A guide to studying abroad for American film majors

The film industry in the United States is very strong, and it is inseparable from the contribution made by film education. How to apply for going to America to watch movies? Through the introduction of this article, you will soon understand.

First, the film professional application suggestions

Time planning is important.

Whether undergraduate or graduate, portfolio (short film works) is the decisive factor of a good school. Every school has different requirements for script creation and film proposal creation, which are equally important. It takes at least a few months in advance to conceive the requirements of these school spirit copywriting.

This means that if you want to sleep normally and have to prepare languages, documents and school courses, you'd better start preparing your portfolio nine months before applying.

Professional guidance is essential.

If you are a student who has never been exposed to movies, you must complete your portfolio under the guidance of professionals, otherwise, blind preparation will waste a lot of time and you will not achieve your goal.

If conditions permit, if you can communicate with foreign teachers and exchange different cultural backgrounds with each other, your ideas will be very new and different.

Language scores should not be relaxed.

For students who apply for undergraduate films, colleges pay more attention to standardized test scores, that is, TOEFL/IELTS scores; The language requirements of colleges and universities can be relaxed when film majors apply for graduate students, but if they apply for a good school, they must get at least 90 points.

Creativity is key.

The requirement of short film shooting is to highlight one's creativity, ideas and storytelling ability. You can improve the picture quality if you have the ability.

Remember that in the student application stage, the admissions officer pays more attention to your creativity and control through short films, rather than how exquisite and gorgeous your pictures are, so you still need to work hard on creativity.

Do your homework and refuse to copy.

If you have a school that you really want to go to, you must do your homework before making the portfolio, that is, investigate the students' styles and preferences in depth, and then try your best to prepare for the production. Stop copying!

Second, the film professional setting

cinematics

More than 300 universities in the United States offer major and minor courses in film studies at the undergraduate level. Most of the courses offered are film theory, film history, film video production, film aesthetics and so on.

Film historiography

This major is not much in America. In fact, most of this direction is included in film research.

Screenwriter/creative writing

The major of script writing mainly cultivates students' creative writing, script writing and writing ability. The purpose is to cultivate a large number of outstanding talents and provide writing support for entertainment and art.

cinematography

At present, there is no professional education above undergraduate level in this major. Considering that this is a practical and experienced major, I have accumulated a lot of experience beyond academic study and degree qualification.

film performances

Most universities offer drama majors, and stage performance is generally considered as the basis of all performances. There is no need to set up a separate film and television performance major.

film-making

The professional film academy provides students with a complete set of film production schemes and solutions, which is more professional and commercial than the traditional film production under the Media College or the Art College.

Third, the advantages of studying abroad in American film major

The American film industry is more developed and mature.

In the United States, the film industry is extremely mature. From pre-preparation, shooting and post-production, every step has strict standards and guidance, so the films made in this industrial environment are above the qualified level.

The first country with a complete film industry.

When it comes to a mature and perfect film industry, people's first reaction is often Hollywood in the United States. Indeed, looking around the world, it seems that only the United States has the ability to produce a large-scale film industry, such as our favorite large-scale science fiction movies and action movies.

The United States has the core driving force for the prosperity of the film industry-"global distribution capability". The United States is the only film industry system with global distribution capability.

There is a sound film education system.

American film major is divided into four main directions: industry, independence, documentary and experiment. American film teaching is more scientific in the division of disciplines and majors. Students can fully contact with all aspects of film production and broaden their employment and development space. American film majors pay more attention to students' practice, so many courses are arranged for students to practice shooting.

There are many opportunities for internship in the crew.

In American universities, film teaching attaches great importance to practical operation and organizes many shooting and creative teams among college students. Therefore, during your study, you will have many opportunities to contact the crew and have a strong sense of participation. You even have to take the lead in setting up short film assignments yourself. After a few years in college, you are already a very mature director/screenwriter/photographer/editor.

In addition, the United States is the most developed region in the global film industry, and it is also a sacred place in the eyes of many film students. Studying and practicing here, you can meet industry elites from all over the world. Many well-known predecessors in China will also go to the United States for further study and learn more advanced film art and technology.