A few questions about film studies

[Kremena]

Hi, guys, I'm currently a graphic and exhibition design student and I also study art education as a second bachelor's degree in the National Academy of Arts in Bulgaria. It is my second year, but I am already thinking about going to the States after graduating to study filmmaking and pursue a career in directing or production design. The universities I'm mostly interested in are USC School of Cinematic Arts and UCLA, but it seems that USC doesn't offer grants for students who already have a bachelor's degree (and by the time I apply, I will have two) and I can't find information about UCLA. I already e-mailed them to request information about possible financial help, so now I'm waiting for an answer. My first question is do you know any universities that offer scholarships/grants or any kind of financial help for international students with a BA? Also, what is the best place to study filmmaking? I know it really depends, but I'd like to hear your opinion on the top schools in this area. Which one gives the best opportunities and do they help with internships? And my last question, but it's probably the most important one: I read that if you have any bachelor's degree, you can get a MA/MFA in film and television without going through another BA in film and television. Do you guys have any information about that, or I should write to the universities I'm interested in to receive more detailed information?

Edited April 22, 2012 by Kremena

[Swagato]

1. Are you interested in the theoretical and critical study of cinema and media, or are you interested in radio/tv/film production? Your post doesn't make it clear, but it sounds like you may be more interested in actual production/technical work (you mention "filmmaking"). The two are very separate, though related, disciplines. There are very few graduate programs in the US that combine production options with theoretical work, and at the moment, I can only think of Harvard's PhD program, which combines a "Critical Media Practice" option that allows you to create a material work as part of your graduate work. Further, the terminal degree for theoretical/critical work is a PhD, while production programs usually end in an MFA.
   
2. Most graduate programs (and I can only speak to the PhD programs here as I have no experience with MFA nor am I seeking one) offer full funding for the duration of graduate study regardless of national/ethnic origin. Some public institutions may have trouble coming up with the funding especially if they are hard-hit by economic demands, but usually they will reduce their admit rate rather than make unfunded offers.
   

[Kremena]

Since I have no experiance or any education in this field, I want to start with tv/film production at first, and then proceed to have a PhD in Critical Studies. Sorry for being so unclear with my post, but I wrote it at 4 am.