If you are looking to become a filmmaker or pursue a career in cinematography then there is no doubt that you must be looking for scholarships to help you achieve your goal. It’s a good thing you’ve stumbled upon this post because here, we have curated an updated list of scholarships for cinematography with details on requirements, eligibility criteria, and how to get them.
I have always been fascinated by movies and how they are made. One of my dreams is to be at the scene of a movie set from the start to the finish of the movie especially a movie like Avatar, this has to be the most fascinating movie I have ever seen. The technology behind it, and every other film, must be awe-inspiring and I just want to see the whole mystery behind it.
I’m guessing this is probably among the reasons why you want to pursue a career in cinematography. Filmmaking is a satisfying career, recreating a written story for people to watch, understand, enjoy, and make of what they want is just incredible and that is where it gets satisfying.
If you are a creative who wants to become a filmmaker, photographer, art director, sound designer, or pursue any other career in cinematography, getting a scholarship will make the financial burden easier. You can attend a film school or earn a degree in film at a college or university, whichever of these options would cost you roughly $100,000 but it can be less if you decide to attend a trade or vocational school with filmmaking programs.
But even at that, applying for a scholarship will lessen the financial burden for you and this is where scholarships for cinematography come in. These scholarships are specially designed for people who want to attend film school or pursue a degree related to cinematography. The scholarships are curated here to help you find them easily. Applying for the scholarships will help turn your dream into reality.
In addition, you can also go through other scholarship guides on our blog to find other scholarships that you can apply for in addition to the scholarships for cinematography but ensure you review their criteria before clicking on the apply button. Examples of such scholarships you can apply for in addition to the cinematography scholarships are scholarships for first-year college students and scholarships for Hispanic women.
The more scholarships you apply for, you increase your chances of receiving more money for college. Having said that, let’s dive into the main topic.
Table of Contents
Scholarships For Cinematography
The scholarships for cinematography curated here are offered by film schools colleges and universities.
- MetFilm School Scholarships
- London Film School Scholarships
- CineStudio Scholarship
- The Los Angeles Film School Scholarships
- Academy Nicholl Fellowship
- National Film and Television School (NFTS) Scholarships
- The University of Melbourne Faculty of Fine Arts and Music Film and Television Scholarships
- Central Film School Scholarships
- New York Film Academy Scholarships and Grants
- Vancouver Film School (VFS) Scholarships
- BAFTA Scholarships
- The University of Kansas Film & Media Studies Scholarships and Awards
1. MetFilm School Scholarships
MetFilm School is a reputable film, television, and online media school with campuses in London, Berlin, and Leeds offering undergraduate, postgraduate, and short courses across directing, writing, visual effects, and various craft areas. MetFilm School offers a variety of scholarships to support students enrolled across programs at the school.
The scholarships offered by MetFilm School are:
- Women in the Screen Industries
- Dan Demissie
- MetFilm School Berlin
- MetFilm School Leeds Postgraduate
- Aspirant Writers – MA Screenwriting in Leeds
Each of these scholarships is awarded across specific programs to be considered for the award. Full tuition fees for the accredited course are covered for the duration of the course. This does not include costs towards accommodation, expenses, or additional mentoring and coaching.
Applicants need to submit the scholarship application form and the course application form at the same time, otherwise you won’t be considered for an interview. If you have applied previously to MetFilm School and already have an offer, you may still apply for this scholarship.
2. London Film School Scholarships
London Film School is another reputable film school in the UK offering postgraduate courses. The film school offers support to young people who wish to study here but cannot afford it. The scholarships are provided to ensure that no student is prevented from attending London Film School due to financial constraints.
3. CineStudio Scholarships
CineStudio is a film school in Paris offering a wide range of English-taught courses in photography, acting for film, filmmaking, cinematography, and a lot more. The institution is committed to making film and media studies more accessible and therefore provides filmmaking and cinematography scholarships to follow up on this commitment. CineStudio scholarships are offered to European and international students from all backgrounds.
The scholarships offered by CineStudio are awarded based on merit and financial need therefore you have to be in good academic standing and/or demonstrate talents in art and also provide financial documents as part of the application process. The scholarships are offered as partial discounts on tuition fees.
4. The Los Angeles Film School Scholarships
The Los Angeles Film School provides scholarships for cinematography to encourage and develop the next generation of media professionals. The following scholarships are offered by Los Angeles Film School:
- Pathway Scholarship: Awards up to $15,000 for students enrolled in associate degrees and up to $30,000 for students enrolled in bachelor’s degrees.
- Momentum Scholarship: Awards up to $13,000 to students enrolled in online associate degrees and up to $25,000 to students enrolled in online bachelor’s degrees.
- Hollywood Dreams Scholarship: to assist with the tuition gap for need-based students in the program who do not qualify for PLUS or private loans
- International Global Commitment Scholarship: awarded to five (5) international students
- International Creative Achievement: awarded to one international student quarterly whose creative submission is selected by the scholarship committee.
These are scholarships offered by the Los Angeles Film School and their requirements vary, follow the link below to learn more and apply.
5. Academy Nicholl Fellowships
Academy Nicholl Fellowships is one of the best scholarships for Cinematography offering $35,000 each to five promising new screenwriters every year. The scholarship is awarded as a screenwriting competition, so to be considered for the award, you will have to enter the competition. To enter, you will have to create an account at the Nicholl website, pay the entry fee, write an original feature film screenplay no shorter than 70 pages and no longer than 160 pages, and complete the online application form.
6. National Film and Television School (NFTS) Scholarships
NFTS is a reputable film school based in the UK. The institution offers filmmaking scholarships and bursaries to British students of outstanding abilities irrespective of their background or financial circumstances. To be eligible for the NFTS Scholarships, you must be a permanent resident in the UK for the last 3 years and hold a British passport.
The school offers MA, Diploma, and other scholarship programs each with their specific requirements and amount.
7. The University of Melbourne Faculty of Fine Arts and Music Film and Television Scholarships
The University of Melbourne is one of the institutions offering scholarships for cinematography to students in Film and Television. There are over seven (7) different scholarships each with its specific requirements, deadline, value, and number of awards.
The amount ranges from $1,000 to $10,000 and some of the scholarships require an application while others do not. For the scholarships that do not require an application, you will be automatically considered for the award.
8. Central Film School Scholarships
Central Film School is a private film school in South West London, based in Landor Road, Clapham, London. This is a school for filmmakers invested and preoccupied with students’ futures. The school offers scholarships to prospective students to ensure that they do not miss out on the opportunity to access higher education.
Central Film School offers a range of scholarships to support students, among the scholarships is the CFS Merit Scholarship International Talent Award – a partial scholarship awarded to outstanding international students entering the undergraduate and postgraduate programs to help them with their tuition fees.
9. New York Film Academy Scholarships and Grants
New York Film Academy offers a variety of scholarships and grants to students which are directly applied to the tuition cost of the recipients. The scholarships provided by NYFA are; the Talent-Based Tuition Award, Need-Based Tuition Assistance, Merit-Based Tuition Award, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Bridge Grant, and Matthew Modine Masters Scholarship.
Each of these awards has its specific requirements and amount.
10. Vancouver Film School (VFS) Scholarships
Vancouver Film School (VFS) is a reputable film school in Canada offering courses in film production, game design, animation, writing for film, television & games, acting, etc. The institution provides a host of film and television scholarships for both domestic and international applicants who are considered for an award when they are accepted into the school.
11. BAFTA Scholarships
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts – BAFTA set up a scholarship program to assist students who want to pursue careers in film and television in the UK and the US. The scholarships are provided annually to talented students who are accepted into a film school or degree program at an accredited college or university.
12. The University of Kansas Film & Media Studies Scholarships and Awards
The Faculty of Film & Media Studies at the University of Kansas offers departmental awards to current students only. Incoming freshmen and transfer students are not eligible for any departmental scholarships and awards until their second year.
There are varieties of departmental scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, there is also one dedicated only to women.
List of Film Scholarships for International Students
International students are not left out of the scholarships offered by film schools around the world. The following is a list of film scholarships for international students:
- New York Film Academy Scholarships
- MetFilm School Scholarships
- London Film Academy
- LA Film School
- NYU Tisch Graduate Film Financial Aid
- Vancouver Film School
- CineStudio Scholarships
- USC Cinematic Arts Scholarships & Financial Aid
- The University of Bradford MA Filmmaking Scholarship
Basically, as an international student, you will qualify for filmmaking scholarships if you apply to any university or film school that accepts international students into their film programs. You too will be considered for any scholarship provided by the institution.
Conclusion
Whether you want to be the next Steven Spielberg or just want to make a difference with your art, there’s a scholarship for you. The world of cinematography is a dynamic and ever-changing one, and it’s a field that offers many opportunities for creativity and innovation. With the scholarships for cinematography curated in this blog post, you are one step closer to achieving your dream.
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