Sydney Film School
Sydney, Australia
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82 Cope Street
Waterloo
Sydney, New South Wales 2017
Australia
Tel. +61 2 9698 2244
Email. via the contact form
Web. www.sydneyfilmschool.com
Are foreign students accepted?
Yes
Courses Offered
Diploma (1 Year), Other
Majors/Specialisms
Directing (Fiction), Directing (Documentary), Cinematography (Digital), Cinematography (Film), Editing, Producing (Film), Production Design, Production Management, Screenwriting, Script Development, Sound Design, Sound Recording, Visual Effects
Camera Formats Used
Pro DV (DVCAM/DVCPRO), HDV, 16mm
Post-Production Systems Used
Avid Xpress/DV, Avid (High End), Final Cut Pro, Flatbed Film Editing, ProTools
Average Age of Equipment
Less than 2 years
Reviews of Sydney Film School
This year has been awesome. I have learnt more than I thought I would have, made plenty of friends with both teachers and students and created memories I will always cherish. Sydney Film School has allowed me to learn to the best of my abilities as it is practical and trusts its students guiding them to achieve the best results instead of forcing them into doing it their way. Sydney Film School has allowed me to strive in Producing and I will always be grateful for that. Well worth the time and effort.
I graduated from Sydney Film School's Diploma course in December 2013 and found the whole course to be a wonderful experience. It is definitely a course where you will get out as much or as little as you put in. I was able to get a wide range of experiences in different areas and hone down quickly what my interests and strengths were within the sphere of the film industry. On entering the course I was coming straight from High School and whilst I knew I wanted to have some kind of film / television career I did not have much more of an idea as to what I specifically wanted to do. I experienced a wide range of different crew rolls and attended a variety of elective classes helping me to realize my main interests were in screenwriting and production. A major benefit of Sydney Film School being such a practical working environment and in particular shooting with film for the first semester is that it gives students the professional work ethic that is required in the professional film industry. I can now go out and feel confident that I know how a production works from beginning to end and also that I have developed strong skills in my areas of interest. At the same time it also gives you the freedom to test the limits of your own creativity through the 'Thesis Project' which is the sort of opportunity that is hard to come by even in the professional world. The other aspect of the school that continues to pay off is that I now have a group of very talented friends who I can collaborate with on projects in life after film school.
It may have been a good school once upon a time but with all the new schools popping up in Sydney with more advanced equipment and facilities - I would not waste my time on Sydney Film School. They say they are "industry relevant" but the majority of staff are old and outdated calling themselves experts but not showing any real accolades - certainly not recent. The school is dirty and disgusting, it should be condemned. They call it "character" but that is pure marketing. When a school actually advertises one free "home cooked dinner" and "free tea and coffee" you know they are clutching at straws
I graduated from Sydney Film School in December 2009 and I can tell you it is a wonderful school I cannot imagine to have studied anywhere else. It is indeed the cheapest film school in the planet. The school has enough gear to cover all the students needs, not only that but the gear is in very good condition. Sydney Film School shoots around 120 films per year (there's where the money goes to. Low tuitions = Low budgets). I don't know any other film school in which you are shooting 16mm film with in week seven and start shooting the major projects around week eleven by yourselves on set. The way you learn in this school is by doing. You go to film school to do films and that is what you get. It is also one of the only schools in the world where you will learn how to edit in flat editing benches, cutting and sticking 16mm film, with your own hands. At Sydney Film School you not only learn how you do films now a days but you will learn Classical Filmmaking, and that is the best thing a film school can give you, the foundations of filmmaking. In my one year at Sydney Film School I worked in approximately 30 short films/documentaries and I never had a problem. Even the school is opened on weekends and for post-production is opened 24h so you can work when is more convenient for you. In this school you will get the experience that you want. You can do the minimum required to pass the course and leave the school with an average experience or you can throw yourself in and have the best year of your live. Sydney Film School changed mine. But anyway, the best thing of Sydney Film School is how close everyone is. How all the students and teachers support each other. If you have a problem or you need help of any kind, there is always someone there to give you a hand. Not only students but staff as well. In which school have you seen the staff staying overnight giving feedback to the students so their projects are as good as possible? Thanks for reading
This is a great film school BUT the place where the school is.. is definetely not good. We pay around $17k a piece for the school. The cameras are not that new and the digital area of the school is not good. They have one 16mm camera and around 3 Panasonic P2. Normally the productions have a small budget and I think they could be using our money in a better way. The cleaning on the school is not great. And they have their own students do the cleaning normally (and pay they a few bucks per month). I seriously don't know where all the money goes. Now the content of the school is great. I think there is not much others schools where you can learn as much by doing it. I would love having directing some short movie, but I didn't.
True place to make film, learn the craft. Very diverse approach among all faculty, which inculcate multi facet look to see and make film. Totally dedicated teacher, they Live for film. Very practical oriented courses and very very film school. Best place to learn story telling, I am sure, you loving it !
Totally dedicated staff,these people love film making & teaching from the bottom of their hearts. Very practical oriented courses & a nice open atmosphere.
I studied with the guys who run the Sydney Film School back in 2000 and it was the best year of my life. You're totally immersed in film-making culture and the staff are incredibly passionate and committed. After just 6 months I had a show reel of 4 short films (2 on 16mm) and 1 documentary, and I started working on a low budget feature.
Check them out!! They are a really great team of people who will spend every minute with you, seven days a week from 9am-9pm, not only in class.
If you are a current or former student, or staff member, write a review.