Film, BFA
In the first semester film majors start making work right away in Film Fundamentals and Production Studio, two rigorous and comprehensive courses, which provide essential foundational training. Students then delve into various modes of filmmaking in Fiction I, Nonfiction I, and Experimental Studio I. In addition to writing, analysis, and theory classes, technical skills are put to practice in Postproduction Studio, Cinematography + Lighting Design, and Sound Design. Students develop advanced skills in Fiction II and their choice of Nonfiction II or Experimental Studio II. In the junior year, the curriculum opens up to electives giving students a chance to try new things and gain more experience in their areas of interest. The culmination of the program is a guided but self-defined senior thesis project, publicly screened in our state of the art screening room and at BAM Rose Cinemas.
Students learn in an intimate workshop setting through screenings, readings, technical demonstrations, production exercises, class critiques, and visiting professionals, as well as through internship programs in the many film, video, and postproduction studios throughout the city.
Upon graduation, students will have produced their senior project as well as compiled a sample reel of personal work, which can be part of a graduate school application, be submitted to galleries and festivals, or serve as a demonstration of students’ skills for entry into the professional landscape.
| Semester 1 | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| FVID-105 | Film Fundamentals | 3 |
| FVID-106 | Production Studio | 3 |
| FDC-150 | Space, Form, Process | 3 |
| FDC-160 | Light Color Design Lab | 3 |
| HMS-101A | Literary and Critical Studies I | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester 2 | ||
| FVID-110 | Fiction I | 3 |
| FVID-111 | Post Production Studio | 3 |
| FDC-180 | Time and Movement | 3 |
| FDC-161 | Light Color Design Studio | 3 |
| HAD-362 | History of Film | 3 |
| Social Science "Global" Core Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Semester 3 | ||
| FVID-201 | Nonfiction Video I | 3 |
| WR-320 | Special Topics | 3 |
| FVID-211 | Ways of Seeing Cinema | 3 |
| HAD-111 | Themes in Art and Culture I | 3 |
| Social Science "Thinking" Core Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester 4 | ||
| FVID-205 | Experimental Studio I | 3 |
| FVID-206 | Cinematography & Lighting Design | 3 |
| FVID-261 | Screenwriting | 3 |
| Math/Science Core Elective | 3 | |
| HMS-201A | Literary and Critical Studies II | 3 |
| HAD-112 | Themes in Art and Culture II | 3 |
| Credits | 18 | |
| Semester 5 | ||
| FVID-302 | Fiction II | 3 |
| FVID-315 | Sound Design for Film/Video | 2 |
| Department Elective | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts Post-Core Elective | 3 | |
| Choose 1 course from following: | 3 | |
| Intensive Film Theory (3 Credits) | ||
| Psychoanalysis and Film | ||
| Cinema and New Media | ||
| Credits | 14 | |
| Semester 6 | ||
| FVID 308 or FVID-310 |
or |
3 |
| FVID-312 | Professional Practices | 3 |
| FVID-311 | 3 | |
| Department Electives | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester 7 | ||
| FVID-401 | Senior Studio I | 3 |
| Department Elective | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts Post-Core Elective | 3 | |
| Pratt Integrative Course | 3 | |
| All Institute Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Semester 8 | ||
| FVID-402 | Senior Studio II | 3 |
| All Institute Elective | 3 | |
| History of Art and Design Elective | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts Post-Core Elective (300/400 level) | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 125 | |
Upon graduation from the BFA in Film, the student is expected to be competent in the following areas:
- Student is able to effectively plan, oversee, and complete all phases of the filmmaking process (pre- production, production and post- production).
- Student is able to clearly conceptualize a cinematic project within a historical, theoretical or cultural context.
- Student is able to demonstrate technical and aesthetic proficiency in service to the cinematic project.
- Student is able to communicate creative, aesthetic and conceptual ideas.