<p>My son is starting to think that this is a possibility. Everyone seems to agree that NYU and USC have great programs but it's hard to figure out who else has a good program. Any recomendations?</p>
<p>Syracuse, Ithaca and Florida State.</p>
<p>UCLA is up there with NYU and USC too</p>
<p>Emerson, in Boston.</p>
<p>hear good things bout UMiami too.
your best bets are USC, NYU and Ithaca though...</p>
<p>Chapman, American Film Institute, to name some that haven't been mentioned.</p>
<p>USC....with George Lucas giving some 250 million dollars in donations to chance it to the USC SChool of Cinematic Arts.</p>
<p>USC and NYU. ron howard and george lucas are USC trojans</p>
<p>Thanks for info so far.</p>
<p>Three follow-up questions:</p>
<p>Does anyone know about Northwestern's film program?</p>
<p>Is there any book or website we should be looking at? The websites we've found so far are lacking in facts.</p>
<p>How selective are these programs?</p>
<p>nyu, usc, chapman, ucla.</p>
<p>I've heard GREAT things about UCLA's program though as well as NYU personally.</p>
<p>NYU Tisch, Wesleyan.</p>
<p>USC, Columbia, NYU, UCLA.</p>
<p>While many schools offer film majors, look at what your son wants from his education. The top film programs are really pre-professional majors. As such, the quality of the instructors can be measured not only by academic credentials, but by checking their recent production credits, meaning current connections to the film industry-- mentors who can get students placed in jobs. In addition, look for a program that offers great internship opportunities allowing the student to make his own contacts before he graduates for future work in Hollywood. In both of these aspects, USC is outstanding. Being located in L.A., they can get top television and film professionals to teach and the Trojan network helps open the door to grads looking for their first jobs. And the environment of motivated, talented students makes an exciting set of peers.</p>
<p>Good luck to your son.</p>
<p>Unless things have changed, admission to UCLA's film school is not until the third year so there is a chance you could devote two years to the school and not be accepted. Among the strengths of USC's program is not only that you can enter as a first year student, but they also make sure that whatever your major in you also must take courses in the other programs, critical studies, production, or screenwriting. </p>
<p>Other schools: Florida State, a great, but very small program. U. Texas-Austin has a good program and an wonderful film community. In the northeast, Ithaca, Vassar, Wesleyan, Middlebury are reputed to have fine film programs. Also look at Temple, Hunter, UNC-G, and UNC-Wilmington. The North Carolina School of the Arts (part of the UNC system) in Winston-Salem has an outstanding production program. On the west coast there are several good programs beyond those mentioned including Loyola Marymount as well as the UCs at SB, SC, and SD. There are also good programs at a number of CSUs including Northridge, San Diego State (probably the best of the CSU schools and maybe better than the UCs other than UCLA) and Long Beach that are worthy of consideration. UW-Madison has a strong film studies program as does UCB.</p>
<p>zach braff went to northwestern so i'm guessing your son could do great things there ;)</p>
<p>Northwestern is one of the 12 schools featured in Hollywood Reporter's "Film schools a maze of varied opportunities".
<a href="http://www.bu.edu/com/grad/pdf/Hollywood.PDF%5B/url%5D">http://www.bu.edu/com/grad/pdf/Hollywood.PDF</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
Unique advantages:An "aesthetics first"approach to study; active interest in interactive entertainment; a fiercely loyal alumni base dubbed "the NU mafia"</p>
<p>Ideal for:Self-starters with a collaborativespirit. Associate professor David Tolchin-sky believes the strong ties that NU
grads feel to the school and each other is due in large part to the unique grantsystem, which has students getting their media projects approved and funded by other students. "It's a very healthy environment, with students learning production within classes but also from one another," Tolchinsky says. A word from an alumnus: Screenwriter
Eric Bernt (Rogue Pictures' January release "The Hitcher") says that focus on design over technical know-how leads
to student work "very different from what you see coming out of NYU or AFI or UCLA, which all look like they're geared for Hollywood."
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thanks again to all. Sam Lee, that link is pefect for us at this stage of the game.</p>
<p>I'm also interested in film..i have created a thread on the arts major part and there are some really good posts there.
My list so far:
USC
UCLA
Chapman
Northwestern
NYU</p>
<p>seconded wesleyan... the alumni network is top-notch... the "Wesleyan Mafia"</p>
<p>Sarah Lawrence- that's where JJ Abrams was from.</p>
<p>This one is unique: Califonia state university. This is where Steven Spielsberg went but droppped out.</p>