As part of the ad campaign for its new REGZA brand of LCD TV’s, Toshiba partnered with the New York Film Academy to hold “The One to Watch” Film Competition. Students and alumni of NYFA were invited to create a 29-second film that showed why REGZA is “The One to Watch.” Each film had to tell a complete story and was evaluated by a panel of judges (with representatives from both Toshiba and NYFA) based upon humor, originality and relevance to the contest.

Is there value in creating art that is socially aware? The educators at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) certainly think so as they’ve recently announced a new MFA program in Social Documentary Film to begin in Fall 2009. “It’s our goal that graduates leave this program with films which engage larger issues, and perhaps even impact public policy,” says accomplished moviemaker and chair of the program, Maro Chermayeff.

Seems like all those promos must have paid off—first at Cannes, then the TV commercial onslaught—as Kung Fu Panda kicked some serious butt at the box office over the weekend, out-grossing Adam Sandler's new film, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, by 50 percent. The animated action flick, featuring the voices of Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman and Jackie Chan, took in $60 million over the weekend—while Zohan earned $40 million.

Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull held strong in the number three position with $22.8 million, while last year's surprise topper, Michael Patrick King's Sex and the City, saw a more than 62 percent decline in ticket sales, with a weekend total of $21.3 million.

Indiana Jones proved he's still got what it takes—at least in box office clout—as the latest film in the George Lucas-Steven Spielberg franchise, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, whipped the competition, with a box office total on track to be the second biggest Memorial Day movie opening ever. The film, which brings Harrison Ford back in the titular role alongside Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf, brought in just over $125 million for the holiday weekend, putting it just behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which had a Friday-through-Monday total of $139.8 million in 2007.

Today’s stars keep themselves in better shape than ever before, and audiences seem to like that. In fact, box office receipts for recent flicks featuring some of our favorite aging action heroes are so encouraging that studio execs are practically rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the new Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and Sylvester Stallone (Rambo) vehicles. Stallone certainly didn’t hurt himself when his more famous screen persona—Rocky Balboa—earned critical acclaim and a respectable $70 million in last year’s titular blockbuster, chasing doubts that the actor-director was simply giving himself a starring role in order to slow a career slide.

Film geeks like to show off; it's in their job description. Whether it's debating the merits of Lars von Trier or discussing which Evil Dead film is the true masterpiece, it's just what they do. Well, thanks to entrepreneur Mike Ford, what they do has just gotten a bit easier to show off. Ford's UK-based company, Last Exit to Nowhere, sells T-shirts based on fictional companies and locations from films. And although the movies represented tend to skew a bit toward cult favorites (designs include the Winchester Tavern from Shaun of the Dead, the Urban Achievers from The Big Lebowski and Jaws' Amity Island), Ford says this was not deliberate.

It’s really impossible to hear something like “sorting hat” or “invisibility cloak” and not feel at least a little of the allure of Harry Potter's universe. When the films brought the J.K. Rowling books to life, it was through the costuming, set design and props. In 2009, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition” will bring 10,000 square feet of artifacts from the enchanting films to 10 or more cities around the world over a five-year period.

The 2008 installment of the Make It Short Film Project marks not only the fourth year of the successful Canadian program, but also the fourth year that the film education event has roped in a big name director to help out. This year the project, which invites the public to participate in all aspects of producing a short film, will welcome indie legend David Cronenberg as an executive producer on this year’s film, The Plan. In anticipation of his involvement with the program, Cronenberg recently answered some questions regarding the award-winning Make It Short Film Project.

Many film artisans only begin their professional training in college or afterwards, without any previous formal experience in moviemaking. But Idyllwild Arts Academy, one of three arts-based boarding schools in the country, believes it's the earlier the better when it comes to learning one’s craft.

A few years ago, three in-demand studio animators—Bobby Beck (Finding Nemo), Shawn Kelly (Transformers) and Carlos Baena (Ratatouille)—joined forces to make their shared vision of a school that would prepare students around the globe for the rigors of a Hollywood animating career a reality. AnimationMentor.com, the 18-month online program they devised, opened its virtual doors on March 27, 2005. With just 350 students and five employees at the end of its first year, the school now boasts 700 pupils and a staff of 28.

At this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category went to Courtney Hunt's Frozen River. Helping to make the film become a reality were four graduates from the same film school: Burlington College. Graduates Nathan Beaman, Adam Lukens, Justine Bennett and Georgia Pantazopoulos, along with Matt Tanner who also took classes at Burlington, all worked as members of the camera and lighting crew on the prize-winning film. Additionally, Beaman and Lukens also worked on two other Grand Jury Prize-nominated films, Clark Gregg's Choke and Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's Sugar.

Looking to boost your moviemaking know-how, but not sure if film school is right for you? SmartFlix may be just what you’re looking for. A rental-by-mail service, SmartFlix specializes in instructional videos, and with a wide assortment of film-related titles, customers can check out videos on subjects ranging from screenwriting and directing to special effects to claymation and puppets.

Since its inception in 1999, Virginia's Hollins University’s Screenwriting and Film Studies master's degree program has scored some major talent to teach its courses, including Oscar-winning Dutch moviemaker Marleen Gorris. The tradition continues this year with Mari Kornhauser, writer and co-producer of Zandalee, starring Nicolas Cage, and The Last Ride, with Mickey Rourke, who will be teaching Narrative Theory and Practice for Screenwriters. While Jan-Christopher Horak, acting director of the Moving Images Archives Program at UCLA, will be the professor of Film Analysis and Research.

Colorado has a long history of film production, whether that is existing to serve the Western locales of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid or the understated comedy of About Schmidt. It is a tradition and community that continues to be served today through the classes at the Colorado Film School. An offspring of the Community College of Aurora and the University of Colorado Denver, the school offers students a rounded curriculum in the way of both theory and production, explains school director Frederic Lahey.

From Austin to Albuquerque and plenty of places in between, MovieMaker's eighth annual countdown of the 10 best places to live, work and make movies in the U.S.

New York film students now have the opportunity to learn from—and even collaborate with—three of France’s most revered moviemakers, as On Set with French Cinema, sponsored by Unifrance and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continues this January with several events, including screenings and master classes, featuring accomplished French director Patrice Leconte (My Best Friend, The Man on the Train). Renowned moviemakers Benoît Jacquot (The Untouchable) and Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis) are also taking part in this year’s edition of On Set with French Cinema.

At the Center for Digital Imaging Arts at Boston University, students can pursue studies in Digital Filmmaking, Photography, Audio Production and 3D Animation in a setting that honors the tried-and-true traditions of moviemaking while utilizing the newest technology.

With a nod to the future of moviemaking, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has chosen Andrew M. Davis of Chapman University and Sean Stiegemeier of the American Film Institute (AFI) as recipients of the Laszlo Kovacs Heritage Award for Outstanding Cinematography.

For Jerry Sherlock, nothing compares to hands-on experience--the thrill of moviemaking while holding the camera and playing with fire. So he founded the New York Film Academy in 1992 with the hope of offering all ranges of artists the opportunity to get quality instruction in the heart of the indie scene.

When it comes to getting an education in film, there is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all option. But apparently the same can’t be said for a film school’s “model moviemaker.”

In 1976, the Film Arts Foundation opened in San Francisco with 15 original members. Today it's still growing-servicing more than 2,400 members-and changing with these digital times. Veteran and independent moviemakers find assistance through the foundation in all aspects of the industry, from education to distribution.

For most moviemakers, a career as a successful Hollywood
producer would be enough to satisfy the creative urge. But for Jerry
Sherlock, executive producer on John McTiernan's The Hunt for
Red October and a number of other Hollywood hits, the desire
to teach the craft of moviemaking was always a lingering desire.
He acted on that desire 10 years ago when he founded the New York
Film Academy.

Anyone can tell you that America's moviemaking hotspots are
Los Angeles and New York City. But what about Rockport, Maine?
With the help of David Lyman, founder of the International
Film & Television Workshops, Rockport has become an important
outpost in the world of cinema education. In this interview,
Lyman discusses the benefits of his sleepy seaside town, and
how Mary Ellen Mark and Conrad Hall helped to make the program
what it is today.

Palm Beach, Florida may first bring to mind images of sandy beaches, palm trees, alligators and the Everglades, but more and more novice moviemakers are finding it is the perfect city to start learning their craft. The Palm Beach Film School (PBFS) has been largely responsible for this indie boom, bringing together the various members of Palm Beach's moviemaking community to provide its students with a top-notch education in the cinema arts.

With hundreds of schools now competing for enrollment, choosing the right film education program can be an exhausting process. Students looking for a professional approach to moviemaking-and the chance to network with seasoned professionals-might want to add San Francisco's Academy of Art College to their short list.

Socially-conscious moviemaking is on the rise-from thought-provoking documentaries like Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts to dramatic adaptations of real-world atrocities such as those seen in Hotel Rwanda and The Last King of Scotland. But how does a film student break into this arena? The Center for International Disaster Information's PSAid Film Contest may be the answer.

Box office receipts confirm what The New School's assistant chair for documentary studies Annie Howell already knows: "Documentaries are hot!" This current trend toward truth in moviemaking has prompted the New York City-based university to create an all-new Certificate in Documentary Media Studies, a one-year, full-time, graduate-level program.

It's no secret that the film industry is part business and
part artistry. But when it comes to film education, a focus
on the latter has long been the norm. Metropolitan College
of New York (formerly Audrey Cohen College) is breaking the
rules when it comes to film education and leaving a string
of successful graduates in its wake. With an MBA program that
focuses solely on Media Management (not to mention a trip
to the Cannes Film Festival) Metropolitan College is redefining
the usual approach to film school with fantastic results.

With so many film education options out there, it's nice to see a name you know. After years of providing beginner and veteran screenwriters with the tools they need to be successful, Los Angeles' The Writers Store is jumping headfirst into the world of film education. With Writers University, the company is giving aspiring and professional writers alike the chance to perfect their craft-when it's convenient for them.

Long known as one of the world's top film schools, UCLA's dedication
to education doesn't end with each semester's incoming class.
UCLA Professional Programs Coordinator Stephanie Moore
chats with MM about the curriculum and how the Internet is revolutionizing
the way film is seen and taught today.

Since opening their doors 15 years ago-- with a class of 12 students-- the Vancouver Film School has grown into one of the world's most respected film education institutions. In an interview with MM, Vancouver Film School's Managing Director Marty Hasselbach discusses the school's unique approach to learning, their adherence to the rule of quality over quantity and how a year at VFS is like a year spent in France.

Think your college midterms were hard? Try graduating with honors from Stunt University! Sure, it's not what generally comes to mind when the words "film education" are uttered, but stunt people are an essential ingredient in what makes the Hollywood formula so successful. It's stunt industry vet Gregg Sargeant's mission to make people realize that.

With six different degree programs for what they call "creative minds" and production facilities that would make most of their Orlando industry neighbors jealous, Full Sail's reputation is growing on a national level. David Franko, Full Sail Real World Education's Program Director for Film, recently spoke with MM about what makes the Full Sail program unique.

With the largest independent film program in the Northwest, the Seattle Film Institute is satiating the Emerald City's interest in moviemaking.

We know you have questions about whether or not film school is the right choice for you. So we went to the experts. In part one of our roundtable discussion, New York Film Academy's Jerry Sherlock and Michael Young, Vancouver Film School's Marty Hasselbach, AFI's JJ Jackman, UCLA's Stephanie Moore, Pittsburgh Filmmakers' Charlie Humphrey and Digital Media Education Center's Jaime Fowler give some insight into whether a career in film is right for you.