University of Central Florida

"Equipment from the 60s. Professors only there as they have nowhere else to go and only care about themselves 'getting in'. Both staff and students are two faced, and all have their own agendas. A complete waste of time and money with nothing learned that one could have done without attending. Stay far away."

"I was the founding Head, ordered $750,000 of 16mm gear, and set up curriculum in 1990. I continued as a Professor teaching history and theory until 2004 when I retired to Thailand. Although the leaders who made THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT were my and the Dept.'s students, this Dept. is significantly hampered by a retarded upper administration (Dean and up) that has squeezed money out of it from the second year and never understood its value to the whole University. A new building was built but one of the teachers traded his getting tenure for giving the television Dept. most of the new space. Many of the best teachers and Dept. Chairs departed as soon as they could and the faculty now, 2009, is a shell of what it once was. Faculty is filled with third rate want a be-s clinging to jobs by fingernails. Exception are the scriptwriting teachers who are first rate and care about students. MFA degree, added in 2004, was established by taking part of the undergrads' equipment and teachers. This MFA in film making is a joke (scripting excepted). Orlando is warm and near the ocean. Living is expensive. No scholarships in film (I guess). There are lots better schools, so go to UCF only if you are rejected by all others. Good Luck."

The professors really care about your success, and push you to do your best. As an undergrad requirement you have to complete a short film, and MFA requires you to complete a feature film with a $50,000. You gain a lot of experience in the actual production of film, and it's located less than an hour from Universal and Disney.