Film and Media Arts, M.F.A.

About the Program

The M.F.A. program in Film and Media Arts is designed to prepare socially aware, artistically innovative candidates for professional careers in film, video, or digital media. The program is characterized by an openness to all forms of media expression, with an emphasis on independent film and video arising out of both an artistic and social consciousness, taught under the supervision of recognized scholars and professionals in the field. Special attention is paid to the contemporary documentary, the independent narrative, video art and installation, and emerging forms and technologies.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 5 years

Campus Location: Main

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: Students complete the degree program through classes offered during daytime hours, as well as evening classes.

Interdisciplinary Study: Although graduate students in the Film and Media Arts (FMA) program are expected to complete most of their coursework in the FMA Department, they are encouraged to explore relevant courses in other departments.

Affiliation(s): The FMA program is associated with the University Film and Video Association, an international organization of university and industry professionals working in the field of media production.

Study Abroad: FMA courses are offered at Temple's satellite campuses in Rome, London, and Tokyo where graduate students may choose to complete courses. Graduate students may also choose to complete courses through FMA's Los Angeles Study Away Program.

Ranking: The M.F.A. in Film and Media Arts is ranked among the top 10 film/video programs nationally and is one of the top three programs offered by public institutions.

Areas of Specialization: Faculty members specialize and offer coursework in:

Directing
Media history
Media studies
Narrative and non-narrative scriptwriting
New media
Producing
Production
Post-production

Job Prospects: The FMA graduate program produces media makers who pursue careers in academia and in the communications and production industries. Many graduates choose to work independently, creating original narrative and documentary films and videos or new media projects.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Non-matriculated students may take up to 9 credits within the department at the discretion of individual instructors.

Financing Opportunities: Applicants to the M.F.A. program in Film and Media Arts are eligible and nominated for Teaching Assistantship and fellowship awards during the application process. Most students accepted into the program receive some form of funding, which can be applied to the full 54-credit program at the rate of up to 13 credits per term. The awards include:

Four-Term Teaching Assistantship – FMA departmental awards provide 50% tuition support and a stipend for either terms 1-4 or terms 2-5.
Variable Teaching Assistantship – FMA departmental awards offer partial tuition support and a stipend, both with various values.
University Fellowship – Recipients of the competitive fellowship awards receive 100% support for three years. Fellowship funding is provided by the Graduate School in terms 1, 2, and 6, with departmental support in the form of a Teaching Assistantship offered in terms 3, 4, and 5.
Fulbright Support – FMA accepts international Fulbright Award students, who generally receive 100% tuition and a stipend for three years, with teaching opportunities.

All awards are based on and contingent upon the student maintaining an excellent record of achievement and advancement in the program. Given that the M.F.A. is typically a three-year, six-term program, most students fund their sixth term by teaching as adjunct faculty.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: November 15; October 15 international

Applications are evaluated together after the deadline has passed. Late applications may be considered for admission. To ensure funding consideration, however, applicants must submit an application and all supporting materials by November 15.

APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 3

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from college/university faculty familiar with the applicant's academic competency and/or professionals in the fields of communication or media production.

Bachelor's Degree in Discipline/Related Discipline: All applicants must present credentials that are the equivalent of the appropriate baccalaureate degree at Temple University.

Applicants educated in China should review the information found on the Graduate School website regarding the submission of education documents to Temple University. See https://grad.temple.edu/admissions/international-applicants/before-you-apply. The admissions committee for the Film and Media Arts M.F.A. program will review your materials to determine your admissions status provided the required documentation is submitted in support of your application.

Statement of Goals: In approximately 1,000 to 1,500 words, explain your personal interests, educational aims, and professional goals, along with relevant biographical information.

Standardized Test Scores:
Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

TOEFL iBT: 100
IELTS Academic: 7.0
PTE Academic: 68
Duolingo: 105

Portfolio: A portfolio is submitted as evidence of creative potential. This usually includes a completed film or videotape accompanied by a cover sheet to explain the applicant's role in the project, including production date, running time, relevant credits, and the conditions and constraints under which it was produced. Other exceptional creative work in writing, art, music, still photography, computer arts, criticism, or research scholarship might be appropriate. Such work also may be used to supplement a film or video exhibit. Portfolio materials should be submitted as an online link.

Resume: Current resume required.

Transfer Credit: The Film and Media Arts M.F.A. program accepts graduate credits completed in coursework related to the program. Acceptance of transfer credits is determined solely by the FMA committee. The maximum number of credits a student may transfer is 11.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 54

Required Courses:

Course List
Code	Title	Credit Hours
Core Courses
FMA 5241	Cinematography Workshop	4
FMA 5242	Videography	4
FMA 5361	Writing for Media I	4
FMA 5670	M.F.A. Colloquium (2 terms)	2
FMA 5671	Film History and Theory	3
FMA 5674	Media Arts Thry-Practice	4
FMA 9246	Thesis Production Workshop	4
Customized Course of Study ¹		29
Total Credit Hours		54

Within the balance of the course of study for the degree, students choose coursework aligned with their interests. These customized courses must include 1 credit of thesis development with the chair of the student's thesis committee. After completion of the comprehensive examination, the student may also take up to 6 hours of thesis credits with her/his thesis committee chair.

Culminating Events:
Faculty Reviews:
Student work is evaluated by the FMA faculty near the end of the first year in a closed individual session in the First Year Reviews. Each student is asked to present her/his completed work and work in progress, along with an artistic statement that indicates future direction. Students are required to present their work again at the end of the second year in the Second Year Reviews. This is a community-wide event attended by FMA faculty, other M.F.A. students, and undergraduate students. Student participation in the First and Second Year Reviews is mandatory.

Comprehensive Examination:
The intent of the comprehensive examination is to offer the student an opportunity for creative synthesis of information and experience from coursework and beyond. Particularly, it is meant to encourage a strong theoretical, critical, and historical grounding for all creative production work. Each examination is tailored to the student's individual program. However, the questions are not restricted to courses taken by the student but are aimed at incorporating the entire field of study and practice. The examination questions focus on major aspects of aesthetics, criticism, history, and media theory, and also may include issues of economics, institutions, management, media ethics, law, pedagogy, policy, regulations, social effects, and/or technology.

Typically, students take the comprehensive examination after completing 38 hours of coursework. The M.F.A. candidate forms a committee of three FMA faculty members and works with the committee to design four essay questions or subject areas that collectively represent a comprehensive breadth of study. A date for the exam is determined, and the candidate must complete approximately 10 pages of writing for each question.

The candidate submits a copy of the examination to each committee member. The committee reads the examination within two weeks and meets to evaluate the results. The committee members vote pass/fail on each individual question. Candidates may be asked to orally defend a questionable submission and/or rewrite one or more of the questions.

Final Project:
The student selects a thesis chair and forms a thesis committee comprised of three members. All may be FMA faculty or two may be FMA faculty and one from the outside. The student then proposes an M.F.A. final project. The project is evaluated on the basis of originality and creativity, treatment and style, professional competence, and significance of the work. In most cases, the project takes the form of a complete sound, film, or video production; a feature film script; or a completed work in an alternative media form, including computer-generated media, interactive media, installations, or newly emerging technologies.

The M.F.A. project committee evaluates project proposals individually for rigor, scope, length, and other specific criteria prior to the start of production. The committee then meets regularly with the candidate to provide ongoing critique/feedback. Upon completion of the M.F.A. project, the committee publicizes and holds a public screening of the project.

Courses

FMA 5241. Cinematography Workshop. 4 Credit Hours.

The art, theory, and technology of film production with special attention paid to location lighting, location sound, cinematic composition, and film structure. This is a dual level course, intended for both the experienced filmmaker and the media-aware but inexperienced graduate student ready for intensive, accelerated study in the design and solution of cinematographic problems. Note: This course is required for the fall semester of the first year of the MFA program.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5242. Videography. 4 Credit Hours.

Lectures, demonstrations and practical exercises in the art, theory, and technology of video and electronic media production. Note: This course is recommended for the spring semester of the first year of the MFA program.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5243. Audio Production and Aesthetics. 4 Credit Hours.

A production workshop on audio as a form of aesthetic expression. Students will explore theoretical concepts as they use digital audio recording and editing systems to complete projects. Lectures, demonstrations, hands-on instruction, exercises, critiques and discussions.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5244. Lighting for Film & Video. 4 Credit Hours.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5248. Introduction to 3D Modeling. 4 Credit Hours.

This course introduces the concepts and techniques of three-dimensional digital graphics, using Lightwave3D software. The first half of the semester introduces a broad palette of techniques and formal ideas, while the second half is spent on a major project of your own design. Previous experience with graphics or animation software is not required. The course offers a unique skill set and formal perspective.

Field of Study Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Fields of study: Film and Media Arts.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5249. Introduction to 3D: Animation. 4 Credit Hours.

This course introduces the concepts and techniques of three-dimensional digital imagery and motion graphics, using Lightwave3D software. The first half of the semester introduces a broad palette of techniques and formal ideas, while the second half is spent on a major project of your own design. The course offers a unique skill set and formal perspective for upper level students. Open to juniors and seniors, including non-majors and upper-level students from other colleges, with the specific aim of fostering an interdisciplinary, collaborative workshop environment.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5341. Scene Analysis for Writers and Directors. 4 Credit Hours.

Analysis and exercises dealing with the conventional language of mainstream narrative film, including how this language, traditionally presented as the only way to organize narrative films, actually serves to circumscribe the kinds of stories that may be told.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5344. Adaptation and Docudrama: Screen and Television Writing from Pre-Existing Source Material. 4 Credit Hours.

This will be an exercise course leading to a final written project. It will focus on screenplays for film and television based on literature, drama and historical events. Because the material pre-exists, the course will be able to focus on the nuances of translation to screen including the visual representation of internal life, time, levels of reality, "voice," historical context, and social change.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5361. Writing for Media I. 4 Credit Hours.

A seminar and workshop exploring various approaches to screenwriting, including documentary treatment, experimental appropriation, performative conceptions, and narrative screenplays. Through weekly exercises and a final project, each student will begin to develop a personal integration of these approaches leading to a "voice" of his/her own. Note: This course is required for the fall semester of the first year of the MFA program.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5362. Serial Writing. 4 Credit Hours.

This is a writing workshop focusing on dramatic serial writing in which students learn to work in close collaboration with other class members. In preparation for the class, students will be required to read or view several dramatic serials as well as read several pilot scripts. The class itself will hear "pitches" for a serial, select one story, and then begin to develop it.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Degree Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Degrees: Master of Fine Arts.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B- in FMA 5361.

FMA 5440. Topics in Production. 4 Credit Hours.

A workshop in film, video, audio, or emerging new technologies. The course will address a particular production issue (an aspect of technology or an aesthetic approach) each time it is offered, such as color correction, 3-D computer animation, special effects, digital audio applications, and multimedia.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 5451. Animation Workshop. 4 Credit Hours.

A creative workshop exploring the concepts, aesthetics, and techniques of independent animation in a number of media from cards and cels to digital design and manipulation. Note: Offered summer only.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5452. Digital Animation, Compositing and Modeling. 4 Credit Hours.

Animation, image compositing and object modeling have facilitated the crossover between animation and photographic imaging, mingling the fictive and the realistic image in digital film and videomaking. This workshop explores the techniques and effects of processing and layering the moving image within film/video language and within non-linear structures. Primary focus is on 2D animation and compositing using Adobe AfterEffects with other software packages introduced as time permits.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5462. Video Game Theory and Writing. 4 Credit Hours.

This course will look at both the critical literature that has developed around video games and other interactive environments, as well as the practice of writing video games. Student's work will combine critical essays and written game or interactive creation that explores some of the theories addressed in the course. The course will look at some of the major issues in video game studies, such as simulation, representation, play, narrative, the ergotic, cut-scenes, and interactive space and time, as well as considering how video games may engage some long-standing aesthetic and philosophic questions that predate these games themselves.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5468. Art-Culture-Technology Seminar. 4 Credit Hours.

This seminar introduces a broad array of theories and critical perspectives on cinematic arts and alternative media. The course explores how the emergence of differing media technologies such as cinema, video and computing have shaped paradigms of cultural and political organization as well as personal, physical and cognitive self-understanding. Topics include spectatorship and viewer participation, the gaze and identity construction/deconstruction, transmedia documentary, rhizomatic narrative, multiple screen installations, video art, sound art, interactivity, spatiality and new urbanisms, networked and geolocated media, net art and hacktivism, user-generated media, virtual worlds, and game theory. The course explores interdisciplinary approaches to scholarly and creative inquiry, with research and readings traversing fields of the arts, humanities and sciences.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B- in FMA 5674.

FMA 5471. Media Arts Projects at the Kimmel: The Virtual City. 4 Credit Hours.

Graduate and undergraduate students will work with Prof. Roderick Coover and visiting artists at the Kimmel Center to create works using emerging cinematic technologies including virtual reality (VR). The course aims to produce highly experimental and collaborative media arts works oriented around themes of the city. The course will take place at main campus, center city campus and at the Kimmel Center. This course is open to students from across the arts and it encourages interdisciplinary and cross-genre collaborations of image, sound, movement and performance.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 5473. Moving Camera Workshop. 4 Credit Hours.

Moving Camera Workshop is a graduate level workshop course that explores the art and practice of moving camera media production. The course covers the range of techniques including hand-held, dolly, jib, virtual/motion sensors and Steadicam operation. Class time will be spent on group discussions/exercises, lectures/screenings, lab instruction and critiquing work. Through a series of production projects, students will work through the aesthetics of moving camera and gain the technical and physical expertise necessary for successful projects. This course will also explore the theory and history of camera movement as well as blocking and directing techniques. Locative and mobile media projects extend the work outside the classroom. Research on new camera movement technologies is used to move toward innovative student media projects.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B in FMA 5242.

FMA 5553. Color Correction. 4 Credit Hours.

Advanced Color Correction is a graduate level workshop that explores the aesthetic considerations and technical aspects of color in modern postproduction and cinematography. Color has a subconscious influence on emotion in storytelling. With the advent of modern digital cinema, every film and television production undergoes some level of color grading. Cinematographers must understand the process to maintain creative control of the images they produce. Editors must understand the process to perform basic color correction on low budget productions. This class is a combination of lecture and workshop with each student striving to efficiently navigate the art and practice of color correction.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B in (FMA 5241 or FMA 5242)

FMA 5670. M.F.A. Colloquium. 1 Credit Hour.

Wide variety of discussions, screenings, and lectures from guest image makers, exploring and integrating a range of theoretical, conceptual, and pedagogical aspects of film and video production. This course must be taken a second time for fulfillment of the MFA degree in FMA. Note: This course is required for the fall semester of the first year of the MFA program.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 5671. Film History and Theory. 3 Credit Hours.

This course surveys major filmmakers who have theorized their practice in journals, workbooks, lectures, interviews, essays, etc., including theorist-practitioners like Sergei Eisenstein, Jean-Luc Godard, Atom Egoyan and Jane Campion. Historical and cultural contexts of theorist-practitioners and related critics are considered in relation to the conditions of experimentation and innovation in significant genres and aesthetic movements.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5672. History of Documentary Film. 4 Credit Hours.

An international, historical survey of the factual film, including creative documentary, anthropological film, television news film, direct cinema, and cinema verite.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5673. Time-Image Arts/Cinema Praxis. 4 Credit Hours.

This screenings-oriented seminar examines how writers such as Deleuze, Taussig, and Robbe-Grillet and media makers such as Antonioni, Frampton, and Viola expand our ideas about time-based images and the production of space in a globalizing technological era. Students respond to readings and screenings through short biweekly papers that launch seminar discussions. Students conclude the course with a paper (M.A./Ph.D. students) or project (M.F.A. students) and a cross-disciplinary critique of each other's works. Note: Cross-listed with Philosophy and Art History.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5674. Media Arts Thry-Practice. 4 Credit Hours.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5676. Anthropological Film/Media. 3 Credit Hours.

Anthropological perspectives on media studies in terms of both cultural organization and anthropological research tools; includes anthropological and communication theory, history of ethnography, and research methods with special emphasis on visual recording modes.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5680. Topics in Film Study. 4 Credit Hours.

Lectures and screenings on a special topic arranged each semester. Topics may include: Advanced Film Theory, Third Cinema, Soundtracks, Exile Cinema, The Idea of Art Cinema, Hollywood Cinematographers, Hybrid Cinema, Gender and Sexuality. Please consult with the instructor.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 5770. Topics in Producing. 3 Credit Hours.

A workshop in film and media art producing. The course will address a particular producing issue each time it is offered, such as budgeting, scheduling, project development, or entertainment law.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Degree Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Degrees: Master of Fine Arts.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 5771. Producing. 4 Credit Hours.

An overview of the processes of financing, managing, promoting, and distributing a documentary, fiction, or experimental production. Emphasis is on projects produced independently, outside the commercial mainstream, and without institutional sponsorship or governance. Students will produce a comprehensive proposal for a viable film or videotape project.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5772. Fundraising for Independent Media. 3 Credit Hours.

This course is a workshop class where students must come prepared with a project around which they will create a fundraising campaign. During the course of the semester students will be exposed to information on grant writing, non-profit and for-profit media entities and the legalities of media producing. At the conclusion of the course, students will have a full funding proposal ready for dissemination to various funding sources.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 5773. Entertainment Industry Perspectives. 4 Credit Hours.

This course explores career paths and current trends in the entertainment industry through weekly guest lecturers who are working professionals in a variety of related fields. Students also study and learn professional skills and industry conventions relevant to their future careers. Writing assignments will include critical responses to trade journal articles about the student’s chosen field as well as a series of student-conducted case studies of and interviews with practitioners in the student’s area of focus. NOTE: Student must be a graduate participant in the FMA LA-Away program.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8240. Special Problems in Film and Media Arts. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Special seminars typically taught by distinguished visiting faculty. Inquire at departmental offices for details, since these seminars often are scheduled on short notice.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8241. Advanced Cinematography. 4 Credit Hours.

Advanced theory and practice in the making of films with personal vision and crewing each other's productions in Super 16mm, 35mm or High Definition 24P digital video, along with technical and aesthetic exercises deconstructing cinematographic/videographic moviemaking.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8242. Experimental Media Wksp. 4 Credit Hours.

An advanced workshop to develop projects in experimental, documentary, or narrative forms using portable video, TV studio, and computerized image and editing facilities.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8243. Film Sound. 4 Credit Hours.

A production workshop on audio recording, editing and mixing of dialogue, foley, effects and music for film and electronic media. Lectures, demonstrations, hands-on instruction, exercises, critiques and discussions.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8244. Experimental Methods. 4 Credit Hours.

An introduction to formal concepts and experimental methods of film production with a workshop emphasis on optical printing, hand painting on film, manipulating the film image and exploring the material nature of the film medium. The course includes readings in the theories and history of experimental film and media arts production.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8245. Documentary Workshop. 4 Credit Hours.

Design, pre-production planning, production, and subsequent evaluation of individual documentary projects.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8246. Advanced Documentary/Fiction Workshop. 4 Credit Hours.

Designing and executing individual documentaries, dramatic projects, or works that intermix the strategies of documentary and fiction while dealing with socially significant material. Each project will involve one month of planning and scripting, one month of field production in film or video, and a final month of editing and postproduction. Lectures, demonstrations, critiques, and crew assignments on each other's projects will accompany the intensive fieldwork.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8340. Topics in Production. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8341. Screen Directing Theory and Practice. 4 Credit Hours.

Theories of directing, dramatic form, and acting are examined through lectures, demonstrations, readings, and applied exercises to establish a theoretical and practical foundation in film and television directing.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8361. Writing for Media II. 4 Credit Hours.

The preparation of a scenario and complete television or motion picture script.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8362. Joint Writing Workshop 1. 4 Credit Hours.

This is an advanced workshop course designed for students in the Film and Media Arts MFA in Screenwriting. It will be offered in conjunction with a similar Writing Workshop offered by the Theater MFA in Playwriting. Students will complete the first draft of a feature screenplay or serial bible.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Degree Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Degrees: Master of Fine Arts.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B- in FMA 8361.

FMA 8363. Joint Writing Workshop 2. 4 Credit Hours.

This is an advanced workshop course designed for students in the Film and Media Arts MFA in Screenwriting. It will be offered in conjunction with a similar Writing Workshop offered by the Theater MFA in Playwriting. Students will polish and complete the final draft of a feature screenplay or serial bible.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Degree Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Degrees: Master of Fine Arts.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B- in FMA 8362.

FMA 8450. Topics in Media. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8451. Digital Animation. 4 Credit Hours.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8452. New Technology Laboratory. 4 Credit Hours.

Exploration, study, design, production, and implementation of hypermedia projects including interactive and computer controlled video, computer graphics, digital sound, videodisc, virtual reality, and other emerging technologies. Interdisciplinary collaborations will be encouraged between FMA, Computer Sciences, Engineering, Architecture, Art, and Music.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8461. Interractive Narrative. 4 Credit Hours.

A creative course within a critical frame in which students make and study interactive narratives; textual, audio and graphics/video based stories that incorporate explicit user choice. Weekly exercises and readings, followed by a substantial final project.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8462. Documentary Arts and Visual Research. 3 to 4 Credit Hours.

Students examine theories, methods and interdisciplinary approaches to nonfiction representation and depiction in order to develop documentary research and/or documentary projects. Students are expected to complete highly developed papers and/or documentary projects that are directly related to their thesis topics, methods, and goals. The course is open to graduate students from across the university with permission of the instructor.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8551. Digital Post-Production. 4 Credit Hours.

Advanced tools and concepts of digital non-linear editing of film and video with emphasis on fine-cut preparation, file management, ProTools, foley, looping, multi-track mixing, compositing, titling, EDL generation, and film matchback.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8670. Topics in Media Studies. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8673. Historical Film Research. 4 Credit Hours.

Major trends in theatrical film history and the methods and issues in the writing of film history.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8674. Critical Methods Seminar. 3 Credit Hours.

Methods and approaches to issues of media history, theory, and critical analysis are covered through lectures, discussions, screenings, and directed research as practical preparation for comprehensive examinations. Note: This course is required of fourth semester MFA candidates.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8675. Seminar: International Film. 4 Credit Hours.

A critical and historical examination of the films of a particular country or world region. Topics vary per semester. May be repeated (as long as the specific topic is not duplicated).

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8680. Advanced Topics in Media Arts Studies. 4 Credit Hours.

Advanced Topics in Media Arts Studies is a variable-content topics history/theory course in such media art topics as new technologies, sound, interactive video, mobile media, visual ethnography and other areas of interdisciplinary media art. This is a media arts studies course for graduate students.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8771. Exhibition/Distribution. 3 Credit Hours.

The objective of this course is to expose students to methods and approaches for exhibition and distribution of independent media. Students will investigate popular media outlets such as film/video festivals, microcinemas and internet exhibition possibilities, to name only a few. The course will serve dual functions in that it will prepare students to distribute their own work while also exposing them to industry opportunities in exhibition and distribution.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 8870. U Penn Critical Studies. 4 Credit Hours.

Recipient of the Temple (FMA)-UPenn Exchange Award that is given to one student per year to engage in studies in the University of Pennsylvania Program in Cinema Studies. The exchange has been officially approved by the Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 8985. Teaching in Higher Education, Arts. 3 Credit Hours.

This course focuses on the research on how people learn and best teaching practices, with the aim of preparing students for effective higher education teaching in the arts.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 9085. Professional Field Experience. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Field work on an outside professional production or media presentation with a position of creative, curatorial or managerial responsibility. May be repeated. Up to four credits may count toward the MFA degree.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 9086. Study-Away Internship. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Students apply for and perform internships in wide variety of entertainment industry fields. Students also study opportunities available to emerging professionals in their areas of specialty. Students submit weekly journals related to their internship experiences and assigned readings, as well as a final written reflection on their field experience, personal growth, and knowledge gained. NOTE: Internship placements subject to student qualifications and availability of openings. Must be admitted into Film and Media Arts LA-Away Program. Contact FMA’s internship director.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 9245. Thesis Development Workshop. 4 Credit Hours.

This writing intensive workshop is designed to aid in the conceptualization, development and preproduction phases of the final thesis production. Through a diverse range of creative exercises, writing assignments and visiting lecturers, students will complete their thesis proposal with clear plans for executing their thesis film.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B- in FMA 8674.

FMA 9246. Thesis Production Workshop. 4 Credit Hours.

This production workshop is designed to support the production of final thesis projects. Through a diverse range of workshops and visiting lecturers, the course is designed to support the production phases of final thesis projects with the goal of completing production by the course's end.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Degree Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Degrees: Master of Fine Arts.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B- in FMA 8674.

FMA 9282. Directed Projects. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Individual production projects proposed by advanced students under the tutorial supervision of a faculty member.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 9346. Methodologies and Praxis. 4 Credit Hours.

This seminar offers core training in doctoral research methods across film and media arts and related fields. Drawing upon scholarly traditions in visual research in the humanities and social sciences, the course is designed to help students gain deep understanding of differing research approaches to develop research methods best suited to their dissertation projects. Student learn to systematically develop their research projects, combine research from archival, data and field sources, and integrate quantitative and qualitative research materials into their arguments. Students learn to develop annotated bibliographies, contrast research approaches to their potential thesis questions, and position their work for differing audiences. In developing strategies of implementation, students are instructed in IRB and other research protocols and engage readings on ethics and academic standards.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Degree Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Degrees: Doctor of Philosophy.

Repeatability: This course may not be repeated for additional credits.

FMA 9683. Directed Readings. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Individual research/theory projects proposed by advanced students under the tutorial supervision of a faculty member.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 9994. Doctoral Comprehensive Exam Study. 1 to 6 Credit Hour.

Open only to PhD candidates in Film and Media Arts for preparation for their doctoral comprehensive examination. A maximum of six credit hours will be counted toward the degree.

Field of Study Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Fields of study: Documentary Arts + Visual Res.
Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 9995. M.F.A. Project. 1 to 4 Credit Hour.

Open only to MFA candidates in Film and Media Arts for their final project. May be repeated for credit during all semesters the final project is in progress, although only a maximum of six hours will be counted toward the degree.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 9998. Doctoral Dissertation Proposal. 1 to 3 Credit Hour.

Open only to PhD candidates in Film and Media Arts for their doctoral thesis proposal research, writing and presentation. A maximum of six credit hours will be counted toward the degree.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

FMA 9999. Doctoral Dissertation. 1 to 3 Credit Hour.

For PhD students actively completing thesis work.

Level Registration Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: Graduate.
Student Attribute Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Student Attributes: Dissertation Writing Student.

Repeatability: This course may be repeated for additional credit.

Pre-requisites: Minimum grade of B- in FMA 9998.