Best Community Colleges for Film
Many people assume that they cannot get a great film education without going to a university and paying tens of thousands of dollars. In fact, Community Colleges are some of the best places in America to get a film education and will cost you far less money and time.
Community colleges provide an affordable way to get a great education in film, while also giving you the opportunity to explore other areas of study. For example, if you want to focus on writing, but also want to learn about directing or producing, community college is an excellent choice for you.
Best Community Colleges for Film
The University of Southern California is the best community college for film, hands down. Their School of Cinematic Arts has been ranked #1 in the nation by The Hollywood Reporter, Variety and The Wall Street Journal. Not only does USC have a long history of excellence in film, but they also have an extensive alumni network that includes some of the most influential names in Hollywood.
The school’s curriculum is designed to prepare students for careers as directors, writers, producers, editors, animators and more. Students can earn certificates or degrees in film production; screenwriting; animation and visual effects; digital arts; interactive media and design; television production and broadcast journalism.
USC has produced many famous alumni including George Lucas (Star Wars), Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather) and Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future). The school boasts a wide range of resources including top-notch equipment labs where students can learn from industry professionals how to use everything from cameras to sound systems.
For students looking to study film, USC offers an undergraduate program that has been called one of the top five in the nation. The school’s School of Cinematic Arts is known for its emphasis on producing work that is both technically brilliant and artistically inspiring. Students have access to professional equipment, cutting-edge technology, and a rigorous curriculum that will help them hone their skills as they prepare for a career in the film industry.
New York University
New York University is a great choice for film students. It offers a wide range of courses in filmmaking, including classes on script writing, directing, and producing. Students can also take general education courses in the liberal arts or opt to study abroad.
NYU offers five different degree programs: BA in Cinema Studies; BFA in Film and Television Production; BA, MA, or MFA in Arts Administration; BA or BFA in Interactive Media and Game Design; and BA or BFA in Media Studies.
The school also has a full-time faculty of more than 600 professors who are experts in their fields. All of these professors have professional experience outside of academia as well.
It’s important to note that NYU requires all students to complete an internship during their time at the school. This requirement can be satisfied by working at a local production company or on one of the many independent films produced by NYU students each year.
NYU has been around since 1831, so it’s got plenty of experience teaching students about film. NYU’s School of Professional Studies offers online degrees in film, which means students can work on their own time schedules. The school also offers an undergraduate major in television, film and theater production; an undergraduate major in digital media; an undergraduate minor in television, film and theater production; an undergraduate minor in digital media; and graduate programs for both professionals and non-professionals.
Students who want to go even deeper into their studies will find that NYU also offers a Master of Fine Arts degree program as well as Master of Arts programs with concentrations such as documentary filmmaking or screenwriting. Students who are interested in NYU but don’t want to commit to a full degree program can also enroll in classes individually through the Open University Program (OUP). OUP allows students to complete their coursework online or on campus at any time during the year—which means they don’t have to wait until the fall semester starts before they can start learning about film!
Yale University
Yale University is a great school for film students, particularly those who are interested in learning about the history of film.
The program at Yale is highly competitive and only admits about 10% of applicants each year. The school offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Master of Fine Arts degree, both in Film Studies. It also offers an MFA in Visual Art, which can be completed as part of the BFA or MA programs.
The program at Yale is designed to prepare students for careers in film production and analysis. The curriculum covers all aspects of filmmaking from pre-production through post-production; however, they also place an emphasis on history and theory as well as production skills. Students will learn how to write scripts, direct actors, edit footage, design sets and costumes, create visual effects with computers and other tools like green screens or animation software; they’ll also study how to use various digital cameras and lighting equipment while working on projects under the supervision of their professors.
Southern Methodist University
If you’re looking for a college that will help you prepare for a career in film, look no further than Southern Methodist University (SMU).
SMU offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Film and Television as well as a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Film and Television. They also offer minors and certificates in both areas. All four degrees are offered by SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts, which is one of the top film schools in the country. In fact, it’s been ranked number one by U.S. News & World Report for the last seven years running. It’s safe to say that this school knows its stuff when it comes to preparing students for careers in film!
The school has a very small student body—only about 1,600 students—so there’s plenty of opportunities to get involved with other filmmakers on campus and network with industry professionals who come through for guest lectures or internships. The faculty is made up of award-winning writers, directors, producers and cinematographers who are willing to help students learn what they need to know about their craft and prepare them for real world challenges once they graduate from SMU!
Stanford University
The school’s Film Studies program has been producing award-winning filmmakers since the 1920s. From Francis Ford Coppola to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, many of film’s most famous directors have studied at Stanford.
Stanford also offers an excellent selection of courses, including “Introduction to Film,” which covers everything from writing scripts to directing actors; “World Cinema,” which explores the history of filmmaking; and “Film History,” which teaches students how to analyze films.
Students can also take classes in screenwriting or cinematography, depending on their interests. And if they prefer to focus on acting, they can take lessons in improvisation or acting for camera—all while studying at one of the best community colleges for film!
The school has an incredibly well-rounded film program, with a wide variety of courses and opportunities. Students can take classes in writing, directing, editing, production design, cinematography and more. They can also participate in student-run film festivals and watch student films that have been submitted to the festival. The school offers a variety of internships and job opportunities as well. The school’s location in Silicon Valley means that students can easily connect with tech companies like Netflix or Facebook if they want to work on set or behind the scenes in those industries later on down the road.
Dartmouth College
In fact, Dartmouth is one of the favorite colleges in the country to study film. It’s a small school, but it has an excellent film program that offers classes that cover all aspects of filmmaking, from screenwriting to cinematography and directing. The college hosts an annual film festival where students can show off their work, as well as a series of lectures and discussions by industry professionals in order to learn more about how to make movies.
Dartmouth also offers many scholarships and grants specifically designed for students who wish to study film at their school. In addition, they have several different programs which allow students from other schools who have already earned degrees in other fields (such as music or theatre) to transfer over into Dartmouth’s Film program once they’ve been accepted there!
Dartmouth’s Film program is based in the Thayer School of Engineering, which makes it unique among other film programs. It is also one of only a handful of schools that offer a bachelor’s degree in filmmaking as well as a Master’s degree in Digital Media Production. Dartmouth has been producing some great filmmakers over the years, including Quentin Tarantino and Michael Bay.
The Tuck School of Business also offers a Bachelor’s degree in Management with a concentration in Finance and Marketing Management. This degree can be combined with the Master’s degree in Digital Media Production to create an undergraduate and graduate program that allows students to earn both degrees within five years instead of six years if they were to take each separately (and save thousands on tuition fees).
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is one of the best community colleges for film. It offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film and Media Arts, which provides students with opportunities to study film history, the technical aspects of filmmaking, and writing for the screen. The program also includes an internship option where students can gain real-world experience working on a professional film set.
The University of Pennsylvania has a rich history as one of the first universities in the country to offer an undergraduate degree in cinema. The school’s Film and Media Arts department is ranked among the top 10 programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report (2019).
Penn offers its students many opportunities to learn from industry professionals through access to professors who have worked as producers or directors at major studios like Disney and Paramount Pictures. They also have access to various courses taught by visiting professors each year who are leaders in their fields such as cinematography, scriptwriting, casting and sound design.”
The College of Arts and Sciences has been recognized as one of the top 50 liberal arts colleges in America by U.S. News & World Report and has been named one of the best colleges for veterans by Military Times. It also has a low student-to-faculty ratio so that students can get individualized attention from their instructors—which is especially important when it comes to film studies!
In addition to having some of the best professors in the business, Penn also boasts an incredible alumni network that includes many famous actors and directors such as Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Zach Braff (Garden State), Ethan Hawke (Training Day), Robert De Niro (Raging Bull).
Conclusion
While the best community colleges for film will change depending on where you live, the common themes are a combination of being able to study acting and filmmaking, having access to equipment, English and writing classes, and plenty of different programs offered. More than anything else though, the biggest thing to remember if you’re considering these schools is that bigger isn’t always better.