Whether you’re starting from scratch with no prior filmmaking experience or you’ve already made films and want to develop an area of specialization, we think you will find Chapman a place to explore, create and tell stories in ways that will challenge you beyond your expectations.  

Year 1

The first foundation year of the MFA in Film Production will challenge students with an intensive foundational experience in which the fundamentals of screenwriting, directing, cinematography, editing, and sound design will be instilled.  By the end of year one, students will also be cognizant of the evolution of the language of visual storytelling.

First Semester:
Evolution of Narrative Film I
Fundamentals of Production & Visual Design
Production Workshop I
Short Film Form
Acting for Non-Actors (directors)
Fundamentals in Cinematography I (cinematographers)
Fundamentals in Editing (editors/sound designers)

Second Semester:
Evolution of Narrative Film II
Fundamentals of Post-Production
Fundamentals of Screenwriting
Production Workshop II
Fundamentals in Directing (directors)
Fundamentals in Cinematography II (cinematographers)
Fundamentals in Audio Design (editors/sound designers)

At the end of the first year, the Graduate Faculty Committee will review all students.  At this time, final choices of discipline will be settled.  (Some limited switches may occur from the student’s originally indicated discipline.)

Year 2

The second year (or first conservatory year) is where students will be able to focus their studies in advanced classes depending on their specialization—directing, cinematography, editing, or sound design.

First Semester:
Production and Set Management
Intermediate Directing (directors)
Intermediate Audio Design (sound designers)
Intermediate Editing (editors)
Intermediate Cinematography (cinematographers)
Production Workshop III (see below for details)

Second Semester:
Thesis Development (directors)
FTV Elective (editors, cinematographers, sound designers)
Advanced Directing (directors)
Advanced Audio Design (sound designers)
Advanced Editing (editors)
Advanced Cinematography (cinematographers)
Production Workshop IV (see below for details)

Production Workshop III and IV   will require students to form creative teams along their disciplines as directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, production designers, editors and audio designers to realize a 10-12 minute narrative short.  The shorts will be based on the screenplays generated by the screenwriting students in the first year short screenplay workshop, and will be produced by the producing students.  The finished shorts will be intensively work-shopped in Advanced Discipline Classes and critiqued from the point of view of each particular discipline.

Year 3

Second conservatory year: Thesis in Film Production

The thesis projects will be intensely mentored by senior faculty from screenplay development to final cut. The aim is to make the projects important tools of advanced education, in addition to providing the students with the best possible calling cards. Therefore, students must adhere to a pre-determined pre-production, production, and post-production schedule, and demonstrate their readiness to senior faculty in every aspect (artistic, organizational, and financial) in order to move into the next phase of production.

Although the projects can be writer/director driven, the faculty will encourage creative collaboration among disciplines, employing the best talents of writers, producers, editors, cinematographers, sound and production designers, coming together to realize a unified vision. In that way, a particular project can be the thesis project for several students.

Although the students will own the films, Dodge College will fund the thesis projects, providing the basic budget for a professionally-executed short film.  

The thesis projects should be completed by the end of the academic year.  Each will be provided with the opportunity for a premier screening for invited guests.  The best of them will be showcased in the yearly “First Cut” screening for invited professionals of the film and television community.

Contact our Film Division Chair, Joe Slowensky, at jslowens@chapman.edu with any additional questions.