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The Los Angeles Film School was founded by Hollywood professionals with the goal of balancing the practical with the academic. The LAFS is located on Sunset Boulevard, near Vine Street, in Hollywood, California. LAFS offers a one year, "hands on", immersion program, educating students in the science, craft and theory of filmmaking.
| Type | Private college Certificate only |
|---|---|
| Established | 1999 |
| President | Diana Derycz-Kessler |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www.lafilm.com |
 | |
History
The Los Angeles Film School opened its doors to its first class on September 8, 1999. The school is located at 6363 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Before becoming the home of The Los Angeles Film School, the building at 6363 was a RCA recording studio where it played host to artists such as Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, John Williams, Eartha Kitt, The Monkees, Jefferson Airplane, and Henry Mancini, among others.
In 2001 Diana Derycz-Kessler, a Harvard Law graduate, took over its management and now directs things from Florida. [1]
Academics
The school teaches Producing, Directing, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Sound Recording and Design and Screenwriting. ( All teachers do say this is "Not a writing school" )
The school stresses practical learning, giving video cameras to students the first week of the program, with which they create their first short film: a single set-up, minute long story. Students continue to try and produce increasingly more involved short film exercises, culminating in a thesis film project. Any student who wishes to make a short film as writer and or director may have this opportunity at the LAFS and not every effort is made to give producers, editors, cinematographers, sound and production designers an opportunity to practice their craft on a student film production.
The school stresses technical education and is equipped with 35 and 16mm film cameras, digital and High Definition Cameras, multiple AVID editing bays and four advanced sound recording and mixing systems. Hardly enough to satisfy their 75+ monthly enrollment. The school is known in particular for its avocation of the High Definition digital format and its commitment to educating future cinematographers in the art and science of lighting for and using HD Digital Cameras. Students have 24 hour access to all post production facilities if available. The school has a 4,000 square foot soundstage, equipped with Sony High Definition cameras and one of the hard cycloramas for creating virtual sets. Student films are screened in a 345-seat, stadium style, THX certified, Dolby Digital Surround EX, wide-screen motion picture theater equipped with both film and digital projection. Editing students utilize a dozen Avid Media Composer 1000 non-linear editing systems while sound design students use four Digidesign Pro Tools Mix workstations and try to finish on a 96-input Solid State Logic Axiom digital re-recording console (a first in the academic world). There is also a well-stocked equipment room of traditional filmmaking essentials-lights, dolly's, C-stands. Students build sets on the sound stages and film on ___location around Los Angeles.
Each month, The Los Angeles Film School’s Immersion Filmmaking Program offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves in a full-time hands-on training program, with courses focused on classroom environments as well as practical training courses which focus on hot set film production environments and hands-on post production environments. [2]
Student Life
The Los Angeles Film School's campus is an urban one and does not have residential facilities. Instead, students either commute or rent nearby apartments. The program provides thirty-seven hours of instruction, with additional hours of out-of-class assignments and production.
Alumni Comments
Please click edit to add a comment if you're an alumni
It seems, after they have your money they don't care. -- Alumni 2003
Get Exposed Open House is a fruad 'dog and pony show' that is staged to get new students. --Alumni May 2004
Dave Daily gets no respect and is the back bone of the school. One of the few that goes out of his way to help the students. --Alumni July 2004
I never want to work or be affiliated with the school. --Alumni (J. Thompson June 20, 2007)
Faculty
Past and current LAFS instructors include Donn Cambern, editor of "The Last Picture Show" and "Romancing the Stone" (Oscar Nomination); Lawrence G. Paul, Production Designer of "Blade Runner" (Oscar Nomination) and "Back to the Future"; John Hora, Directory of Photography for "Gremlins" and "Honey, I Blew Up the Kid"; Ariel Levy, Line Producer for "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Oliver!" and Anna Thomas, screenwriter of "El Norte" (Oscar Nomination) and "Frida"; Karen Thompson, A former student who now works closely with the schedual and "daily events of the students". After speaking with previous Alumni and now after 3 years speaking with current students. Karen still someone that can go out of her way to hurt peoples futures.