Film School Confidential: The Insider's Guide To Film Schools (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Author) "Twenty-five years ago film schools were campus jokes..." (more)
Key Phrases: best things about the program, worst things about the program, living expenses for three years, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Thinking about going to film school? Don't send in that application just yet--first read this book, the definitive guide to film schools around the country. The 26 institutions reviewed are rated according to the quality and accessibility of their equipment, the kind of films their faculty encourage students to make ("industry," "independent," "experimental"), and cost. The authors discuss the schools' programs in detail, advise readers about whether film school is the right choice for them, provide tips about getting into the programs, and describe what to expect once film school begins. Karin Kelly and Tom Edgar's prose is spirited and their entertaining introductory portrait of the state of American filmmaking will interest anyone who cares about contemporary movies. An informative and amusing glossary closes the volume, which explains why no one should try to lift an ARRI kit by the handle, why "experimental film" is just another word for "cinematic masturbation," and why no good movie script ever contained the line, "you just don't get it, do you?" --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Now completely revised-all there is to know on getting into the right schools and making the experience count.

This completely revised edition of Film School Confidential continues to offer the inside scoop on every major film school program in the country. A must-have guide for students who are considering applying to film school, this book provides more than 20 profiles of the best film school programs across the country. Covering such key areas as curriculum, student body, reputation, and employment options for film school grads, the authors provide solid, objective information on each program as well as snippets from interviews with students and faculty members.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Perigee Trade (April 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399533192
• ISBN-13: 978-0399533198
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,666 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Book -- With a Few Flaws, February 16, 2000

By	Nathan Southern (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Film School Confidential (Perigee) (Paperback)

In "Film School Confidential," Karin Kelly and Tom Edgar offer a decent exploration of 26 of the most highly-regarded graduate school film programs in the country. All of the basic information is here -- admission deadlines, enrollment, program requirements -- and yet, the book carries a few serious flaws. First, Kelly and Edgar restrict their focus to graduate programs, but ignore undergrad programs in film. Also, the authors focus solely on film production and directing programs, yet ignore the many other aspects of film taught at these universities, especially screenwriting. (Some of the reviews even fail to mention that the schools provide other options within the film major, leading the less cautious, non-production oriented reader to dismiss those schools as an option.) Edgar and Kelly's laid-back, ultra-personal writing style and narratives about their individual film experiences may appeal to some, yet I find the style much too informal and the tone ultimately discouraging. But it may be a matter of taste. Those who seek a more formal and comprehensive guide to film schools should take a look at Ernest Pintoff's "The Complete Guide to American Film Schools."

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent resource, July 9, 2001

By	Stephanie Smith "a98hoya" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Film School Confidential (Perigee) (Paperback)

During my senior year of college, while I was applying to film school, this book proved quite helpful. Very little is written about graduate programs in the arts (at least that I've been able to find) compared to Law, Medical or MBA programs and, beyond the Internet, word of mouth and professors, it is good to have an additional source to consult (especially one written by two MFA film grads from NYU!)

So far, I have found Film School Confidential to present a fair, accurate and honest portrait of what I have expereinced. The authors want to make sure a potential MFA candidate in film knows what he/she is signing up for. I did not find this book to be discouraging: just realistic.

Schools are reviewed in depth. One thing I found to be of particular help was the discussion of how production staff roles were determined. In some schools, a student might never get a chance to direct, even if that student came to study directing; whereas in other programs, students rotate through postions and have the opportunity to learn to edit, write, direct, produce, etc,... I found that the literature a school would make available to its applicants did not cover this information. It was only when I specifically asked the question to the film department itself that I determined how they approached this VERY important aspect of a film student's education.

For me, learning to ask that question alone was worth the price of the book. But, in fact, there really is a lot more - especially with regard to the mission and philosophy of each school (yes, they really are quite different.) If you are seriously considering getting your MFA in film, this book is an excellent resource.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Some nice points, but not comprehensive enough., August 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Film School Confidential (Perigee) (Paperback)

The writing in this book is smooth and accessible, and the authors did gather a great deal of information about some things. But not enough, or even very much that is consistently applicable. All they said about undergrad programs was that you should not attend them. Well...a lot of people do though, and those high school students should not be told that their decision was wrong.

They assume that individuals attend film school with the sole intent of a) being a director and b) directing features. There are four other traditional areas that aspiring artists choose to specialize in, and some schools are better for things such as editing, cinematography, design, and sound than others are. They also don't mention that a film degree has value beyond a film career -- one can enter advertising and other creative fields with it too. In addition, there is not enough coverage of other institutions. Los Angeles City College, an under-appreciated community college has the most graduates working in the industy, more than USC and UCLA combined. So what if they don't have an MFA program? Looks like the place gets the job done.

I advise film school potentials to read through the few interesting parts in a bookstore, instead of buying it.