Film & Media Arts

About
Programs

Chet Pancake, Chair
Annenberg Hall 14B
2020 N. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
tue89498@temple.edu
https://tfma.temple.edu/fma

The Film and Media Arts (FMA) Program focuses on the development of creative expression and technical skills in film, video, audio, digital media, and new technologies, and the theoretical understanding of media and culture. The program recognizes and explores the creative tension between individual expression and the social, political, and economic forces that shape culture at large through the creation and study of film, video, and new media.

Students are trained in developing meaningful content as well as craft, theory, and practice. In learning independent and mainstream approaches to production and theory, graduates will be prepared to develop their own independent productions and to assume a creative role in the motion picture, television and media industries.

FMA faculty have received the Oscar, Emmy, Guggenheim, Rockefeller, NEA, Fulbright, Sundance and international film awards and are authors of some of the important texts in the field. The department also brings in guest media makers and visiting professors from diverse backgrounds for special lectures and workshops. Students may select elective courses from throughout the university, including in such areas as creative writing, theater and fine arts. A highly-recognized graduate program offers undergraduates numerous opportunities to work on advanced productions and participate in advanced research, exhibition and creative work in the field.

Los Angeles Study-Away Program

The Film and Media Arts Department offers a department-run study-away academic and internship program in Los Angeles every semester. Students may apply to attend in fall, spring, and summer of their junior and senior years. They may complete an online course, FMA 2670 with the topic Hollywood Head Start, before attending the Los Angeles Program, which may reduce program costs. Students interested in this option should apply to the Los Angeles Program through the Study-Away Office as normal.

Special Considerations for Directing and Screenwriting BFA Students

Because it is a more structured curriculum than that of the other Film and Media Arts sequences, students in the BFA in FMA's concentrations in Directing and Screenwriting who wish to participate in the Los Angeles Program must carefully plan ahead. They should meet with the BFA Director well before the semester they plan to attend the Los Angeles Program. BFA in FMA students in the Directing and Screenwriting concentrations have the following options:

Option 1 is open to the BFA students in the Directing and Screenwriting concentrations. They may attend the Los Angeles Program during the summer semester after their junior or senior years. To reduce summer cost, students may earn four of the eight hours normally required for the summer semester by completing an online course, FMA 2670 with the topic Hollywood Head Start, during the fall or spring semesters. Students interested in this option should apply to the Los Angeles Program through the Study-Away Office as normal.
Option 2 is open to BFA students in the Directing concentration. These students may seek permission from the Director to attend the Los Angeles Program during the spring of their junior year. They must 1) find a Los Angeles internship that will replace the normally required FMA 3241 BFA Junior Directing Projects, 2) demonstrate from their performance in prior BFA courses that they can complete online the required FMA 3343 Screenwriting II, and 3) submit a plan to complete all otherwise required courses and credits to earn the BFA. These must be approved by the BFA Director.
Option 3 is open to BFA students in the Screenwriting concentration. These students may seek permission from the BFA Director to attend the Los Angeles Program during the spring of their junior year, or the fall or spring of their senior year. They must 1) demonstrate from their performance in prior BFA courses that they can complete online the required FMA 3343 Screenwriting II, and 2) submit a plan to complete all otherwise required courses and credits to earn the BFA. These must be approved by the BFA Director.

Other Internships and Special Programs

Beyond that, FMA has an extensive internship program throughout the year in Philadelphia. Additionally, many organizations in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Washington, D.C. provide regular opportunities for student professional internships. Temple University offers Temple-run special programs for study and research in Rome and Tokyo.

Degree Offerings

The Film and Media Arts department offers both the BFA and BA degrees, as well as a minor in Screen Studies.

Initially students declare either the Film and Media Arts Major or the Film and Media Arts Major with a Screen Studies Concentration. In the spring of their sophomore year (60 credits), students may apply to enter one of three upper-level BFA concentrations in Directing, Media Arts, or Screenwriting or one of three upper-level BA concentrations in Cinematography, Producing, or Post-Production (see below).

To Apply for a BFA in Film and Media Arts with Concentrations in Directing, Media Arts or Screenwriting

To be considered, students need to complete 60 credits by the end of their sophomore year, earn an average of 3.0 in six foundational and intermediate courses (see each program page for details), submit a BFA application to the department, and provide a portfolio. The BFA application must be submitted to the department no later than the deadline announced on the Film and Media Studies Undergraduate Listserv in the spring semester in which the student reaches sixty credits. Students with less than an average of 3.0 in the six courses or who have only completed five of the six courses may petition the department for admission to one of the BFA concentrations. (See concentration faculty advisor.) Students who were not admitted to one of the BFA concentrations can continue in the BA in Film and Media Arts or the BA in Film and Media Arts with a Concentration in Screen Studies or apply for one of the three BA production concentrations.

To Apply for a BA in Film and Media Arts with Concentrations in Cinematography, Producing or Post-Production

To be considered, students need to complete 60 credits by the end of their sophomore year, earn an average of 3.0 in six foundational and intermediate courses (see each program page for details), submit a BA with Concentration application to the department, and provide a portfolio. The BA with Concentration application must be submitted to the department no later than the deadline announced on the Film and Media Studies Undergraduate Listserv in the spring semester in which the student reaches sixty credits. If a student has less than an average of 3.0 in these courses, the student may petition the department for admission into one of the three upper-level concentrations or choose to remain in their initial program—either the BA in Film and Media Arts or the BA in Film and Media Arts with a Concentration in Screen Studies.

Transfer Students Applying to the BFA in Film and Media Arts with Concentrations in Directing, Media Arts or Screenwriting, or the BA in Film and Media Arts with Concentrations in Cinematography, Producing or Post-Production

All internal and external transfer students who have transferred no equivalent FMA courses may apply to the BFA or the BA with Production Concentration in their second year as a Film and Media Arts student, provided they have completed all application requirements and a creative portfolio. Transfer students who have courses equivalent to the FMA core will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may be able to apply for the BFA or the BA with Production Concentration in their first year as a Film and Media Arts student. Please see advisor for a long term academic plan. All transfer students should be aware that completing either the BFA or the BA with Production Concentration may extend their time at Temple.

Exceptional cases for direct admission to the BFA or BA with Production concentrations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Concentration Faculty Advisor.

Minor in Screen Studies

Students from across the university may enroll in the Film and Media Arts' Minor in Screen Studies.

Foundation Courses

Students will take Foundation Courses appropriate to the chosen concentration. However, students who choose to switch to another concentration will need to meet with the faculty advisor to discuss how the foundation courses previously completed can apply to the student's new concentration.