Should I Go to Film School?
As someone who’s attended two of the top film schools in the world, NYU and USC, I often get asked a simple question: Should I go to film school? The answer actually can’t be answered in a yes/no fashion as it really depends on multiple factors regarding the individual student considering attending and what they hope to get out of the experience. This article aims to address some of the major points that one should contemplate when considering a film or cinema school education.
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.