depending on what you prefer. If you want to be a director and you have no interest in exploring other fields, the former might suit you best. If you want a more well-rounded experience, the latter might fit your needs. Additionally, if you want to take another major apart from film altogether, you may want to examine whether the school’s other programs are reputable as well.

Is your number one priority to get a film started while at school? Although you may get plenty of filmmaking experience at school, you might not make a film while you’re there. Competition to direct a film is very stiff at some schools. Other schools require students to complete a full film or video production before graduation.

Are there any famous names at your school? Although you should not choose your school based on famous names, there are certain advantages to attending a school that has turned out famous graduates in the past. These famous names usually support these schools, and consequently the schools enjoy stellar equipment, strong reputation, and Hollywood connections. These schools typically have a big tuition bill. Other less famous schools can still provide you with a solid film education to launch you into the movie business.

Written By J. Edwards

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These schools were once was a great way to see movies you couldn’t see anywhere else. Film school can help you become a better filmmaker, by refining what’s already there, but if you don’t already have the raw creativity, ability, and motivation from the start, you will be at a serious disadvantage. Film isn’t like writing, where you can sit down and do it all by yourself, you need someone in front of the camera too. Film school gives you the collaborators, framework, and the time and space to help you work on your film projects. Film schools will generally offer classes in many or all of the following categories: Cinematography, Film Production, Film Directing, Set Design, Screenwriting, Film Editing, and Working with Actors. Top schools will offer variations of all of these film courses. Film students who dive directly into graduate programs with only a general desire to be involved in movies can sometimes find themselves in positions where their eventual careers are outside the film industry.

Students for these schools are often hand-picked from hundreds of applicants. Students are the sole owners of their screenplays and are often behind the camera from the first day of class. Students will learn about the visual, dramatic, and technical challenges that directors face. Students make bonds, both professional and personal, that extend beyond film school. Students get to retain the digital master tapes of their work, so they can include it in their portfolios. Students work with their advisors to determine a budget, and they may contribute additional funds toward a project if preferred. Students at the top schools are very prepared for the industry, and they need to learn to be quick and creative to stay in the game.

Industry schools are known for training students to mold themselves into the Hollywood structure and successfully persuade producers to fund feature films. Independent schools teach students to minimize film making to the fundamentals and then raise their own funds to make films apart from the Hollywood system. The rise of independent film making and digital video has allowed anyone with a few thousand dollars can shoot their own film with little formal knowledge of the industry. Advocates argue that film school is important because it allows students to develop their skills under the guidance of professional instructors, and to network with others interested in film making. The basic building blocks of improving film making skills are reading, thinking through, and watching as many films as possible. As with any art form, success in film making has a lot to do with luck, preparedness, and being in the right place at the right time.

Alexander Isaac writes about film schools at http://www.applytofilmschool.com

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