TRACK DESCRIPTION
The Master of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Media offers an Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema track to prepare students for jobs in the emerging world of digital motion pictures as educators, filmmakers and as business people. The program requires each student to complete a feature length film as a thesis project.
The Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema track provides students with a unique education in the theory and practice of low budget (i.e.< $50K) digital motion picture production; training students in conceptual and theoretical skills through class work, research and the production of a feature length motion picture.
In addition to an education in the crafts of digital filmmaking (from screenwriting through postproduction and marketing), the program aims to train entrepreneurs and educators. Class and independent research work educates students in the theory and practices employed by filmmakers in storytelling; how entrepreneurial filmmakers capitalize, manage and sell their work; and how a production team working on a digital motion picture achieves artistic goals.
The program requires that students take GEB 6115 Entrepreneurship and GEB 6116 Business Plan Formation, taught by the College of Business Administration, and encourages students to take courses in other departments that will enhance the skills needed to write, refine, develop, finance and market their future projects.
CURRICULUM
| Total Credit Hours Required: |
| 60
Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree |
The MFA track in Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema requires a minimum of 60 credit hours, including 15 core credit hours, 21 credit hours in the area of specialization, 6 elective credit hours, and 18 credit hours devoted to the thesis project.
Required Courses—36 Credit Hours
Core—15 Credit Hours
- FIL 5414 Film Vision, Scope and Financing (3 credit hours)
- FIL 5419 Developing the Screenplay (3 credit hours)
- FIL 5853 Independent Cinematic Forms (3 credit hours)
- FIL 5924 Graduate Seminar (1 credit hour to be taken 3 times)
- GEB 6115 Entrepreneurship (3 credit hours)
Specialization—21 Credit Hours
Elective Courses—6 Credit Hours
Students select a minimum of 6 credit hours of coursework from the Film Department. Or students may select relevant graduate courses from other units with prior approval of the thesis adviser and chair of the Film department.
Film courses may include:
Thesis—18 Credit Hours
- FIL 6971 Thesis (18 credit hours)
Before undertaking the thesis project, candidates must meet with the thesis advisory committee to submit and discuss the proposed project and obtain the committee’s approval. The thesis requires intensive applied learning in order to complete a feature length project. Additionally, the thesis project has a strong research component both in the initial development phase and in the creation of the distribution and marketing plan for the project. The final stage of the curriculum serves as a bridge to the professional world and supports the entrepreneurial philosophy of the program. The thesis project must be reviewed by the faculty adviser throughout the production process, and meet agreed upon criteria within a stated time frame. Once the thesis project is completed, candidates must have a screening or exhibition of the work, and meet with the thesis advisory committee for final approval and oral defense.
INDEPENDENT LEARNING
A thesis is required. Students may also register for FIL 5944/6946 Internship as an elective credit.
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline(s).
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- BA or BFA in film production, or a BA or BFA (preferably in a related field) with significant, comparable film production experience.
- Three letters of recommendation from professors or employers who can address the applicant’s ability to undertake graduate-level course work.
- A 500-word essay demonstrating the applicant’s breadth of knowledge, insight, curiosity, vision, voice, and ability to think critically. The applicant should respond to ONE of the following:
- Discuss the relationship between emerging technologies and creative expression.
- Discuss the continuing conflict between art and commerce and how its energy might be made to serve the creative process.
- Discuss the social, political, and cultural role and responsibilities of the artist/creator in a global society.
Résumé, or a 250-word biography, that details the applicant’s creative and entrepreneurial accomplishments as they relate to professional and/or educational settings.
- A creative submission that includes:
- A filmmaking reel no longer than 15 minutes, including complete shorts or excerpts from long format work. Each selection should be clearly marked with: (1) the title; (2) the applicant’s creative role; (3) the length of each excerpt (if applicable); and (4) the date completed. If the selection is an excerpt from a longer work, the context of the longer work should be provided.
- An artist's statement explaining why you want to be a filmmaker and why your vision for a feature film is well suited for the microbudget, digitally shot, paradigm.
- A treatment of a proposed script and a script sample of another work that you've written, OR a draft of the script you want to direct as your thesis project for the MFA in Film and Digital Media at the University of Central Florida.
Please send all creative submissions directly to the program: UCF Film Graduate Office, P.O. Box 163120, Orlando, FL 32816-3120.
Applicants may be asked to participate in an admissions interview. Meeting minimum UCF admission criteria does not guarantee program admission. The graduate faculty determines final eligibility of applicants. Final admission is based on evaluation of the applicant's abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and faculty expertise to the applicant's career/academic goals, and the applicant's potential for completing the degree.
Application Deadlines
All application materials must be submitted by the appropriate deadline listed below.
| Entrepreneurial Digital Cinema |
Fall Priority
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Fall
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Spring
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Summer
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Domestic Applicants
| Jan 15 | Mar 15 | | |
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International Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jan 15 | | |
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International Transfer Applicants
| Jan 15 | Jan 15 | | |
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FINANCIALS
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Student Finances, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowships
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see Fellowships, which includes descriptions of UCF fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.