OUTSTANDING FILM PRODUCTION TRAINING
Chapman University
(Orange, California)
The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts program at Chapman University strongly believes in personal mentorship and a hands-on curriculum. Nine MFA programs can be completed in two to three years, and students in each discipline work on each other’s productions. A faculty of active producers and executives keep the learning and work running smoothly. In 2021, Dodge opened a career center run by Joe Rosenberg (a professor at the college and former CAA agent who handled clients such as Michael Bay, David Fincher and Ridley Scott) and Susan Finch (who teaches acting and previously worked in casting and publicity for Francis Ford Coppola). The team places students in internships, helps with resume building and job placement, conducts free professional development workshops each semester, and has built an impressive, expansive alumni database. Dodge also follows “extreme protocols for safety,” says Stephen Galloway, the college’s dean. “We would not allow a shoot without every aspect of safety being covered.”
OUTSTANDING SCREENWRITING TRAINING
Loyola Marymount University
(Los Angeles)
There’s something for almost every type of student at Loyola Marymount’s School of Film and Television, which offers a B.A. and a minor in animation, film, television and media studies, recording arts, and screenwriting, as well as an MFA in film and television production, writing and producing for television, and writing for the screen. The screenwriting program focuses on longform storytelling and helps students build up a portfolio of feature-length screenplays, while the MFA Writing and Producing for Television program trains students to become Hollywood’s future showrunners, focusing on character development and story structure. LMU takes advantage of its L.A. location to emphasize mentorship and building connections early.
Our list of the Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada continues on the next page…