In his book Movies and Money, renowned British film producer David Puttnam wrote about starting a film company hundred years ago. He said “All you needed was fifty dollars, board and a camera”. And now, with the availability of resources like economical digital cameras, editing facilities on our personal computers, plenty of online resources to learn about filmmaking and platforms like YouTube to broadcast our creation and social media to promote them, it seems what he said about filmmaking of hundred years ago seems to be remarkably true for our time too. It seems we have come a full circle. Someone didn’t say “History repeats itself” without a reason.
Anyone can make a film today. A guy, gathering a couple of his buddies living around the corner and finding himself a camera, can make a film. He can shoot the video and edit it right on his computer and there you have it! A great new film portraying life in the finest way. He is a filmmaker, just as Steven Spielberg or Ingmar Bergman is! However, whether his film is equally good is a completely different matter. It’s easy to be a filmmaker today doesn’t mean that it’s equally easy to be a talented or a successful filmmaker, though. It needs passion, talent, willpower and a bit of luck too. When there are so many who want to create the next blockbuster or win the next Palme d’Or, it’s not easy to achieve the dreams for a filmmaker.
But, to those who want to give it a go for pursuing their career in films have a great starting platform these days. Films have become such an important form of art that people receive special trainings for them. There are many institutes all over the world that educate students on various facets of filmmaking like acting, directing, editing, scriptwriting and others. And, there are plenty of universities too which provide a formal education and degree in film studies. And, right here, we have selected the ten best universities from around the word for film studies.
10. University of Texas at Austin
[alert-note] Location: Austin, Texas, USA | Established: 1883[/alert-note]
Functioning under the College of Communication, The Department of Radio-Television-Film at the university is one of the best places to craft their art for film students. It was founded in 1965 and has developed into one of the world’s most revered film schools today. It trains about 900 undergrad and 160 grad students every year.
The sole Bachelor of Science degree is offered at undergraduate level. In this undergraduate program, the students can specialize on directing, editing and digital animation. The students can also specialize on screenwriting, cinematography and sound and producing. But they have to study common core courses in the beginning. MFA and PHD programs are offered at the graduate level.
Notable alumni: Matthew McConaughey, Patrick Sean Smith, Lev Spiro
9. Loyola Marymount University
[alert-note] Location: Los Angeles, California, USA | Established: 1865[/alert-note]
Loyola Marymount University is one among the string of universities from California, home to world’s biggest film industry in Hollywood, featuring on our list. The School of Film and Television under this university was established in 2003. The school offers a wide range of internship opportunities through more than 400 partner companies, which is often viewed as the best part of studying there.
The school offers Bachelor’s degrees in Recording Arts, Film and Television Production, Animation and Screenwriting. A minor in Film Studies is also offered. The Masters in Feature Film Screenwriting, Writing and Producing for Television and Film and Television Production are available at the graduate level.
Notable alumni: Barbara Broccoli, Brian Helgeland, David Mirkin
8. Chapman University
[alert-note] Location: Orange, California, USA | Established: 1861[/alert-note]
Another Californian entry to our list, Chapman University’s film school is Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. It was created in 1996. The college has a partnership with the private investors in the form of alumnus Travis Knox‘s Chapman Filmed Entertainment, which is a film production and distribution company. The college currently trains roughly 1,500 students of which 1,000 are in the undergraduate program, and 450 in the graduate program.
BA and BFA degrees are offered by the college at undergraduate level. These programs specialize in film studies, creative producing and film production. The other areas of specialization are digital arts, screenwriting and screen acting. Meanwhile, the programs available at the graduate level are MA, MFA and MBA.
Notable alumni: Ben York James, Travis Knox, Jason Michael Brescia