# AFI Cinematography AMA



## ak47ksha (Mar 14, 2020)

I know this is a super stressful time for applicants deciding between colleges and/or waiting on the waitlist. Now that school is off for two weeks, I have all the time in the world and happy to answer any questions that might help you make up your mind.


----------



## Hongji Wu (Mar 15, 2020)

Hi~I didn't apply for AFI this year 'cause I heard its demand of an industry working background is very high. I consider myself a die-hard enthusiast, but I came from a totally unrelated field and had little to none experience on a professional set.

Maybe I'm posting in the wrong thread but I still wanna ask a stupid question here, knowing you are a current attendee. Which school in your opinion, cinematography wise, would be a better choice among AFI, Chapman, USC, and NYU? What are their strength and weakness?

Thank you!


----------



## ak47ksha (Mar 16, 2020)

Not a stupid question at all. I Ihink AFI is great for more technical disciplines like cinematography and editing and from what I've heard from fellow grad students in other schools, they arent as thorough with classes but AFI is also the only (I think) program which is 7 days a week, months at a time.

I didn't apply to the others because I didn't want to do a master's program longer than 2 years but AFI's program feels like it's a three year course squeezed into two years. The school places a lot of emphasis on collaborating with other disciplines and learning from people in your discipline. The varying level of set experience among fellows helps with this. The price tag is a bit much and it unfortunately acts as a gatekeeper. There is a lack of diversity which I've seen in every class. 

AFI will also take over your whole life. Six months in and the first break I've gotten is because of a pandemic. Lol don't let that scare you though

I've heard really good things about Chapman and how it's modelled after AFI's cinematography program. It also boasts some really great professors and they invest in good equipment too. It's outside LA though so not exactly central. Harder to get to shoots and things if you're not on campus. There's also a good mentorship system in Chapman.

USC's program is pretty good too but didn't feel as structured or collaborative as AFI's. I could be wrong though. USC is also in LA like AFI which is helpful if you want to continue working here.

NYU is one school I did very surface research on because I don't know anyone who went there. They do support individual projects + projects not within the scope of the course. And it's an industry hub.


----------



## Chris W (Mar 16, 2020)

ak47ksha said:


> Six months in and the first break I've gotten is because of a pandemic.


😱


----------



## Hongji Wu (Mar 17, 2020)

thanks so much for the reply!


----------



## Chris W (Apr 17, 2020)

ak47ksha said:


> I know this is a super stressful time for applicants deciding between colleges and/or waiting on the waitlist. Now that school is off for two weeks, I have all the time in the world and happy to answer any questions that might help you make up your mind.


I'm thinking of putting together an article on the site on something like "Film School in the time of COVID" to help current applicants and people who may be attending schools in the fall. I'd love to be able to interview you (or one of the site's writers will) about how the pandemic is currently affecting you at the school and what the school's plans are for the fall if any. Would this be something that you're interested in? 

Thanks! I think it'd be a great help for the people on the site.


----------



## ak47ksha (Apr 20, 2020)

Chris W said:


> I'm thinking of putting together an article on the site on something like "Film School in the time of COVID" to help current applicants and people who may be attending schools in the fall. I'd love to be able to interview you (or one of the site's writers will) about how the pandemic is currently affecting you at the school and what the school's plans are for the fall if any. Would this be something that you're interested in?
> 
> Thanks! I think it'd be a great help for the people on the site.



Totally. Let me know


----------



## Chris W (Apr 20, 2020)

ak47ksha said:


> Totally. Let me know


Awesome. @Kira will reach out to you as she's doing the article.


----------



## Adam Johnson (Apr 20, 2020)

ak47ksha said:


> Not a stupid question at all. I Ihink AFI is great for more technical disciplines like cinematography and editing and from what I've heard from fellow grad students in other schools, they arent as thorough with classes but AFI is also the only (I think) program which is 7 days a week, months at a time.
> 
> I didn't apply to the others because I didn't want to do a master's program longer than 2 years but AFI's program feels like it's a three year course squeezed into two years. The school places a lot of emphasis on collaborating with other disciplines and learning from people in your discipline. The varying level of set experience among fellows helps with this. The price tag is a bit much and it unfortunately acts as a gatekeeper. There is a lack of diversity which I've seen in every class.
> 
> ...



I'm a screenwriter with a photography undergrad, interested in cinematography, but also directing and still writing.  Soooo, just in picking a discipline, should I go for Directing and learn all I can from the other areas, or go all in on one of the others?


----------



## ak47ksha (Apr 21, 2020)

Adam Johnson said:


> I'm a screenwriter with a photography undergrad, interested in cinematography, but also directing and still writing.  Soooo, just in picking a discipline, should I go for Directing and learn all I can from the other areas, or go all in on one of the others?



I don't think there's a right way to go about it and I definitely don't think I am the right person to answer your question. I can only say that if you have the chance to work on different projects (once this global nightmare ends) try out different crew positions and see what you like doing and what you can learn on set. MFAs are rigorous and can often be challenging if you pick something you don't want to ultimately be doing.


----------



## jaycee (May 2, 2020)

ak47ksha said:


> I know this is a super stressful time for applicants deciding between colleges and/or waiting on the waitlist. Now that school is off for two weeks, I have all the time in the world and happy to answer any questions that might help you make up your mind.



Hello! Thank you for your responses and willingness to help out. It really means a lot especially considering the circumstances with the global crisis and all. >.<

One question I had was, what are the chances that AFI admits people who don't come from a formal film educational background? I'm specifically looking into the cinematography program at AFI, and I am aware of the rigorous coursework and the fact that every weekend there is something going on that you have to do. I didn't go to film school during undergrad, but I have taken some extension workshops and certification programs for cinematography recently. I'm self-taught, and have crewed around between camera/electric/grip departments for the past year or so, and I've also even crewed on some AFI productions so I kind of get an idea of what goes on and what to expect there. But is it common to see fellows at AFI who didn't have that film background? I'm kind of intimidated because it seems like everyone has both the experience and education to succeed at AFI, and although I do have a strong sense of cinematography from experience, I just don't have that film degree. Sorry for the long post, but any insight would be greatly appreciated! I hope you're taking care out there~


----------



## wrongmatt (May 2, 2020)

jaycee said:


> Hello! Thank you for your responses and willingness to help out. It really means a lot especially considering the circumstances with the global crisis and all. >.<
> 
> One question I had was, what are the chances that AFI admits people who don't come from a formal film educational background? I'm specifically looking into the cinematography program at AFI, and I am aware of the rigorous coursework and the fact that every weekend there is something going on that you have to do. I didn't go to film school during undergrad, but I have taken some extension workshops and certification programs for cinematography recently. I'm self-taught, and have crewed around between camera/electric/grip departments for the past year or so, and I've also even crewed on some AFI productions so I kind of get an idea of what goes on and what to expect there. But is it common to see fellows at AFI who didn't have that film background? I'm kind of intimidated because it seems like everyone has both the experience and education to succeed at AFI, and although I do have a strong sense of cinematography from experience, I just don't have that film degree. Sorry for the long post, but any insight would be greatly appreciated! I hope you're taking care out there~



In general, experience counts for far more than a degree in this industry. In my opinion you're just as competitive as someone fresh from an undergrad film program. If not more so.


----------



## wrongmatt (May 2, 2020)

ak47ksha said:


> I know this is a super stressful time for applicants deciding between colleges and/or waiting on the waitlist. Now that school is off for two weeks, I have all the time in the world and happy to answer any questions that might help you make up your mind.



How is the school adjusting to this Covid pandemic right now? I was just admitted for class of 2022 and one of the biggest factors for me in pursuing AFI was the intense amount of production. What sort of plans has the conservatory laid out for you current fellows? Especially since you move into thesis and visual essay assignments in your 2nd year.


----------



## ak47ksha (May 5, 2020)

wrongmatt said:


> How is the school adjusting to this Covid pandemic right now? I was just admitted for class of 2022 and one of the biggest factors for me in pursuing AFI was the intense amount of production. What sort of plans has the conservatory laid out for you current fellows? Especially since you move into thesis and visual essay assignments in your 2nd year.



Congratulations! Looking forward to seeing you next year.

Currently all production has been put on hold until Film LA offices open up an allow us to go back into production. Thesis and visual essay shoots have been pushed to start later in the fall semester. As of now they have contingency plans for different scenarios and are giving us information whenever something changes. The school has been pretty good at keeping communication lines open.


----------

