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MFA IN FILMMAKING: DOCUMENTARY FOCUS
Start Dates: January, September
New York Film Academy degree programs are offered at our Los Angeles Campus at Universal Studios. Qualified students have the option of attending the New York Film Academy in New York City in a one-year non-degree program and requesting that their course work be accepted for advanced standing in a degree program at the Los Angeles campus. In order to do so, students must apply and be accepted to the degree program in Los Angeles. Please click here for conditions for the acceptance of credit and number of credits awarded.
The New York Film Academy is proud to offer a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree program in Documentary at our Universal Studios, Los Angeles location. This two-year conservatorybased graduate program is designed to educate talented and committed prospective documentarians in a hands-on, total immersion, professional and supportive environment. The intensive curriculum challenges, inspires, and prepares candidates for professional work both as an independent Documentarymaker, and for the non-fiction film and television business.
The Master of Fine Arts in Documentary is an accelerated graduate degree program.
It offers qualified students a full course of production and study, including the opportunity to produce and direct a feature length documentary in the second year. Candidates for admission to the MFA program must possess a Bachelor’s Degree from a post-secondary institution.
Year One
In Year One, master students undergo a thorough regimen of class work and film production that lays the groundwork for a professional life in the documentary arts.In Year Two, master students focus on a major Documentary project. In fulfillment of the thesis production requirement, students have three choices. While these requirements differ in the length of time required for completion, they are equivalent in scope and content.
SEMESTER ONE OVERVIEW
Learning Goals:• Art, aesthetics, and technique of non-fiction filmmaking including directing, 16mm cinematography, editing
• Fundamentalsofdigital video production and digital editing
• Fundamentals of story
• Fundamental training in production
• Fundamentals of the New Media landscape
Production Goals:
• Produce, direct and edit two short documentary films and a series of V-logs
• Crew as Cinematographer, Sound Recordist, and/or Assistant Camera on approximately 8 additional films
• Research, create a beat sheet or shooting script for, produce and begin production on a 10-minute social issue documentary
SEMESTER TWO OVERVIEW
Learning Goals:• Advanced documentary craft including directing, producing, production and editing
• Fundamentals of HD video production
• Fundamentals of non-fiction television
Production Goals:
• Edit and post-produce 10-minute social issue documentary
• Create, pitch and format an original documentary or “reality” series
• Collaborate on a 5 to 10-minute “taster tape” or “pitch pilot
• Research, produce, direct and edit a short independent documentary of students own choosing
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Year Two OVERVIEW
All Year Two master students must complete a series of highly specialized classes, participate in multiple documentary productions, deliver a thesis film of their own creation, and complete all graduation requirements to successfully complete the program and graduate with a Master of Fine Arts in Documentary.Thesis Option B students require a mandatory paid fifth semester of study.
Learning Objectives: After Year One, MFA in Documentary students engage in a series of advanced lectures, seminars, and hands-on workshops. Classes consist of:
• Feature Project Grantwriting
• Advanced Approaches to Documentary
• Line Producing Workshop
• High Definition Workshop
• Master’s Seminar: Industry Perspectives
• Advanced Post Production
• Applied Documentary Studies
• New Media: Documentary
• The Business of Non-Fiction
• Navigating the Industry
Production Objectives:
Students are expected to research, develop, pre-produce, and package a feature length documentary or Docu-series for industry sale and/or production, and complete one of the following production requirements:
Thesis Option A:
Short Form Thesis Film and Feature or Docu-series Prep. Students may choose to direct and edit a short form Thesis Film of up to 40 minutes in length, and prepare a feature length Documentary or Docu-series of their own creation for production.
Thesis Option B:
Feature Length or Docu-Series Production & Collaborate in a Key Crew Position on a Short Form Thesis Documentary
QUICK FACTS:
Start Dates: January, September
Locations: New York City, Universal Studios
Cost: $15,000* (USD)/Semester
€10,115 (EURO)/Semester
*Please note, Equipment Fee is $2,000 (€1,349) per semester, students will also incur additional expenses on their own productions. This varies depending on how much film they shoot and scale of the projects.
Locations: New York City, Universal Studios
Cost: $15,000* (USD)/Semester
€10,115 (EURO)/Semester
*Please note, Equipment Fee is $2,000 (€1,349) per semester, students will also incur additional expenses on their own productions. This varies depending on how much film they shoot and scale of the projects.
