American Film Institute Conservatory Reviews of Master's in Film Production

"If you have money to burn and are not expecting much of an education or a diverse enough portfolio to be competitive professionally then by all means go here. This school is charging top dollar for their name. Their equipment is old, their academic rigor in several disciplines is non existent. The teachers are not properly equipped to be successful and there is not enough of them or much substance to the program outside of shooting cycles. You are giving them money to shoot films, which you can do on your own. They do not prepare their students for realities in the industry, there is an extreme lack of diversity in the upper echelon of the staff and thought that permeates the program. Chapman utilizes a similar approach and has better equipment, facilities, and support, and is less expensive."

"Coming into AFI I thought it was my dream school. I was so proud when I got in and I had such high hopes. It was such a huge disappointment and one that I will be in debt for for a very long time. The school is so poorly run. There is no curriculum. It feels like a cult, teachers tell on you constantly to the dept head. If you ask a question they often don't answer the email or it gets forwarded to the track head and treated like you should already know the information that you are paying their bills to learn. They send formal progress reports for absences, lateness etc. People you've never personally interacted with grade you on your personality. Most of the faculty like keeping up some sort of hazing facade of military level sternness and are belittling to try to "break you". It's a creatively unfulfilling place. You have school 7 days a week with no breaks and the faculty never let up with constant assignments/deadlines and research papers during this schedule. You are always exhausted and have no time to study or do reading if you want to sleep at all. The positives do not outweigh the mental torture of this school. People usually won't talk about how terrible this school really is because they want to keep up the facade themselves for spending this much money -so somehow the reputation remains intact, despite the reality of the institution. Just shoot, get on sets -get on AFI sets if you don't believe me-around mid-Spring of the 1st year's cycle 3's and see those thousand yard stares of the cinematographers for yourselves. Run. far. away. Save yourselves."

"AFI is a transformative graduate film program that will enable you master the craft of your chosen discipline. Its transformative because you get to grow personally and professionally, learning how to multi task in a stressful environment, as well as enable you to learn form not only the industry professionals but also your fellow fellows who are truly talented and diverse."

"The pros of this program include the enormous network of working professionals that are your peers and your mentors. Moving to LA it is really valuable to establish a solid network of talented people. Cons include the price of the school which hardly gives out any financial aid."

"It's a very ambitious graduate program and helps fellows connect to professional people in the film industry outside of the school. It's very expensive and financial aid is not enough for me."

"This program is amazing! but since being a conservatory it demands your 24/7 attention, you must dream about your work, and what you have to do next, and that is both a pro, and con."

"Afi is incredible, it's intense and competitive, not for everyone."

"AFI provides not only the top level of faculty who still work in the industry today but also some of the most talented students. Being surrounded with such high standards immediately raised the bar for my own efforts. Through the course of the 2 year program you make several films. You are learning from trial and error, and boy do they make sure you never forget your errors. Their guests include some of the biggest names in the film industry and getting to screen their films before the official release is definitely a huge perk. The school leaves a life changing impression and although there's not even time to breath while attending, it has been incredibly rewarding and worth the high cost of tuition."

"AFI is by far the best film school in the world. The workload immerses you so deeply into the art of visual storytelling that you immediately feel a progress in your train of thought and in the output of your work. Their faculty comprises of all successful individuals in their own right and they support your endeavors not only in the classroom but beyond. As a soon graduate of their program, I highly recommend this institution."

"The American Film Institute Conservatory is a very unique grad school program. There I am studying production design and I am successfully doing so. Coming from an architecture background I was afraid of not being able to keep up with other film students however I am learning more than I have ever imagined and I believe I am being successfully prepared for life beyond school."

"Strong Graduate Program that provides you with the tools needed to both learn and grow within your field. Very strong networking opportunities."