2023’s Top Film Schools in North America
In a tech-savvy world saturated with filmmaking apps, does film school continue to hold value for aspiring writers, directors and producers? The answer is yes. From sprawling suburban campuses to big city locales, each of these programs offers cutting-edge courses and a roster of prestigious instructors that will lead budding filmmakers on a track toward entertainment industry success.
Belmont U.
Nashville, Tenn.
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Their motion picture program provides students the opportunity to learn to mix in Dolby Atmos on a feature film-sized mixing stage, use of top-of-the-line cameras, including the Arri Alexa LF, advanced lighting and grip gear, a 250-seat theater, a color correction suite, and multiple 4K edit bays. There’s also a new documentary course where students learn to make their own short film from start to finish. “Students are provided a robust academic and hands-on learning experience as soon as they step foot on campus,” says John Lloyd Miller, chair of motion pictures.
Biola U. School of Cinema & Media Arts
La Mirada, CA
With over 1,000 industry-active alumni, $4+ million in accessible, industry-grade equipment, a $92 million studio facility in the works, and a four-screen program teaching content creation and management across movie, TV, computer, and device screens, the School of Cinema & Media Arts is Biola’s fastest growing school. “We don’t want to be a film school that just teaches a student how to make something. We want our students to understand the importance of teamwork, collaboration, and great character as they build their reputations and careers,” says Tom Halleen, founding dean.
Colorado Film School
Denver, CO
Colorado Film School boasts affordability and accessibility to students from any background. With high-quality equipment (ARRI Skypanels, ARRI Amira) and world-class educators at the students’ fingertips, including recently-added instructor Keith Thomas (director of Guillermo del Toro’s “Cabinet of Curiosities – Pickman’s Model”), the school aims at preparing students to walk fully-equipped onto any production. “As a fourth-semester cinematography student, I’m pleased to say I’m where I need to be. We are a small school with super affordable tuition, and the resources available to students are unmatched,” says CFS student, Lucas Lacy.
Columbia College
Chicago, IL
Columbia offers cutting-edge concentrations on film, television, as well as emerging media. Students can also take advantage of the school’s Semester in L.A. multidisciplinary program. “The cinema and television arts department has expanded its curriculum to include cutting-edge workflows, and in close collaboration with the college’s interactive arts and media department is offering coursework and building a minor in virtual production that trains film and television artists in the mechanics of the Unreal Engine and advanced physical and virtual filmmaking techniques,” says Eric Freedman, dean of the school of media arts.
Emerson College
Boston, MA
Emerson’s Department of Visual & Media Arts features production courses with a hands-on approach overseen by a world-renowned faculty. A new Visual and Media Arts directing studio was recently established in the Boston campus’ Paramount Center, where the majority of the directing classes are taught. Emerson also offers a renowned Emerson Los Angeles internship program. “To stand out, you have to have an original and inventive take on the world. And that’s what an Emerson VMA education provides,” says Robert Sabal, Dean of the School of Arts. Emerson Alumni The Daniels recently won the Oscars for best director and best picture for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Hofstra University, The Lawrence Herbert School of Communication
Hempstead, NY
Hofstra’s filmmaking programs continue to evolve, with two new faculty additions in 2023, one in film production, and one in film studies. Documentary filmmaker Kelcey Edwards joined the faculty this past year. New course offerings include Production Design, Visual Effects, writing “Microbudget” films, and Film Genres: Middle East and North Africa. “Our program emphasizes core interests in teaching cinematic storytelling fundamentals, which are applicable to all branches of the industry, which can then scale to all levels of independent and studio filmmaking,” says filmmaker and Associate Professor Russell Harbaugh.
Ithaca College Roy H. Park School of Communications
Ithaca, NY
Ithaca College offers six degrees which focus on film, television, digital media production, and screenwriting. There is also a Los Angeles program where students gain professional experience while taking courses, as well as industry internships, virtual production coursework, exposure to AR/VR technology. “In my short time here, I have been very impressed not just with our technology, but also the way our students embrace and engage with it,” says Amy Falkner, who recently became dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications.
Los Angeles Film School
Los Angeles, CA
The film degree here allows students to pursue concentrations in production, directing, or cinematography and offers bachelor’s and associate degrees through its Hollywood campus and through online programs. The school partners with the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for the Gold Rising Intern Track, which gives students hands-on experience on active film productions. “In 2023, the Film Program introduced new programming in the Animation/VFX Program that will allow shared classes with the Film Program, so students can develop on-set skills for visual effects artists and supervisors,” says Charles Kanganis, director of education
Loyola Marymount U. School of Film and Television
Los Angeles, CA
An SFTV education goes beyond the classroom with special programs, screenings, hands-on workshops, networking events, and guest speakers. The program counts big-budget director Francis Lawrence (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”), James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli (“Skyfall,” “Casino Royale”), and Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland (“L.A. Confidential”) as alumni. “Entertainment has the power to enlighten, engage, and inspire. It shapes culture and influences how we think about ourselves and the world. We’re committed to educating the next generation of thoughtful creators,” says Joanne Moore, dean of LMU School of Film and Television.
New York Film Academy
Boasting satellite campuses in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Gold Coast, Australia, Beijing, China and Florence, Italy, NYFA’s College of Film, Media & Performing Arts offers an array of programs to fit the needs of every burgeoning filmmaker. The school also features a program at Harvard U., summer programs for high school students and an online track for those who learn best the remote way. Emphasizing a hands-on approach, students at NYFA learn by doing, by going out into the field, getting behind the camera on-set and practicing their craft. Alumni of the school include Issa Rae, Bill Hader and Aubrey Plaza.
New York U. Tisch School of the Arts
New York City, NY
Guided by a distinguished faculty, including new hires Justin Wilkes and Tami Reiker, students can access the latest technology, while exploring cutting-edge storytelling techniques. New courses focus on animation, experimental screenwriting, and virtual reality, while the upcoming Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center will offer a world-class laboratory for the most ambitious projects. “No other film school in the world will have these kinds of facilities,” says Ezra Sacks, chair of the undergraduate program. Alum Edward Berger took home the Oscar for Best International Feature Film for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Northwestern U. School of Communication
Evanston, IL
“NU is liberal arts but we happen to have a really robust RTVF department with great job placement and alumni connections,” says Kerry Trotter, communications director at the school. “That’s another huge asset — a wildly devoted and helpful alumni network. Proximity to Chicago is also a huge asset, since it is an eminently livable [and affordable] city with every creative industry represented. David E. Tolchinsky directs the Pritzker Pucker Studio Lab for the Promotion of Mental Health via cinematic arts. “We started to really think about how should we be making films and how do you manifest mental health in the process of filmmaking, the whole enterprise,” Tolchinsky says. The lab moved beyond mental health depiction to focus on cast and crew and their own well-being. Besides the lab, the school has fully funded its Screen + Stage and documentary MFAs with stipends for all students.
Ringling College of Art and Design
Sarasota, FL
Ringling ranks among the top film programs in the country. Among its resources: four soundstages; Arri and Canon digital cameras; a Fisher 11 dolly; color grading suites; Foley stage; recording studio; Dolby Atmos dubbing stage; and 15 private editing suites. New in 2023 is the DJI Ronin 4D, and some of the brightest LED lights available, from Arri and Aputure. “If students are starting their undergraduate college careers, and they want to learn how to make films by actually making films, there’s no better place than Ringling College,” says Bradley Battersby, Department Head of Film.
Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah, GA
SCAD prepares students for careers working in film, television, and live performance. A major expansion of the film and digital media studios is currently underway, making the studio the largest, most comprehensive university complex in the nation. SCAD students at both the Savannah and Atlanta campuses have access to game-changing 50’x20’ LED volumes for virtual production. “Collaboration is our superpower, and our classrooms mirror professional sets in terms of state-of-the-art equipment and facilities,” says Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of the SCAD School of Film and Acting, and Director of SCAD’s Casting Office.
Scottsdale Community College School of Film + Theatre
Scottsdale, AZ
Two-year colleges can offer students a more affordable way to follow their dreams. Scottsdale Community College’s School of Film + Theatre gets aspiring artists behind the camera immediately. “Certainly we are academically rigorous,” says Bill True, department chair and head of dramatic writing. “What we are able to do is to put those principles into practice from day one. Day one of classes and you’re making things in your first semester.” Students can typically make four to six shorts films in that two-year period; True notes that students in its editing program are able to earn AVID professional certification and its top-notch equipment includes ARRI and RED cameras. “We’re actually one of two two-year colleges in the nation that are allowed to lease a Fisher dolly,” he says. “By the time our students get out of here, they know how to act on the set. They understand the jobs that are going to get them work next year and the year after, so they can eventually have the career that they’re dreaming of.”
Syracuse College of Visual and Performing Arts and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
Syracuse, NY
The VPA film program is now providing a Los Angeles semester study program, offering internships which provide real-world experience. Next spring, the film program will offer a production design course in collaboration with VPA’s Department of Drama. The Newhouse School’s partnership with Great Point Media allows students to spend a semester working and learning at the new Lionsgate Studios in Yonkers, New York. “We strive to foster film programs where each student’s unique voice can emerge,” says Kara Herold, associate professor of film and film program coordinator, College of Visual and Performing Arts.
UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television
Los Angeles, CA
UCLA has produced some of the most talented and influential figures in the biz. The film school offers numerous diverse scholarships recognizing unique perspectives and has prioritized securing more funding for BIPOC students. UCLA continues to address representation by introducing new courses and master classes that prepare students for a successful career in the entertainment industry. “Our focus is on the development of an artist or scholar’s individual voice by encouraging our students to build collaborative communities across various disciplines,” says Amy Villarejo, chair, Department of Film, Television and Digital Media.
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Winston-Salem, NC
UNCSA embraces a wide range of cinematic storytelling forms, including episodic and narrative fiction and non-fiction, animation, documentary and short-form. Joining the department as a screenwriting professor in 2023 is alumnus Shawn Harwell (“Red Oaks,” “The Campaign,” Eastbound and Down”). The department recently acquired a large LED wall, offering students hands-on experience in the digital realm with professional equipment. “Our curriculum, which is equal parts art and commerce, results in artistic, creative filmmakers who are prepared upon graduation to enter the profession with industry standard skills,” says dean of the school, Deborah LaVine.
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Los Angeles, CA
USC continues to attract students who demonstrate world-class narrative and documentary filmmaking abilities, and with a forthcoming LED wall being installed at the Robert Zemeckis Center, and a new, three-class virtual production curriculum, they are looking directly into the future. Innovative course, Straight to Series, teaches students how to work within streaming television. “Our approach is holistic, and we want students to learn all creative aspects of development and production. Unexpected talents and passions are discovered when exploring more than one track,” says Gail Katz, chair, Film & Television Production.
U. of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX
The school’s Moody College of Communication which houses the radio-television-film department is ranked with the country’s top film programs. Korey Pereira, who won an Emmy for work on “Stranger Things,” recently joined their audio production faculty. They’ve also just introduced a new TV Pilot Production class where undergraduate production students produce a 30-minute comedy pilot written by MFA Screenwriting students. In the last year, former students have won the Gotham Award for best student film, the Sundance Audience Award for best independent short, and an Emmy and Golden Reel in Sound for “Stranger Things.”
Vancouver Film School
VFS boasts eight state-of-the-art campuses, with one of the largest performance capture studios in North America. Areas of concentration include writing for film, television, and games; sound and makeup design; acting for film and television; 3D animation and visual effects; and classical animation. This year, 82 alumni were credited on Oscar-winning films. “After only four months in our program, every student has had a chance to rotate through every role on set, including getting to direct a five minute short film that they wrote themselves,” says Robert Woosley, Head of Film Production.
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