Filmmaking is a creative practice rooted in storytelling and curiosityāabout yourself and the world around you. As a student here, youāll learn the craft from every angle, from writing and pre-production to shooting and editing. Youāll explore narrative, documentary, experimental filmmaking and video art, discovering what type of artist you want to be and developing the practical skills to become one.
Andrew Guaman directing his Film+Fashion class project, 'Loteria'
At Pratt you begin making your own films and collaborating with your peers in your first semester. You will have access to everything you need to make your workā professional cameras, tripods, sound, and lighting equipment as well as computer labs, software and production facilities. Our faculty of filmmakers and artists will facilitate your learning in intimate classes of 12 students through screenings, readings, technical demonstrations, production exercises, class critiques, and visiting professionals. By the time you have graduated, you will have created 12-20 short films and will have crewed on many others directed by your peers. You will leave with a sample reel of your work ready for entry into the professional landscape and your strongest work will be ready to submit to film festivals and/or used as the foundation of an application to graduate school.
In your first semester, youāll gain essential conceptual and technical training in two rigorous foundational courses: Film Fundamentals and Production Studio. Youāll then explore varied modes of filmmaking in fiction, nonfiction, and experimental studio courses. In your junior year, the curriculum broadens to include more electives and advanced coursework in Fiction II and either Nonfiction II or Experimental Studio II.
Senior Thesis Project
The culmination of the program is a guided but self-defined year-long senior thesis project. You will direct and edit your most ambitious short film to date. Finished films will be presented as part of our Senior Showcase in our state-of-the-art Katharine L. McKenna Screening Room and at the prestigious BAM Rose Cinemas.
Internships
New York City is teaming with film and television production and we encourage all of our students to gain experience by doing an internship in the junior year. Our internship program mimics a real world job search in that it is personalized to the goals and interests of each student. When you have identified an area of interest (production, post-production, color correction, live television, distribution) we will coach you through the research and application process. Our students have been placed in internships in a wide range of contexts including Saturday Night Live, Late Night, A24, MoMA, Technicolor, Kino Lorber, and MTV.
Study Abroad
Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can shift your perspective and inform your creative work. In addition to a spring break program in Cuba, Film/Video students can study abroad at partner institutions in the spring semester of junior year in cities such as London, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, and Florence. Learn more.
Learning Resources
While you will develop disciplinary fluency in our program we celebrate the interdisciplinary, collaborative nature of filmmaking and encourage students to explore everything Pratt has to offer. Learning resources.
The Film/Video program at Pratt Institute provides a foundation in nonfiction, fiction, experimental, and other time-based media practices. Our rigorous, project-based curriculum is centered around the creation of a sequence of films and videos that grow in complexity each semester, culminating in a year-long thesis project.
Each student is offered ample opportunity to grow and advance their conceptual, technical, and professional skills. They are encouraged to take creative risks, and to push the boundaries of conventional forms. They are introduced to a diverse canon of creators and works, and are asked to investigate complex histories and contexts as they strive to become reflexive and conscientious artists.
We aim to foster a supportive and collaborative creative community in which differences are respected and celebrated. We value the personal perspectives that each student brings to the classroom, and our goal is to elevate that unique voice to the forefront of their artistic vision.
The Pratt Film/Video Department strives to recognize, accept, and celebrate differences (such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other individual characteristics), while creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment that champions the creative and academic empowerment of all individuals. We condemn oppression in any form and recognize, in particular, the systemic prejudice and discrimination at play in the media industry. With this awareness, we ask students and faculty to join us in actively interrupting the paradigms of power and privilege that might play out subtly or not so subtly in the classroom and on set. As such, we intend to foster a creative and collaborative community in which all students enjoy the comfort that comes from being seen, valued, respected and included as uniquely talented individuals. It is our hope that students will emulate this model and have a positive impact in the field as they move into their roles as industry professionals.
Our Faculty
Our full time and part time faculty are active filmmakers and artists representing a myriad of professional possibilities and creative directions students might take with their work. They are award-winning directors, professional editors, sound mixers, colorists, experimental filmmakers, animators, and video artists.
John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (BFA ā91) returned to do a public talk in 2022
Our students go on to do many different kinds of things. They are directing television, feature films, commercials, and music videos. They are professional editors, colorists, cinematographers, and sound recordists. They are award-winning writers, producers, and educators.
Highlights
Liz Hannah (BFA ā07) Golden Globe Nominated Screenwriter of The Post (directed by Steven Spielberg), showrunner of ‘The Girl From Plainville’ and a writer on ‘The Dropoutā
April Maxey (BFA ā12) was named one of Sundanceās āWomen to Watch 2023ā. Winner of Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding US Narrative Short Film at the Tribeca Film Festival 2022
Park Min-woo (BFA ā17) is the director of photography on the Korean dramatic TV series Oasis (2023)
Yessenia Sanchezās (BFA ā21) thesis film Double Cultura is streaming on HBOMax as part of the Latino Short Film Competition in 2023/24
Yi Xiong, ā22, A Tortoises Year of Fate an official selection in the Locarno Film Festival
Glenn Ficarra (BFA ā91) & John Requa (BFA ā91) are showrunners for the Paramount+ spy thriller Rabbit Hole (2023). They wrote Bad Santa and wrote and directed Crazy, Stupid, Love
Luiza GonƧalves (BFA ā19) won best film in competition for A BANANA TREE IS NO COINCIDENCE Pesaro Festival of New Cinema in Italy, 2021
Joel Haver (BFA ā18) is a YouTube phenomenon whose weekly animations and comedic skits regularly get hundreds of thousands if not millions of views
Owen Klineās first feature Funny Pages (2022) was produced by A24 and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
Mika Altskan (BFA ā15) is a cinematographer whose commercial work includes a Nike ad with singer Billie Eilish; his narrative work includes Wild Nights with Emily (2018) which premiered at SXSW
Mackie Mallisonās (BFA ā22) short film It Smelled like Springtime (2022) premiered at the New York Film Festival
Myrsini Aristidouās (BFA ā13) short films have screened at the Toronto, Venice and Sundance film festivals; and Semele (2015) won a Special Jury Prize at the Berlinale
Jungah Kim (BFA ā86) is a producer and was the first female president of CJ Entertainment in South Korea
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
Just a few stills from the exciting upcoming Senior Showcase work! More to come! Don't forget to save the date - Monday May 13 - and check the link in bio for film lineup by "block". There will be an RSVP link on the Pratt Film/Video Senior Showcase page- https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-shows-film-video-senior-showcase-2024/
@prattfilm_video @prattinstitute @soartpratt #studentfilm
Title correction - Madeleine Mazuzan's film is "Women in the Picture".
Just a few stills from the exciting upcoming Senior Showcase work! More to come! Don't forget to save the date - Monday May 13 - and check the link in bio for film lineup by "block". There will be an RSVP link on the Pratt Film/Video Senior Showcase page- https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-shows-film-video-senior-showcase-2024/
@prattfilm_video @prattinstitute @soartpratt #studentfilm
Just a few stills from the exciting upcoming Senior Showcase work! More to come! Don't forget to save the date - Monday May 13 - and check the link in bio for film lineup by "block". There will be an RSVP link on the Pratt Film/Video Senior Showcase page- https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-shows-film-video-senior-showcase-2024/
@prattfilm_video @prattinstitute @soartpratt #studentfilm
Just a few stills from the exciting upcoming Senior Showcase work! More to come! Don't forget to save the date - Monday May 13 - and check the link in bio for film lineup by "block". There will be an RSVP link on the Pratt Film/Video Senior Showcase page- https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-shows-film-video-senior-showcase-2024/
@prattfilm_video @prattinstitute @soartpratt #studentfilm
Just a few stills from the exciting upcoming Senior Showcase work! More to come! Don't forget to save the date - Monday May 13 - and check the link in bio for film lineup by "block". There will be an RSVP link on the Pratt Film/Video Senior Showcase page- https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-shows-film-video-senior-showcase-2024/
@prattfilm_video @prattinstitute @soartpratt #studentfilm
Just a few stills from the exciting upcoming Senior Showcase work! More to come! Don't forget to save the date - Monday May 13 - and check the link in bio for film lineup by "block". There will be an RSVP link on the Pratt Film/Video Senior Showcase page- https://www.pratt.edu/events/pratt-shows-film-video-senior-showcase-2024/
@prattfilm_video @prattinstitute @soartpratt #studentfilm
Congrats to Professor Eliza Hittman !
Professor Hittman's upcoming feature "Motherlove" is a recipient of the The Water Tower Feature Film Grant!
@rooftopfilms @hittman
Green Film School Alliance @prattfilm_video sustainabilty information, check lists, and guidelines for best practices on set - located at link in bio!
#sustainability #greenfilmmaking @greenfilmschoolalliance
In the first semester film majors start making work right away in FilmĀ Fundamentals and Production Studio, two rigorous and comprehensive courses, which provide essential founĀdaĀtional training. Students then delve into various modes of filmmaking in Fiction I, Nonfiction I, and Experimental Studio I. In addition to writing, analysis, and theory classes, technical skills are put to practice in Postproduction Studio, Cinematography + Lighting Design, and Sound Design. Students develop advanced skills in Fiction II and their choice of Nonfiction II or Experimental Studio II. In the junior year, the curriculum opens up to electives giving students a chance to try new things and gain more experience in their areas of interest. The culmination of the program is a guided but self-definedĀ senior thesis project, publicly screened in our state of the art screening room and at BAM Rose Cinemas.
Students learn in an intimate workshop setting through screenings, readings, technical demonstrations, production exercises, class critiques, and visiting professionals, as well as through internship programs in the many film, video, and postproduction studios throughout the city.
Upon graduation, students will haveĀ produced their senior project as well as compiled a sample reel of personalĀ work, which can be part ofĀ a graduate school application, beĀ submitted to galleries and festivals, orĀ serveĀ as aĀ demonstration of studentsā skills for entry intoĀ the professional landscape.
Upon graduation from the BFA in Film, the student is expected to be competent in the following areas:
Student is able to effectively plan, oversee, and complete all phases of the filmmaking process (pre- production, production and post- production).Ā
Student is able to clearly conceptualize a cinematic project within a historical, theoretical or cultural context.Ā
Student is able to demonstrate technical and aesthetic proficiency in service to the cinematic project.
Student is able to communicate creative, aesthetic and conceptual ideas.
