# Which Film school is the best in the US?



## CARLA GONZÃLEZ (Jul 23, 2009)

Hello!

Iam from Spain and at the moment Iam finishing my New Media studies. Iam planning to go next year and study filmmaking in the united states (I was born there, so there is no problem for me to work or anything).

The problem is that I live in Spain and I don't know anything about any film school there. 

I was wandering maybe somebody could help me out. I found the NEW YORK FILM ACADEMY, it sounds good because you actually practice with the camera, and writing and stuff. Iam looking for that, I WANT TO PRACTICE!I've being studying for 4 years and I need to start making things...

So, you think anyone could help me?


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## Mike_V (Jul 23, 2009)

First of all. Go easy on the capslock. It serves to be more of an annoyance than a call for help.

on to your real question. What degree are you pursuing? Undergraduate or Masters?  Which aspect of film do you want to work on? Directing? Producing? Scriptwriting? etc. There is no real "best in the country" since each has their own forte'. If you're looking for a general, all around film school, your best bets will be schools in CA and NY. I also heard that Fullsail in Florida has a really good hands on program.
The other forum lurkers here would know more.


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## AngeloNewYork (Jul 23, 2009)

NYU


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## Mike_V (Jul 23, 2009)

lol school pride?


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## cschu011 (Jul 23, 2009)

(coming from a directors POV)


To be perfectly honest there is no real #1, as industry pros do not care where you go when they hire you after you graduate (depends on feild of study). Its all about your skill and who you know.  I had a school sit down with a couple Lionsgate executives, and they said they do not look at your school. Only your past projects, and how much heat you have.

Your best best is to look at the top 10 film schools and see what the alumni are doing.

USC - Just look at the Alumni
NYU - A great networking system with some great Alumni.
UNCSA - Hands on your first year, with alumni such as...David Gordon Green, Danny Mcbride, and Jody Hill, as well as Tim Orr.
Chapman (althought they do not have a really good alumni trak record for directing)


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## color soup (Jul 25, 2009)

I think your best bet is to consider an online certification from the University of Phoenix.
They have all the tools you need to succeed for under sixteen dollars a year.  And their accreditation course in "Movies" works well with iMovie.


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## Mike_V (Jul 25, 2009)

easy on the sarcasm color soup. he's asking for some help, not sarcasm.


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## color soup (Jul 25, 2009)

"lol school pride?"


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## color soup (Jul 25, 2009)

i'll go easy on the sarcasm if he goes easy on the caps lock.


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## Mike_V (Jul 26, 2009)

ahh "lol school pride?" is not sarcasm. It's a comment 

on the other hand, atleast only her topic is in caps not the body.


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## CARLA GONZÃLEZ (Jul 27, 2009)

what does it mean "caps lock" my englosh is not perfect and there are some words I don't get...and  Iam a girl by the way! hehe

well first of all: tHANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION! I THOUGHT NO ONE WAS GOING TO HELP ME..THANKS!

Iam looking for a one year thing. I don't know how things work on the united states but I found out that "master degree" is a 3 year studies...and IAM SO NOT LOOKING FOR THAT. In spain, a master is only one year...so Iam looking to the equivelant to that but in the usa.
Am I eh only one who doesn't know what exactly to do? I like directing, art directing and editing and I would like to do something that could have all of that...does that exist? if it's not, I will forget about it then and maybe focus on directing or editing...god is so difficult...

My bi BIG question if there is any film shool or any college, whatever, that have a one year studies on filmmaking (direct,editing...) or not! All I found is a 2-3 year conservatory, or a filmmaking degree (theorical things, with exams...).

Thanks a lot for your help!


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## CARLA GONZÃLEZ (Jul 27, 2009)

okay...caps lock!

hahaha

Iam sorry guys, I didn't want to annoy anybody of course!!


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## Mike_V (Jul 27, 2009)

Most masters degree program in the US are 2 years, the conservatory style is 3 years giving you 1 full year for your thesis. Personally I do not know of a program that incorporates all the main aspects of film production all in one program, but I believe that is because each of the aspects deserve their own set of discipline since they are pretty different from each other. 

Your best bet at a master's degree that will encompass all the aspects would be a theoretical degree, so something like Film Studies which will heavily lack technical courses. ofcourse the best thing to do is for you to find out exactly what you want to do. then focus into it. 

I hope all this helps. 

p.s. yeah, caps lock is one of those internet things. just avoid the capslock button and you'll be fine.


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## Jack "Alex" Wilcox (Sep 10, 2009)

DOV S-S SIMENS "2-Day Film School" and "DVD Film School" programs are great.

They are both only $395. They are practical and real and give you nothing but facts with no theory that those expensive 1-4 year Film Programs @ $30,000-$150,000 dispense.

I believe you can find his programs at www.WebFilmSchool.com.

His testimonials are amazing. The program is cheap and it is honest. I advice taking it before thinking about some expensive long program.

Alex


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## color soup (Sep 10, 2009)

.


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## Son1C (Dec 2, 2010)

http://www.fullsail.edu/


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## JacksonFilms (Dec 4, 2010)

Ohio University in Athens, OH.  Great program, great town, great community.

Tim Jackson,1st year MFA
School of Film, Ohio University
Nontraditional Films Blog


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## hdt (Jan 1, 2011)

I think Los Angeles Film School has an AA program what lasts 1 year and a few months.

Words from Quention Tarantino;
"When people ask me if I went to film school I tell them, 'no, I went to films'."


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## attatae (Jan 21, 2011)

Well if you're considering LA Film School, Full Sail, or another of those "for-profit" schools, be advised that your courses may not transfer to other schools. I knew someone who got a bachelor's at Full Sail, but it was not recognized at one of the other "regular" (that is, not for-profit) institutions. He basically had to start all over.


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## Willi (Sep 17, 2011)

It is sad that in these for profit schools the most well run department is the department of financial aid.


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## businessbroadband (Oct 3, 2011)

LA has got some great schools but you just need to know which is good and legal.


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## A.Samuals (Oct 21, 2011)

How much are Full sail courses?


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## Sleve22 (Oct 21, 2011)

LA does have really good film schools. It is hard to judge what is best, because there are really legit programs around the country. The top three without a doubt: USC, UCLA, and NYU. As far as which is best, my opinion is USC, but the other two are really very very good schools. Just like I said either one cant go wrong. If you want to study script writing go to UCLA it is the best.

Other than those schools, other good schools out of California include: Florida State, Syracuse, Penn State, Columbia University, University of North Carolina, UTexas - Austin, and Northwestern.

In state schools besides UCLA and USC: Chapman University, CalArts (Disney created it), American Film Institute, Loyola Marymount (this school focuses on freshmen in film programs so it is hard to get in as a transfer student, if you are), and Stanford Univ. (good for documentaries, but that is really it).

In California there are also some really good schools that are in the LA area: Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton, and Cal State Northridge. Outside of LA, San Francisco State is a very good program (some big name people came from there), but I would avoid it right now because of the budget cut problems.

Here is a good website about the top 25: http://www.hollywoodreporter.c...ools-rankings-215714


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## Tina K (Oct 27, 2011)

There are some fantastic Film Schools in that list. Wide ranging prices though. Especially if you are from out of state or an overseas student.


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## moviemaniac (Nov 1, 2011)

These places are great if you had always planned on going into film. Film schools are good if you decide to make a change in you life.


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## AbnousGabri (Nov 7, 2011)

Here are the top 10 film school in US:
http://www.thebestcolleges.org...n-the-united-states/

Hope it helps.


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## Mike_V (Nov 7, 2011)

That link seems painfully bogus. if you want a better list, check out the sticky about top schools on this forum.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.c...ools-rankings-215714
The top 25 film schools in the world, so filter out the non US schools and there ya have it.


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## Brian Hulnick (Nov 7, 2011)

Both lists seem quite exhaustive to me.


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## moviemaniac (Nov 13, 2011)

Some of those schools are hideously expensive, especially for folks from out of town.


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## Brian Hulnick (Nov 22, 2011)

With these schools you get what you paid for.


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## Kevin Reams (Nov 26, 2011)

Why limit yourself to USA? You will find that they are very expensive, and then the cost of living, and the shooting costs (feeding the crew, transportation, locations) are very high.

I'd like to invite you to look at IAFT, International Academy of Film and Television, in Cebu, Philippines. It is modeled after the same US film schools and has all American mentors (well, one Brit)

Check it out! Our students come from all over the world, you make connections to work in any market.


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## Brian Hulnick (Nov 28, 2011)

No offense but I saw the trailer for one of your movies (Deep Gold) and have to say WTF? Surely this has to be awarded an award for 24 carat turd.


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## Kevin Reams (Nov 28, 2011)

That would be our parent company Bigfoot Studios. An apology does need to be made for that. However the school doesn't have much to do with the production company except that they hire a lot of our students as interns. Our mentors did not work on that film.


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## Brian Hulnick (Dec 6, 2011)

That may well be true, but your German boss did "star" in that mess.
BTW how much does your course cost, how long does it last and what qualifications do you gain at the end?


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## Tina K (Dec 13, 2011)

I downloaded Deep Gold on torrent over the weekend and OMG what a 24 carat turd.


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## moviemaniac (Dec 19, 2011)

Kevin what are your courses like and how much do they cost?


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## A.Samuals (Dec 27, 2011)

> Originally posted by Kevin Reams:
> That would be our parent company Bigfoot Studios. An apology does need to be made for that. However the school doesn't have much to do with the production company except that they hire a lot of our students as interns. Our mentors did not work on that film.



Are your students American or Filipino?


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## Brian Hulnick (Jan 3, 2012)

Kevin Reams. I went passed your offices about 18 months ago when I was in Cebu. I was about to go snorkeling near Olango Island and had to get a boat from Hilton Pier. I saw this massive building with pillars. Do you get much business at the academy?


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## A.Samuals (Jan 10, 2012)

With these high profile schools do you actually get much hands on experience in real sets or is it mainly theory?


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## Mike_V (Jan 10, 2012)

If you go to schools like USC, AFI, CHapman, LMU, or any of the big schools, you will get film making experience. I've worked on 5 different films as a key creative and about 15 different films as crew.  So go figure. And I'm not even considered to be a very active set goer.


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## lvly36 (Jan 11, 2012)

> Which Film school is the best in the US?



i think it is the best 
University of California - Los Angeles
Yale University


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## Kevin Reams (Jan 21, 2012)

> Brian Hulnick
> 
> BTW how much does your course cost, how long does it last and what qualifications do you gain at the end?
> 
> ...


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## Tina K (Feb 9, 2012)

Not bad prices if the course is comprehensive.


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## karlaa (Feb 22, 2012)

hi there, i heaard that the best film schools across USA are 'based' in LA and new york though they are not the only ones.. perhaps you should look for best rated and most popar ones


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## Trent Duncan (Jun 1, 2012)

Find a place that gives you experience without the massive debt.
http://www.onlinefilmschoolbootcamp.com


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## Mike_V (Jun 1, 2012)

for the one time price of $25 annually....-_-
It's one thing to advertise your products but it's another to trash film schools when you can't even make a legit case for it.


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## jyotirmay (Jun 2, 2012)

Actually it is very difficult to say which is the best film school at USA.Different people have
different choice.I think it's totally impossible to choose only one film school.I have been posted a mixed review of top 8 film schools name at USA.But everybody are not agree with me.However if you asked me then i would say AFI for MFA and USC for BFA is the best.


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