Have you ever been blown away by a movie’s stunning visuals? Or maybe you’ve dreamed of creating your own films and bringing stories to life on screen. If so, you might be considering a career in cinematography or film/video production!
But where do you even begin if you’re interested in learning these skills? Well, attending one of the best cinematography and film production schools in 2024 might be the answer!
These fields are all about the magic behind the camera: lighting, framing shots, and capturing the perfect image. We’ll break down what film school is like, the different programs they offer, and how to choose the right one for you.
Get ready to explore film education!
Table of Contents
What is Video Production?
The process of creating video content is called video production. It is the same as making a movie using film stock.
The video is captured as analog or digital signals on videotape, or as computer files stored on optical discs, hard drives, SSDs, magnetic tape, or memory cards.
Here are the stages listed below:
Pre-Production Stage
All phases of the video production process that need planning come under the heading of pre-production. Scriptwriting, planning, logistics, and other administrative tasks under this category.
Production
Production is the stage of making a video that involves recording the subject(s) of the video and capturing the video material (electronic moving images).
Post Production
Post production is carefully choosing which video footage to edit together to create a final product that tells a story or conveys a message, either during a live event (live production) or after it has already happened (post production).
What are Video Production Schools?
Nowadays, virtually any sector of the economy or organization may use technology to leverage this potential to engage with their consumers, clients, constituents, or pupils. To develop graduates who can effectively enter the workforce and rise through long-term employment.
MTSU’s B.S in Video and Film Production degree takes into account all of these factors and reinforces them with a foundation in media theory and a 4-year degree. The curriculum is robust and adaptable, allowing students to concentrate on their areas of strength.
Exciting classes are taught by talented and knowledgeable professors both within and outside of labs and classrooms. Students can gain unending hands-on experience thanks to an excellent assortment of facilities.
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10 Best Cinematography and Film/Video Production Schools
We have a few video production schools listed below.
#1. Video Production Schools: Chapman University (Orange, CA)
Undergraduate tuition is $60,290; graduate tuition ranges from $46,936 to $49,788.
With programs in film production, screenwriting, creative producing, news and documentaries, public relations and advertising, digital arts, film studies, television writing and producing, and screen acting,
The Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is one of the fastest-growing film and media programs in the world. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Dodge College immerses its students in the world of entertainment and media, making it the nation’s school for cinema, advertising, and broadcast journalism with the quickest growth.
Modern facilities pair cutting-edge instructors with a steady stream of A-list celebrities, all cooperating in a village environment.
For individuals wishing to network for industry job placements and filmmaking chances, the expanding film school recently launched a new career center to assist with post-graduate transfer into the business.
Additionally, they have master class curriculum taught by celebrities like Sofia Coppola, Willem Dafoe, David Chase, Jamie Lee Curtis, Halle Berry, Harvey Keitel, Pedro Almodovar, Lupita Nyong’o, and Denis Villeneuve.
Orange is a perfect choice if you want to attend a film school with industry connections but aren’t ready or don’t want to live in the concrete of Los Angeles.
#2. Honorable Mention: UCLA (Los Angeles)
Average tuition is $13,804 for in-state undergraduate students and $31,026 for out-of-state graduate students.
Famous former students include Dustin Lance Black, Shane Black, David Koepp, Justin Lin, Jim Morrison, Eric Roth, Penelope Spheeris, Ben Stiller, etc.
For most students wishing to work in the film/tv industry, UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television is the best public institution.
Without making any mistake, this film school competes with USC as a location to learn and network for potential business partnerships.
It is less expensive and offers more grants and scholarships targeted at students from disadvantaged populations.
The extensive arts program at the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television equips driven students with the tools to question social norms as multifaceted artists and scholars with the knowledge, perspective, and ability to create meaningful experiences that contribute to a better world.
If you want a Los Angeles-based education and experience but can’t afford or get into USC (or the other top selections), UCLA is the place for you.
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#3. Video Production Schools: Calarts (Santa Clarita, CA)
$54,440 on average for tuition
Tim Burton, Brad Bird, Pete Docter, and John Lasseter are notable alumni.
CalArts, initially established by Walt Disney, is still the best program for animators who wish to work in the studio system. It is renowned for conventional and innovative mediamaking and provides cutting-edge tools for students.
Internationally, the California Institute of the Arts is famous for revolutionizing professional art education.
The cultural transformation wrought by the Alumni demonstrates why: unlike any other university, school, or conservatory, we produce visionary creative genius.
Today, CalArts offers more than 70 complete degree programs in the visual, performing, video, and literary arts, making it an inclusive environment for a variety of real voices.
Degrees in the allied and combined arts of music, painting, dance, film, animation, theater, and writing are available at CalArts on both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
#4. University Of Southern California (Los Angeles)
Average tuition is $37,149-$54,461 for graduates and $63,468 for undergraduates.
John M. Chu, Ryan Coogler, Ron Howard, John Singleton, Judd Apatow, John August, John Carpenter, George Lucas, Kevin Feige, Rian Johnson, Shawn Levy, Shonda Rhimes, Lee Unkrich, and Robert Zemeckis are other notable alumni.
The School of Cinematic Arts at USC is the classic film school with connections to some of Hollywood’s top producers, screenwriters, and filmmakers. And that has been the case ever since the company founded in 1929.
This was the premier West Coast film school thanks to the presence of George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola Alumni from the 1960s and 1970s.
The School of Cinematic Arts has fostered and inspired writers, directors, academics, businesspeople, producers, animators, interactive designers, and others who have attained an unmatched competence in film, television, and new media throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.
For people like you, from places as different as Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, our programs offer a singular opportunity to discover and develop your creative potential.
You will be in the newest methods and techniques and the lore and history that support the art form as soon as you land in Los Angeles.
USC, is a place to go if you want to combine the best training in cinema, the most famous Alumni, and the broadest network of possible partners among graduates.
#5. New York University (New York)
Undergraduate tuition is $63,000, and graduate tuition is $68,000.
Famous former students include Chloé Zhao, Dee Rees, Kristen Bell, Lady Gaga, Adam Sandler, Joel Coen, Ang Lee, Spike Lee, Donald Glover, and Bruce Dallas Howard.
The performing, cinematic, and media arts school of East Coast located at New York University and is known as the Tisch School of the Arts.
The Department’s combined level of expertise is unmatched and well-known worldwide. In a wide range of disciplines, they are uniquely integrated within one school, you can obtain a BA, BFA, MA, MFA, MPS, or Ph.D.
Acting, dance, cinema studies, collaborative arts, design for stage and film, dramatic writing, film and television, game design, interactive media arts, interactive telecommunications, musical theatre writing, performance studies, photography, public policy, and recorded music are among the disciplines that artists and academics from all over the world study.
As one of the most open and varied educational institutions around the world, NYU embraces its IDBEA initiatives, which stand for Inclusion, Diversity, Belonging, Equity, and Accessibility.
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Best Video Production Colleges Near Me
#6. American Film Institude (Los Angeles)
Tuition on average: $65,800
David Lynch, Darren Aronofsky, Patty Jenkins, Terrance Malick, John McTiernan, Mimi Leder, Ari Aster, Sam Esmail, Sian Heder, and other notable Alumni are among the school’s former students.
AFI is the most esteemed graduate program in the industry. It’s competitive and only provides a few applicants each year.
The AFI Conservatory only accepts students once a year for the autumn semesters and does not provide any undergraduate degree programs. Fellows at the Conservatory bring vision and mission to life by acting as storytellers, leaders in the field, and cultural influencers through their work in film and television.
AFI Fellows come from different backgrounds and represented by majority of the US states, and more than 40 other nations.
This the place for you if you’re seeking a highly diversified institute. Nearly half of the new students are people of color who work in cinema, and more than half are women.
#7. Washington University in St. Louis Video Production Schools
You will find support at WashU from a group of doers that encourage one another with their innovation and perseverance. You’ll gain the self-assurance and abilities necessary for both professional and personal success, making you prepared to impact the world, even through video production.
You will receive instruction from professors who are experts in their disciplines and will have the chance to collaborate with them on your projects.
It’s not only about the books in college. Washington University is one of the best video production schools in St. Louis.
Here, you will have lots of opportunity to become engaged while having fun with your peers and friends thanks to the more than 480 clubs and student-run organizations on campus. St. Louis strikes the perfect blend between a small-town atmosphere and big-city opportunities.
The cost should never be a hindrance to receiving a top-notch education. Nowadays, WashU’s admissions procedure is need-blind. This means that the choice to admit you will never be based on your financial capacity. And when we grant you admission, we make sure you can go by fully covering your proven financial need.
#8. Carnegie Mellon University: Video Production Schools
Besides being one of the most prestigious universities in the world, Carnegie Mellon University serves as a gathering place for some of the world’s most gifted doers, visionaries, and change-makers.
The private, top-ranked video production school offers courses in everything from public policy, the humanities, and the arts to science, technology, and business.
More than 14,000 students attend the university’s seven schools and colleges, benefiting from a low student-to-faculty ratio and a curriculum that emphasizes creativity, interdisciplinary cooperation, and putting real-world ideas to use.
#9. Video Production Schools: Swarthmore College
The Philadelphia Metropolitan Area’s Swarthmore is home to a prestigious private college. With 1,649 undergraduate students, it is a small university. Swarthmore’s acceptance rate of only 8% makes admissions incredibly competitive.
Biology, information science, and economics are popular majors. Swarthmore graduates earn an average beginning salary of $38,300. 94% of its students graduate.
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#10. Florida State University: Video Production School
As a renowned video production school in Tallahassee, Florida state university is a public university with 30,153 undergraduate students enrolled, hence, a sizeable college. Given that Florida State’s acceptance rate is 37%, admissions are comparatively competitive.
Psychology, finance, and criminal justice and safety studies are popular majors. Alumni from Florida State graduate 83% of their students and start out with a salary of $36,500.
Best Colleges for Video Production
Here are some of the Best Colleges for Video Production Schools in the globe, listed by location and with the most recent tuition costs (as of publication).
#1. Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, NYU
The Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, a division of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, is one of the top film schools in the US outside of Los Angeles.
The Kanbar Institute of Film & Television, which is situated in the heart of one of the most famous and culturally active cities in the world, has produced notable graduates like revered director Martin Scorsese and Vince Gilligan, the widely acclaimed creator of the US TV series Breaking Bad.
There were six alumni of the Tisch School of the Arts that received Oscar nominations in 2017. The film school has a campus in Singapore in addition to its main campus in New York City.
#2. USC School of Cinematic Arts
Many of Hollywood’s most well-known filmmakers got their start at the USC School of Cinematic Arts of the University of Southern California.
The USC School of Cinematic Arts is one of the most cutting-edge film institutions in Los Angeles because to the millions of cash it receives annually from patrons like George Lucas. It provides top-notch media facilities like an IMAX theater and research lab.
Judd Apatow, a comedy writer and producer, and Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, are both alumni of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. The USC School of Cinematic Arts offers the BA, BFA, and MFA in film.
Video Editing Colleges Near Me
One of the most important steps in the postproduction process for all types of media, including movies, web series, and digital advertisements, is editing. Enrolling into any of the best video production schools is cool, but without video editing your yet to be complete.
#3. Emerson College (Boston, MA)
The Media Arts Production major at Emerson College is available as a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, giving students the opportunity to specialize in areas like video editing as well as have a broad understanding of production in general.
While attending production workshops, first-semester students also learn about the background of the industry and its foundations.
After that, students can plunge into editing. Several courses are available that cover a variety of software and editing methods, with the goal of preparing graduates to enter the workforce with the necessary skills and professionalism.
The four-year curriculum has capstone projects that students can take part in to get a BFA and graduate with professional work.
#4. Stanford University
It was founded in 1885 and is now known as Stanford University. It is located in a suburban area, with a 8,180-acre campus, and has a total undergraduate enrolment of 7,645. The school year is organized around quarters.
The cost of tuition for the current academic year is $56,169.
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#5. Yale University
Private Yale University was established in 1701 and is today still in operation. There are 6,536 undergraduate students enrolled in total, the campus is 373 acres in size, and the location is a city.
The academic calendar is based on semesters. The National Universities section of the Best Colleges rating for 2024 places Yale University at #3. The cost of tuition and fees is $62,250.
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FAQs on the Video Production Schools
School of Cinematic Arts at USC
Communication College at Boston University.
Dodge College of Film & Media Arts at Chapman University.
Colorado School of Film.
The School of the Arts at Columbia University.
The Visual & Media Arts Department of Emerson College.
University of Loyola Marymount’s School of Film and Television.
Ranking of the Top 25 Film Schools in the World
Southern California University’s School of Cinematic Arts.
Institute for American Cinema.
National School of Film and Television.
Femis La.
Shanghai Film Academy.
Film and Production Diploma from the Multimedia University of Kenya.
The type of the course will determine whether it is more academic or practical.
modules could contain:
drama aimed at the camera.
aesthetics in film.
critique of movies and television.
history of film and television.
TV and movie making.
movie hypothesis.
research and theory in media.
strategies for on-screen and theatrical performances.
References
- screencraft.org – A Complete Guide to the Best Film Schools in the US
- backstage.com – 8 Top Film Programs for Aspiring Cinematographers
- topuniversities.com – Top Film Schools Around the World
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