AFI students shoot a scene in a Los Angeles studio. Ray Chang/Courtesy of AFI Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on Reddit Post a Comment Share on Whats App Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Print the Article Share on Tumblr "Before film school, we were just making short films on our own. We did everything - camera, lighting, acting," say Matt and Ross Duffer, the duo behind the Netflix smash hit Stranger Things. It wasn't until they went to Chapman University that they found what they call their "first true creative community." Finding future collaborators and a strong alumni network continue to be some of the biggest selling points of film schools. But with cheap filmmaking tech (think iPhones) and access to nascent generative AI, the barrier to entry continues to lower for would-be directors, meaning the nation's top films schools are rapidly updating facilities and curricula to keep pace with a changing industry. Virtual production courses are becoming a must, as schools add LED walls and camera systems to allow real-time virtual filmmaking, while AI is being taught in courses like AI for Creative Professionals (Syracuse University) and Producing and Screenwriting With AI (LMU). But there was no AI used to compile The Hollywood Reporter's annual list of the world's best film schools. Instead, we did it the old-fashioned way - by considering new facilities, equipment and endowments as well as alumni successes (NYU grad Sean Baker swept this year's Oscars, after all). USC Image Credit: Habib Zargarpour/Courtesy of USC LOS ANGELES When it comes to selling students on a new class about the success of the movie musical Wicked, it's all the more helpful when the school can claim the director, Jon M. Chu, as an alum. The private university remains one of the more expensive offerings on this list (485 students received aid directly from the film school, according to USC), with a curriculum and facilities that (nearly) justify a hefty price tag. As Hollywood continues to contend with the realities of AI and emerging tech, the School of Cinematic Arts received an advantageous donation to give their students a leg up. A $25 million gift from the Blavatnik Family Foundation will establish a 15,000-square-foot center with wraparound LED panel walls, new lighting and camera systems, as well as two soundstages and classrooms. Elsewhere, the newly established Steven M. Rales Cinematography Fund will permanently support the school's cinematography program. But more than new equipment or endowments, the nearly century-old film school's alumni network cannot be beat. Ryan Coogler met producing partner Sev Ohanian in USC's grad program, and this year they released the blockbuster Sinners. Ohanian counts the narrative filmmaking course CTPR 546 with producer John Watson as his favorite class, where students build out a creative team and pitch a project: "Years later, while working on Fruitvale Station, I kept thinking, 'This feels like 546 - just with more zeros.' " TUITION $73,260 (undergraduate); $49,495 to $65,726 (graduate) ALUMNI Shonda Rhimes, Anora producer Alex Coco New York University NEW YORK CITY Alum Sean Baker dominated this year's Oscars, bringing home four statuettes for his film Anora, including best picture. With the opening of the Martin Scorsese Virtual Production Center, the school has launched a one-year Master of Professional Study (MPS) in virtual production for which the inaugural class of 22 students trained on two 3,500-square-foot, double-height, column-free virtual production stages. For students focused on traditional film and TV production, there is a Special Topics in Virtual Production toe-dip class that focuses on generative AI. The school has upgraded its fleet of equipment, including new LED lighting gear, Arri Alexa 35 for graduate students, and Canon C70 and Canon XF605 for the documentary-focused curriculum. As for faculty, new additions include screenwriter Lara Shapiro (The Americans), while Spider-Man director and alum Jon Watts taught several master classes to undergraduates. TUITION $72,082 (undergraduate); $79,712 (graduate) ALUMNI Hacks co-creator Jen Statsky, Spike Lee American Film Institute LOS ANGELES At this year's Cannes, AFI alums were all over the lineup, from Ari Aster in the main competition with Eddington to Un Certain Regard entry The Plague by 2017 grad Charlie Polinger to cinematographer Matthew Libatique with Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest. AFI's conservatory-style graduate school continues to have a strong alumni network, but it comes with one of the highest tuition costs on this list (the school says it awarded nearly $2 million in scholarships last year). Partnering with Amazon, a $200,000 grant will see students test AI-driven tools that, if successful, will be integrated into the curriculum. Sinners cinematographer and AFI alum Autumn Durald Arkapaw counts cinematography chair Stephen Lighthill (G