Degree Title and Name: Master of Fine Arts in Film
Program Name and Number: Film – MF5142
Department/Unit: School of Film
Delivery Mode: Athens Campus
Term(s) of Entry: Fall
Program Overview: The M.F.A. in Film is a three-year program that provides advanced professional training in all aspects of filmmaking and a solid foundation in film studies allowing graduates to teach at the university level, to work in the film industry and/or as an independent artist. The program moves from a foundation-building first-year core sequence (fondly known as “boot camp”) to increased specialization in the second year and culminates in a third-year thesis production. The integrated first-year courses in production, screenwriting, sound, directing, digital editing and film studies complement the development of a first-year creative portfolio consisting of 16mm narrative film(s), directing and editing exercises, and a Hi-Def documentary. In the second year, students have access to specialization classes in cinematography, screenwriting, directing, post-production editing and sound design, while continuing to build their creative portfolios by directing narrative and/or documentary film(s).
The third year is devoted to completing course and portfolio requirements, thesis completion, and defense. Specialization tracks in cinematography, screenwriting, and post-production are also available to students in their 2nd and 3rd years of study.
Concentrations: Specialization tracks in cinematography and screenwriting are also available to students in their 2nd and 3rd years of study.
Program Learning Outcomes:
- Disciplinary Competence: Students are able to create and produce original works in film and video including but not limited to narrative fiction, documentary, experimental, new media, and hybrid forms, at a level commensurate to the requirements of the field.
- Critical Thinking and Creative Process: Students are able to generate and express original concepts for film and video. They are able to engage with their original concepts critically and incorporate external critical input into the process of developing their concepts. They are able to successfully transform their ideas into finished works of film and video.
- Career Competence: Students are able to clearly articulate their specific and broad career goals and outline steps toward achieving them.
Link to Program: https://www.ohio.edu/fine-arts/film
Graduation Requirements: Minimum of 90 credit hours. Minimum of three years expected to complete degree.
- MFA CORE CURRICULUM (required)
- FILM 5110: Filmmaking I
- FILM 5120: Filmmaking II
- FILM 5150: Film Studies I
- FILM 5250: Sound Techniques
- FILM 5420: Screenwriting I
- FILM 5450: Screenwriting II
- FILM 5720: Film Aesthetics
- FILM 5750: Directing
- FILM 5810: Digital Editing I
- FILM 5820: Digital Editing II
- FILM 6650: Producing
- FILM 6110: 2nd Year Productions I
- FILM 6120: 2nd Year Productions II
- FILM 6820: Art of Editing
- ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- Additional Film Studies classes - 3 credit hours
- Advanced Production courses - 14 credit hours
- Film Practicum - 6 credit hours of film crew service
- Thesis hours - 10 credit hours minimum
- Cognates [i.e., graduate level courses outside the School of Film] - 6 credit hours
- SPECIALIZATION TRACK: Cinematography
- Required classes:
- Cinematography I
- Special Problems in Cinematography (minimum four credits)
- Two of the following recommended courses are required:
- Lighting or Electrics cognate in School of Theater
- Photography cognate in School of Art or School of Visual Communication
- Art History cognate in School of Art (Choice made in consultation with Track Advisor)
- Portfolio Requirements:
- Director of Photography on four films including one thesis film
- Cinematographer’s reel
- Research project/paper
- SPECIALIZATION TRACK: Screenwriting
- Required classes:
- Screenwriting I
- Screenwriting II
- Feature Screenwriting Workshop I
- Feature Screenwriting Workshop II
- Two of the following are required:
- THAR 5510: Dramatic Writing Seminar (must be taken in the Fall semester only)
- FILM 5710: Teleplay
- ENG 6990: Creative Writing (Fiction) Seminar (must submit a writing sample for admittance)
- JOUR 5410: Magazine Feature Writing (undergraduate course taken for graduate-level credit)
- JOUR 5650: Opinion Writing (undergraduate course taken for graduate-level credit)
- Portfolio (all of the following):
- One short screenplay directed by another graduate film student
- One feature length script
- One teleplay or one original pilot or a second feature length script
- One public staged reading of a feature length script or an original pilot for which the student casts and directs actors, by the end of February in the third year
Culminating Experience: To complete the MFA degree, a student has the option of making a thesis film or fulfilling the obligations of the screenwriting, cinematography, or post-production specialization track.
- Thesis Film - A thesis film is a short film or feature film in either the documentary, narrative, or experimental mode. The candidate must not only display the thesis, but should be able to defend it in terms of film history, criticism, theory, and aesthetic choices. The candidate must display the film in a public screening.
- Portfolio – For students completing their MFA in one of the three specialization tracks, there are specific portfolio requirements for each track.
Admission Requirements:
- Résumé or curriculum vita.
- A maximum 500-word personal essay on your goals in pursuing graduate study in film.
- A maximum 500-word personal statement.
- Three current letters of recommendation.
- A sample of written work consisting of a paper or papers on any subject (e.g., research paper, article, critical analysis)
- Examples of creative work (e.g., filmmaking, screenwriting, creative writing, work from another medium)
- 2-3 minute screenplay – exterior locations only, no dialogue.
International Students: This program permits full-time enrollment in residence at Ohio University, and an I-20 may be issued based on admission to this program.
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