Film Schools for Everyone
From suburban campuses to big city locales, each of these programs offers a track toward industry success By Nicholas Clement, Shali Dore, Carole Horst, Karen Idelson and Malina Saval
In a climate where tech reigns supreme and a panoply of filmmaking applications remain at our disposal, does film school continue to have value? The answer is yes. From fostering professional relationships to learning cutting-edge editing and cinematography skills, the following is a curated list of entertainment education programs catering to every budding filmmaker.
Belmont University Nashville, Tenn.
Its 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.
“Students are provided a robust academic and hands-on learning experience as soon as they set foot on campus,” says John Lloyd Miller, chair of motion pictures.
Biola U. School of La Mirada, Calif.
With over 1,000 industry-active alumni, $4-plus 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.