Jake Criser

Jake Criser is an adjunct faculty member at the Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts. Inspired by the sun-soaked beaches and tangled swamps of the Florida he grew up in, Jake writes horror stories and thrillers with that same instinct, twisting genres with the messy relationships at the heart of who we are.

Jake holds a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunication from the University of Florida and earned his MFA in Screenwriting from the FSU Film program. He now teaches Introduction to Cinema Studies: Analysis and Practice for the College, an undergraduate course he first supported as a teaching assistant during graduate school. The course introduces students to the language of film and the tools for analyzing it. Through both formal and cultural analysis, students learn to look closely at how movies are made and what those choices mean, from story and genre to cinematography, sound, and editing. The course pairs asynchronous lectures with a weekly discussion section built around hands-on activities, so students build the habit of watching films closely and talking about them with confidence.