School of Film and Animation
School of
Film and Animation
Overview
The School of Film and Animation is where the timeless art of filmmaking meets cutting-edge technology. It’s a creative community that allows students to explore their talents in the art of filmmaking or the science and technologies used in the motion picture industry. Students discover their unique potential, experiment with ideas, and express them to the world. Guided by award-winning faculty who exhibit their work around the world, students are prepared to pursue successful careers across a wide spectrum of industries upon graduation: motion picture, television, and non-broadcast. Alumni have gone on to hold research engineering roles at places like Sony and Dolby and have positions in filmmaking and animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, and myriad other reputable companies.
Study Away: LA
The School of Film and Animation's recently launched Study Away: LA program allows students to benefit from a West Coast classroom at the epicenter of the filmmaking universe. The program gives students the opportunity to spend time in Los Angeles for a semester, directly networking and working side by side with industry professionals while gaining a hands-on understanding of the film industry's culture. The inaugural fall 2022 cohort includes 16 students who are interning at top studios and companies and taking two courses that complement the study-away experience.
Access to industry-leading software
RIT's School for Film and Animation is a designated Center of Excellence (COE) by Toon Boom Animation, a leading animation and storyboarding software company. Toon Boom software is utilized by prominent studios, such as Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix and more, in the creation of feature film, animation and TV Series. As a Center of Excellence, RIT is recognized as a reliable source of industry-standard training and an enhanced educational environment through exposure to Toon Boom software.
960
The school’s equipment cage has 960 video- and audio-related items available for students to check out in support of projects and other coursework.
77K
Combined, the School of Film and Animation and MAGIC Spell Studios — which expands the capacity of the school while supporting research and entrepreneurial activities in the area — provides 77,000 square feet of facility space.
100s
Alumni have earned hundreds of screen credits for their work on major motion pictures and popular TV shows — from Frozen to Rogue One to The Simpsons and much more.
Graduate Viewbook
Our inspired graduate programs empower students by placing collaboration, advanced studio practice and research at their core.
Undergraduate Viewbook
The College of Art and Design is RIT’s intersection of technology, the arts and design — where creativity and innovation are boundless.
School of Film and Animation Brochure
Here, students hone storytelling and engineering skills that drive the motion picture industry forward.
Latest News
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November 28, 2022
![film director standing in front of a World War two era warplane.]()
Alumna uses film to teach diversity
Tina Cannaday Chapman DaCosta ’04 MS, ’14 MFA is using her parents’ life stories to teach important lessons about diversity, equity, and inclusion. In fall 2022, the director of RIT’s Diversity Theater program released Dear Eleanor, her second short film based on her parents’ lives.
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November 14, 2022
![a tiger video game character jumping onto a hoverboard.]()
Vote now for RIT’s tiger courier for 'Dota 2' game
RIT is vying to be the first university to develop and have a game character accepted into the wildly popular online game Dota 2. The character, or courier, in the form of a tiger, was developed in MAGIC Spell Studios by a team of former RIT students and a faculty adviser.
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November 14, 2022
![A 2D animation of a boy looking in a bucket next to a body of water.]()
MFA student's films a big draw at festivals
Diane Lee ’24 MFA (film and animation) — who goes by the artist name Diane Catsburrow Linnet — has found comfort at RIT meshing her abilities as a creative writer, storyteller and artist.
Featured Work
Tender Scent
A film by Teng Chen '22 MFA (film and animation)
Simorgh
A film by Meghdad Asadi '13 MFA (Film and Animation), assistant professor in the School of Film and Animation
Video Game Development
“That Damn Goat!” is a party game where chaos reigns, frustrations mount and everything you think you know about your situation is instantly thrown out of whack by a head-butting goat with magical...
Featured Profiles
Student films a hit at festivals
2D-animated works by Diane Lee '24 are making waves on the film festival circuit around the world.
School director's documentary uncovers family stories
Shanti Thakur
School of Film and Animation Director Shanti Thakur's latest documentary premiered in spring 2022 and was met with a warm reception on the festival circuit.
RIT, NTID team up to create pioneering film
Students Anna McClanahan (BFA) and Gabriel Ponte-Fleary (MFA) brought together the deaf/hard-of-hearing and hearing communities in creating their finalist film for a Coca-Cola-sponsored program.
Undergraduate Programs
The film and animation (BFA) degree offers options in animation and film production, with the curriculum supplying an experience unlike any other that spans the entire creative spectrum. The unique motion picture science (BS) program produces graduates who may not be artists directly involved in the motion picture industry but support the field with the science- and engineering-based education they receive. In the program, students learn how to address complex motion imaging workflow issues.
Graduate Programs
The film and animation (MFA) program is designed to educate complete filmmakers. With four options within the program — 2D animation, 3D animation, production, and screenwriting — students obtain the advanced training required to create remarkable live-action production, scripts, and animations that facilitate career success.
Student Resources
For internal College of Art and Design resources such as academic information, forms, FAQs and more, visit inside.cad.rit.edu. For information about academic advising, visit here.
The 2020-21 School of Film and Animation faculty/staff directory can be found here.