Earn top marks in Hollywood with a film school degree. Read our guide to some of the best graduate film schools in the U.S. and what it takes to get to the head of the class. Things kick off with ''boot camp,'' a month long crash course in moviemaking that puts everyone on the same filmmaking page. Everyone works on three exercise films, each of which is generally about 15 minutes in length and shot on digital video. Aspiring screenwriters write the screenplays for these projects, producers produce, and so on.
Students then pitch their second year thesis projects to faculty, which gives the green light.
During the second year, fellows take a full slate of classes such as Advanced Cinematography Workshop and Advanced Art and Craft of Screenwriting. AFI's strong suit is production, and fellows graduate truly knowing their way around a set. This is home for budding Hollywood auteurs. A nonstop filmorama. Students make a number of shorts, then break into groups of four and make a single 16 mm film.