Production

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Masters Conservatory in Film Production

Mission

Our mission is simple yet ambitious: to prepare students for successful careers in the motion picture industry.

We teach filmmaking as both an art form and a business. Our curriculum focuses on commercial narrative storytelling—films that captivate audiences and have the potential to launch students into sustainable, long-lasting careers. Through the process of making these films, we help students develop the creative vision, technical expertise, and knowledge of professional workflows necessary to excel in an ever-evolving industry.

 

Why Choose Us?

Small Cohorts and Personalized Learning

We accept a limited number of students each year, maintaining intimate cohort sizes across disciplines. Our cohort structure includes a maximum of six students each in Producing, Directing, Production Design, Cinematography, and Post-Production, along with up to eight students specializing in Visual Effects. With a remarkable 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio, students receive individualized mentorship and abundant opportunities for experiential learning in each area of study.

Hands-On Practical Training

Our practicum curriculum, rooted in industry practices, emphasizes learning through doing. This hands-on approach immerses students in over 30 productions, allowing them to lead in their area of specialization and rotate through critical support roles. For example, cinematography students serve as directors of photography on nine films and take on key roles such as camera assistant, grip crew, and electric crew on an additional 24 productions. This comprehensive approach ensures a 360-degree understanding of the film production process, making graduates versatile and highly employable across various roles.

Fully Funded Productions

At the heart of our conservatory is a steadfast commitment to providing a true “level playing field” for every student. We believe educational excellence cannot be achieved if students are required to secure external funding for projects, hire specialized crew members, or compete for resources within the college itself. Therefore, every project is fully funded, with tuition covering all equipment, production vehicles, expendables (like gels, batteries, and tape), insurance, craft services, and meals, as well as discretionary budgets for elements like set design, costumes, actors, and locations. This ensures every student has the resources to hone their craft and focus their energies on storytelling, not fundraising.

Networking and Collaboration

Networking is a cornerstone of success in the film industry, where collaboration and connections are as essential as technical expertise. Students build professional relationships through structured crew rotations and cross-class mentorship, fostering a dynamic exchange of skills and ideas. Our unique structure culminates in a capstone and feature production cycle, where underclassmen and upperclassmen work together in leadership and support roles. These collaborations help establish a robust network of peers and mentors that graduates carry into their professional careers.

Industry-Ready Philosophy

Our curriculum is designed to mimic real-world practices, preparing students to step confidently into industry roles. With a blend of creative exploration, practical training, and immersion in professional-standard workflows, students leave the program as adaptable, job-ready filmmakers who possess a deep understanding of both the artistic and business aspects of filmmaking.

 

Program Highlights

Semester 1: Foundations in Filmmaking

In the first semester, students lay the groundwork for their journey, mastering essential filmmaking skills such as visual storytelling, professional workflows, and departmental collaboration.

The centerpiece of the semester is the M1 Project: an intensive, multi-film exploration of filmmaking craft. Writing program students develop short screenplays across different genres. Directing specialists each helm six unique M1 projects based on these scripts, rotating through collaborations with specialists in other areas on each film. Every director, for example, will work with each of the six cinematography specialists across the six films. All students will also rotate through various support positions, giving them hands-on experience in roles across different departments. This immersive experience exposes students to a wide range of storytelling styles and cinematic techniques, as well as a holistic understanding of all key roles in a production and the technical and creative dynamics of a professional film set.

Semester 2: Advanced Techniques and Collaborative Roles

Building on foundational skills, the second semester delves into the leadership and support roles in more advanced production workflows. Students deepen the training within their specializations with hands-on workshops and a focus on the development and pre-production of their M2 Projects, with directors and producers pitching screenplays and forming creative teams with other specialists for films that will be shot during the summer.

Throughout the semester, first-year students also take on crew positions on the second-year students’ capstone projects, providing practicum experience on advanced-level productions and helping to foster rich, creative bonds across the year groups.

Semester 3: M2 Production and M3 Virtual Production

The third semester centers on producing the M2 Projects, where students take on lead roles in their specializations and support other productions in “below-the-line” crew roles—allowing students to experience the full arc of the filmmaking process and understand the collaborative dynamics between leadership and support roles.

This semester also introduces students to the cutting-edge world of Virtual Production (VP), which is transforming the way films are shot by blending physical and digital environments. In the M3 VP Project, students work together to create an episodic series on a virtual production stage, honing their teamwork and adapting their skills to fit within a high-tech environment.

Semester 4: Real-World Feature Film Production

The fourth semester offers the extraordinary opportunity to participate in a fully funded feature film production. Working within their specializations under the guidance of industry mentors, students contribute to all stages of the filmmaking process, from pre-production planning and production logistics to set decoration and post-production effects. This immersive experience ensures that each MFA student graduates with not only short film credits but also a professional feature film credit—an invaluable asset for launching a successful career in the motion picture industry.

Alongside this experience, students work throughout the semester on the development of their own Capstone Projects—pitching stories, writing scripts, forming their creative teams—in preparation for shooting these films in the spring.

Semester 5: Capstone Projects and Personal Vision

By the fifth semester, students are ready to make a Capstone Project that reflects their unique vision. Directors and producers take the lead on these films; other specializations contribute their expertise to bring each project to fruition. This final project emphasizes collaboration, technical mastery, and creative vision, helping students become versatile, well-rounded filmmakers. First-year students help to support these productions in below-the-line positions, providing second years with opportunities to practice leadership roles and expand their networks further with the class behind them.

Semester 6: Portfolio-Building and Career Preparation

The final semester focuses on career development, positioning students for successful entry into the film industry. Directing, post-production, and visual effects specialists finalize the Capstone Projects for submission to festivals and distributors. Other specialists create robust Portfolio Piecesthat highlight their skills and creative visions. Professional development courses cover essential topics such as film festival strategy, distribution models, and self-branding. Students work closely with mentors to review their portfolios and develop career plans that align with their goals, ensuring they are well positioned to make their mark on the industry.

 

The Third-Year Feature Film Experience

Produced through the college’s Torchlight Studios, the third-year feature film is the culmination of the program, offering an invited group of MFA students the unparalleled opportunity of leading a professional-scale production.

The development and selection process for the feature film begins at the end of the first year and mirrors an industry-standard workflow for how movies are ideated and green-lighted:

• In Semester 3, teams of producers and directors collaborate with writing students to begin brainstorming and pitching ideas for films.
• In Semester 4, these teams refine their concepts and present fully realized pitches to the faculty, who select the projects that will advance to development in the spring.
• In Semester 5, director and producer teams work closely with the writers to refine the scripts and shape the vision and execution of the project, which they pitch to faculty at the end of the spring. Faculty review all final pitches and greenlight one feature project for production.
• In Semester 6, the selected project enters the preparation phase for pre-production and production in the fall: polishing the script, creating a schedule breakdown, building the crew, and initiating the casting process.

The selected team of third-year students returns in the fall semester to take on the extraordinary responsibility of leading second-year student crews through the pre-production and production of a fully realized feature film. This unique opportunity allows third-year students to function as department heads and creative leaders, gaining invaluable experience in managing a professional-scale production. Once principal photography is completed, the director and editor collaborate on the picture edit, kicking off the post-production process.

Post-production is continued into the spring, with students completing any necessary pick-up photography, locking the picture and sound, finalizing the mix and color grading, and preparing a professional press book for marketing.

The experience reaches a pinnacle in the summer, when the writer, producer, and director attend the Cannes Film Festival and Marche du Film. Here, they are immersed in the business side of filmmaking, learning firsthand how feature films are sold, marketed, and distributed. Over the following year, the completed feature is programmed for potential distribution and festival opportunities, solidifying this as an unparalleled opportunity for students to bridge the gap between academia and the professional film industry.

 

Alumni Success and Ongoing Support

The College of Motion Picture Arts offers a robust network of post-graduation support, which has consistently resulted in over 90% of our graduates finding industry employment within one year. This impressive success rate stems from a combination of an excellent practical education, extensive networking opportunities embedded in the curriculum, and the unwavering support of our loyal alumni network, who frequently hire FSU graduates with confidence.

Torchlight Studios is at the heart of bridging the gap between film school and the professional world. Dedicated to “lighting the pathways from education to industry,” Torchlight Studios operates programs that run concurrent to the degree program and extend well beyond graduation. During their studies, students benefit from opportunities such as visiting filmmaker seminars, internships, and advanced workshops in cutting-edge technologies. Post-graduation, Torchlight offers alumni the chance to create projects using studio-provided equipment, facilities, and post-production resources. This in-kind support not only empowers alumni to produce professional-grade projects in Florida but also creates internship opportunities for current students, fostering collaboration across generations of FSU filmmakers. By offering these comprehensive resources, Torchlight ensures alumni have the tools and connections they need to succeed in the competitive entertainment industry.

 

Next Steps

Ready to launch your career in filmmaking? Apply now or schedule a visit to see how our program can help you achieve your creative and professional goals.