Rochester Institute of Technology News
Motion Picture Science BS

Rochester Institute of Technology’s School of Film and Animation is among the top 25 film schools in the United States, according to the most recent list published by The Hollywood Reporter. RIT was ranked number 21 this year, marking a continued rise in rank from previous years.

The Floating Pavilion, part of a Floating Garden food forest envisioned by New York-based interdisciplinary artist Mary Mattingly, was created by RIT students.

Sports Video Group names Teddy Batkin '26 (motion picture science) to its Students To Watch list, highlighting his work with the RIT Sports Network, contributions to the broadcast infrastructure at Judson Stadium, and his transition to a full-time engineering role with Game Creek Video.

RIT’s School of Film and Animation has been continuously recognized as being among the best film and animation schools in the country. The latest recognition comes from Variety magazine’s 2026 Education Impact Report.

First-year imaging science and motion picture science students receive immediate hands-on, collaborative experiences as they start their college careers through the Freshman Imaging Project.

Forward-thinking faculty; curriculum that fuses technology, the arts, and design; and a legacy of priming students with a maker mentality helped RIT’s School of Film and Animation maintain its place on TheWrap’s list of Top 50 Film Schools of 2025.

Ricky Figueora taking over as the new director of RIT's School of Film and Animation headlines exciting promotions and additions to the College of Art and Design faculty.

Accomplished alumni, creative technology research, and interdisciplinary program offerings set RIT’s School of Film and Animation apart from others on The Hollywood Reporter’s 2025 top film schools list. RIT was ranked number 22 this year, a leap ahead from the school’s rank in 2024.

Meghdad Asadilari, assistant professor in the School of Film and Animation, was awarded the 2025 ASIFA-Hollywood’s Animation Educators Forum Faculty Grant.

Max Schaefer ’25 (motion picture science) did it all at RIT. He was a mainstay on student and commercial production sets. A live shader for RIT Sports Network hockey broadcasts. A leader in RIT’s Fraternity Life community. Conducted virtual production and motion capture research. And enjoyed an inspiring work experience with Universal Studios Hollywood.

Andrea Avendano Martinez feels well prepared to enter the workforce thanks to the connections she’s made with many RIT alumni who are working in the color science industry and credits the reputation of the program in helping her land a job with Apple.

RIT researchers are pushing the boundaries with immersive technologies, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR), and mixed reality (MR).