Scene 1: Film Making 101: Film Schools

	Up until the 1970’s the best way to learn Hollywood was to go there young and work your way up. During that 70’s many major universities began to teach film programs producing the first wave of ‘film brats’, young directors who supposedly knew more about old movies than real life. They were first looked down upon as amateurs, until they started producing the highest grossing pictures of all time. Nowadays, its hard to get anywhere without formal training. For the most part, the positions no longer exist where you can go in without knowing much and make up for it with work. Now they’re filled with interns who are usually willing to work for free in exchange for a little on-the-job training. So now the question is, where to you go for film school? Undergraduate, while fun, is not really a great place to start. The number of film applicants coming out of programs is quite large, and a lone undergraduate degree won’t do much good (although it might if you have connections). The following is a list of the best graduate film programs in the country categorized by their emphasis under the sub-categories cost, equipment quality, and ease of student access to equipment. Industry-Focus Cost: #1 American Film Iinstitute ($29,400 over 2 years) #2 University of Southern California ($35,308 over 52 credits) #3 Florida State University ($35,400 over 2 years) Equipment: #1 Florida State University #2 American Film Institute #3 University of Southern California Accessibility: #1 Florida State University #2 American Film Institute #3 University of Southern California Overall Best Bet: American Film Institute Independent-Focus Cost: #1University of New Orleans ($12,885 over 5 semesters) #2University of Utah ($14,136 over 2 years) #3City College of New York ($15,200 over two years) Equipment: #1 Savannah College of Art and Design #2 City College of New York #3 Chapman Accessibility: #1 University of New Orleans #2 Savannah College of Art and Design #3 University of Texas at Austin Overall Best Bet: University of New Orleans Experimental-Focus Cost: #1 San Francisco State University ($5,946 over 3 years) #2 Temple University ($14,526 over 45 credits) #3 Northwestern University ($17,184 over 1 year) Equipment: #1 Northwestern University #2 Syracuse University #3 Bard College Accessibility: #1 Bard College #2 San Francisco Art Institute #3 Syracuse University Overall Best Bet: Northwestern University It should be noted that the criterion for the above ratings are based on a number of things. Cost is determined not by the tuition per year, but total tution. Equipment quality is not only determined by the equipment itself but also by the amount of additional costs to students. This is reflective of the amount of money placed by the school into equipment and production facilities which in turn reflects the quality of the program. Similiarly, accessibility is not only determined by the relative ease by which a student can gain access to equipment, but also by the size of the admitted classes for each program, as the program grows in size, it also diminishes (usually) in its ability to provide better access for the students.
				Filmmaking Film Schools Studios/Agencies and Guilds Film Festivals

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