Insights on Digital Media and Higher Education

Recently, we investigated the data behind The Hollywood Reporter’s yearly film school rankings, exploring what it took for cinema programs to be “the best.” As we mentioned then, one of the first things noticeable about THR’s lists was the switch from including international schools in its lineups to focusing only on schools within the United States. As a result, a number of important and impactful programs around the world have seemingly disappeared from the trade magazine’s notice—many of them more selective and innovative than U.S. schools. To make up for this, we’ve compiled a rundown of some of the best international film schools.

Recently, we took a look at the rankings for top film schools in the U.S. Yet, just because students go to a great film school doesn’t mean they’ll always end up with the best professors. We’ve used these students’ own reviews on RateMyProfessor.com to find out the five best and worst traits in film schools instructors.

When people talk about film school and screen craft, it can often seem as though we only focus on what audiences see: lighting, visual editing, production design, or mise-en-scène. Yet sound is just as vital to artful filmmaking, as well as an important pillar of a film student’s education.

At VideoBlocks, we know a thing or two about entrepreneurship in filmmaking. Almost ten years ago we were an army of one; Joel Holland, our founder and CEO, sold his stock video footage in VHS bundles through eBay. This eventually became the inspiration behind our company as Joel looked to provide easily accessible and affordable stock footage. Today we’re more than 60 strong with an expansive digital download library. Though Joel’s vision was specific to his goal of building a stock video company, his enterprising attitude is something that he holds in common with the rest of the filmmaking community, taking part in a much larger entrepreneurial tradition in the industry.

Here at VideoBlocks for Education, one of our company’s core values is that “we heart data,” which is why we began to wonder after looking at the numbers from The Hollywood Reporter’s most recent film school rankings, what exactly does it mean to be on the top, and how do schools get there?