College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts

The Film School has a strong commitment to hiring experienced working professionals who have both teaching skills and professional goals. The Film School's full-time faculty comprises working filmmakers with various specializations as writers, directors, production designers, and editors in both the theatrical and non-theatrical film and television industries, many of whom have won national and international awards and honors for their work. Some also have strong records as research scholars and fiction writers. The faculty also includes visiting professors in the fields of motion picture law, business distribution, exhibition, and promotion.

The Film School operates extensive production facilities for its undergraduate and graduate programs in the University Center Building A on the campus of Florida State University. Considered one of the finest facilities in the world devoted exclusively to film education, these facilities include two sound stages; a recording stage with Foley and ADR capabilities; a 120-seat screening theater and two smaller screening rooms, including a high-definition screening room for dailies and color timing; two digital audio mixing suites; a computer laboratory; a visual effects laboratory; a set-building shop; a 35mm archive of feature films; a collection of over 5000 film titles on videotape, DVD, and laserdisc; a large production research library; and digital editing suites for picture and sound. Facilities are available for both 16mm and 35mm production.

The program of study leading to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is designed to lead students through the complete process of creating short films, while incorporating a well-rounded liberal arts education that includes writing courses. Major courses include producing, directing, cinematography, screenwriting, sound, editing, production management, film history, film theory, and film aesthetics. It is a limited access major; therefore, admission is highly selective and competitive. Students may be accepted into the program at the freshman level or transfer in once seventy-five percent (75%), or twenty-seven semester hours, of the liberal studies requirements have been completed.

The world-class facilities of the Film School aid in meeting the goals of the undergraduate program—to educate students in film and to help them become integral members of the academic community of Florida State University. Graduates are trained to be members of the entertainment profession and participants in a creative and professional enterprise.

Admission to the College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts is limited access, making admission highly selective and competitive. Approximately 30 students, comprising freshmen and transfer applicants, are admitted each fall as film majors. Applicants must make application to and meet the requirements of Florida State University's Office of Admissions, as well as submit a separate application to the College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts. A student seeking to enter the program must offer an acceptable grade point average (usually above 3.0) and be eligible for admission to Florida State University. Each applicant must submit a 500–1000 word essay describing his or her background, artistic experiences, creative influences, personal objectives, and future career goals, as well as a r<0x00E9>sum<0x00E9>, two letters of recommendation, transcripts from all high schools, colleges, and universities attended, and SAT (usually a minimum of 1200) or ACT (usually a minimum of 25) test scores. Any application that does not contain all these items will be considered incomplete, and will be denied automatically. Applicants are not permitted to submit portfolio items such as VHS tapes, DVDs, writing samples, or photographs. All application materials must be received by the College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts by December 1st for the applicant to be considered for admission the following Fall semester. Please refer to the "Academic Programs" chapter in this General Bulletin for further details on the application process. Applications are available online at http://film.fsu.edu.

The program leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree has set the following goals: to provide the creative and technical environment for professional work in the film and television industry; to ground students in the history of each medium's theory and practice; and to prepare students for careers as artists and craftspersons in the professional film and video production industries. Students work in production teams on narrative fiction films with each film being written, storyboarded, produced, directed, production designed, shot, recorded, and edited by graduate students. In addition, students are educated about the financial, legal, distribution, and exhibition aspects of the film business. The graduate program is designed and scheduled as a conservatory. It is meant to create a production setting in which individuals can work with accomplished professionals to hone their talents, develop a body of work, and sharpen their capacities to work in teams. Please consult the Graduate Bulletin for additional information regarding the MFA program.

Admission to the College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts graduate program is of limited access, with 24 production and 6 writing students admitted each year. Prospective students must make application to and meet the requirements of Florida State University's Graduate Admissions Office and submit supplemental application materials required for consideration of admission to the graduate program at the Film School. Supplemental materials must be submitted electronically as a component of the Florida State University Graduate Application for Admission. The required supplemental materials include: a 500-1000 word statement of purpose describing the applicant's artistic work, creative influences, personal objectives, relevant background, and career goals, as well as three letters of recommendation, and a professional and creative r<0x00E9>sum<0x00E9>. As an option, production applicants may submit a sample of their best work (video, writing sample, etc.). Writing applicants must submit samples as specified on the supplemental information sheet. Detailed information is available online at http://film.fsu.edu.

Students seeking degrees in certain majors, including film, assume any exposure to the particular hazards associated with that major. As protection for our students, the Film School requires that majors present proof of health and accident insurance (name of insurer and policy number) prior to registration in the Fall semester of each year. Students are expected to maintain this insurance throughout their enrollment in the Film School. Registration will be administratively canceled at the end of the second week of classes for any students failing to provide proof of insurance.