Film and Animation (MFA)

The MFA program in film and animation enjoys state-of-the-art facilities. Students can create live-action production, screens, 2D, 3D or stop motion animation that is unique. The program is housed in a School of Film and Animation with full production facilities, as well as the additional support of highly specialized faculty in photography, imaging science, computer science, information technology, and printing.

Goals

The program provides students with the opportunity to use animation, filmmaking, and other imaging arts as a means to:

• pursue a career and earn a livelihood,
• enrich their personal lives and society as a whole, and
• encourage a sense of community, creativity, scholarship, and purpose.

Plan of study

The MFA in film and animation offers four options:

2D animation concentrates on traditional forms drawn by hand, a mixture of both traditional and digital, or all digital origination. Students may concentrate their studies on stop motion puppet animation.

3D animation courses focus on advanced 3D modeling, lighting, texturing, and animating in a 3D space.

Production allows students to develop and refine their creative approach to fictional narrative, documentary, and experimental work.

Screenwriting is an opportunity for students to complete short films with a concentration in creating feature length screenplays.

All four options require two years of course work and a thesis project. A complete film is required of all the first year students, a complete film or script is required in the second year, and a more ambitious thesis film or feature length script is required in the third year, which is a part-time student status focused only on the thesis film.

A minimum of 63 semester credit hours of graduate work is outlined below.

Electives

SOFA elective courses are available in animation, film, video, multimedia, screenwriting, printmaking, painting, sculpture, communication design, museum studies, crafts, bookmaking, typography, color photography, new media, studio photography, advertising photography, perception, sensitometry, computer graphics, art history, and archival preservation and conservation. There are also opportunities for independent studies, internships, and concentrations.

Thesis

Specific instructions pertaining to the thesis are available in the “MFA Guide for Students and Faculty: Policy Regarding Student Work.” The School of Film and Animation reserves the right to retain copies of student-produced films to be used for educational purposes, to show to prospective students, and as examples of student productions.