I earned a BFA in Film Production from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. As someone who has also attended USC Film School, in addition to taking classes in the UCLA Film Program, I thought I could offer a good perspective on what I thought of each and start with the one I spent the most. time in: 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 location 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 limitless cafes, shops, famous places, 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 ‘sheltered campus experience’ that you would have at a school with a closed dedicated campus. In my opinion, I saw living, taking classes and making movies in New York as a great advantage. Where else would you get so much inspiration and drawing material than in one of the largest cities in the world? The only negative would be if you wanted to go out of town to shoot or just to rest a bit away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’s hard to keep a car in town 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, television technology, and finally group classes where they make movies together in small teams. Generally, as you progress through the program, the projects you work on become more complex. As you begin film classes, you can make short or 8mm black and white videos.

As you progress, you carry out longer and more complex projects and you can choose between experimental or narrative films. Typically, students are given a certain amount of tape or film and the basic equipment, such as lights and dollies, that would be needed. If a student wants to do something that requires more complex accessories and / or equipment, then they must provide the funds themselves.

Generally, each willing student can direct their own films with other students who act as team members in their films and vice versa. NYU has a good selection of equipment. It’s not always the latest technology and technology changes so frequently, especially when it comes to video, but overall you won’t be lacking for anything. They have extensive editing facilities ranging from old steenbeck for film splices to computer systems for final draft and adobe premier use. Again, if a student wishes to film more footage than the school is willing to provide film or video, the student may pay for additional development, etc.

The teachers

Overall, I found the teachers to be competent with some ‘exceptionals’ included. They are all working professionals, some more successful than others. In some classes you also have guest teachers, and sometimes famous alumni will teach a class like Spike Lee or Woody Allen. Each week the school organizes film screenings and the director or producers of the film will introduce themselves to discuss with the class and answer questions about how the film was put together and the history of the making of the film. These are great networking opportunities with successful alumni, and former program graduates often show up to view 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 shows. Fortunately, NYU has so many graduates working in the industry that if you are proactive, you can easily find successful graduates who are willing to sit down and talk to you about your ‘post-graduation’ game plan.

In recent years, the school has been good at developing its active alumni organization on the East and West Coasts, so if you decide to be based in New York or Los Angeles, you can use this resource to create a network for yourself. , 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 filmmaking before embarking on a career.