Hi Folks, I'm a film student/enthusiast with wild aspirations of producing and directing feature films in the not-so-distant future. My film related education to this point consists primarily of film aesthetics courses, filmic writing courses, and a myriad of production courses. (For budgetary reasons, all of my production courses have been confined to video, though most of my portfolio pieces have been shot "film-style".) My practical experience consists almost entirely of video based endeavors. In any case, I'm not here to plead for a job. I merely seek advice: I produced a somewhat unique student-weekly in high school for two years, and I'll be finished with the "two-year" community college program in which I have been developing my portfolio for the past three years, quite soon. (It's probably the best publicly funded facility in California short of UCLA, which requires Junior standing and super-hero status anyway.) I studied Anthropology in England, France, and Germany for a couple of semesters, hence I'm 23 years old, and just now looking at transferring to a film program at a major institution. Academically, I've done quite well, and my portfolio, (visual and written), is probably pretty unique. Anyway, the time when I must submit my portfolio and applications for school in the Fall of '95, is drawing near. So far, I'm planning to apply at: 1. UCLA - I've heard that the undergraduate program may soon disappear? 2. USC - An execellent program which provides a hot-bed of contacts? 3. NYU (Tich School of The Arts) - The best? 4. California Institute of The Arts - I understand that this is Disney's "farm" of new talent? 5. Art Center School of Design (Pasadena, CA) - It's a good school, but is there industry contact here? 6. Kunst Hochschule (Munich, Germany) - A wonderful school... but my reel would be in German. 7. Northwestern - Any information would be appreciated. 8. University of Colorado - Location, location, location! 9. San Diego State - A good school... More media oriented? 10. Cal State Northridge - A good school, but probably my "safety-net". In any case, my questions: Am I missing a particular school that I would do well to consider? Can any of you offer any input regarding these or any other schools which may serve my needs? Am I missing the boat entirely? Would I be better off staying in Los Angeles for purposes of industry contact/nepotistic opportunity? Basically... I need information from people who KNOW! Thanks, guys. I'm new to SCREEN-L, so hold the flames if I'm asking something I shouldn't. By the way... I've been told by many that a degree in Film is a waste of time, but for me... with relatively few contacts and a creative skill that remains largely undeveloped, I believe it's the right thing to do. You can forward replies to: [log in to unmask] (...or post directly to the list, as this information might interest additional readers.)