A lot of work goes into making a movie a masterpiece. Essentially, the majority of the work lies with the producer. Production expertise comes in levels, and you can boost your expertise when you attend any of the best colleges with film production majors.
According to Wikipedia, the global box office is worth $41.7 billion. Including box office and home entertainment revenue, the global film industry was worth $136 billion in 2018. Hollywood continues to top the charts regarding box office revenue followed by office gross revenue.
In this article, you’ll learn about film production, why you should think about a film production major, and the best colleges with film production majors as well.
Table of contents
- What is Film Production?
- How much is Film School?
- What Can You Do With a Film Major?
- 17 Best Colleges with Film Production Majors in 2024
- 17. Florida State University
- 16. Stanford University
- 15. Syracuse University
- 14. University of Wisconsin
- 13. The Polish National Film, Television and Theater School
- 12. University of Texas at Austin
- 11. University of North Carolina
- 10. La Femis
- 9. The National Film and Television School
- 8. Wesleyan University
- 7. Columbia University
- 6. The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
- 5. California Institute of the Arts
- 4. University of California Los Angeles
- 3. Beijing Film Academy
- 2. University of Southern California
- 1. American Film Institute
- FAQ
- Conclusion
- References
- Author’s Recommendations
What is Film Production?
Film production is the process of making a film, generally intended for extensive theatrical exhibition. Most times, these movies are premiered in cinemas before they get distributed to local stores.
Film production follows several discrete stages, including an initial story, idea, or commission, through screenwriting, casting, shooting, sound recording and pre-production, editing, and screening of the finished product before an audience that may result in a film release.
There are five film production stages: development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.
How much is Film School?
Of course, quality film schools don’t come at a cheap price. Hence, you have to be financially capable of sponsoring yourself throughout your stay.
Although all the schools don’t have a stipulated fee for studying in a film school, the average fee for schools like the California Institute of Arts and American Film Institute is about $35,000 per year.
On the other hand, if you cannot afford the tuition fee for any of the schools, you can leverage scholarships or check out other schools which were not listed here.
Read Also: Film Making Scholarships – World Scholarship Forum
What Can You Do With a Film Major?
Possessing a degree in film production can expose you to a large number of career opportunities. In fact, you can do more than the major film production into other smaller and strategic areas.
As a film production major, you can work as;
- Advertising art director
- Arts administrator
- Community arts worker
- Concept artist
- Event manager
- Marketing Executive
- Public relations officer
- Runner, broadcasting/film/video
In summary, possessing a film production major is a big deal as you remain in the creative business of content.
17 Best Colleges with Film Production Majors in 2023
Getting a degree in film production is not easy, but it gives you a strong edge. The colleges listed here have exceptional film production programs, and we have ranked them based on their academic structure, ranking and reputation.
Hence, the best colleges with film production majors include;
Read Also: Top 15 Best Film Schools In Canada To Study Right Now
17. Florida State University
Florida State University is one of the country’s most respected research and learning institutions. Founded in 1851, they have a rich long history and are one of the oldest sites of higher education in Florida.
FSU has an acceptance rate of 49% and a graduation rate of 79%. A true reflection of their desire to give smart and qualified students the training they need to forge ahead in their different career paths. Students can learn in any of their 16 separate colleges and 110 centers.
Their film school is top-notch and has produced a long list of plays, gaining popularity and viewership in many theatres. Hence, when it comes to colleges with film production majors, FSU makes the list.
16. Stanford University
Stanford University has a rich history filled with stories of innovations and breakthrough in different subject areas. Although they aren’t the best university in the world, they have created a standard that other schools can now follow.
Whether it is engineering, science, medicine, or law, Stanford will immediately present you with a structure that will eventually help you achieve your dreams. They’ve shown great strength in arts through their drama and theatre displays.
This university continues to remain innovative as they build more theatre and introduce more subject areas into their filmmaking department.
15. Syracuse University
Founded in 1831, Syracuse University is a private research university in Syracuse, New York. The University is a nonsectarian which has a solid relationship with the United Methodist Church.
SU has 13 schools and colleges, with nationally recognized programs in information studies and library science, architecture, communications, business administration, inclusive education and wellness, sport management, public administration, engineering and the College of Arts and Sciences.
The high research activity in SU makes it among the best research universities in the world. The University’s Office of Research promotes technology, research, scholarship as they assist faculty in external research support.
Read Also: 15 Undergraduate Scholarships For Film Making Students
14. University of Wisconsin
UW is a public research institution where the students, staff, and faculty members partake in a world-class education system thereby solving world problems. Over time, they’ve inspired political personalities and leaders alike. Additionally, they’ve fearlessly pursued and uncovered truths about educational best practices.
The Wisconsin Idea remains their guiding principle as they remain committed to creating a better future for their students. With over 700 degrees in different programs and a strong art department, they still remain one of the top colleges with a film production major.
13. The Polish National Film, Television and Theater School
Founded in 1948, Polish national film television and theatre school is the leading Polish academy for future actors, directors, photographers, camera operators and TV staff.
This school started up as two separate schools i.e a school for actors and another for filmmakers. Since their establishment, they’ve faced a lot of challenges in a bid to keep their head above water.
The School has three Oscar-winning alumni: Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda and Zbigniew Rybczyński, while alumnus Krzysztof Kieślowski was nominated for an Oscar.
12. University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is highly ranked among the biggest and best research universities in the country, UT Austin is home to over 50,000 students and 3,000 faculties of education.
In spite of the history of Austin, Texas, a city known for its innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, the university provides a place to explore unlimited opportunities for tomorrow’s artists, scientists, athletes, lawyers, entrepreneurs and engineers.
Whether you’re a scholar of the humanities, engineering or arts, there are dozens of highly dominating programs with a proven record of success. And this has been proven: The university is one of the top 20 public universities according to U.S. News & World Report.
UT Austin has an enduring symbol of the spirit of Texas, is to drive social and economic change while remaining creative. Hence, when you call colleges with film production majors, they cannot be left out.
11. University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is a public research university situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Currently, it is the flagship of the 17 campuses of the University of North Carolina system.
After becoming chartered in 1789, the university started admitting students in 1795, which causes it to claim to be among the oldest public universities in the world.
Historically, this university holds the record of graduating students in the 18th century. UNC offers degrees in over 60 courses among its fourteen colleges and the College of Arts and Sciences.
All undergraduates receive a liberal arts education and usually have the option to pursue a major within the professional schools of the university or within the College of Arts and Sciences from the time they obtain this status.
UNC is one of the colleges with film production majors wherein students can study and get a degree.
10. La Femis
La Fémis is the film and television school of PSL Research University. However, FEMIS is an acronym for Fondation Européenne pour les Métiers de l’Image et du Son. It is located in Paris and offers courses balanced between artistic research, professional development and technical training.
This school enhances an applied cinephilia, in which the study of films past and present underwrites advanced skills in the practicalities of filmmaking. Hence, they possess a tradition of encouraging advanced auteurist ambitions among the new students.
The total program duration lasts for four years. For the first year, they all follow the same general course: initiation into diverse jobs involved in filmmaking, running research in every technical position within a film crew.
9. The National Film and Television School
Established in 1971, the National Film and Television School is a film, television and game school based at Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.
NFTS community of students produce about a hundred and fifty films a year on courses over 90% practical, unlike courses offered at other UK film schools. Historically, as of 2017, it had over 400 students and about a thousand a year on its short courses.
This film school has won many accolades in different categories. Notably, the National Film and Television School won accolades in all three categories in the CILECT Prize. This made them one of the top film schools in the world in over 57 countries.
8. Wesleyan University
Founded in 1831, Wesleyan University is a private university located in Middletown, Connecticut. Currently, they have a graduation rate of 94% and an acceptance rate of 16%.
Undergraduates can get a Bachelor of Arts in one (or more) of 45 major concentrations. As many as a third of these majors are interdisciplinary in structure as students can get certificates in any of their eleven fields.
Every art student gets the proper training they need so as to be able to write scripts and produce movie scripts as well. When it comes to colleges with film production majors, Wesleyan holds the bars.
7. Columbia University
Columbia University is one of the world’s most important centres of research and simultaneously an exceptional learning environment for all students in different professional fields.
Indeed, this University understands the relevance of its location in New York City thereby they seek to build a link to all its centres.
Furthermore, they’re interested in creating a diverse and international faculty and student body, to support research on universal challenges. Subsequently, CU hopes to create academic relationships with many countries and regions.
As a result, they expect all areas of the University to promote knowledge and learning at the strongest level.
6. The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Founded in 1946, The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague is a film and television school located in the Czech Republic. Today, they remain the fifth oldest film school in the world.
FAMU consists of about eleven departments: Directing, Documentary filmmaking, Scriptwriting and Dramaturgy, Animated Film, Cinematography, Sound Design, Editing, Production, Photography, and the FAMU Center for AudioVisual Studies, focusing on contemporary audiovisual at the intersection between theory and practice.
English remains the language of instruction for a good number of programs in this school. Studies are offered at the bachelors, masters and doctoral levels. Hence, when it comes to colleges with film production majors, FAMA is a good choice.
5. California Institute of the Arts
Incorporated in 1961, The California Institute of Arts is a private university in Santa Clarita, California. Today, they have a graduation rate of 87% and an acceptance rate of 24% as well.
This college has six schools, including Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater. These schools offer Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees.
Every student receives intensive professional training in the area of their career purpose without being fit into a rigid pattern. Hence, you can’t exempt this school from colleges with film production majors.
4. University of California Los Angeles
UCLA is a pure public research university in California, United States. As a very keen research institute, research is a key area of everything they pursue. In fact, research is the most important of the program and takes the highest attention.
The academic calendar usually gives students a premium opportunity to execute their research outside the university. In addition, their schedules are flexible enough so as to accommodate transfer students.
Their art department has created stunning images while recording awesome displays in drama and filmmaking. As a top college, they already have a strong film production major available for interested students to apply.
3. Beijing Film Academy
Beijing Film Academy is the largest institution specializing in Asia’s tertiary education for film and television production. This academy has earned international recognition for its achievements in film production.
This film school has courses in scriptwriting, film theory, film directing, film and television production, film acting, film and television art design, advertisements, animations, sound art, cinematography, photography, and entertainment management.
Their variety of programs such as night school courses, vocational courses and correspondence courses make them one of the best institutes where you can get a film production major.
2. University of Southern California
USC’s programs have frequently sat at the top of charts in ranking for film production. In fact, they’ve been there too long they feel entitled.
All students at USC enjoy education tailored to good values. Additionally, their legacy of rigorous analysis of the built environment in traditional sectors such as transportation, housing and real estate, economic development, environmental sustainability, and healthy community development has led to key discoveries.
Notably, an award-winning faculty, they keep pioneering the path to critically leverage new data and visualization communication to address immigration, arts and culture, and technology. UCS totally works to build a just, inclusive, thriving, and beautiful world.
At UCS, the flexibility and structure of their program make them outstanding. And their degree and graduate certificate programs are world-class.
1. American Film Institute
American Film Institute is an American film organization that teaches filmmakers and honours the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is sponsored by private funding and public membership fees.
This school has produced a lot of outstanding movies as their students keep pushing the borders of creativity in their scriptwriting. Their results only speak highly of their efforts to keep innovating and leading other film schools.
FAQ
Yes, NYU film school is totally worth it.
Yes, film school exposes to relevant knowledge and opportunities in the filmmaking industry.
Film school takes about two to four years before you can complete the program.
You can get a lot of jobs with a film degree such as Arts Administrator, Community arts worker, event manager and concept artist.
Conclusion
For a movie that streams for about an hour, statistics reveal that it takes nothing less than six months to a year to get it ready. Funnily enough, most of them take close to five years before any execution.
Hence, the duty of film production is not an easy task. From the scriptwriting, directing, and makeup down to other activities, it takes a toll on the whole team.
To be a professional in the film industry, you must possess a major in film production. This major will eventually become the stepping stone from which you can soar in your production career.
References
- hollywoodreporter.com/news/25-best-film-schools-rankings
- prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/film-studies
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmmaking
- education.costhelper.com/film-school
- filmconnection.com/reference-library/film-education
- prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/film-studies
