All schools can offer many different things. And that is the reason why schools have their own characteristics and identity. You might hear from some people that the school is often blamed for the image a certain individual projects to the public. For instance the statement: “Well, he is like that since he came from the So and So University. All students who graduated from that school behave in that way.” And this interference is not without logic. A certain type of culture and characteristic is generic to a specific school because of peer influence.
So, to determine which is the best film school is not that difficult. The answer is: It is depending on what you want to become in your film school experience. Each film school has its specific attributes and features that the best thing to do is to figure them out first. The country where this school is located plays an important role in knowing the personality of a specific film school.
There are a lot of aspects to consider: the type of courses offered, the length of time each subject is covered, the number of written modules versus the number of actual practice, the incorporators of the college and the course itself, guests appearing in certain key lectures, and the reputation the school exudes and whether that would really matter in the end of the course. I always believe that it does. It helps your movement in the world, whether up or down. But, in the real film world, degrees don’t hold much weight as that of track record and experience. No amount of argument can win against track record and innate talent. A few examples of schools with impeccable status and repute are:
American Film Institute
New York University
California State of the Arts
University of Southern California
University of California – Los Angeles
Far off from the United States, there are two film schools that a person who’s interested can opt for: the Australian Film, Television, and Radio school and the United Kingdom’s National Film and Television School. Not to belittle the ability of other international institutions to teach the art of filmmaking but rest assured that there are those that can be at par with the mentioned schools. What one needs to do is in depth research on what he really wants to be in the film industry, what culture he wants to inculcate on himself, and where can he be comfortable with.