I got my BFA in Film Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As someone who also attended the USC Film School and took classes in the UCLA Film Program, I thought I could provide a good perspective on what I thought of each one and start with the one I spent the most time on: NYU .
The location
The NYU Film School is located in Greenwich Village on the island of Manhattan in New York City. Going to school in such an urban place offers both positive and negative aspects. On a positive note, New York City is your campus and therefore you are in the mix of all the cafes, shops, famous landmarks, iconic neighborhoods and interesting New York personalities that the city is famous for.
On the downside, too, New York City is your campus, so you don’t have the “protected campus experience” you’d have at a school with a dedicated gated campus. In my opinion, I saw living, taking classes, and making movies in New York City as a huge advantage. Where else could you get so much inspiration and drawing material than in one of the biggest cities in the world? The only negative would be if you wanted to get out of the city to photograph or just to rest a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s hard to keep a car in the city without spending a fortune, but the subway and trains can get you anywhere you need to go affordably.
The curriculum
The NYU Film School curriculum consists of classes in all major areas of the filmmaking process. There are classes in sound, editing, writing, TV technology, and finally group classes where movies are made in small teams. Generally, as you progress through the program, the projects you work on become more complex. In beginner film classes, you can make short or 8mm black and white videos.
As you progress you make longer and more complex projects and you can choose between experimental or narrative films. Students are usually given a certain number of tapes or films and the basic equipment, such as lights and dollies, that one would need. If a student wants to do something that requires more complex props and/or equipment, they must provide the funds themselves.
Generally, each student who wants to can direct their own movies with other students acting as crew members in their movies and vice versa. NYU has a good selection of teams. It’s not always the latest technology and technology changes so often, especially when it comes to video, but overall you won’t be short of anything. They have extensive editing facilities ranging from old steenbeck for film splicing to computer systems for using final draft and adobe premier. Again, if a student wants to shoot more footage than the school is willing to provide, the student can pay for additional development, etc.
The teachers
In general, I found the teachers to be competent with a few ‘exceptions’ included. They are all working professionals, some more successful than others. In some classes you also have guest teachers and occasionally famous alumni will teach a class like Spike Lee or Woody Allen. Each week the school hosts film screenings and the director or producers of the film will appear to discuss with the class and answer questions about how the film was put together and the history of its making. These are great networking opportunities with successful alumni, and often past graduates of the program show up to see these screenings, so they’re a great way to network.
After graduation.
Where I felt the New York University Film Program fell a bit short was in career planning and direction. They didn’t spend a lot of time teaching you how to build a career after you graduate. This is one of the flaws that I have found in most movie programs. Fortunately, NYU has so many graduates working in the industry that if you’re proactive, you should be able to easily find successful graduates willing to sit down and talk with you about your game plan “after graduation.”
In recent years, the school has been good at building its active alumni organization on the east and west coasts, so whether you decide to set up your headquarters in New York or Los Angeles, you can use this resource to create a network for you, which is very important. . Overall, I found the NYU Film School experience to be a good one for those who want a generalized education in different aspects of film before embarking on a career.
