Before we dive into our list of the 30 Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada, a question: At a time when you can not only shoot a movie with your phone but also tap your way through free YouTube and TikTok lessons on filmmaking, is film school still worth the investment?
“Absolutely,” says actor, producer, director and cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi, who shot one of this summer’s most buzzed-about horror movies, Strange Darling, on 35mm. “When you go to a film school, like AFI or NYU, you’re in a class with people who you might end up working with for the rest of your life… There is a community there.”
Ribisi has been involved in filmmaking for four decades — as we detail on page 18, he is expanding a career spent in front of the camera to cinematography. And he still believes very strongly in learning the fundamentals of the craft.
“Truly, the most important thing is the execution of going out and getting a camera,” he tells MovieMaker. “There’s nothing like studying films, watching films, and having your own friends and communities, whether they’re part of film school or not, who have similar interests, who you can bounce ideas off and discuss.”
For those ready to embark on the lifetime journey of finding and honing their vision, we present our latest list of the Best Film Schools in the U.S. and Canada. We have tried to balance the most elite schools with bargains, to ensure that everyone has the chance to make movies.
All offer top-notch equipment, experienced faculty, and abundant networking opportunities, and many offer study-away programs in major media markets and pipelines to jobs before and after graduation. Ultimately, what students get back from their investment depends on what they put in. So if you go to film school, commit, engage, and seize every moment.
And, finally, you may notice that there are actually 31 schools listed here, due to a tie. Your options abound.
AFI Conservatory
(Los Angeles)
This two-year MFA curriculum offering intensive training in six filmmaking disciplines — cinematography, directing, editing, producing, production design and screenwriting — is founded on the idea of learning by doing. AFI promises each student will make between three and 10 films by graduation. For those accepted, the $70,487 a year for tuition and course materials is money well spent, as the conservatory is consistently ranked as one of the best film schools in the world, giving any graduate serious credibility. AFI’s many esteemed alums include Darren Aronofsky (The Whale), cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Black Panther) and Todd Field (Tár). It also finances AFI Fellows’ productions and connects them to influential artists in the field and key players in the industry.
Antioch University
(Los Angeles)
Writers write — but they also need to live. Antioch follows the belief that personal experience is invaluable to the unique perspective and voice of a storyteller, which is why this relatively new program’s Field Study component is a standout feature, particularly attractive to those pulled toward exploring social justice themes in their work. Students are required to put their knowledge, skill and talent toward the service of something they personally value in their local communities. “Writers are not special, anointed or elite members of our society,” says Lisa Locascio Nighthawk, chair of the Antioch MFA in Creative Writing. “They’re people like everyone else who have made the time and the space to pay attention to the things that they notice and the way that their subjectivity moves in the world. It’s something that only you can do and we really need as a culture.” Though based in Los Angeles, most of this 2.5-year low-residency MFA creative writing program unfolds off campus for five-month chunks of solitary work guided by one-on-one mentorship with experienced faculty — like writer, director, producer and playwright Joy Kecken (The Wire, Swagger) — before convening for 10-day residencies in December and June. The MFA costs a total of $46,616, but a majority of AULA students qualify for some form of financial aid.
Brooklyn College, Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema
(Brooklyn, New York)
This school for graduate studies in live-action filmmaking, digital animation, visual effects, sonic arts, media scoring and screen studies is attract
ing a lot of talent: The advisory board overseeing the only film program in the United States located on a working sound stage (Steiner Studios) recently added Oscar- and Tony-winning producer Bruce Cohen (Rustin) and film executive Christian Grass, while Dead Ringers executive producer Anne Carey and Alexander Payne’s editor Kevin Tent are among the mentors teaching students alongside experienced professors. Tuition costs one-third that of other major film schools without sacrificing access to state-of-the-art production equipment and facilities, and the school provides thesis films with a $10,000 grant. “The Cinema Arts MFA degree program, as well the Sonic Arts and Media Scoring MFA programs are very hands-on, production orientated, creative, and designed around making music and films,” executive director Richard Gladstein, a two-time Oscar-nominated producer, tells MovieMaker. Another impressive feature of the program are PitchFest events, in which screenwriting students have the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and managers for feedback on their projects.
Chapman University, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
(Orange, California)
When Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers didn’t get accepted into USC or UCLA, they landed on Chapman, an Orange County school still close enough to Los Angeles to reap the benefits: a star-studded lineup of guest speakers, top-notch faculty, and easy access to internships in the heart of the industry, all while starting to gain production experience on day one. “I think the biggest thing we got out of film school was you worked on these sets that were these perfect microcosms of what a real set was like,” Matt Duffer told TheWrap back in 2017. Ross Duffer added, “Chapman pushes internships a lot, and starting the summer of sophomore year we started interning because we knew that was the best way to make connections.” One of those internship connections, film executive and The Black List founder Franklin Leonard, passed a script along to the duo’s first agent, putting them on the path toward Netflix glory. And more recently, the school created even more networking opportunities for students through a mentorship program designed to connect young alums with seniors, offering one-on-one career support within their specific discipline.
Columbia College Chicago, Cinema and Television Arts Department
(Chicago)
Though Chicago sees its fair share of productions in town, like Emmy darling The Bear, one of the highlights of this four-year education is its Semester in L.A. program, in which students meet face to face with industry leaders as guest lecturers and through internships. Back in Illinois, students can mix and mingle with industry movers and shakers by volunteering at the Chicago International Film Festival, and take advantage of the annual Career Center event Chicago Works: Production Connections, which invites media employers and resource-providers to meet with students on campus. Alums includes Emmy-winning writer and producer Lena Waithe (Master of None, The Chi) and Emmy-winning cinematographer Christian Sprenger (Atlanta). Faculty include cinematographer Robert Edgecomb (Eastsiders), and documentarian Ruth Leitman (No One Asked You). Expect a mix of hands-on experience and theory in early semesters loaded with foundational courses. Then students dive into all aspects of production while simultaneously continuing to develop their understanding of history, theory, criticism and analysis as they work toward completion of their degree.
Behind the scenes of “To Fade Away,” a Columbia University student film written and directed by Camille Hamadé, co-written by Chad B. Hamilton, and produced by Kinder Labatt. Courtesy of Columbia University.
Columbia University School of the Arts
(New York City)
The strength of this program was on full display on FX this year in the stunning Japanese war drama Sh¯ogun, the first two episodes of which were directed and co-produced by Jonathan van Tulleken, a 2010 Columbia University film school graduate. (You can read more about the show on page 4.) In a 2013 interview about his experience at the prestigious school, he said he appreciated the curriculum giving him experience doing a little bit of “everything” and credited professor Eric Mendelsohn for exceptional one-on-one guidance, sifting through an edit on his short film “literally frame by frame sometimes” — a luxury he added “you never get again.” The extremely long list of notable alums includes Oscar winners Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and Jennifer Lee (Frozen), James Mangold (Logan), Greg Mottola (Superbad), and many more. “The truth is, when you leave Columbia you want to have at least one piece of work that is the best thing that you can do in that moment,” van Tulleken said, “and I think if you’ve got that, then it really does open doors for you.”
Community College of Aurora, Cinematic Arts Department
(Aurora, Colorado)
Once known as the Colorado Film School, this educational institution takes pride in offering the film-school experience without a high film-school price. Amenities include one of the largest sound stages of any educational institution in the state — a state that of course offers no shortage of breathtaking, natural scenery. Students earn an associate degree or certification in areas of study including cinematography, writing, directing, producing and acting, and learn in small classes taught by faculty with professional experience, while getting their hands on gear within the first semester. Whether students are after skills to dive right into the production workforce or credits before transferring to another program for a bachelor’s degree, this is another great, affordable community college option.
Emerson College
(Boston)
The New England school’s alumni network has a huge presence in the heart of Hollywood thanks to the Emerson Los Angeles program, which welcomes about 215 students per semester to its beautiful building located on Sunset Boulevard, just a few blocks from Netflix’s headquarters and the Paramount Pictures studio lot. Undergraduate students spend a fall or spring semester taking classes there while interning at a company related to their concentration. But with so many film and television productions shooting in the Boston area, students don’t necessarily need to go west for on-set experience or to find work after graduation. Emerson’s Department of Visual and Media Arts offers undergraduate and graduate students access to state-of-the-art equipment and facilities as well as experienced faculty to guide them through the process of making films alongside their peers, a practice which might be the most important aspect of any film school. Just ask Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once directing duo Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, aka the Daniels, who first met in an Emerson animation class before becoming collaborators while working together as counselors at a New York Film Academy summer camp. “My favorite piece of advice is just make stuff,” Scheinert told Boston.com in 2016. “Just make stuff the best you can make. Make something most people don’t know that they want yet.”
Full Sail University
(Winter Park, Florida)
The strength of Full Sail University’s film production training was represented at this year’s Academy Awards: 100 graduates were credited on 23 projects, including Barbie and Oppenheimer, nominated in 20 categories. The institution’s offerings include a 22-month Visual Arts Bachelor of Science Completion Program – Film Concentration with daily classes that typically start in lectures and end in labs. The balance tips toward hands-on production experience as students progress and learn with state-of-the-art equipment. Full Sail’s top-notch facilities include the virtual production studio, Studio V1, among the largest and most technologically advanced virtual production studios on any college or university campus in the nation. In addition to a whole host of networking events throughout the year — including workshops, career fairs and alumni mixers — students can work on professional productions hosted by Full Sail University, such as feature films, reality television shows, music videos, news programs, and commercials for an impressive variety of professional studios, channels and brands.
Loyola Marymount University
(Los Angeles)
LMU’s School of Film and Television offers undergraduate and graduate students access to state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, and tools to bring their stories to life. Its claims to fame include the Broccoli Theater — which was named for famed alum Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond franchise — which enables students to screen their films in 4K projection with industry-standard sound. Among LMU’s graduates are Emmy winner and seven-time nominee Christian Buenaventura, who won for sound editing on American Horror Story. “A lesson I learned at LMU that I’ve used throughout my career is that your work ethic speaks volumes. People want to work with those who take joy in what they do and feel fortunate they are in the room,” Buenaventura says on the school’s website. And this fall, LMU plans to introduce a groundbreaking one-year Masters in Entertainment Leadership and Management, which aims to provide students with a deep understanding of how productions are created — as well as the economic and cultural forces impacting every film, television series, video game, live event, and piece of short-form content that is professionally produced. In the program, LMU students will learn from industry leaders, including producer and current president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Janet Yang, whose credits include The People vs. Larry Flynt.
The New School, School of Media Studies and Film
(New York City)
Don’t let the name fool you. The New School, located in Greenwich Village, has been around since 1919. It offered the first college course to investigate the motion picture in 1926, and launched the first Media Studies MA program in the United States in 1975. Soon, the college will be among the first tackling a new game-changing form of media, artificial intelligence, by offering an MFA in Digital Film, AI and Emerging Media. Currently, students can embark on a fulltime two-and-a-half-year program for a Media Studies MA, or spend a year earning a Film Certificate or a graduate Documentary Certificate, all with a flexible, interdisciplinary open curriculum, tailored to students’ interests and needs. Maya Mumma, an editor on the Academy Award-winning documentary O.J.: Made in America and the more recent Max documentary Time Bomb Y2K, is a graduate of both the Media Studies program and the intensive Documentary Media Studies program. “I wanted a classroom environment where we learned how to think critically, where we discussed and wrote,” she said in a testimonial for the New School website. “You can understand how the software works, but if you don’t know how to tell a story — a good, authentic, and ethical story — you can’t make a good film.”
New York Film Academy
(Various Locations)
Despite the name, this school has eight locations all over the world, including New York City and Los Angeles. Writer-producer-director Issa Rae (Insecure) learned from the four-week filmmaking program in 2005 before she rose to prominence with the YouTube series The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl between 2011 and 2013. Like many schools on this list, NYFA celebrates the philosophy that students learn through doing, so no matter the length of the programs that students enroll in, they can expect lots of hands-on experience with the best equipment — and to learn from faculty with real-world experience. It offers educational experiences for hungry minds of all ages, including undergraduate and graduate degree programs. It also offers summer courses on Harvard University’s campus.
New York University
(New York City)
For many aspiring filmmakers, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts is the dream school. Its many draws include The Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts, named for its most famous alum. And a massive financial gift from George Lucas and Mellody Hobson’s Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation in 2022 established the Martin Scorsese Department of Cinema Studies as well as the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, which houses studios and soundstages for training in cinematography and virtual production technology for video animation, performance capture, live compositing and live in-camera visual effects, ensuring that NYU’s film program remains on the cutting edge of technological innovation. The generous gift honoring one of the single greatest living forces in filmmaking also offers expanded student support through the establishment of a new permanent, endowed scholarship fund and yearly internship stipends. The Martin Scorsese Internship Fund provides stipends to Tisch students undertaking internships related to moving image archiving and preservation each year. Even aside from the Scorsese-related attractions, Tisch is one of the premier film schools in the country, boasting professors including Spike Lee.
Northwestern University
(Chicago)
Northwestern’s undergraduate film studies program emphasizes writing and production courses while offering students a comprehensive, critical study of media history. For the sonically inclined, consider adding a minor in sound design. It’s an aspect of the industry often overlooked by eager aspiring filmmakers, yet vitally important. Northwestern’s Department of Radio/Television/Film also offers a master’s degree in Sound Art designed to nurture and develop the creative talents of those whose practice revolves around the art and science of sound, as well as an MFA in documentary media. No matter your concentration, take advantage of the esteemed and experienced faculty teaching these programs. “My professor Spencer Parsons at Northwestern University taught me so much, I don’t even know where to start,” Northwestern alum Harrison Atkins told MovieMaker last year. “He helped foster my appreciation for ambiguity, formal play, and the sublime. He’s got an encyclopedic film knowledge — he’d watch something I was working on and recommend me movies I’d never heard of, which would invariably blow my mind.”
Oklahoma City Community College, Gray Frederickson Department of Digital Cinema
(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
The program offers two, two-year degrees, AA and AAS, and more accelerated curriculums for certificates. It is striking in its affordability and acceptance of all applicants, who get to use industry-standard equipment and a 6,000-square-foot studio. Named after late founder Gray Frederickson, the Oscar-winning producer who worked alongside Francis Ford Coppola on The Godfather and Apocalypse Now, the program prides itself on creating moviemakers. “Gray really created a mini-studio here and that’s why we have such a diverse community of filmmakers who come here,” program coordinators and professors Greg Mellott and Sean Lynch tell MovieMaker. “Filmmakers who can’t afford the big four-year universities, but have a great passion for a career in film. Others who have B.A.s from those schools now want to learn how to actually make films here with us.” Understanding and appreciating film theory is considered an essential foundation from which all artistry in the craft blossoms, so it is woven into all technical courses. When graduates are hired on productions shooting in the area, they often call the school up to help fill positions, leading to a dozen students being hired to work on this summer’s likely blockbuster Twisters. (You can learn more about the film on page 46.)
Ringling College of Art and Design
(Sarasota, Florida)
Beyond access to state-of-the-art equipment, sound stages and editing suites, a very attractive offering is Ringling’s Center for Career Services, providing internship, career and networking support for life, which isn’t all that common, despite highs and lows being a fairly common occupational hazard in the decades after graduation. Students depart this four-year, production-intensive program with on-set experience galore, with the average student working on 60 short films during their time on campus. That prepares graduates to jump right into the workforce, whether they’re training track is focused on narrative storytelling or branded entertainment. Ringling also has a program called INDEX (Industry Experience) that helps students gain professional experience prior to graduation by connecting them with leading brands and clients to develop creative solutions to business challenges. And if students are looking to study abroad, Ringling College juniors can spend their spring semester studying in the United Kingdom at renowned film school Falmouth University.
Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts Filmmaking Program
(New Brunswick, New Jersey)
The four-year undergraduate BFA program has three pillars — Narrative, Documentary, and Experiential — providing students with a comprehensive understanding of different modes of storytelling and filmmaking techniques. Students have cameras in their hands on day one in an immersive, production-based learning experience interwoven with essential film theory, as professors guide them through the entire process of creating a feature-length documentary or narrative film. The program recognizes the value of connections and accommodates students accordingly with networking opportunities galore, from the chance to meet and work with established filmmakers who visit the campus, to an internship program that places students in coveted positions across the industry. “With exciting studio developments happening within the Garden State, such as Netflix’s Fort Monmouth Studio and Lionsgate’s $125 million Newark studio complex,” a rep tells MovieMaker, “Rutgers students are well-positioned to take advantage of emerging opportunities in the film industry.”
Santa Monica College
(Santa Monica, California)
With two-year film studies and film production programs, students have the option to focus on scholarly theory or filmmaking, with the latter providing hands-on production instruction for concentrations in directing, editing, cinematography, and audio. All of the production classes infuse theory into and through the course products, with an emphasis on craft. This is one of the most affordable options for learning the ropes while studying near the epicenter of the entertainment industry — and earning credits that can count toward continued higher education. It notes its established record of transfers to UCLA. But more important than any degree is the fact that you’ll actually be making films. “We want our students to stand out based on their talent, attitude, hard work and reliability — none of which has anything to do with socioeconomic background,” notes Salvador Carrasco, head of SMC’s film production program, on the school’s website.
Savannah College of Art and Design, School of Film and Acting
(Savannah, Georgia)
This renowned school for creative careers offers students resources that rival the biggest studios, like XR Stages for virtual production and the expanded backlot at Savannah Film Studios — the largest and most comprehensive university film studio complex in the nation — which will complete phase three of an 11-acre expansion in the fall of 2025, offering a wide variety of scenery as students work on real sets. Students earning a BFA, MA or MFA are immersed in all aspects of the production process under the guidance of top professionals from the industry, which is increasingly shooting more movies and television in the production hubs of the Savannah and Atlanta areas, creating more internship and job opportunities. Marvel’s Oscar-nominated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, for example, includes 39 SCAD alums in the credits. “Georgia is the new Hollywood and Savannah’s film industry is booming,” SCAD School of Film and Acting dean Andra Reeve-Rabb tells MovieMaker. SCAD also offers a spectacular, spare-no-detail campus in Atlanta. It even includes an airplane set where students can practice the art of pitching during flights. SCAD also holds the distinction of hosting not one but two excellent film festivals: The SCAD Savannah Film Festival, held each fall in Savannah, and the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival, held each summer on the school’s campus in southern France. Yes, SCAD has thought of everything.
Scottsdale Community College
(Scottsdale, Arizona)
The Scottsdale School of Film+Theatre has been building a reputation as the best film school in Arizona despite only offering associate degrees in Motion Picture, Television, and New Media Production as well as certificates in editing, film production and screenwriting. “Our approach is that we get students making movies immediately,” former School of Film+Theatre chair Bill True told the Scottsdale Progress newspaper of the national recognition for the hands-on, two-year programs overseen by working industry professionals. “They start with the cameras on their phones but by the end of the semester, they’re using our first-level DSLR and our beginner-level Blackmagic cameras to actually begin to shoot things. And in their second semester… everybody’s required to shoot on a 16- millimeter film.” Amanda Embry has since taken over as chair of the program. The school, which is among the most affordable on this list, trains students through practical experience working with peers in key production roles on up to 10 projects before graduation, utilizing industry standard tools from a $2.5 million equipment office. The program boasts an average of 85 percent of graduates placed in jobs and internships upon graduation, and is partnered with the Arizona Film Office’s Film Ready initiative to train 2,000 industry-ready production assistants within the next five years.
Southern Oregon University
(Ashland, Oregon)
The digital cinema production program within the School of Arts & Communication, which launched in 2019, gives students the opportunity to hear from accomplished speakers including American Horror Story: Delicate showrunner Halley Feifer, The Office producer Randy Cordray, and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. visual effects DP Chris Nibley, who even co-instructed an immersive cinematography course last year. Students are also invited to join monthly meetings with Film Southern Oregon professionals and participate in the Ashland Independent Film Festival for more networking opportunities. The curriculum merges theory with practice, emphasizing hands-on learning through the moviemaking process, leading to a professional portfolio upon graduation, all supported by the Digital Media Center, an 8,500-square-foot teaching and production facility, as well as an equipment office loaded with state-of-the-art gear.
Syracuse University
(Syracuse, New York)
This private New York institution that counts President Joe Biden as an alum (of the law school) offers bachelor and master degrees through two schools on campus: the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. The BFA and MFA programs put an emphasis on independent filmmaking, teaching students the entire process from development through post-production. While part of film school is exploring various niches before committing to a singular career path, the BS/MA programs may be of particular interest to students who already know their path, as the programs allow students to customize their study according to their career interests, focusing on areas like screenwriting, scripted series, documentary, sports, music, media innovation, and more. Famed Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin graduated from Syracuse in 1983 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theater, and credits theater teacher Arthur Storch as a significant influence on his prolific career: “‘You have the capacity to be so much better than you are,’ he started saying to me in September of my senior year. He was still saying it in May. On the last day of classes, he said it again, and I said, ‘How?’” Sorkin once told the New York Times. “And he answered, ‘Dare to fail.’ I’ve been coming through on his admonition ever since.”
Temple University
(Philadelphia)
Located in the heart of Philadelphia, this renowned and affordable film school offers an immersive cityscape living experience while equipping students with the tools they need to explore all aspects of filmmaking. The curriculum begins theoretical and becomes increasingly hands-on, with state-of-the-art cameras and technology as students progres. They can model their careers after those of alums including director Dan Trachtenberg (Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Boys), Emmy-nominated editor Daniel Flesher (History of the World: Part II), or actor-activist-producer Jesse Williams (Grey’s Anatomy). Temple is also celebrating Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who recently returned to her alma mater as a guest speaker after taking home the Academy Award for her stunning performance in The Holdovers. The curriculum creates capable independent filmmakers who graduate with a thorough understanding of the medium’s theory, history and production, while the L.A. Study Away internship program helps students become embedded into the entertainment capital of the world. Temple Owls fly at all levels of the industry, making this degree not only valuable for the education and experience, but the vast alumni network as well.
Toronto Film School
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
This hands-on, 18-month production program overseen and taught by working professionals — like the school’s president, producer Andrew Barnsley (Schitt’s Creek) — unfolds on three campuses in the heart of downtown Toronto, each within walking distance of each other, offering different environments and tools for students to learn the craft. A rep describes it to MovieMaker as “a boots-on-the-ground type of school,” with programs “designed to prepare students for the realities of working in the creative field. No sugarcoating.” TFS takes pride in its mission to bring industry to the school, and Toronto — the top big city in our latest list of the Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker — is one of the largest and most thriving production hubs in the world. Students can expect many industry guest speakers as well as a pipeline to part-time jobs while they’re enrolled, and full-time positions after graduation, through the internal TFS Alumni Job Board, along with guidance from the Career Services Centre. Alums include producer Chris Hatcher (Painkiller, Priscilla) along with one of the top script supervisors in Canada, Consuelo Solar (Women Talking, The Boys) and camera operator Laura Loaiza (Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Thanksgiving).
University of California, Los Angeles
(Los Angeles)
This affordable public university offers a full spectrum of educational options, including its highly regarded Professional Programs, under world-class faculty in one of the most beautiful places to learn about the industry, its picturesque campus in the Westwood area of Los Angeles. With just 32 freshmen and transfer students admitted to the Department of Film, Television & Digital Media undergraduate program last year out of the 3,081 that applied, the odds of acceptance may not be in your favor, but the program certainly is. A faculty-to-student ratio of 1:3 means students enjoy close guidance and mentorship from the distinguished professors, like Oscar-nominated screenwriter Phyllis Nagy (Carol) and Oscar-nominated costume designer Deborah Landis (Coming to America), instead of being lost in a sea of bodies crammed inside lecture halls. Students spend the first two years building a sturdy foundation for their filmmaking ambitions through historical, critical, and theoretical studies while working together in hands-on projects, then dive into production training their junior year, and pick a concentration senior year, culminating in a professional internship and creative project. The curriculum emphasizes the significance of emerging technologies, and the school aims to be on the forefront of this shift by creating a hub for research and creative activity at the new UCLA Downtown space. The School of Theater, Film & Television’s Professional Programs, meanwhile, offer graduate-level, competitive-admission certificate programs in disciplines including Acting for the Camera, Producing, Screenwriting, Writing for Television, Directing and Writing for Late Night Comedy, and is directed by Brian Fagan, who holds an M.F.A. from UCLA. Notable alums include Ian Stokell (a 2021 Professional Programs Screenwriting and Producing student) who won the BAFTA for writing All Quiet on the Western Front, and was nominated for the Academy Award as well.
University of Colorado Denver, Film & Television
(Denver)
Most of the 252 people who applied to CU Denver’s program last year were accepted, so you have a strong chance of getting in if your application is good. The curriculum is impressive: Film production and theory are balanced from the first semester. Students first get their hands on equipment in the Lighting, Grip and Sound class, and also take an appreciation class called Fundamentals of Film & TV. All but 12 credit hours of the 72 total required of the major consist of production-related coursework, and students graduate with a robust portfolio of work. They also gain a large network of peers, as the program strives to create strong bonds between students who work on each other’s films and support one another. A new BFA with an emphasis on Acting for the Screen requires many of the same production classes that filmmakers take, so on-camera and behind-the-camera artists can collaborate from similar reference points. Students learn from a faculty of working professionals and can participate in a Hollywood internship program for summer professional experiences that lead to industry connections and stronger resumes.
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
(Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
In addition to access to state-of-the-art equipment and production facilities, students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs at UNCSA’s affordable and acclaimed School of Filmmaking have constant networking opportunities with faculty mentors, guest artists, and working alumni, as well as peers, while working through a hands-on curriculum that ensures collaboration with other disciplines. For example, film students work with MFA film composers to score their projects. With five arts disciplines on one campus, students are living and learning in a unique ecosystem that benefits students before and after graduation. Connections born at UNCSA can span the globe, as the school also offers three international exchange programs in partnership with Konrad Wolf Film University in Potsdam, IFS in Cologne, and RISEBA in Riga, Latvia. “We are primarily a production program that values the pedagogical philosophy that one learns by doing,” a rep tells MovieMaker. “At the same time, we also value film history and theory, because we know our students are enriched by an understanding of the films and filmmakers who preceded them, so we don’t see history/aesthetics ‘versus’ production, but rather as parts of an integrated whole.”
The University of Texas at Austin
(Austin)
The capital of Texas is one of the nation’s fastest growing tech, creative and media hubs in the country, so it’s a fine place to lay down roots as a student learning the craft in undergraduate and graduate programs. “It’s a very exciting year for UT Radio-Television-Film,” a rep tells MovieMaker. “We just had a massive refresh of all of our film equipment — including cameras, lenses, audio equipment, computers and more. Among our new toys is an ALEXA Mini and several other high-end cinema cameras. New computers are also in the works for the Emergent Cinematic Arts programs in VFX, CGI, virtual production, motion graphics, character generation, game design, and animation.” Prominent alums are frequent guests, as are major industry figures — Disney CEO Bob Iger, Saltburn director Emerald Fennell and Women Talking director Sarah Polley have all recently visited. Students have many networking opportunities in workshops or Q&A sessions, and the school’s vast network allows for internship opportunities around the state as well as in other media hubs, including Los Angeles and New York City. It’s also very helpful to be at the home of SXSW and the Austin Film Festival.
University of Southern California
(Los Angeles)
The world’s first film school remains one of the best, an instant top choice for many students of cinema. “The great thing about going to school at USC is you get a background in everything you need, not just one specific corner,” said USC School of Cinematic Arts alum George Lucas, in a 2018 short documentary about the historic program. “The art of storytelling goes through all of the art; what you’re doing is telling stories, using the moving image to do it.” The Star Wars creator won the National Student Film Festival for his 1967 short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB while attending. He’s one of countless revered alums. “You’re getting the best education, you’re part of the best family that anyone could hope for,” said producer Stacey Sher (Django Unchained, Hateful Eight) in a 2020 message to students. Though the film program teaches every aspect of cinema, it is particularly well known for developing capable and successful producers through the the Peter Stark Producing Program, an innovative, two-year, full-time graduate course that teaches select, self-starting students how to practically take a film, television or new media project from script to screen.
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
This affordable program within the university’s Department of Film, Video, Animation & New Genres offers comprehensive study in all aspects of film and media production, from ideation and pre-production to production and post. “Our major is not simply a technical degree but rather a fully immersive creative time-based and cinematic arts production degree,” a rep for the school tells MovieMaker. “We want students to experience all aspects of the filmmaking process so they can deepen their personal voice and discover their passion.” Aspiring animators can take advantage of a program growing with new labs and facilities as well as an innovative curriculum where students learn from the experience of professionals like Owen Klatte (The Nightmare Before Christmas), a character animator and animation director with extensive experience in stop-motion and CG animation. Alums also working in the field include Paramount and Netflix veteran Katherine MacDonald and Caroline Kastelic, a stop-motion puppet fabricator whose credits include Anomalisa and Robot Chicken.
Vancouver Film School
(Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
For those looking for an accelerated education and entryway into the industry in a short amount of time, the Vancouver Film School offers intensive 12-month programs specializing in acting, writing, production, makeup design, sound design and animation. These programs are all taught by faculty who are simultaneously working in the field, while students also have opportunities to connect with other industry professionals through guest lectures and mentorship programs, which lead to network connections that can increase the odds of finding a job after graduation. “VFS is first and foremost a hands-on, production-based school,” a rep tells MovieMaker. “We believe that the best way to learn the ins-and-outs of the creative industries is by CREATING, specifically a multi-piece portfolio that students can use as their industry calling card for the rest of their career.”