About Us - Overview

About Brooks Institute

Innovative Film, Graphic Design, and Photography Training

From its founding in 1945, Brooks Institute through the Professional Photography Program has provided a hands-on, student-focused education. This method of experiential learning remains the foundation of instruction in all programs at the Institute today. Close collaboration between faculty and students in the classroom, the darkroom and digital labs, and the field continues to help prepare individuals for careers in professional photography. This California-based photography school is proud to have trained some of the leading visual artists of yesterday and today, and looks forward to inspiring the next generation.
The Film and Video Production Program began at Brooks Institute in the mid-50’s, as a natural outgrowth of the training in photography. Using the same hands-on approach to teaching and learning, Brooks' students have the opportunity to master the art and craft of moviemaking. Considered by those in the industry as one of the field’s best kept secrets, this program has a long standing history of graduating some of the best in the field: Isidore Mankofsky, Cinematography for The Muppet Movie and Somewhere in Time; Dominick Palmer, Cinematography on the TV series M*A*S*H; Robert Legato, Academy Award winner for Best Effects (Digital Domain) on the movie Titanic, Visual Effects Supervisor for The Aviator; and most recently, graduate Boris Undorf, Best Cinematography at New York’s VisionFest ’04’ Festival for Sonata.
In the early 90’s, the Institute began a tradition of international documentary expeditions. It was these excursions to China, India, Africa, and Southeast Asia that paved the way for the Visual Journalism Program. This photojournalism program concentrates on teaching truthful, non-fiction storytelling with industry-current digital equipment (digital still cameras, digital video, computers). The reliance on industry-current digital technology makes Brooks one of the few all digital college photojournalism programs in the US.
The Graphic Design program at Brooks evolved in response to the demands of new media. Today’s graphic designers and multimedia practitioners need broad-based skills and adaptability to achieve success in a rapidly changing field where art and technology have merged together. Brooks provides the opportunity for the visual communicator to acquire knowledge and skills in a variety of disciplines – design, illustration, writing, photography, video and film – in order to be successful.

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