FSU College of Motion Picture Arts shoots to the top of film school rankings

Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts has shot up to number 14 on The Hollywood Reporter’s list of the Top 25 American Film Schools, up one spot from last year. 

Reb Braddock, Dean of the College of Motion Picture Arts, is appreciative of the report, which ranks schools based on the success of alumni, prestige among other filmmakers and quality of the school’s faculty.

“We are so proud of our film school family,” Braddock said. “Especially our great alums who are out there working in every aspect of the movie business.”

The Hollywood Reporter celebrates Florida State, citing the college's tight-knit alums and industry training initiatives, paired with affordability, as its key factors.

The College of Motion Picture Arts offers students the chance to work in industry-grade studios, with writers’ rooms, sound stages, post-production labs, animation studios and more. With all this at the hand of the students, the college is noted for having one of the finest production studios in the world. 

The college’s Torchlight Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship provides students with the opportunity to gain real-world experience in many aspects of the field. From post-graduation help to education on current industry practices and internship opportunities, the college is dedicated to helping students transition into the working world of the industry.

The college is working on a massive grant, opening applications in 2023. The Torchlight Diverse Voices in Cinema Grant offers $10,000 to students who use storytelling to fight injustice in the world. Along with this grant, the college is working on establishing another Equity Scholarship for first-year students of color.

Students like Terese Corbin, who is in her first year in the college, revel in the chance to get right to work with the offered equipment.

“CMPA allows me to get my hands dirty and experiment… all my love and fervor for filmmaking is being cultivated through actually doing it,” said Corbin. “I had the opportunity to work with equipment on the first day of orientation!”

The Hollywood Reporter notes the film school as one of the most affordable on the list. The College of Motion Picture Arts covers production costs and offers equipment for no additional costs to students, as it is covered by tuition. This grants students the ability to work at the industry standard without any additional costs.

The College of Motion Picture Arts prides itself on “blurring the line between career and classroom.”

“Each student is guaranteed funding for each of their films and equal access to a full range of industry-standard production equipment and facilities,” the FSU College of Motion Picture Arts’ website says. “We teach the fundamental skills of filmmaking, but more importantly, the scalable skills to tell stories effectively, artfully, and authentically – regardless of background, capital, or circumstances.”

The college has been climbing the ranks for a while. In 2018, FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts ranked number 19 in The Hollywood Reporter’s rank 2018 and jumped to number 14 this year right before DePaul University. 

FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts offers a BFA in production and animation in digital arts, as well as Graduate programs including production and writing. They also offer a minor in film studies. 

To find out more information on how to be involved in the College of Motion Picture Arts, please visit film.fsu.edu.