College of Motion Picture Arts

Graduate

Dean: Reb Braddock

Established in 1989, the College of Motion Picture Arts is one of only seven university-based film conservatories in the country. In the short time the College has been in operation, it has quickly become recognized nationwide as an outstanding motion picture production program, offering both a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree to those admitted. The MFA degree offers majors in Production and Screenwriting. The College provides state-of-the-art motion picture equipment and studio facilities for production and post-production operations, and it funds all student workshops and projects, including the graduate and undergraduate thesis productions.

The expertise of the College's faculty reflects the direction and range the school will take in the future. Dean Reb Braddock is an experienced industry professional who is joined by thirty faculty members, all of whom are specialists in the areas of producing, writing, directing, cinematography, visual effects, animation, editing, sound recording, production design, motion picture history, theory, and aesthetics.

Faculty Distinctions

The College of Motion Picture Arts has a strong commitment to hiring experienced, working professionals who have both teaching skills and professional goals. The full-time faculty is comprised of working filmmakers with various specializations as writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, audio designers, 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 of the faculty also have strong records as research scholars and fiction writers, including visiting professors in the fields of motion picture law, business distribution, exhibition, and promotion.

Facilities

The College of Motion Picture Arts operates extensive production facilities for its graduate and undergraduate programs in University Center A on Florida State University's campus in Tallahassee, and in an off-campus site in Midway, Florida, known as the Torchlight Center.

Considered one of the finest facilities in the world devoted exclusively to film education, it includes: professional sound stages, a green-screen/motion capture stage, a virtual production stage, a cinematography and set operations teaching stage, grip and electric trucks fully equipped with industry standard Grip & Electric equipment, an ADR and Foley recording studio, re-recording stages, QC and dailies screening rooms, digital animation/VFX production labs, color correction suites, a 120-seat screening room, digital animation/VFX production suites, seminar rooms, writer rooms, interactive classrooms, individual post production suites, teaching labs, and student production planning rooms.

The College is equipped for and supports industry-standard acquisition in digital formats, and digital sound recording formats.

Graduate Degree Program

The program leading to a Master of Fine Arts degree has the following goals: to provide the creative and technical environment for professional specialization, to ground students in the history of each medium's theory and practice, and to prepare students for careers as artists, managers, producers, and crafts persons in the professional film and video production industries.

The MFA program is a full-time (Fall, Spring, and Summer), two-year course of study in motion picture screenwriting and production. Screenwriting students will complete 61 semester hours, and production students will complete 90 semester hours of coursework. The curriculum focuses on the art, craft, and business of storytelling. The graduate program is designed and scheduled as a conservatory. It is meant to create a practicum 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.

After required coursework, students are encouraged to complete their program of study by enrolling in the program's apprenticeship course to apply their learning in a real-world setting in the industry. This capstone experience will position students for greater chances of success in their careers.

Admission to the Graduate Program

To succeed at our mission and continue to grow our reputation, the performance bar is set very high for our students. We therefore need to run a rigorous admissions process to ensure that students can succeed and work at our expected levels of creativity and professionalism. Prospective students must submit an application to and meet the requirements of the Florida State University Graduate Admissions Office, and also must submit supporting application materials as described online at: https://film.fsu.edu/admissions.

Production applicants must submit: a professional/creative résumé; a 500-word biography describing relevant background; a 250-word statement of career goals; a 250-word statement of filmmaking influences; a 250-word explanation for the second choice of specialization; a writing sample adhering to the given prompt; a creative portfolio; a video pitch; three letters of recommendation; and transcripts.

Screenwriting applicants must submit a professional/creative résumé; a 500-1000 word statement of purpose describing their filmmaking aspirations; three writing samples adhering to the given prompts. Three letters of recommendation; and transcripts.

Health Insurance

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 College of Motion Picture Arts requires that majors present proof of health and accident insurance (name of insurer and policy number) prior to registration in the Fall semester each year. Students are expected to maintain this insurance throughout their enrollment in the program and keep the insurance information updated with the Associate Dean's Office.

Assistantships

The College of Motion Picture Arts awards a limited number of graduate assistantships each year. Highly qualified students are nominated by the College for university-wide fellowships and minority fellowships. For more information regarding the availability of other sources of financial aid and potential scholarships, please visit the Financial Aid Website at https://financialaid.fsu.edu.