<p>I'm applying to USC and NYU for film this year and I was looking up my other options in case I don't get in. Last night I found a link to the Art Center College of Design. Apparently Zack Synder (300, watchmen, dawn of the dead) went there and a few other famous people. I was wondering if it was a good program. I can't really find many reviews on it or its film program. I'm afraid it might be like one of the rip off schools like NYFA, or even the Art Institute (the one located by me is 50k a year and the credits wouldn't transfer b/c it's not accredited correctly).</p>
<p>Is it a good college to go to? And can anyone tell me what their experiences have been like?</p>
<p>I’ve heard about Chapman but being an hour away from LA is a huge minus for me. I really want to get a job or an internship out in Hollywood, which is why I want to try and stay around LA. An hour drive to an internship depending on LA traffic is way too long for me.</p>
<p>I have no idea, I suggest you browse the internet for student reviews etc. I don’t think you will find a current student who attends, considering the College only has around 1,000+ undergradute students.</p>
<p>Art Center College is a very well-respected art school, although it’s not really well-known outside the West Coast by anyone other than those heavily involved in the arts. It is a fully-accredited college and is definitely NOT one of those for-profit diploma mills that rip students off. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything about its film program, as my son looked at it only for ID. It will not give you a “college experience” like USC or NYU, since it does not have a campus or any of the other college-type amenities (dorms, intercollegiate sports, etc.). ACC’s focus is on preparing you for professional employment and they do a good job at that. I also know that most of the students are older and already have some work experience.</p>
<p>i went to nyfa’s summer camp. I had the best time of my life, met a lot of really interesting kids that have great connections to the film industry via parents/friends of famous parents (ethan cohen). I dont know about their 1-2 yr programs though but i learned a lot and it was worth the money.</p>
<p>ACC may not be a for-profit diploma mill, but it behaves like one. They are trying to grow the student body to increase revenue, but they should be making the student body smaller, and improving the student / endowment ratio.</p>
<p>ACC does prepare you for professional employment, but doesn’t emphasize skills. Their attitude is “our grads will be bosses” and don’t need skills. Some think ACC CAN’T focus on skills because they don’t have the money to keep up with the improvements in technology. They can’t afford quality technology oriented people, they have a lawyer instead of a Chief Technology Officer.</p>
<p>Art center is a small school which is all arts. It you want to go to an arts only college, it would be something to consider.
Other schools that have film prod in a university setting would be Loyola Marymount Univ, UCLA. Cal arts (calif institute for the arts) is an all art school which is more well known than arts center but not sure if they have film prod. Ucla might have changed to accept film prod students as a frosh recently, so check it out. Yes, chapman is 1 hr from say Burbank, Hollywood, or Santa Monica, but everyone does this sort of driving in LA (sorry to break the news to you). You could venture to places like cal state Univ northridge, CSU long beach, CSU Fullerton which are the public schools that are a tier lower than the UCs.</p>