Florida State University College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts
Encyclopedia
The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts (colloquially, The Film School), located in Tallahassee, Florida
, is one of fifteen college
s comprising the Florida State University
(FSU). The College was founded in 1989. With its very selective admittance, only 20-30 undergraduates and 30 graduates (24 in production program and 6 in writing program (the writing program is just for graduate students) are accepted for each class.
The film school offers a BFA
and MFA
.
The Film School is regarded as one of the most accomplished film schools in the world and is well-known for selectivity in admissions. FSU Film students won more Student Oscars (2) and College Television Awards (5) in one year than any other film school. The college is one of the few film schools in the country to be recognized by the Directors Guild of America
for "its distinguished contribution to American culture through the world of film and television". It is also the only film school in the nation to pay for all undergraduate and graduate students production costs, creating an environment in which students can concentrate on the artistry of film. With the help of unusually active alumni and a mentorship program, virtually 100% of the students find a meaningful job in the film or television industries within 12 months.
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, is one of fifteen college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s comprising the Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
(FSU). The College was founded in 1989. With its very selective admittance, only 20-30 undergraduates and 30 graduates (24 in production program and 6 in writing program (the writing program is just for graduate students) are accepted for each class.
The film school offers a BFA
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
and MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
.
The Film School is regarded as one of the most accomplished film schools in the world and is well-known for selectivity in admissions. FSU Film students won more Student Oscars (2) and College Television Awards (5) in one year than any other film school. The college is one of the few film schools in the country to be recognized by the Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America
Directors Guild of America is an entertainment labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry...
for "its distinguished contribution to American culture through the world of film and television". It is also the only film school in the nation to pay for all undergraduate and graduate students production costs, creating an environment in which students can concentrate on the artistry of film. With the help of unusually active alumni and a mentorship program, virtually 100% of the students find a meaningful job in the film or television industries within 12 months.
Notable alumni
- Sam Beam - sole member of Iron & WineIron & WineSamuel Beam , better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released four studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album...
- Ron J. FriedmanRon J. FriedmanRon J. Friedman is an American screenwriter best known for his work with Steve Bencich.Friedman and Bencich have collaborated on screenplays for several animated films, including Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Open Season...
- writer of Disney film Brother BearBrother BearBrother Bear is a 2003 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures, the forty-fourth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics. In the film, an Inuit boy pursues a bear in revenge for a battle that he provoked in which...
, Chicken LittleChicken Little (2005 film)Chicken Little is a 2005 computer-animated science fiction family comedy film loosely based on the fable The Sky Is Falling. It was the 46th animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation...
, and Sony's CG film Open SeasonOpen Season (film)Open Season is a 2006 computer-animated comedy film, written by Steve Bencich and Ron J. Friedman and directed by Jill Culton, Roger Allers, and Anthony Stacchi, and production designed by Michael Humphries... - Kristian Bernier - cinematographerCinematographerA cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
of Sugar TownSugar Town (film)Sugar Town is a 1999 independent film written and directed by Allison Anders and Kurt Voss, concerning a tangled web of characters coping with ambition, fame, and the aftermath of fame...
and Six String Samurai - Melissa Carter - writer of Little Black BookLittle Black BookLittle Black Book is a 2004 satirical comedy film directed by Nick Hurran.-Plot:Stacy Holt , an associate producer on a daytime talk show , is convinced that her boyfriend Derek is the right man for her, though he has an apparent phobia of commitment, and he's vague about his past relationships...
- Greg MarcksGreg MarcksGreg Marcks is a writer/director of motion pictures who lives in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California.-Early life:Marcks grew up in the town of Chelmsford, Massachusetts and attended Chelmsford High School....
- writer/director of 11:1411:1411:14 is a 2003 film about a series of interconnected events which lead up to the same time, 11:14 p.m.-Plot:The film involves several interconnected stories that converge at 11:14 p.m...
and Echelon ConspiracyEchelon ConspiracyEchelon Conspiracy is a 2009 science fiction action thriller film directed by Greg Marcks and starring Shane West, Edward Burns, and Ving Rhames.-Plot:... - Matt Chapman - from The Brothers ChapsThe Brothers ChapsThe Brothers Chaps are Michael "Mike" Chapman and Matthew "Matt" Chapman, creators of the Homestar Runner series of animated cartoons. The brothers are originally from Indiana, but now live in Atlanta, Georgia.-Matthew Chapman:...
of Homestar RunnerHomestar RunnerHomestar Runner is a Flash animated Internet cartoon. It mixes surreal humor with references to retro pop culture, notably video games, classic television, and popular music.The cartoons are nominally centered on the title character, Homestar Runner... - Frank Longo - director of Repli-KateRepli-KateRepli-Kate is a 2002 film from National Lampoon starring Ali Landry, James Roday and Eugene Levy.- Synopsis :After accidentally cloning a sexy reporter, two college grad students decide to educate the newly created human and turn her into the perfect woman.- Plot :Max Fleming is a grad student who...
- Kelsey Scott - writer of MotivesMotives (film)Motives is a 2004 thriller starring Vivica A. Fox, Shemar Moore, Golden Brooks, Sean Blakemore and Keshia Knight Pulliam. The sequel, Motives 2, was released in 2007 .-Synopsis:...
and Motives 2: RetributionMotives (film)Motives is a 2004 thriller starring Vivica A. Fox, Shemar Moore, Golden Brooks, Sean Blakemore and Keshia Knight Pulliam. The sequel, Motives 2, was released in 2007 .-Synopsis:... - Jason Doty - 2000 winner of the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's AwardCoca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's AwardCreated in 1998, Coca-Cola has given out the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award to a student winner of their competition. Students from participating film schools across the United States submit entries of original scripts and storyboards...
- Matthew Pope - 2004 winner of the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's AwardCoca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's AwardCreated in 1998, Coca-Cola has given out the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award to a student winner of their competition. Students from participating film schools across the United States submit entries of original scripts and storyboards...
- Will Bigham - Winner of On the LotOn the LotOn the Lot is a short-lived reality show competition produced by Steven Spielberg and Mark Burnett. The show, which aired on Fox, featured filmmakers competing in weekly elimination competitions, with the ultimate prize of a million dollar development deal at DreamWorks...
season 1 (2007). - Luke Crowe - national casting editor of Back StageBack StageBack Stage is an entertainment-industry brand aimed at people working in film and the performing arts, with a special focus on casting, job opportunities, and career advice.Back Stage publishes a weekly tabloid-sized trade magazine in the U.S...
Notable faculty
- Reb Braddock - writer and director whose credits include CurdledCurdled (film)Curdled is 1996 black comedy written and directed by Reb Braddock. The film stars Angela Jones as a Colombian immigrant who takes a crime scene cleanup job, and discovers evidence about a local serial killer dubbed the "Blue Blood Killer" for his targeting of socialites...
, produced by Quentin TarantinoQuentin TarantinoQuentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
. - Chip ChalmersChip Chalmers-Biography:In 1979 "Chip Chalmers" became the production coordinator of 20th Century Fox Television in Los Angeles. In 1981 Chalmers entered the Directors Guild of America and worked as an assistant director till 1993. Chalmers was first assistant director for episodes of Melrose Place, The A-Team,...
- director of television shows whose credits include Miami ViceMiami ViceMiami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
, 7th Heaven7th Heaven7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
, Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, and Melrose Place. - Victor NunezVictor NúñezVíctor Núñez Rodríguez is a Costa Rican professional football player who currently plays for Club Sport Herediano in the Primera Division de Costa Rica.-Personal:...
- writer and director of notable independent films Ruby in ParadiseRuby in ParadiseRuby in Paradise is a 1993 film written, directed, and edited by Victor Nuñez, and starring Ashley Judd, Todd Field, Bentley Mitchum, Allison Dean, and Dorothy Lyman. It is an homage to Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen.-Synopsis:...
, CoastlinesCoastlinesCoastlines is an independent 2002 dramatic film written and directed by Victor Nunez.-Cast:* Timothy Olyphant as Sonny Mann* Josh Brolin as Dave Lockhart* Sarah Wynter as Ann Lockhart* Scott Wilson as Pa Mann* Angela Bettis as Effie Bender...
, and Ulee's GoldUlee's GoldUlee's Gold is a 1997 film written and directed by Victor Nuñez, and starring Peter Fonda in the title role. Co-stars include Patricia Richardson, Christine Dunford, Tom Wood, Jessica Biel, J. Kenneth Campbell, Steven Flynn, Dewey Weber, and Vanessa Zima...
for which actor Peter Fonda was nominated for an Academy Award. Founding member of the Independent Feature Project.