Evoke critical thought and elicit unbounded emotion through the multifaceted art of film. With ArtCenter’s Master of Fine Arts in Film, you’ll gain tools to ask complex questions, tell compelling stories and push the boundaries of visual narratives—and to inspire future generations to do the same. Here in Los Angeles, top Hollywood talent and decision-makers equip you to excel in directing, screenwriting, cinematography, editing or producing. Our MFA in film attracts a community of diverse storytellers who collaborate with talented designers across ArtCenter’s many departments to redefine the existing media landscape.

Program Overview

Our top-tier faculty of entertainment professionals and visiting film industry experts will equip you with the tools and strategies to design, develop and produce film projects that you own and can take into the world. You’ll experiment with form and function while co-creating with fellow visionaries here in the heart of the entertainment industry. Filmmaking takes a village, so here, your ideas will flourish among innovative storytellers and experimental designers whose creativity complements your passion for screenwriting, editing, producing, directing or cinematography.

Learning Tailored to Your Passions

Visually innovative filmmaking blossoms from connections across disciplinary boundaries. Your most impactful films will be products of collaboration, of working alongside experts whose experience in one domain enhances your abilities in another. In ArtCenter’s MFA in film, you’ll work firsthand with each primary responsibility within filmmaking, and you can concentrate your studies on the area where you want to thrive the most.

Screenwriting

With a screenwriting focus, you’ll examine narrative, structure, themes, character development, scene work, story arcs and point-of-view for films, shorts and TV writing. Through workshops and courses dedicated to revision, you’ll artistically and commercially improve your writing to a professional level.

Cinematography

Cinematography is both practical craft and creative design. You’ll combine theory with hands-on practice in the visual grammar of lighting, formats, color, lenses, frame composition and shooting practices for storytelling. ArtCenter workshops include safety practices, RED cameras, green screen post-production and much more.

Production

Follow the full filmmaking process from pre-production through release in ArtCenter’s production-oriented courses. You’ll develop strategies for tackling aesthetic, technical and ethical issues in production, as well as the best practices, business skills and leadership responsibilities that are integral to successful film sets.

Film Editing

Gain experience with all aspects of film editing, from production dialogue and sound effects to music scores, narrative picture editing, ADR, Foley and more. You’ll expand your theoretical knowledge of film editing through practical workshops as well as historical and aesthetic study of narrative picture editing.

Directing

Develop your leadership skills and directorial tools, including style and tone, camera and music, location and performance, sequences and scenes, and everything else that makes a film work. You’ll study movement from a director’s point of view, develop your voice and experiment with creative strategies to convey structure, theme and character.

Careers in Film

At ArtCenter, we prepare you for a fast-paced industry: you’ll build on your determination and talent in an environment that fosters versatility, entrepreneurialism and creative risk-taking. Launch from your tailored curriculum in the MFA in Film into a thriving career in Hollywood or other hot spots for film. Your opportunities are wide open in roles like:

• Art director
• Cinematographer
• Concept design supervisor
• Director
• Director of photography
• Documentarian
• Executive producer
• Film editor
• Producer
• Studio executive