Film Studies in Hungary 2 – Smaller filmmaker schools

We’ve already discussed the 3 biggest film schools, now let’s look at the little ones. Here are the top 3 film schools that aren’t universities. 

Werk Academy

In September 2007, the Werk Academy was launched in a euphoric atmosphere with its starter, a champagne toast. Werk will start its fourteenth academic year in the autumn. In that time, one and a half thousand students have graduated.

The Werk Academy’s achievements are measured not only in years but also in the students who have found their place in the worlds of fashion, style, film, media, and the arts.

And with those who are now pursuing their studies at Werk in higher education at home or abroad. The Werk Academy’s film training, which has been running since 2008, has so far made it clear to hundreds of graduates that a year of film training is the key to a career in film.

Many of them have found a job and a vocation in the film industry. The Werk Academy’s film courses prepare students for two main things: to enter the film industry with the knowledge they have acquired here and with the experience and contacts, they have gained in their internships and to be able to realize their plans and ideas as independent filmmakers.

By the end of the school year, they will have made short feature films in teams organized by the students, which will be screened by the Werk Akademia at a public event in a cinema in the capital!

In the first semester, students will learn about the process of making a film, from the idea to the premiere in front of an audience, the stages of production from script to editing, image creation, production management, dramaturgy, sound, acting, the world of the main filmmaking fields.

In the second semester, in addition to the usual subjects, specialization is at the forefront. This means that one of the three sessions per week prepares the student for the specialization/work of his/her choice.

At the beginning of the second semester, script development begins, followed by pre-production, shooting, and post-production. The films should be ready by June when they will be shown in public in a cinema in Budapest.

Optional specializations:

• Editor, assistant editor
• Production manager, production assistant
• Script supervisor, assistant director

The success of the program is due in no small part to Werk’s teachers, who are the most prominent active practitioners of their respective professions and are well-known and respected professionals.

It is also because the Academy has to renew itself every year, adapting to a changing world and the aspirations of its students. Because the goal is that Werk graduates not only know their craft but also practice it.

The training costs HUF 329 000 per semester (~$1100). The academy also offers a Master of Filmmaking course for those who are more experienced in the world of filmmaking, for 299 000 HUF/half year (~$1000).

The Theatre and Film Institute

The TFI was established on March 30, 2009. The Institute was created to address the need for comprehensive training in theatre, film, and media backgrounds. While the artistic professions in these sectors are taught by the University of Theatre and Film (UTE), almost all of the professional backgrounds were without high-quality vocational training.

The Institute aims to provide higher-level training for the arts and background professions in the three fields in Hungary, in the long term, in a single educational center. It’s director is János Csányi, a Jászai Mari Prize-winning actor.

The Institute offers several courses for people who want to work in the film world. Most of these are not university courses, or if they are, they are specialized courses.

• Digital Imaging
• Imaging technician
• Documentary filmmaker
• Cinematographer
• Production manager
• Camera Technician

The application criteria are simple. Applicants must have a high-school graduation and a medical fitness test. The courses are only available on a self-financed basis, for HUF 160 000 per semester .

The length of the courses varies from two-semester courses to four-semester courses, depending on the type of course. The admission requirements for university courses are a bachelor’s degree, a CV, and a motivation letter.

Optional further training in film:

• Filmmaking
• Production Director
• Documentary filmmaker
• Cinematographic Distribution Manager

No public funding is available for this type of training either, the tuition fee is HUF 200 000 (~$670) per semester.

The Mystic Academy

The Mystic Academy was created as a partner of Mystic Production to offer a different form of training to the subsidized courses they had previously offered. Mystic Academy aims to launch state-approved and recognized training courses where, in addition to the already well-known educational standards, official training courses recognized by the European Union can be held.

The academy offers a range of training courses for those working in the film industry, from make-up artists to business basics, but there are two courses specifically related to filmmaking.

• Film Photographer
• Soundman

Both courses require a school-leaving certificate, a basic level of English, computer skills and an interest in the film industry. As this school is also self-financed, the price for the two film courses is 110 000 HUF (~$370).

Their instructors include Tamás Kende, a renowned expert in the film world, and a Béla Balázs Award-winning film photographer, who has shot scenes, work and portrait photography for more than 100 Hungarian feature films and television productions.

These shots were selected by users for video and audio cassette covers, posters, and posters. He has also shot film, scene, and star photography for nearly two dozen international productions. His most important works have been shown in solo and group exhibitions.

Many of his photographs have also been used as book illustrations. Gábor Bányai is a sound engineer for several feature films, TV dramas, and documentaries, who has excellent knowledge and use of old and new techniques.

Source: szfi, mysticacademy, werkakademia