How to Differentiate Between the Best Film Making Institutes and Mediocre Ones

So, how do you differentiate between a great film making institute and a mediocre one? Well, apart from the five essential pointers mentioned below, there are certain fundamental things that you as a student (or parents of a student) should conside rwhen evaluating the best colleges for filmmaking or even the top film schools in the world.   

Reputation

The goodwill of an educational institution is of great importance, especially when it comes to higher education. If you are looking for a college that offers a degree in filmmaking and related subjects, you would ideally want to enrol only if the said filmmaking institute is well-known in this sub-domain. For instance, Seamedu School of Pro-Expressionism and Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) are two of the frontrunners in the filmmaking space. Having been around for a long time, these institutes have carved their own niche and emerged as the preferred best colleges for filmmaking in India. 

Churn Out

What is the average churn rate for students who apply for a film-making course at the institute you are looking at? How many students are chosen for the degree program? Numbers can give you a broad overview of a college's performance. However, it works both ways. Just because an institute accepts a more significant number of students doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a good place to study filmmaking. It might mean they are mass-producing film-making students and raking in the profits. On the flip side, just because a college enrols only a small number of students yearly doesn’t necessarily mean they are focused on quality over quantity. When you look at the churn rate, also make sure that you ask questions about things like the faculty: student ratio – it will tell you a far better story than anything else and give you a good perspective of things.

Past Placement Record

Placements mean a lot in today’s world of cutthroat competition in the job market. Checking the college’s placement record from the recent past can put you at ease and help the decision-making process. After all, even if you are planning to work on your own on a project-to-project basis or as a freelance film maker, it is important that the institute you study at gives you ample opportunities to connect with prospective employers and peers from the industry.

Best Film Making Colleges Vs. Mediocre Institutes

Now that we have covered the basics, it is time to dive into five significant factors differentiating the best filmmaking institutes and top film schools in the world from relatively mediocre or substandard ones.

1. Course Content and Structure

When you set out to learn film making, most students are unaware of the skills they will need in the real world, once they graduate. You will find that most film making colleges in India focus on very limited aspects of the craft of storytelling, possibly teaching you only the basics of film direction, production and camera handling. In an ideal scenario, you should look at the course content closely in order to gauge the level of depth the program offers. For example, in Seamedu’s degree in film making course, the comprehensiveness of the program cannot be understated. From conceptualization, camera and lighting, production, film research and film editing, to understanding the history of cinema, film genres and equipment – the course covers almost every relevant aspect of film making that you would need to be familiar with.  Seamedu's emphasis on in-depth knowledge sets it apart as one of the best colleges for filmmaking.

2. Faculty

If the course content and course structure are fantastic but the college doesn’t have experienced faculty to disseminate and deliver all this knowledge, it is of no use. The best film making institutes in India place a lot of emphasis on hiring and retaining teachers, professors and film makers who have gathered abundant experience in the field and are equally adept at training the next generation of aspiring film makers. Ensure that you look at who the faculty members are, what their qualifications are, what projects they have worked on in the past, and what ex-students have to say about them. You can check the college website to know the faculty, or contact the filmmaking institute’s academic counselor to learn more about them.

If you're considering a more global perspective, it’s worth looking into cinematography schools that offer world-class programs. Many top film schools worldwide provide extensive practical experience and exposure to international filmmaking standards. You might also want to explore best colleges for filmmaking that offer specialized courses in cinematography, directing, and editing.

3. Infrastructure and Facilities

When it comes to courses in filmmaking, studying in an environment that takes you closest to real projects is of utmost importance. And that calls for world-class facilities that include high-end workstations, state-of-the-art film shooting equipment, well-equipped AV labs, the latest postproduction software, etc. At Seamedu, the film department in every campus is loaded with cutting-edge technology, making it one of the best colleges for filmmaking, and the college provides students with everything they might need to make their films during the course. 

4. Industry Association

Networking, interacting with industry experts, visiting film studios and leveraging internship opportunities – these things are essential for aspiring film makers. Good institutes ensure that they provide their students with all of the above, helping them learn, network and get a firsthand experience of the film and television industry while they are still learning the art and science of film making. Seamedu, for instance, regularly invites industry professionals to visit the campus and interact with the film students. The college also organizes industrial visits, studio tours and gives students a fair chance to apply for internships at some of the best media houses around the country.

5. Hands-On Training

Learning the theoretical aspects of filmmaking won’t get you too far. Filmmaking institute students must be given a free hand to experiment with film production technology and equipment, work on live projects, create their films from scratch, and get their hands dirty on the hardware and software they are expected to use as filmmakers. A lot of mediocre cinematography schools focus too much on theory and classroom training, which in turn may equip a student with the ‘knowledge,’ but fail to develop practical ‘skills’. Institutes like Seamedu or FTII are known to emphasize the experiential learning aspect – in fact, Seamedu’s course in filmmaking is structured in such a way that 70% of the program focuses on practical learning or hands-on learning.

So, there you have it. The considerations above are critical while choosing the correct best colleges for filmmaking for your career aspirations. Seamedu offers degree and diploma courses in filmmaking at its Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chandigarh campuses, positioning it as one of the top film schools in the world. 

Explore our all-encompassing filmmaking degree courses now!