Welcome to the Florida State University Film School!

You have been directed to this page because you were selected to interview for our Graduate Film Conservatory. Congratulations on making it this far in the selection process. The following information is provided to assist you in preparing for your interview.

The Programs

The Film School offers two MFA programs:

-Film Production
The Film Production program is an intensive, conservatory-style, professional filmmaking program. All students will write, direct, produce, edit, production design, sound design and shoot a minimum of three short films. The program will culminate in a competitive thesis process wherein students will team up in writer/director and producer pairs and will pitch to be selected to create one of five short thesis films. Students who choose not to pitch, or who are not chosen by the faculty to write, direct or produce a thesis film, will fulfill their thesis requirement by demonstrating a professional level of accomplishment in one or more of the following areas: cinematography, production design, editing, and sound design. The program runs six consecutive semesters, including summers, culminating in a Master of Fine Arts degree.

- Screen & Play Writing
The Screen & Play Writing program is a conservatory-style, professional writing program that requires students to engage in intensive film production coursework in their first semester, and then focus solely on both screen and play writing, to include an intensive two-week playwriting course in London. In the second year, students will be mentored by professional writers in the process of creating professional-quality scripts in two of the three following formats: screenplays, teleplays, and theatrical plays. The program is based on the fundamental philosophy that writing for film, television, and stage is best suited for those who have intensively engaged in and thoroughly understand the production process. Students will write two industry ready works to fulfill their thesis requirement. The program runs six consecutive semesters, including summers, culminating in a Master of Fine Arts degree.

The Interview

The Film School is located at the FSU Football Stadium, in University Center Building A. The main office, where you will check in for your interview, is located in room 3100. Directions and a map to our facilities can be found here. Detailed directions can be found on the FSU Visitor's Center website: http://www.visit.fsu.edu/directions.html.
Those attending a Friday interview must park in the Visitor Parking area located outside of Building B. On Saturday and Sunday all lots will be open and you may park in any marked parking space.

Please plan to arrive at the Film School main office approximately 15 minutes prior to your stated interview time. An employee of the school will be here to greet you. We will also ask at that time that you fill out a brief form and allow us to take your picture. The picture will be used for reference during our decision-making process.
Your interview will consist of three parts:

-The individual interview
This is the time that you are scheduled to arrive. We ask that you prepare ideas for two five-minute long short films. The films should be narrative, with a beginning, middle and end. Be prepared to pitch one or both of your story ideas at some point during your individual interview. Your pitch should not take longer than two or three minutes. You will be interviewed by Reb Braddock, Associate Dean of the FSU Film School and Directing instructor, and a panel made up of various members of our faculty. Writing candidates will also interview with Dan Dietz, Assistant Professor at the School of Theatre.

-The group session
The group session will take place at 12:30pm if you are scheduled for a morning interview, or 6:00pm if you are scheduled for an afternoon interview. You will be put with the others who interviewed in your section and asked to do a task together. You will be observed by our panel, who will see how you work as a member of a team, as well as your creative contributions to the project.

- The Tour
Immediately following the group session you will be taken on a tour of our facilities. The tour will be led by one of our current graduate students. Please take advantage of this opportunity to ask questions of a current student.

Our current MFA students are in the process of shooting their thesis films. If you have time, we encourage you to pick up a call sheet and visit our students on set. This is an excellent opportunity for you to observe our students in action and to ask questions.
If you plan to fly out of Tallahassee the same day of your interview, please arrange your flight to leave no sooner than 4:00 for a morning session, or 9:30pm for an afternoon session. This will allow time for the tour and the drive to the airport in time to check in.

The Details

You can fly into Tallahassee on Continental, Delta, NorthWest, or USAir. There is only one hotel especially near the FSU Film School, the Marriott Residence Inn. The following hotels are a few of the many that are an easy drive from the Film School: