M.F.A. Film and Television Production students receive hands-on training and instruction from experienced faculty in all aspects of filmmaking and visual storytelling—from creative choices such as developing stories and directing actors and scenes, to business and technical matters such as budgeting, location scouting, casting, set design and construction, and on-set safety. Throughout the program, you’ll learn how artistry, craft, and technique all serve one another and contribute to bringing great stories to life on any screen.
The first three semesters of the Film and Television Production program consist of common-core courses that provide foundational knowledge and experience. You’ll then choose one of five areas of specialization for the final three semesters, with your coursework and thesis requirements tailored to your chosen area:
- Creative Producing
- Directing Fiction (narrative)
- Directing Non-Fiction (documentary)
- Cinematography
- Editing
Mirroring the interdisciplinary nature of media and entertainment, you’ll have the opportunity to crew on your classmates’ films or to form teams to work on projects together. Through these collaborations, you’ll learn how to offer and receive constructive feedback on projects to make good ideas even better, and you’ll develop an appreciation of all of the disciplines who labor together to bring great stories to life.
In your first year alone, you'll deliver three to five short narrative or documentary projects in collaboration with future editors, cinematographers, sound designers, and other key craftspeople. At LMU SFTV, you retain the rights to all of the work you produce during the program, from your first project to your final thesis.
Premier state-of-the-art equipment and technology are available at both our Playa Vista and our Westchester campuses, including dedicated production stages and fully furnished scene and prop shops. You'll also get plenty of practice on advanced lighting and grip equipment as well as digital camera packages. Tapeless workflow makes post-production a breeze—your work is stored on a central server so you can call up your project from anywhere. At the other end of the spectrum, you’ll also have the chance to shoot on 35mm film if you’d like training in this time-honored medium of filmmaking.