Production Option - Film and Animation BFA
RIT's film production BFA develops and refines your creative approach as you produce innovative and artistic cinema.
Overview for Production Option - Film and Animation BFA
Why Study Film Production at RIT
Access to Labs: Complete any project with access to the latest software, technology, sound, and screening options.
Get Ahead in the Summer: Enjoy a selection of the School of Film and Animation’s courses during the summer term.
Study in LA: Spend a semester in Los Angeles with Study Away: LA, RIT's semester in LA where you can intern at top studios and entertainment companies.
In the film production BFA you will explore fictional, documentary, and experimental live-action filmmaking. With insightful and accomplished faculty teaching in state-of-the-art facilities, students receive an unparalleled film education. This option is part of the film and animation BFA program.
RIT’s Film Production BFA
The Film Production degree option focuses on production through visual and sound artistry utilizing hands-on experience with the camera, editing, and sound equipment.
You will understand the aesthetic principles of the art form and develop a range of technical skills while producing creative work from day one until graduation.
Achieve this through access to labs and classrooms equipped with the latest software, technology, sound, and screening options to complete any project, as well as access to a limited selection of courses during the summer term through the School of Film and Animation.
What Makes the RIT Film Production Degree Unique?
RIT offers more production experience than its peers. As a result, the program draws students from all over the world. Students write scripts, recruit actors and crew, research documentary subjects, edit, mix soundtracks, live through critiques and screenings, and wait for the applause.
This option requires many exercises and a minimum of three significant works, one of which is a year-long senior thesis. Students have been finalists in the Student Academy Awards while multiple production alumni have won Primetime Emmy Awards, due in part to the extensive practical experience they received at RIT.
Graduates are qualified to begin careers in the industry or create their own independent productions. Work produced by students and alumni has been consistently honored with awards at international and national festivals.
The school maintains memberships in a number of professional organizations, including:
- Animation World Network
- College Art Association
- Rochester Audio Visual Association
- Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers
- University Film and Video Association
- Siggraph
- BEA
Hands-On Experience to Gain Real World Skills
Study Away: LA gives film and animation majors the opportunity to spend a semester in Los Angeles learning from industry professionals. The bulk of your time will be spent at internships, but you'll also complete two courses that will complement your study-away experience. Learn more about Study Away: LA and how you can gain industry experience in traditional filmmaking, animation, or cutting-edge areas like virtual production in Los Angeles, the epicenter of the global entertainment universe.
-
A virtual career exploration event
60+ future-focused workshops for rising high school seniors to plan for college.
Careers and Experiential Learning
Typical Job Titles
| Agent | Chief Lighting Technician | Creative Director |
| Director | Documentary Filmmaker | Experimental Artist |
| Producer | Production Manager | Production Sound Mixer |
| Supervising Sound Editor | Visual Effects Supervisor | Writer |
Industries
Cooperative Education and Internships
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. Co-op in the College of Art and Design provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your artistic capabilities in dynamic professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
Students in the production option are strongly encouraged to complete a cooperative education or internship experience.
Creative Industry Days
Connect with Design Industry Leaders
RIT’s Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education hosts Creative Industry Days, which connects students majoring in art, design, film and animation, photography, and select computing majors with companies, organizations, creative agencies, design firms, and more. Creative Industry Days are a series of events that allow you to network with company representatives and interview directly for open co-op and full-time employment positions.
Featured Work and Profiles
-
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.
Read More about RIT, NTID team up to create pioneering film -
Sizzle Reel
A collection of student work from Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Film and Animation, which offers a BFA and MFA in Film and Animation and a BS in Motion Picture Science.
Read More about Sizzle Reel -
Experience Film and Animation in Los Angeles
For students interested in a career in the entertainment industry, Los Angeles is the best place to learn. RIT in LA is a semester-long study away program that gives School of Film and Animation...
Read More about Experience Film and Animation in Los Angeles -
Tell Compelling Stories in the School of Film and Animation
RIT School of Film and Animation students are exposed to cutting-edge technology, unmatched faculty and facilities, and a supportive community.
Read More about Tell Compelling Stories in the School of Film and Animation -
Student film hits theaters nationwide
Film and Animation students Anna McClanahan (BFA) and Gabriel Ponte-Fleary (MFA) won Coca-Cola's Refreshing Films program, leading to their "Say Cheese" film screening in theaters around the country.
Read More about Student film hits theaters nationwide -
Pre-College Portfolio Prep Workshop
RIT's annual Pre-College Portfolio Preparation Workshop offers students an engaging and rewarding experience. The course, taught by our School of Art's drawing and painting faculty, is a visual arts...
Read More about Pre-College Portfolio Prep Workshop
Admissions and Financial Aid
This option is part of the Film and Animation BFA. Please visit the degree program page for admission requirements.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
100% of all incoming first-year and transfer students receive aid.
RIT’s personalized and comprehensive financial aid program includes scholarships, grants, loans, and campus employment programs. When all these are put to work, your actual cost may be much lower than the published estimated cost of attendance.
Learn more about financial aid and scholarships
Related News
-
June 18, 2025
Experience with documentary filmmaking leads alum to Festival de Cannes
RIT graduate Sebastian Nazario-Colon presented at the Cannes Film Festival. He says documentary filmmaking courses and the RIT in LA study away program paved the way to his success.
-
June 6, 2025
From Rochester to LA, student maximizes experience as film student
Carson Munn '26 has taken advantage of the endless resources available in RIT's School of Film and Animation, including well-equipped facilities, supportive faculty, and an opportunity to spend a semester studying in an entertainment epicenter, Los Angeles.
-
April 29, 2025
RIT's music man finds his soundtrack to success
Lights, camera, music: Colin O'Brien '25 (production option) blended artforms at RIT, creating film scores for dozens of students while also making his own films.
Contact
School of Film and Animation