CalArts School of Film/Video

Overview

The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) was founded by Walt Disney in 1961. The School of Film/Video offers programs spanning live-action filmmaking, animation, and experimental media, with a philosophy that prioritizes artistic exploration over commercial training. The campus sits in Valencia, approximately 30 miles north of Los Angeles.

Tuition for 2026-2027 is $62,954 per year for both undergraduate and graduate students, up from $50,406 in 2025-2026. The estimated total cost of attendance for 2026-2027, including tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation, and personal expenses, is approximately $90,455 for undergraduates living on campus and $92,787 for graduate students living on campus. A nonrefundable tuition deposit of $400 is due with the Statement of Intention to Register, plus a $300 property deposit refundable at graduation or withdrawal.

Acceptance rates vary significantly by program (2025 data from the school directly):

• Character Animation (BFA): 13%
• Experimental Animation (BFA): 32%
• Experimental Animation (MFA): 19%
• Film/Video (BFA): 23%
• Film/Video (MFA): 33%
• Film Directing (BFA): 27%

The overall CalArts acceptance rate for 2025 was 32.34%, with 2,004 applicants and 648 admitted. The Character Animation BFA is the most competitive program at the school and one of the most competitive animation programs in the world.

If you want to develop a distinctive creative voice and work in animation, independent film, or art cinema, CalArts is designed for you. If your goal is mainstream Hollywood production training, USC or UCLA will be a better fit. Review the official cost of attendance page for the current breakdown.

Programs Offered

Animation Programs

• BFA in Character Animation - The flagship animation program, producing artists for feature animation, television, and games. Four-year program. Acceptance rate: 13%. Admission is based primarily on artistic portfolio, with a suggested total runtime of 10 minutes of film or video work.
• BFA in Experimental Animation - Focused on non-traditional animation techniques including stop-motion, mixed media, and abstract work. Acceptance rate: 32%.
• MFA in Experimental Animation - Graduate extension of the experimental program. Acceptance rate: 19%.

Live-Action Programs

• BFA in Film and Video - Live-action production with an emphasis on personal and experimental filmmaking. Four-year program. First year includes core classes in Filmmaking Fundamentals, Cinematography, Digital Editing, Production Sound, and Post-Production Sound. Acceptance rate: 23%.
• MFA in Film and Video - Graduate program for directors, writers, and visual artists working in moving image. Acceptance rate: 33%.
• MFA in Film Directing - The Program in Film Directing (PFD), a selective directing track focused on narrative filmmaking. Approaches storytelling with more experience expected at entry. Acceptance rate: 27%.

Facilities and Equipment

CalArts provides production facilities that support both digital and celluloid filmmaking. The school offers 16mm and Super 8 film equipment, optical printing, hand-processing capabilities, and digital filmmaking tools. Animation students have access to dedicated animation labs, light tables, and digital workstations.

The campus includes soundstages, editing suites, post-production sound rooms, and screening rooms. Students can take electives outside the School of Film/Video, accessing resources from other CalArts schools including art, music, and theater.

The school's location in Valencia means students are outside the urban density of Los Angeles. This suburban setting lacks the city energy of central LA but provides a focused campus environment. Students should factor the commute to LA-based industry events and meetings into their decision.

What Students Should Know

CalArts is not a traditional film school in the USC or AFI mold. The school's culture rewards artistic risk-taking, personal expression, and formal experimentation. Students who want to work in mainstream Hollywood production may find the curriculum less directly applicable than programs at USC or UCLA. Students who want to develop a distinctive creative voice and work in animation, independent film, or art cinema will find CalArts well suited to their goals.

The Character Animation BFA is the school's most competitive program at 13% acceptance. Graduates are recruited directly by Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and other major animation studios, often before they finish their thesis films. Recent CalArts graduates have secured Pixar animation internships for 2025 and 2026, continuing a pipeline that has placed CalArts alumni in leadership roles across the animation industry for decades. The classroom known as A113, where all first-year character animation students begin their coursework, has become an Easter egg hidden in numerous animated films by CalArts alumni.

The BFA in Film and Video begins with a structured first year covering Filmmaking Fundamentals, Cinematography, Digital Editing, Production Sound, and Post-Production Sound. In the second year, students choose between a personal filmmaking model or crew-based production, and the curriculum opens up with electives inside and outside the program. The MFA in Film and Video follows a similar philosophy at the graduate level, with students entering with more experience and developing their own projects.

Financial aid and scholarships are available. CalArts commits to meeting a significant portion of demonstrated need. The school's accounting department manages tuition and fees, with payment due on or before registration each semester. Students should prepare to supply materials required for most projects beyond what tuition covers.

Standout Faculty

CalArts faculty in the School of Film/Video are primarily working artists and experimental filmmakers whose work screens at museums, festivals, and galleries rather than in commercial cinemas. The school's culture rewards artistic risk-taking and formal experimentation over industry craft training.

• Rebecca Baron - Associate Dean and Faculty in Film and Video. Guggenheim Fellow (2002) and Radcliffe Institute Fellow (2007). Her films have screened at Documenta 12, the New York Film Festival, BFI, Centre Pompidou, and the Whitney Museum. Teaches essay film, documentary production, and film history.
• James Benning - Faculty in Film and Video. Has completed 14 feature-length films shown internationally, known for his structuralist and landscape-based work. Teaches filmmaking.
• Lewis Klahr - Faculty in Film and Video. Films have appeared in the Whitney Biennial three times and are in the MoMA permanent collection. Won the Tiger Award at Rotterdam (2010). His feature Sixty Six was named to the New York Times 10 Best Films list. Teaches experimental film.
• Maureen Selwood - Faculty in Film and Video. Pioneer in experimental animation. Films include Flying Circus: An Imagined Memoir, Hail Mary, and Mistaken Identity. Teaches experimental animation.
• Abigail Severance - Faculty since 2009, served as Dean from 2019 to 2024. Work shown at Sundance, The Broad Museum, and HBO. Fulbright recipient. Teaches film and video.
• Betzy Bromberg - Former Director of the Program in Film and Video. Experimental filmmaker since 1976 and optical effects supervisor in Hollywood for over 20 years. Films at Sundance, Rotterdam, and MoMA. Teaches experimental film.
• Nicole Panter Dailey - Faculty in Film and Video. Co-creator and writer on Pee-wee's Playhouse, writer for London Channel 4's Dream Date, and former manager of the punk band The Germs. Teaches screenwriting.
• Jheanelle Brown - Special Faculty in Film Programming. Curator for Los Angeles Filmforum, with curation credits at MOCA LA and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Teaches film programming.

Notable Alumni

CalArts has produced an extraordinary concentration of animation talent. Animation alumni include John Lasseter (co-founder of Pixar, Character Animation BFA 1979), Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissorhands), Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille), Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out, BFA 1990), Andrew Stanton (Finding Nemo, WALL-E), Brenda Chapman (Brave), Chris Buck (Frozen, BFA 1978), and Aphton Corbin (Pixar SparkShort Twenty Something, BFA 2016).

In live-action, alumni include Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) and Don Hertzfeldt (Oscar-nominated animator). The school's graduates have won numerous Academy Awards, directed major feature films, and hold leadership positions at Pixar, Walt Disney Animation Studios, DreamWorks, and other studios.

Student Film Examples

CalArts student films screen at the school's annual showcase and at festivals including Annecy, Ottawa, and Sundance. The Character Animation program's thesis films are the primary recruitment pipeline to Pixar, Disney, and DreamWorks, with studios actively scouting graduating talent before thesis films are completed. The classroom known as A113, where all first-year character animation students begin their coursework, has become an Easter egg hidden in numerous animated films by CalArts alumni.

See Also

For a guide to animation career paths and studio pipelines, see Animation Industry Overview. To explore aspect ratio decisions for animated projects, use the Aspect Ratio Calculator. For help calculating the return on investment of an animation degree, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.