San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking, San Francisco

To propel students feet-first into the industry, the San Francisco Film School has designed a project-based curriculum that combines traditional classroom study with real-world training. The school's one-year program covers the filmmaking process from start to finish, including independent filmmaking in different genres such as fiction, commercials, documentary, and straight-to-Internet shorts of cats completing three-act emotional arcs without ever leaving their boxes. At the end of the project-based program, each student comes away with more than five completed projects that include a 30-second commercial and an 8- to 12-minute thesis film, plus crewing on an additional 25 or more student films. The school also leads shorter programs and workshops designed for the active student, film enthusiast, or veteran filmmaker. Workshops include one-day, two-week, five-week, and three-month filmmaking courses, and a six-month documentary filmmaking program, though few humans can stay awake for a full six month-long movie.