i applied to my local community college, and i know that i want to something related to art for a living (like filmmaking, storytelling) but i don’t know what to major in specifically, should i try looking at art schools or universities instead of community colleges?
Are you a graduated senior or a junior about to become a senior?
There are lots of “creative” majors: look up “non fiction writing” at Denison or UIowa, “graphic design” at UCincinnati or Manhattan College, Marketing at RIT or your state’s flagship (note that marketing should be complemented with either statistics or data science or analytics as a minor, and can be complemented with graphic design or digital media), IST at Penn State or Syracuse or Lebanon Valley.
To help you figure out what’s best for you:
What are your stats? - Gpa, AP/IB/DE classes taken, test scores.
Do you have a portfolio? Have you won awards?
What is your efc or your parents’income?
What state do you live in?
how can i check most of this stuff up? is there as website somewhere?
Google is your friend, just pose your question and see what pops up. Ask a general question, or something like “best art, filmmaking, and performing arts colleges in the U.S.”
That will get you (perhaps) UCLA or USC in California, or NYU in NYC or Vassar farther north, and literally hundreds of schools between them.
What state do you live in? There are a few public state schools with good filmmaking and performance departments–such as SUNY Purchase in New York–that are relatively affordable and convenient to thriving cultural scenes. (Purchase is close to NYC, for example.)
–It’s good for an artist to be close to great museums, live performances, movie theaters, etc. Sources and examples of inspiration are important, so be careful of remote, rural schools, IMO. But perhaps you prefer that.
While you’re studying art or film technique (or performance, for storytelling,) keep your eyes open for how the people who teach you earn a living. Often in those fields your teachers are not primarily professors, but have a number of occupations related to their art.
Financial survival in the arts can be v difficult. (Understatement alert.) The life you build to cope with that can compete with, or even drown, your creative time and energy.
But we all need for there to be artists, so I hope it all goes well for you.
A little more info would help us help you: Geographics, economics, admissions stats, etc.
Good luck and thank you.
Take a look at Loyola Marymount University!
A plug for my alma mater DePaul University. In their College of Computing, which is probably the largest school in the country for Computer Science and allied fields as far as numbers goes, they have a few undergrad degree majors that you may be interested in.
BFA - Graphic Design
BS - User Design Experience
BA - Animation
BFA - Animation
BA - Film and Television
And of course DePaul has their conservatory Theatre School which has a lot of undergrad programs that will be of interest to you as well. Many famous Hollywood people come from here. Majors such Playwriting, Scene Design or Dramaturgy.
If you are looking for a strong Animation program in a university setting… Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a fantastic option. They provide students with strong studios arts classes and balance it with animation and core. The animation classes offered vary, and currently there are 2D, 3D, and even a new stop-motion class taught by an animator on Robot Chicken. For students that want the pre-production concept side of animation, that is offered too with character design, world building, and many intensive storyboarding classes.
Though the website is not too informational, when you visit the actual program, you realize how much LMU truly offers in their animation program (which is housed in the School of Film and Television).
The program is relatively newer compared to others and is currently ranked #12 on the West Coast (Animation Career Review) and is climbing the rankings every year!
Alumni work at Disney Animation, Dreamworks, Laika, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, Sony, Blizzard, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, Bento Box, Bix Pix, and many more.
I recommend checking this program out if you are looking for an intense, but worthwhile Arts/Animation program in a university setting.
https://sftv.lmu.edu/academics/undergraduateprograms/animation/
LMU also has one of the top film programs in the country.
The Wrap ranked it #8 in 2018
https://www.thewrap.com/collegewrap-2018/
LMU Film Schools website:
https://sftv.lmu.edu