Movies

A Film school is a generic term for any educational institution dedicated to teaching moviemaking, including, but not limited to, film production, theory, and writing for the screen. Usually hands on technical training is incorporated as part of the curriculum, such as learning how to use cameras, light meters and other equipment. Most schools are tied to existing colleges and universities, often in art or communication departments. Some are privately owned and not tied to universities, such as technical schools offering associate degrees.

Various debates have raged over the years on the importance of film school in allowing one to enter the film industry. Of course, examples can be offered from both sides, as directors Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, and Francis Ford Coppola graduated from prestigious film schools, whereas Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, and David Fincher had no formal college film training. The rapid rise of independent filmmaking and digital video have changed this debate somewhat, as anyone with a few thousand dollars can shoot their own film (and some have done so quite successfully) with little formal knowledge of the industry. Thus, it can be argued that the cost of attending a film school can now be better spent on making a film. Others argue that film school is important because it allows students to network and connect with others interested in filmmaking, as well as with those who may eventually offer them careers in the industry. One example is that the more prestigious schools allow their students to showcase work in film festivals near the end of the semester for film producers and executives.

Film schools in the United States

Some prominent film schools in the United States include:

Academy of Art University - School of Motion Pictures and Television - San Francisco
American Film Institute (AFI Conservatory)
American University - School of Communications, Film/Media Arts Department
Art Center College of Design
Bob Jones University
California Institute of the Arts
Chapman University
College of Santa Fe - Moving Image Arts Department
Collins College
Columbia University - School of the Arts
Columbia College
Film Connection
Florida State University - School of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts
Emerson College - Department of Visual and Media Arts
Ithaca College - Park School of Communications
North Carolina School of the Arts
Northwestern University
The New York Film Academy
Los Angeles Film School The Los Angeles Film School
New York University (NYU) - Tisch School of the Arts
San Francisco State University
SUNY Purchase
Syracuse University
Temple University - Film and Media Arts
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Theater, Film and Television
University of California, Santa Cruz - Department of Film and Digital Media
University of New Orleans - Department of Drama & Communications
University of Southern California (USC) - School of Cinema-Television
University of Texas at Austin - Department of Radio, Television and Film

High school film programs

Due to the increasing ease and low costs of digital video production and post-production, high schools are slowly starting to build programs that teach film technique. Perhaps the most successful of these programs is Grant High School in Los Angeles, California. Grant has won seven CINE Golden Eagles in six years (this is better than USC's or UCLA's current track record).

Prominent high school film programs in the United States include:

Dearborn High School in Dearborn, Michigan
Grant High School in Los Angeles, California
Kamehameha High School in Honolulu, Hawaii
Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Maryland
Germantown High School in Memphis, Tennessee

International Flm Schools

Film schools outside the United States include:

The International Academy of Film and Television
Beijing Film Academy
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The German Film School
National Film and Television School (UK)
National Film School in Lodz
Vancouver Film School
National Film School IADT in Dublin