Hi! I’m a rising senior so I am in the midst of college research. I am from Louisiana and I am going to try to work within the film/tv industry. I really want to be able to work as an actress but I also intend to work as either a writer or director? I think by living in Los Angeles I would get the most experience and hopefully be able to pinpoint which area I am more interested in I guess… Are there colleges where I could double major in film and drama? Or should I be looking more at a school like NYFA @ LA rather than a university such as USC?? By the way i have a 3.7 and 30 ACT if that helps about which colleges I should look into in the California region… Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!
Might get more action at the visual arts and film forum. Major in one and minor in the other? Look through previous posts in that forum, there are a variety of opinions on the efficacy of a film major on getting work in the industry. I have personal bias that a 4 year degree enhances your employability in any field, even film and drama where your personal contacts and previous experience are all-important.
You have multiple options, but if you want a BFA, you will have to choose one or the other for elite programs such as USC or NYU/Tisch. Your GPA/ACT are adequate, but you should be working on audition or portfolio because the talent portion of your application is the most critical. Most schools will not allow you to apply for multiple departments, and the competition is brutal. The film schools, in particular, have lower acceptance rates than Harvard or Stanford, and NOBODY on this site can conceivably assess your chances. Students interested in theater/acting programs apply to as many as 20-25 schools, especially if they require financial aid. The audition process is grueling, and every school has slightly different requirements, just to make it more stressful. You cannot just casually apply to NYU or USC for Film or Acting. You will need to see if they have auditions or interviews/portfolio reviews in your area. If not, there are protocols for submitting videos. If you aren’t sure of which you want to do, I strongly recommend applying to a non-audition liberal arts program where you do not have to commit to a major immediately. The Theater/Drama Majors page on College Confidential is very helpful, and I imagine the Film forum is also. I can recommend Temple and American as two universities that would be academic fits for you and which both have good, non-audition/portfolio programs. Emerson requires an audition for Theater, but you can probably switch majors easily and you can opt out of the intense conservatory BFA for a “Theater Arts” BA. I don’t know what their portfolio requirements are for Film, but they have a good department. They now have a glitzy satellite campus in LA. If you want a good academic safety, look into Columbia College Chicago. They have an extraordinarily strong Film department, but they are open admissions. They also have good Theater and Communications programs, and have some of the nicest student housing I’ve ever seen.