<p>Hi,
I'm very interested in Film Studies, as well as production. I would love to go to a liberal arts college (preferably in the North East), but I noticed that most the liberal arts colleges are heavily focused on Film Studies (with a small production component). Is it better to go to one of these schools (Such as Wesleyan or Vassar) as an undergraduate, then do a graduate production program elsewhere, or is it better to go the straight production route (NYU, USC etc.)? </p>
<p>Also, if anyone knows of some liberal arts colleges with good film studies programs, that would be great!</p>
<p>Pitzer, probably Occidental.
I think the reason you see this is because liberal art colleges rarely have trade majors, and production is more of a trade while film studies is more academic.</p>
<p>IMHO, the only reason to pursue a graduate degree in film is to continue working on a project you’ve started as an undergrad and/or you’re not happy with the job offers you’ve received by the time graduation arrives. The industry itself doesn’t require that you have a Masters or Ph.D in anything. So, the question really boils down to what kind of education do you want? Chances are that you will get plenty of experience producing student-run projects no mattrer where you go. And, you’ll probably do plenty of reading and writing even at NYU. Some people would advise choosing a LAC just in case you change your mind about a career in film. But, I’m thinking that’s unlikely to happen if you’re already thinking about graduate school. IMHO, you should really choose on the basis of what kind of college experience you want. I think NYU and Wesleyan are sufficiently different, atmospherically, as to trump everything else.</p>
<p>I’ve read it’s not a good idea, but I don’t remember where I read it. You can double major and get another degree on top of the Production major(but it’s hard) just in case.</p>
<p>I agree with JW – either way, you probably won’t want to go to grad school, at least right away. And it is VERY possible to get a job out of a film studies program, at least a good one – Wes has great placement. </p>
<p>So, it really depends on what you want your undergrad career to be like. You can do a lot of production, even at a place with Film Studies – at a place like Wes, you’ll get a great theoretical foundation in class, and have the chance to take some production classes, make a production thesis, and help with productions outside of class. OTOH, if you’d rather be doing lots and lots of production classes because that sounds the most enjoyable to you, do that.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for responding! I am really leaning towards a LAC such as Wesleyan, as I think I would enjoy the environment more. Weskid, do you attend Wesleyan? If so, I’d love to hear more about the film program there! Occidental and Chapman sound great, but does anyone know of some other LAC film studies colleges on the east coast?</p>