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School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design

AMPD Frequently Asked Questions

In the Film BFA Screenwriting Program, the first two years include basic courses in production and screenwriting, and survey courses in cinema and media studies. In third and fourth year, screenwriting students take up to 36 (but at least 18) credits in screenwriting, including up to 12 credits in feature film screenwriting, 9 credits in writing for television, and courses in story editing, transmedia storytelling, scene writing, and the history of screenwriting. Screenwriting students may also choose to take some advanced cinema and media studies courses. You will also take courses outside of the Cinema and Media Arts Department, drawn from the rich offerings of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (visual arts, theatre, music, design, digital media, dance) and the University at large.

In the Film BA/Cinema and Media Studies Program, The first two years focus on survey courses, which introduce students to a broad knowledge of film history and theory. The upper level courses specialize in a range of topics. Students can take courses in such areas as the role of film in society, gender and sexuality studies, national cinemas (for example Asian studies) , digital film and new media, television studies, Canadian cinema, film history, experimental and alternative cinemas, documentary, contemporary theory and more. You will also take courses outside of the Cinema and Media Arts Department, drawn from the rich offerings of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance & Design (visual arts, theatre, music, design, digital media, dance) and the University at large.

Students own their own film works. They are required only to acknowledge the department’s participation in an on-screen credit.

The department provides equipment, facilities and support. Students crew on one another’s projects. In general, hard costs are borne by the students. Students who enroll in the BFA program can expect to spend $500 in their first year and $1000 in second year. In third and fourth year, costs depend entirely on what projects students choose to undertake. Costs are generally shared between key crew members who are gaining academic credit for a production (usually 4 or 5 key crew positions); the director has primary overall responsibility. The approved spending cap for third-year and fourth-year productions is $4000.

Students start off in first year working with 16mm film cameras as well as digital cinema cameras. Because many of our incoming students have no previous experience in film production, this allows them to encounter the particular challenges of both film and digital media. For the next three years, students follow digital workflows from camera to the screen – moving from Black Magic Pocket Cinema Cameras to Canon C300 MkII and Sony F7 4K cameras.

All student films are screened on campus during a two-week period in April at an event called The Finish Line. The screenings are free and open to the public. From these screenings, CMA faculty members select the strongest work produced in the department that year. An external jury of prominent figures in the film and television industries looks at the work, selects the best productions for a showcase screening, and designates awards. This special screening, titled CineSiege, takes place each year in October in downtown Toronto.

Our program is distinctive due to:

  • The extent and variety of our curricular offerings, the combination of writing, theory and practice refined over the 50 years of our existence and constantly kept abreast of the changes brought to the field by new technologies
  • A tightly knit community based on experiential group learning and mentorship which is made of the extraordinary talent, inventiveness and commitment of our students
  • The rich knowledge base of our faculty, who are practicing award-winning filmmakers and prominent film scholars
  • Cross-listed courses with other areas such as Production Design, as well as acting and directing that are offered in conjunction with the Department of Theatre
  • Field placements are available for both BFA & BA students in their senior years

Yes, they are required to. Screenwriting students will also make films in their first year.