Los Angeles still reigns as the world's film-making capital. Thus, some of the most prestigious and recognized film schools are located near this famous city. They include the University of Southern California (USC), the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the American Film Institute (AFI), and the California Institute of the Arts (CALARTS).
All of these colleges offer Master of Fine Arts degrees in directing, among other film-making crafts like editing, screenwriting, or producing. Additionally, since they are located near the hub of the film-making world, many also feature special lectures or even classes with some of the film industry's biggest names.
The landscape of film-making has changed, and you no longer have to live near Los Angeles to make it as a filmmaker. But being next to another large film-production hub like New York City can be a big plus. One of the best graduate film programs on the East Coast is offered at New York University's (NYU's) Tisch School of the Arts. It features director Spike Lee as one of the college's artistic directors and has an upcoming class in 2011 that will be taught by actor James Franco. Another notable graduate film school in New York City is Columbia University.
There are also a number of Ivy League schools that offer prestigious film degrees. In addition to Columbia University (listed above), The University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and Yale all offer MFAs in film. Columbia University focuses on the craft of film production. University of Pennsylvania's program focuses on the film theory that provides an invaluable basis for making films. Yale, Cornell, and University of Pennsylvania, on the other hand, have graduate film programs that teach theory but also offer film-making workshops and classes.
Despite the fact that New York and Los Angeles are still the centers of the production world, filmmakers in many other areas of the nation have begun churning out well-received independent films. Respected film schools are popping up all over the country, particularly near these areas. Austin, Texas features one of these schools, with the University of Texas at Austin Graduate Film, Television, and Radio program. This program gives hands-on film-making experience within Austin's thriving independent film scene.
Other notable graduate film schools include Vanderbilt University, which teaches theory and encourages graduate students to create and compete with short films, and Ohio University's School of Graduate Film-Making, which offers an MFA in film production in various tracks like directing, design, or editing.