Film Schools

A Film school is a generic term for any educational institution dedicated to teaching moviemaking, including, but not limited to, film production, theory, and writing for the screen. Usually hands on technical training is incorporated as part of the curriculum, such as learning how to use cameras, light meters and other equipment. Most schools are tied to existing colleges and universities, often in art or communication departments. Some are privately owned and not tied to universities, such as technical schools offering associate degrees.

Various debates have raged over the years on the importance of film school in allowing one to enter the film industry. Of course, examples can be offered from both sides, as directors George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola graduated from prestigious film schools, whereas Quentin Tarantino had no formal film training. The rapid rise of independent filmmaking and digital video have changed this debate somewhat, as anyone with a few thousand dollars can shoot their own film (and some have done so quite successfully) with little formal knowledge of the industry. Thus, it can be argued that the cost of attending a film school can now be better spent on making a film. Others argue that film school is important because it allows students to network and connect with others interested in filmmaking, as well as with those who may eventually offer them careers in the industry.

Film schools in the United States

Some prominent film schools in the United States include:

American Film Institute (AFI Conservatory)

California Institute of the Arts

Chapman University

College of Santa Fe - Moving Image Arts Department

Columbia University - School of the Arts

Columbia College

Florida State University - School of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts

Emerson College - Department of Visual and Media Arts

North Carolina School of the Arts

Northwestern University

The New York Film Academy

New York University (NYU) - Tisch School of the Arts

San Francisco State University

SUNY Purchase

Syracuse University

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Theater, Film and Television

University of California, Santa Cruz - Department of Film and Digital Media

University of Southern California (USC) - School of Cinema-Television

University of Texas at Austin - Department of Radio, Television and Film

Yale University

High school film programs

Due to the increasing ease and low costs of digital video production and post-production, high schools are slowly starting to build programs that teach film technique. Perhaps the most successful of these programs is Grant High School in Los Angeles, California. Grant has won seven CINE Golden Eagles in six years (this is better than USC's or UCLA's current track record).

Prominent high school film programs in the United States include:

Dearborn High School in Dearborn, Michigan

Grant High School in Los Angeles, California

Kamehameha High School in Honolulu, Hawaii

Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Maryland

International Film Schools

Film schools outside the United States include:

Beijing Film Academy

Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography (VGIK)

National Film and Television School (UK)

National Film School in Lodz

Vancouver Film School

 

External links

IMDB Directory of Film Schools (NB Not complete; notable omissions include Moscow's VGIK)

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