NYC/Long Island Film Schools at DVinfo.net

Hal Wolin · May 3rd, 2006, 09:40 PM

This september I will be transferring from a Suny School, that does not offer Film as a major to another school to complete a BFA in Film. I'm currently undecided between several schools, and was wondering if anyone has any feedback on these schools or anything I should think about in regards to these.

1.Five Towns College-www.ftc.edu

The price per semester is about 7k, and it is located near my office. The program seems fairly similar to that of Hofstra or CW Post. However I have been unable to find anything either good or bad about this school, other than not too many people have heard of it.

2.CW Post-www.liu.edu

The price is about 11k a semester, and other than the prestigous name it doesn't seem that much different from the Five Towns curriculum. I've heard some fairly good things about the film professors and that the students tend to be a tight knit group within the film program. However I'm not sure if other than the well known name, if there is anything particularly special about CW Post in regards to the Film Program..

Keep in mind I have been accepted to both of these colleges.

3.Hunter-Have to reapply to this school.- www.hunter.cuny.edu

It's a city school, runs about 5k per semester, plus train fare which would bring it up to about 6k per semester. I've heard some pretty good things about this school, however I also have to figure in that I'd be working fulltime on Long Island and have to commute at least two days a week here.

4.SVA-Wasn't accepted.-Might reapply for Fall of '07 as a transfer. Is this worth the price?

Any thoughts or suggestions on what I might want to look at. At the moment I'm most likely going to be deciding between Five Towns and CW Post. Five Towns seems like the best choice, and seems like it might be an interesting atmosphere, but again I haven't heard much about it as far as what I've been able to find on the web.

Glenn Chan · May 4th, 2006, 02:09 AM

Don't go to film school for technical training... because they don't do a very good job of it. The best way to get that training is simply to work... get an entry-level job in the industry. If you want to get a job in film, the best thing to do is to start working. Use your money on gear or your own productions on the side.
By working, you'll be dealing with industry-level equipment and industry-level talent... film schools typically have neither. They can't afford industry-level gear, and not all the professors have been working.

There may, however, be other reasons to go to school.
i.e. To get a job in another field. Your film degree won't help you much in getting a job in film, but a degree can help you land jobs elsewhere. If film doesn't pan out for you, the degree will be handy if you want to look for something else.

Some people say that a university education helps broaden you, make you a more well-rounded individual. I don't know how much of that is true, but it might be a reason to go to school. And if you're also interested in things other than film, major in that. If you have the drive and talent, you'll get a job in film... a film degree is pretty irrelevant to whether or not you get a job in film. You will however need to do a little more work on the side if you don't go to film school.

If you're still figuring out what you want to do, I suggest you go do production assistant work on a shoot. You will have a good idea of what film jobs are like (well, production at least). Once you have an idea of what role you want to do, you will be so much more focused in your studies (i.e. on set).

May 3rd, 2006, 09:40 PM	#1
Hal Wolin Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Bellmore NY Posts: 27	NYC/Long Island Film Schools This september I will be transferring from a Suny School, that does not offer Film as a major to another school to complete a BFA in Film. I'm currently undecided between several schools, and was wondering if anyone has any feedback on these schools or anything I should think about in regards to these. 1.Five Towns College-www.ftc.edu The price per semester is about 7k, and it is located near my office. The program seems fairly similar to that of Hofstra or CW Post. However I have been unable to find anything either good or bad about this school, other than not too many people have heard of it. 2.CW Post-www.liu.edu The price is about 11k a semester, and other than the prestigous name it doesn't seem that much different from the Five Towns curriculum. I've heard some fairly good things about the film professors and that the students tend to be a tight knit group within the film program. However I'm not sure if other than the well known name, if there is anything particularly special about CW Post in regards to the Film Program.. Keep in mind I have been accepted to both of these colleges. 3.Hunter-Have to reapply to this school.- www.hunter.cuny.edu It's a city school, runs about 5k per semester, plus train fare which would bring it up to about 6k per semester. I've heard some pretty good things about this school, however I also have to figure in that I'd be working fulltime on Long Island and have to commute at least two days a week here. 4.SVA-Wasn't accepted.-Might reapply for Fall of '07 as a transfer. Is this worth the price? Any thoughts or suggestions on what I might want to look at. At the moment I'm most likely going to be deciding between Five Towns and CW Post. Five Towns seems like the best choice, and seems like it might be an interesting atmosphere, but again I haven't heard much about it as far as what I've been able to find on the web.

May 4th, 2006, 02:09 AM	#2
Glenn Chan Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 4,750	Don't go to film school for technical training... because they don't do a very good job of it. The best way to get that training is simply to work... get an entry-level job in the industry. If you want to get a job in film, the best thing to do is to start working. Use your money on gear or your own productions on the side. By working, you'll be dealing with industry-level equipment and industry-level talent... film schools typically have neither. They can't afford industry-level gear, and not all the professors have been working. There may, however, be other reasons to go to school. i.e. To get a job in another field. Your film degree won't help you much in getting a job in film, but a degree can help you land jobs elsewhere. If film doesn't pan out for you, the degree will be handy if you want to look for something else. Some people say that a university education helps broaden you, make you a more well-rounded individual. I don't know how much of that is true, but it might be a reason to go to school. And if you're also interested in things other than film, major in that. If you have the drive and talent, you'll get a job in film... a film degree is pretty irrelevant to whether or not you get a job in film. You will however need to do a little more work on the side if you don't go to film school. If you're still figuring out what you want to do, I suggest you go do production assistant work on a shoot. You will have a good idea of what film jobs are like (well, production at least). Once you have an idea of what role you want to do, you will be so much more focused in your studies (i.e. on set).