Admission Requirements

NOTE: ALL WRITTEN MATERIAL MUST BE TYPED

A. ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS: An honours degree or equivalent with a minimum 'B' average in film/video or a related discipline.

B. SUPPLEMENTARY ADMISSIONS DATA FORM:
Professional/amateur work and non-degree and/or non-diploma courses/workshops/seminars are also considered, and should be noted on the Supplementary Admissions Data form included in the application package. All sections of this supplementary form must be completed.

C. THESIS PROPOSAL
The thesis proposal is important and will be considered very carefully by the Admissions Committee. The topic submitted does not necessarily constitute a commitment to working on this topic if admitted; however, it must demonstrate a conceptualization of a research or creative project clearly and in as much detail as possible. Please see specific proposal requirements for each stream of study listed below.

D. PORTFOLIO:
DO NOT send the portfolio portion of the application to Graduate Admissions. The portfolio is sent directly to the Department of Film Graduate Program Office.

The contents of the portfolio depend on the stream to which the candidate is applying. The materials submitted in the portfolio are a crucial element of the application. Entry to the program is highly competitive and the strength of the portfolio will be a major consideration for the Admissions Committee.

Portfolios may be sent via mail or courier or delivered in person to the program office. Original pieces of work should not be submitted as the program and York University cannot assume responsibility for loss or damage. Portfolios can be returned if self-addressed packaging and sufficient Canadian postage to cover the expense of mailing is included. Portfolios may be picked up in person after May 1st of the year of application. Any unclaimed portfolios will be discarded as of September 1st of the application year.

Portfolio: Production
Submissions must be transferred to VHS (in the NTSC format only), DVD or Mini DV. NTSC is the North American standard. Non-North American applicants must have their tapes formatted to this system in order for the Evaluation Committee to be able to view their material.

One or two tapes of whole works, plus excerpts of projects on which the applicant worked as director/filmmaker may be submitted. Please indicate for each production/excerpt the original format in which it was recorded and other pertinent details (e.g., a synopsis of the whole work and how the excerpt fits into the completed work; if the piece was a result of a course project, what requirements had to be met for the assignment, etc.)

PLEASE NOTE: We tend to accept practicing artists who work in experimental film and video, documentary, narrative or hybrid forms. At times, we base our selection of students on available faculty members for thesis supervision, and the fit between their artistic and scholarly interests and the work proposed by the applicant.

Degree Requirements

Master of Fine Arts Program

The principal goal of our program is to immerse students in a program of study that best meets their overall academic and professional goals. The required courses are intended to enhance the range and depth of a student’s skills and knowledge. The program is committed to providing the opportunity for students to enhance their experience by choosing from a selection of elective courses.

 All first-year students are required to attend the graduate seminar (FILM 5400.03) which includes our premier series, “The Independents.” Second-year students are warmly encouraged to attend. The graduate seminar will consist of an integrated series of guest lectures, intensive workshops and screenings. All second-year students will present a detailed and developed synopsis of their Thesis/MRP project at a Graduate Conference to be held during the fall term of their second year of study.

 

MFA Degree

All those earning an MFA Degree must complete 7 half courses and a Thesis.

 

PRODUCTION STUDENTS

Required Courses:

 

Elective Courses: 2005-2006

Film 5110 3.0		Screenwriting
Film 5020B 3.0		Activist Video*
Film 5030 3.0		Cinematography*
Film 5010 3.0		Production
Film 5123 3.0		Television: Screenwriting and Philosophy
Film 5231 3.0		Contemporary Documentary
Film 5232 3.0		Canadian Film Distribution, Exhibition & Marketing
Film 5320B 3.0		Selected Topics in History & Criticism: Narratology and Luis Buñuel
Film 5320L 3.0		Discourse of Race/Racist Discourses
Film 5245 3.0		Future Cinema
Film 5700 3.0		Student Initiated Collaborative Study
Film 5800 3.0		Directed Reading

*Students must be able to demonstrate a superior level of technical expertise to be offered a place in these courses. Permission of the Course Director and Graduate Program Director are required.

 Directed Reading: Students may design a particular course of study with a faculty member provided it is not available in the current curriculum and does not overlap significantly with a course previously taken. Students are normally allowed two half reading courses during their Master’s tenure in the Film and Video Program. All directed reading courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Director.

 MFA students may take up to a total of two half courses from outside the Department of Film. Students should consult the graduate handbooks for cognate departments such as Social and Political Thought, English, Visual Arts, Anthropology, Communication and Culture. Permission of the instructor and Graduate Program Director is required.