So I'm moving to CA in a few months and I can't decide which school to go to. I have decided that I don't want to attend one of the big Universitys like UCLA and USC. I have already been to a two year school and don't want to go through all the academics again. I basically have narrowed it down to three choices -- New York Film Academy at Universal, The American Film Institute, or Brooks Institute. I have been accepted to Brooks, but its a three year program and they have been kind of shady to me so far.But anyway, Which of these three schools do you guys think is the best? I would love good and bad opinions of these schools. Thanks

I know you said that you've already been to a 2 year school but have you considered attending. Los Angeles City College. It's a lot chepaer than the schools your considering going to.

I'm currently attending the one year film program at NYFA and I highly recommend it. It's a very intense hands on immersion program.

you can most likely transfer your academics so you dont have to do them and just focus on film (USC/UCLA)

I would definitely recommend USC and UCLA...I am not sure whether you can attend AFI at all after only 2 years of college.

For what it's worth, I agree with Hoeks about transferring to one of the more traditional schools.

AFI is hands down the best of the aforementioned three, but without an undergrad degree your chances of being considered there are slim to none as it is predominately an MFA program. They do occasionally take non-college grads (Same program with a certificate instead of a degree), but they prefer them to have 3-5 years working experience in film.

I know very little about the other 2 schools. Brooks is one of the top still photography programs in the world, so that ought to be worth something (Or not). The primary downfall there is that it's 2 hours away from L.A.

Good luck wherever you go!

Nota "What about the Tuscon Film School at Anchorage?" Mono