School of Film and Animation
The School of Film and Animation offers the master of fine arts degree in imaging arts, with concentrations in computer animation, traditional animation, and narrative and documentary film.
Master of Fine Arts in Imaging Arts-Animation, Film, Video Production
Howard Lester, Coordinator, MFA Program, Film and Animation
(585) 475-7403, helpph@rit.edu
The master of fine arts program in film and animation emphasizes a broad interpretation of the moving image as an art form, with the intention of inspiring and nurturing the individuality of each student as a creative, productive person. The program encourages graduate study in filmmaking and animation as a means to personal aesthetic, intellectual, and career development.
The MFA curriculum provides a flexible pattern of study that is continually sensitive to the needs of each student, building upon the strengths that each individual brings to the program. A full range of courses in two-dimensional computer animation; three-dimensional computer animation; drawing for animation; stop motion animation; and documentary, experimental, and narrative film are available. Successful completion of the program enables a student to seek a career in film or animation production.
Program goals
1. Provide students with the opportunity to use animation, filmmaking, and other imaging arts as a means to pursue a career and earn a livelihood.
2. Provide students with the opportunity to use animation, filmmaking, and other imaging arts as a means to enrich their personal lives and society as a whole.
3. Provide a nurturing intellectual environment that encourages a sense of community, creativity, scholarship, and purpose.
Degree requirements
The MFA degree in imaging arts normally requires a minimum of two years of full-time course work as a resident graduate student and completion of a thesis film and written report. A minimum of 90 quarter credit hours of graduate work is outlined below. The 90 hours do not include undergraduate work required by action of the MFA admission committee in accepting a particular applicant, nor do they include undergraduate prerequisites for graduate courses.
Computer and traditional animation
The computer animation concentration incorporates courses in two-dimensional and three-dimensional computer and camera animation.
The computer animation concentration consists primarily of courses in single-frame filmmaking, taught in the School of Film and Animation, and programming courses, offered by the computer science and information technology programs of the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. Course work includes exercises and major projects in both two- and three-dimensional computer animation, as well as support courses in filmmaking technique and interactivity.
The computer animation degree encompasses 90 quarter credit hours of course work in the following areas of study:
1. Concentration (computer animation) designed to give depth of experience in the area of the student’s primary interest. All students must complete required courses; other course work is selected from many flexible alternatives. (40 quarter credit hours)
2. History and aesthetics of film and related art forms (12 quarter credit hours)
3. Programming (8 quarter credit hours)
4. Electives (12 quarter credit hours)
5. Research Seminar, Graduate Seminar, and Research and Thesis (18 quarter credit hours)
Distribution of work within these guidelines is subject to modification based upon the candidate’s background, abilities, and interests. An individualized course of study will be prepared with the advice of the graduate faculty and made a matter of record. Modifications in this prescribed program thereafter must be approved and recorded.
Film
The film concentration incorporates courses in film, digital video, and scriptwriting. Students produce fiction, documentary, and experimental films. The film degree encompasses 90 quarter credit hours of course work in the following areas of study:
1. Concentration (film) designed to give depth of experience in the area of the student’s primary interest. All students must complete required courses; other course work is selected from many flexible alternatives. (40 quarter credit hours)
2. History and aesthetics of film and related art forms (20 quarter credit hours)
3. Electives (12 quarter credit hours)
4. Research Seminar, Graduate Seminar, and Research and Thesis (18 quarter credit hours)
Distribution of work within these guidelines is subject to modification based upon the candidate’s background, abilities, and interests. An individualized course of study will be prepared with the advice of the graduate faculty and made a matter of record. Modifications in this prescribed program thereafter must be approved and recorded.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Electives
Elective courses are available in animation, film, video, multimedia, screenwriting, printmaking, painting, sculpture, communication design, museum studies, crafts, bookmaking, typography, color photography, new media, studio photography, advertising photography, perception, sensitometry, computer graphics, art history, and archival preservation and conservation. There are also opportunities for independent studies, internships, and concentrations.
The faculty
The MFA in imaging arts computer animation program is supported by a staff of 13 full-time faculty members with the School of Film and Animation and a variety of adjunct faculty members. Faculty and course work also are available from the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, School of Print Media, School of Art, School of Design, School for American Crafts, and the College of Liberal Arts.
Admission requirements
Students with a baccalaureate degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university, or equivalent, are eligible for admission, provided they present a portfolio of work that demonstrates their skills, visual sophistication, and aesthetic awareness. Acceptance depends on the strength of portfolios as judged by the graduate faculty, past academic performance, letters of recommendation, and personal statements of purpose.
There are no examination requirements for admission to this MFA program. If applying with an undergraduate GPA of less than 3.0, however, the GRE or GMAT test is strongly recommended. Applicants who are capable of good academic work as well as artistic visual expression and who demonstrate an interest in the exploration of new artistic ideas and experiences will be favored. The graduate faculty will make recommendations based on the above interlocking criteria.
Students who are evaluated to have MFA potential but need additional study in preparation for graduate courses will be advised to take such courses either prior to entrance or during their first year of study. The graduate faculty will make recommendations.
To apply for admission, students must submit an official transcript of their undergraduate degree(s), an acceptable portfolio (slides, videotape, CDs, etc.), a statement of purpose detailing why they want to attend graduate school and what they will bring to the program, and a minimum of two letters of reference. All correspondence concerning applications or catalogs should be addressed to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services.
Transfer credit
Graduate-level course work taken prior to admission to the program should be submitted for approval upon entrance into the program. Up to 12 quarter credit hours (8 semester hours) of graduate work with a grade of B or better is transferable and may be counted toward the MFA degree, with the approval of the graduate faculty.
Portfolio
The portfolio, along with written records of accomplishment and recommendations, serves to inform the faculty of the applicant’s imaging accomplishments. It provides a visual statement of the candidate’s performance to date in terms of his or her skills, aesthetic development, and maturity.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their best visual work in their portfolio, whether computer-generated or not. Photography, painting, film, animation, illustration, webpage design, and other forms of visual expression can be included. Do not send master tapes or originals of any work. We strongly prefer all digital media to be Macintosh compatible. For CDs, the only type of movie files we can accept are QuickTime. We will not accept slide carousel trays. Slides should be submitted in plastic sleeves.
Admission selection for the fall quarter in the imaging arts program is made in the spring from among all portfolios and completed applications received. Applications should be postmarked by February 15 to optimize the opportunity for fall admission. Portfolios and completed applications will be reviewed as they are received. Once the available slots are filled, qualified candidates will be placed on a waiting list and any slots that open will be filled by the candidate at the top of the list.
Along with the submission of the student’s work, a list detailing the contents of each tape should be included. The list should detail the title and length of the work, as well as the applicant’s role in the production of the piece. Please include a table of contents on CDs and DVDs.
Submit the portfolio with the application material to the Office of Graduate Enrollment Services.
Grades and time limit
The average of all grades for graduate credit taken at the university must be at least a B (3.0) to qualify for the MFA imaging arts degree. Thesis hours are usually taken over several quarters. Only the letter “R” is recorded, indicating a thesis in process. No letter grade is assigned. Acceptance or rejection of the thesis is made by the candidate’s thesis board and the graduate faculty. All course work, including an accepted thesis, must be completed within seven years of entrance into the program.
Screenings
Screenings are required for all student-produced films and are coordinated through the professor or the thesis chair.
Thesis
The thesis project should be an original production appropriate to the major commitment of the degree candidate. A written report will be prepared for inclusion in the library. Specific directions are available in the “MFA Guide for Students and Faculty: Policy Regarding Student Work.” The School of Film and Animation reserves the right to retain copies of student-produced films to be used for educational purposes, to show to prospective students, and as examples of student productions. Graduates must also leave the school copies of complete work and master’s thesis projects on videotape or CD.
Cultural influences
Rochester is a unique place for anyone seriously interested in a broad pursuit of studies in imaging arts. Fine-art imaging at RIT is keeping pace with some of the newer visual imaging methods through courses in computer graphics, interactive installations, virtual reality, computer animation, and webpage design. The Rochester area is enhanced by such outstanding resources as the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, and the Visual Studies Workshop, and has historically been noted as a center for experimental film.
The MFA program in imaging arts computer animation is unique in that it is the only such program housed in a School of Film and Animation with full production facilities, as well as the additional support of highly specialized faculty in photography, imaging science, computer science and information technology, and printing.