NOTE: Admission procedures for the MFA in Film Production are found on the MHSoC Admissions Page. Please click here.
Programme Description
The Graduate Film Production program promotes an expanded notion of cinema, encouraging all formats of image support, including film and digital-based media, and forms of exhibition, from traditional single-channel projection to installation. Aesthetic innovation and experimentation across subject and genre – including abstract cinema, documentary, fiction and hybrid forms – are strongly emphasized. Eschewing television production and mainstream dramatic approaches, the program is intensive and participatory, providing a rigorous academic setting where new approaches to the art of cinema are explored and defined.
This course of study is ideal for media makers committed to the notion of an independent studio art practice. Our graduate students are multidisciplinary artist-researchers working at the vanguard of cinema and new media.
METHODOLOGY
In the tutorial environment, students work closely with faculty, who are active artists, in developing their individual research programs. Research programs are comprised of a single thesis film or a coherent body of work, with a substantial written component that provides context for the research. Thesis development begins in first term, at which time individual advisors are assigned, and extends over a three-year period.
CURRICULUM
An area of concentration within Concordia’s MFA-Studio Arts programme, the Graduate Film Production curriculum consists of two years of full time residency, which includes studio courses and art theory/critical seminars taken in conjunction with MFA students from the other disciplines (Open Media, Painting, Photography, Print Media, Sculpture, Fibres and Ceramics). Please consult the MFA Studio Arts website, general information section, for degree requirements and credit breakdown:
ADMISSIONS
Admissions are based primarily on strength of portfolio, with past academic record and research proposal important considerations. The admissions process is highly competitive; the programme accepts up to ten students yearly from well over 50 applicants. Candidates are expected to be technically proficient, self-motivated and capable of producing challenging work in a demanding tutorial environment. Students are encouraged to contribute to the overall esprit de corps of the MFA-Studio Arts programme through active exhibition and discussion of their work with fellow residents.
Resources
HEXAGRAM
http://www.hexagram.org
HEXAGRAM Institute for Research and Creation in Media Arts and Technologies represents Montreal’s first Institution dedicated towards the Research and Creation in Media Arts and Technologies in Quebec. Inaugurated in December 2001 as an inter-university enterprise between Concordia University and UQAM, this new Institute brings together the greatest number of university artist researchers and graduate students in the field of media arts and technologies in Quebec. Hexagram provides research and studio assistantships to graduate students working with Hexagram researchers.
CIAM
http://www.ciam-arts.org
LEONARD AND BINA ELLEN GALLERY
http://www.ellengallery.com
The Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery of Concordia University is a non-profit public museum committed to the research, collection and interpretation of Canadian art. Founded in 1966, the Sir George Williams Art Galleries was renamed Concordia Art Gallery in 1984. In 1992 the Gallery was relocated to state-of-the-art facilities in the newly constructed library complex and inaugurated as the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery. With larger viewing spaces, stimulating art exhibitions and informative public programming, the Gallery affords an excellent venue for the presentation and investigation of Canadian art.
CDA - CENTRE FOR DIGITAL ARTS
http://cda.concordia.ca
Sound recording booth.
Other CDA Labs include the NT Lab, equipped with Dreamweaver, Flash, Generator, Maya (3D animation program), Office , Quicktime Pro, Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, Internet Explorer, Realplay, Director; Video Production Labs, located in the Visual Arts Building, 1395 Réné Lévesque West, VA-043, phone 514 848-2424 ex.4232; and the McConnell Research Lab, a video-editing facility designated for Faculty of Fine Arts faculty and graduate students.
IITS - INSTRUCTIONAL & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
http://iits.concordia.ca
The University has three equipment depots available to support the academic needs of students and faculty Audio-visual equipment for student loan includes slide and video projectors, portable digital audio recorders, and digital video camcorders. Equipment inventories vary from depot to depot, but the following is an indication of the general pool:
- Computer and data projection equipment for classroom use
- Hi8, VHS cameras
- DV and Digital 8mm cameras
- Digital still cameras
- Televisions
- Video projectors
- 3/4", VHS, Video 8, Hi-8 and multi-system video playback units
- 35mm cameras and lenses
- 16mm projectors
- Slide projectors
- Portable DAT kits
- PA & sound systems
- Radio-cassette players
- Tape recorders (including half-speed)
- Portable overhead projectors
VMR - VISUAL MEDIA RESOURCES
VMR groups together Concordia's teaching media collections. Videos may be found using the database, previewed at the learning Labs and booked for class presentations in H 341. Services include:
- Media bookings for academic and non-academic screenings
- Video and 16mm film transfers including multi-system VHS
- On-line catalogue of Concordia's media teaching collection, a library of video tapes, films, DVDs, CD-ROMs, laserdiscs
- Satellite services: The university has two satellite downlinks, one on each of the two campuses, which provide feeds from most of North America's satellite networks. There are several educational and information channels offering programs which can be viewed and recorded free of charge.
- Language and media center/laboratory H 525: The Learning Labs make available individual video viewing workstations (DVD, VHS, laserdisc, betamax, Videos, 3/4" Umatic) computer workstations and language laboratory stations.
FACULTY OF FINE ARTS SLIDE LIBRARY
The Faculty of Fine Arts Slide Library contains more than 250,000 slides. The slide collection features a large selection of contemporary and historical works. Access to the Library is open to all members of the Concordia community for the purpose of borrowing slides to illustrate lectures and presentations in classrooms on campus. The collection covers painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fibres, architecture, post-studio art, book arts, print graphics, ceramics, performance art and material culture. It also includes slides of work by faculty.
Regulations
The Faculty of Fine Arts offers a 60-credit programme leading to the degree of Master of Fine Arts (Studio Arts) with concentration in one of the following: Ceramics, Fibres, Film Production, Open Media, Painting, Photography, Print Media and Sculpture. These areas of concentration are offered by specific programmes within the Faculty of Fine Arts. Students are accepted into the M.F.A. Programme with the approval of the appropriate area of concentration.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The MFA is the terminal degree in the visual arts. The first 2 years allow for concentrated study and focus on the seminars and individual studio experimentation. The final year is devoted exclusively to studio work to realize the final thesis project and defense. Residency is not required for the final semester. Students can present their thesis 6 months after completing their course work.
RESIDENCY
The programme consists of two years of full-time residency which includes studio work and art theory/critical seminars. This includes a summer course, taken between the first and second years, which involves students from all disciplines in a studio format. Following the residency, graduate candidates must complete their thesis project within two years.
SEMINARS
Arriflex kit
Seminar topics have included, “Living Art: Actions, Interventions, Performance,” “The Home Movie/Video in Art, Film and Everyday Life,” “Performing Failure: Techniques of Mutism,” “Quebec Independent Cinema,” “The Roots of Contemporary Art,” and “Situationism and Beyond.” In addition, all incoming students must take an introductory course titled “Art: Ideas and Practices.”
Seminar faculty have included Stéphane Aquin, Renée Baert, George Bogardi, Lon Dubinsky, Jim Drobnick, Jennifer Fisher, Nicole Gingras, Stephen Horne, Stephann Kurr, Lani Maestro, Christof Migone, Marcus Miller, Nancy Ring, and Cheryl Simon.
INTERNSHIP AND INDEPENDENT STUDY
Students may elect to substitute 6 credits of Internship or Independent Study for Seminar Courses. Proposals must be supported by a faculty member and approved by the Graduate Programme Director. Internships offer the opportunity to work in a professional arts organization, industry, or other relevant affiliation as an employee or a voluntary participant. Independent Study courses are for students who wish to pursue a specialized area of academic research that is not covered by existing courses.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Financial support is available to qualified candidates in the form of University Fellowships and Scholarships. These awards are competitive and based on recommendations by the faculty. Students who have not received significant funding from fellowships or awards are eligible for paid Teaching or Lab Assistantships. Production and Research Grants are also available. Graduate students who receive teaching assignments are paid in accordance with the University Part Time Faculty Association Collective Agreement.
Bolstered by one of the largest undergraduate film programs in Canada, the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema offers opportunities for teaching experience. Teaching Assistantships provide training in teaching a wide variety of courses and studio practices. In addition, the School reserves a limited number of courses to be taught, or co-taught, by graduate students. These are generally given to students in their third year of study on a competitive basis.
LANGUAGE
The language of instruction at Concordia is English, but students may write any papers or exams in French. Applicants whose mother tongue is other than English or French are required to pass the TOEFL test as a condition of acceptance.
Visiting Artists and Lectures
The MFA visiting artist and lecture series annually invites a variety of national and international speakers that reflect the diversity of issues and approaches encouraged in our programme. The MFA/Film Production programme also invites guests as a supplement to its studio classes. Over the past years, visiting speakers in MFA/Studio Arts and MFA/Film Production have included prominent filmmakers, artists, curators and scholars such as Louise Bourque, Stan Brakhage, George Bures Miller and Janet Cardiff, Stan Douglas, R. Bruce Elder, Rodney Graham, Andrea Grover, Mona Hatoum, Greg Hill, Natalie Jerimijencko, lsaac Julien, Ryszard W. Kluszczynski, Jacques Leduc, Alex MacKenzie, Bruce McClure, Peter Mettler, Antonio Muntadas, J. Leighton Pierce, Genesis P-Orridge, Willem de Rooij, Patricia Rozema, Jayce Salloum, Carolee Schneemann, Tom Sherman, Jana Sterbak, Astria Suparak, André Turpin, Jeff Wall.
Recent Graduates
Nicholas Belleau
MFA Film Production 2004
Thesis Project: Le Nord de la côte
Written Component: “Le Nord de la côte: Principe de la constellation narrative”
Kara Blake
MFA Film Production 2005
Thesis Project: Timbre
Written Component: “Objects of Affection: A Synthesis of Cinema and the Senses”
Kara Blake has recently completed a Master's of Fine Arts degree in Film Production at Concordia University in Montreal. Having worked professionally as a both a broadcast designer and editor, Kara has contributed to projects ranging from high profile commercials and music videos to short independent and experimental films. Concerned with investigating the potentials of sound and image relationships, Kara's own films and videos have been shown at venues including the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Images Festival, the Women's Television Network, MTV Europe and the Independent Film Channel.
Cliff Caines
MFA Film Production 2005
Thesis Project: Locus
Written Component: “Thought and the Cinematic Image: Locus, Origin and Desire, A Preface”
Born in Winnipeg, Cliff Caines is a Toronto-based filmmaker and media artist. Caines completed his undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Art, Integrated Media Program at the Ontario College of Art & Design and received a Master of Fine Arts Degree in the MFA Studio Arts, Film Production Program at Concordia University. His films have exhibited internationally throughout the Americas, including Buenos Aires, San Francisco and Toronto; with invitation to the Toronto International Film Festival, the Sueños Cortos International Short Film Festival, the Hollywood Underground Film Festival, and the inaugural Winnipeg International Film Festival. His work has received awards, grants and support from institutions and foundations including The Canada Council for the Arts, The National Film Board of Canada, Kodak Canada, Fuji film Canada, Concordia University, William F. White International Inc., Michel Trudel, Carmen Lamanna, Ross Fletcher, and Nora E. Vaughan. His films are distributed by the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre.
David Karavechus
MFA Film Production 2005
Thesis Project: Home Automation
Written Component: “Home Automation: The Fear and Longing for Disaster”
Monica Maric
MFA Film Production 2004
Thesis Project/Written Component: Zemano
Nicholas Pye
MFA Fim Production 2005
Thesis Project/Written Component: The Paper Wall
website: http://www.nickandsheila.com
Sheila Pye
MFA Film Production 2005
Thesis Project/Written Component: The Arsonist
website: http://www.nickandsheila.com
Sheila Pye was born near Hamilton, Ontario in 1978. She studied painting, photography, and video at the Ontario College of Art and Design, where she graduated winning the top scholarship for graduate studies. Currently, she lives and works in Toronto, where she is a resident at the Canadian Film Centre in the Alliance Atlantis Director’s Lab. She has written, directed, produced, edited and starred in 5 short films and is currently developing her first feature film. Her work has been exhibited internationally in art galleries, museums and film festivals. She has been the reciepient of numerous awards for her academic work, filmmaking, and visual art. Pye also maintains an active art practice, often collaborating with her husband Nicholas, which integrates their collective interests in performance, cinema, and large format still photography. They have upcoming solo exhibitions in New York and Italy, and were recently invited to present their work in Rencontres Internationale Paris/Berlin.
Robert Robertson
MFA Film Production 2002
Thesis Project: Oseraké and The River That Walks
Written Component: “Diary of a New Form: The Music Film”
Robert Robertson is presently at King’s College London, UK, researching Eisenstein on audiovisual film, supported by a grant from the David Lean Foundation. His music/film Oserake and The River That Walks has screened at the Institute of Contemporary Art London (2003) and Canada House, London (2004). Robertson is currently at work on a new music/film in three movements titled Invisible City. His recent publications include an interview about Oserake and The River That Walks (Talking Pictures, 2002), “The Kingdom, an Opera about the Haitian Revolution” (Society of Caribbean Studies, 2004), and “Eisenstein’s Film-Symphony Project: Que viva Mexico!” (Offscreen, March 2005). He is also Film Curator for Ocatillo Arts Group (2002 – present).
Michael Rollo
MFA Film Production 2003
Thesis Project/Written Component: still / move
website: http://www.construktor.net
Mike Rollo was born and raised in the flatlands of Saskatchewan. He currently resides in Montreal pursuing his discipline as filmmaker and photographer. As a member of the Double Negative Collective, Mike promotes and practices experimental approaches and concepts to cinema. Mike recently completed his MFA in Studio Arts (Film Production) from Concordia University where he currently works as Production Coordinator.
Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre
MFA Film Production 2005
Thesis Project: Post-Partum
website: http://www.mjstpfilms.com
Born in Gaspesie, Quebec, Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre obtained her BFA. in Film Animation from The Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. Her first film, Natural Selection, is an experimental essay on Darwin's Theory of Evolution and has played in festivals worldwide. Ombilicus, her first animated short, received the 2002 Norman McLaren Award from Concordia University. Post-Partum, her latest film, is an autobiographical essay which has played in over 20 international film festivals, shown in museums and received awards such as the 2004 Imperial Tobacco Canada Artistic Development Award, the Gold Special Jury Award at the Houston Worldfest (2005), The Shoestring Award at the Rochester International Film Festival (2005) as well as a the Gaia Award at the Moondance Film Festival (2005). Having recently obtained her MFA in Film Production from Concordia University, her upcoming media arts projects include McLaren's Negatives, an animated documentary on the legendary Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren as well as Catching the Frog, a medium length documentary on french speaking communities across Canada.
Dimitri Soukonnov
MFA Film Production 2001
Thesis Project: The River
Written Component: “Tonality and Image: A Compilation of Thoughts on Acoustic and Color Properties of the Image”
Michael Yaroshevsky
MFA Film Production 2002
Thesis Project: Petropolis
Written Component: “Writing for Pictures: Word and Image in the Personal Documentary”