School of Filmmaking

Ranked among the best film schools in the country, the filmmaking school at UNCSA knows that you won’t become a filmmaker by just sitting in a classroom. In your first two years at UNCSA, you will direct and shoot numerous digital projects as you take hands-on courses in every facet of modern film production. Then you’ll choose a concentration—animation, cinematography, directing, editing & sound design, producing, production design, or screenwriting—and collaborate with classmates on original short films, submitted to festivals around the world.

As a filmmaking student, you’ll be taught by and be able to network with industry professionals—those on faculty and visiting guest artists. You will learn industry standards and protocol, and practice your craft on state-of-the-art sound stages and studios with professional equipment. Every spring, you will have the opportunity to attend screenings at RiverRun International Film Festival, which we co-host on our campus. Your senior year, you’ll travel to Los Angeles with faculty mentors from your concentration to screen your films for industry executives and influential UNCSA alumni. The goal of our conservatory is for you to become a “complete” filmmaker—an experienced storyteller skilled in all facets of the moving image arts.