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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Most student films are relatively short. Early on in the program you’ll be making very short films that might range from thirty seconds to five minutes. As your skills and knowledge progresses you’ll likely be asked to complete larger projects. A thesis film for instance may be as long as forty-five minutes or a feature even if you’re really ambitious or working on something over a long period of time such as a documentary.

A student film should be approached like any other film, with a lot of thought and careful planning. Pre-production is the most important thing you’ll ever learn because a movie is really made in pre-production and post, the filming is just secondary. Post production can shape the film and change it into something else based on the footage captured. Pre-production however makes the mold for what the film will be and ensures everything will actually work out. Too often student rush through or skip over pre-production and end up in a mess trying to figure out the details of their film or find themselves missing key elements. That is what all the preparation is for, to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Student films also shouldn’t been taken too lightly. You can go far with a good film. Many students submit their work to film festivals and enter it in contests. You can have your work screened in front of millions if you’re chosen to present your film or it wins a competition. A student film can actually be the stepping stone you need to make your name known and gain you valuable contacts in the industry. Treat each project with tender love and care you’ll be sure to make a good film!

Learn to write, shoot, edit, score and produce your own film at Asia’s Premier Film School, the International Academy of Film and Television. Learn film making from accomplished professionals from Hollywood and other film capitals.

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There is no doubt about the fact that the film industry is the broadest and the most creative field out there but making the cut in this cut throat industry is no easy task. With an array of great film schools out there that appreciate and nurture the dreams of people who are interested in making films, you cannot help your career better than getting yourself in one such place. People who have been trained with high quality film programs will have a greater scope in the movie making industry as it will provide the perfect platform for the big life.

The career scope of an individual who has successfully completed his or her film courses will be a fabulous one as such a person can enter film production companies, film studios, government film making departments and advertising agencies. If you have a really strong vision or a desire to bring on the big screen then you can go ahead and become a film director, film producer, film editor, etc and start your own freelance career. A number of film seminars are also available for new comers in this industry to learn the tricks of the trade and keep one updated about the latest advances in the industry.

Undergoing training with the best film courses will undoubtedly help you in learning all the aspects of various areas of film production like development, physical production and post production procedures to financing, legal issues, film distribution and film festivals. The best film schools will also teach you digital design, animation, visual effects, film and TV acting, game design, film promotion, sound design, makeup design and more. With such specialized training you will definitely hold an edge over other untrained artists.

Being artistic is one quality that most people aspiring to make a mark in this industry will possess and getting training with good film courses is the only way to beat the competition. Another great aspect to attending film schools is that it helps you greatly in gaining technical skills that are required to understand not only your core interest area but the supporting areas whose knowledge is required to be good at your job. Becoming a well rounded and trained professional in this industry will not only ensure you to achieve your targets but will also help you to understand the entire procedure involved in converting your crude concepts to a refined production.

Creativity is one quality that can create miraculous events in one’s life and creativity in the area of film making can be converted into a reality by attending great film schools. Geared with the correct knowledge and expertise no one will be able to stop you from walking the red carpet with the confidence of a true film maker.

Erick von Schulz is author of this article on FIlm seminars. Find more information about Film programs here.

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