MA in Film and Media
The Master of Arts in Film and Media program provides an in-depth curriculum designed to develop the professional and creative skill sets required to succeed in the film, television, and media industries. Students are exposed to the latest technologies and explore a range of storytelling techniques, while being offered key production, business, and distribution strategies. This is a professional program that emphasizes experiential learning, collaboration, thinking outside the box, and the integrity of hard work. All courses are taught by successful creators, filmmakers, and executives who are passionate about teaching and mentoring the next wave of filmmakers and storytellers.
Courses and workshops feature current case studies that help expose students to the latest tools, equipment, resources, approaches, and relevant issues in specific fields. The Johns Hopkins MA in Film and Media program brings the industry to Baltimore, as our students grow their professional network while creating a two-way bridge between the local burgeoning film scene and industry hubs in Los Angeles, New York, and abroad. Courses are held at the JHU/MICA Film Centre, Baltimore’s film studio and recording center in the Station North Arts and Entertainment District, with additional events - screenings, workshops and experiential opportunities - also taking place in Washington, D.C. at the landmark Hopkins Bloomberg Center.
Students choose at least one concentration from the fields of Business of Film (Producing, Directing, Cinematography, Editing), Writing, Sound Design, and Immersive Storytelling & Emerging Technologies. While each student specializes in at least one of these above tracks, students may take courses across a range of subject areas including: screenwriting, directing, producing, editing, cinematography, color correction, location sound/post-audio design, VR/AR experiences, game design, podcasting, documentary production, intellectual property and entertainment law, budget & scheduling, sales & marketing, and creative collaboration.
Admissions Criteria for All Advanced Academic Programs
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
In addition to the materials and credentials required for all programs, the Master of Arts in Film and Media requires the following:
- Resume/CV
- Two letters of recommendation
- Statement of Purpose: Please provide a statement, up to one page in length, describing your personal background and/or a part of your life experience that has shaped you or your goals. Feel free to elaborate on personal challenges and opportunities that have influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree at Johns Hopkins.
- A sample of your work as a filmmaker / artist / storyteller: ALL students seeking admission into the Film and Media program (for ALL Concentrations) should include a sample of work that introduces us to who you are as a filmmaker / artist / storyteller. We want to know about you and your creative potential as a storyteller. Your sample should be:
(1) a selection from one of your screenplays or short stories (in English) [five to fifteen pages in length, with fifteen as the maximum]; or
(2) a short film you directed, produced, edited and/or served as the cinematographer [** please be sure that if your short film is in a language other than English, that you include English language subtitles and credits that clearly state your role on the film]; or
(3) a photographic, digital, or audio portfolio (** please specify if this is entirely your own work or a compilation of others' work); or
(4) a "creative" project/assignment you did in college or afterwards that you truly feel represents who you are and what you're capable of as a filmmaker / artist / storyteller! This should be a creative writing or work sample that you yourself created.
(5) if you don't have a creative sample of your work that you feel is appropriate, or would like to try something new, we suggest you create something that responds to the following prompt in an innovative, bold fashion:
Prompt: Write, create or film a scene (or a couple scenes) with two to five characters (human or otherwise) that includes a white hat (of any type), a bag of fruit (your choice of fruit), and an old airplane with only one parachute. The scene should end with these lines: "Edward's waiting outside. You better go." [For screenplays / short stories: five to fifteen pages in length, with fifteen as the maximum.]
* The use of A.I.: we strongly suggest you provide an original sample that you've created without the use of any artificial intelligence. If you are submitting work that includes A.I. (for example, towards the ISET Concentration), then please state in your submission that you have done so; what specific tools you have used; and, provide specific details of both what is original work and what is not.
Program Requirements
Students in the MA in Film and Media program must complete:
- Three required core courses
- Eight additional courses, from which students complete four or more courses within one Concentration
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses - Required: | 9 | |
| Graduate Filmmaking Studio I | ||
| Graduate Filmmaking Studio II | ||
| Capstone for Film & Media | ||
| One Required Concentration | 12 | |
| Concentration: Immersive Storytelling and Emerging Technologies (ISET) | ||
| Foundations of Immersive Storytelling: Theory & Practice | ||
| Immersive Experiences and New Technologies: Storytelling for an Interactive Audience | ||
| A Filmmaker’s Guide to Protecting Your Work: Intro to Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law | ||
| Creative Producing & Line Producing | ||
| The Art of “The Pitch”: Developing Skills and Mastering Professional Practices | ||
| Cinematography Workshop | ||
| The Future of Cinematic Gaming | ||
| Production for Creative Technology | ||
| Virtual Production: A New Era of Filmmaking | ||
| Directing Workshop | ||
| Stories that Matter: Creative Decision-Making through the Lens of Cinema | ||
| Artificial Collaboration: AI & the Creative Process | ||
| Producing the Narrative Short | ||
| Editing Fundamentals: Narrative, Emotion, and Flow in the Short Film | ||
| Workshop for the Immersive Storyteller: Skills & Training | ||
| Intro to Visual Narratives | ||
| Digital Imaging and Postproduction Workflows | ||
| The Intersection of Sound & Visual Narrative | ||
| Scheduling and Budgeting for Film & TV : Producing with Movie Magic | ||
| Concentration: Writing | ||
| Screenwriting Workshop | ||
| Immersive Experiences and New Technologies: Storytelling for an Interactive Audience | ||
| Episodic Writing Workshop 1 – The Pilot | ||
| Episodic Writing Workshop II - The Writers' Room | ||
| A Filmmaker’s Guide to Protecting Your Work: Intro to Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law | ||
| Social Impact Documentary Filmmaking | ||
| Creative Producing & Line Producing | ||
| The Art of “The Pitch”: Developing Skills and Mastering Professional Practices | ||
| Podcasting Fundamentals | ||
| Production for Creative Technology | ||
| Directing Workshop | ||
| Advanced Documentary Production | ||
| Advanced Documentary Production II - Post | ||
| Script to Screen | ||
| Stories that Matter: Creative Decision-Making through the Lens of Cinema | ||
| Screenwriting: the Narrative Short | ||
| Scheduling and Budgeting for Film & TV : Producing with Movie Magic | ||
| Concentration: The Business of Film (Producing, Directing, Cinematography & Editing) | ||
| Immersive Experiences and New Technologies: Storytelling for an Interactive Audience | ||
| A Filmmaker’s Guide to Protecting Your Work: Intro to Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law | ||
| Social Impact Documentary Filmmaking | ||
| Creative Producing & Line Producing | ||
| Sales, Acquisitions and Marketing | ||
| The Art of “The Pitch”: Developing Skills and Mastering Professional Practices | ||
| Cinematography Workshop | ||
| Podcasting Fundamentals | ||
| Directing Workshop | ||
| Advanced Documentary Production | ||
| Advanced Documentary Production II - Post | ||
| Stories that Matter: Creative Decision-Making through the Lens of Cinema | ||
| Producing the Narrative Short | ||
| Editing Fundamentals: Narrative, Emotion, and Flow in the Short Film | ||
| Intro to Visual Narratives | ||
| Digital Imaging and Postproduction Workflows | ||
| The Intersection of Sound & Visual Narrative | ||
| Scheduling and Budgeting for Film & TV : Producing with Movie Magic | ||
| Concentration: Sound Design | ||
| Immersive Experiences and New Technologies: Storytelling for an Interactive Audience | ||
| A Filmmaker’s Guide to Protecting Your Work: Intro to Intellectual Property & Entertainment Law | ||
| Mixing Sound for Picture | ||
| Recording Sound for Film | ||
| Designing Sound for Film and Media | ||
| Podcasting Fundamentals | ||
| Production for Creative Technology | ||
| Directing Workshop | ||
| Advanced Documentary Production | ||
| Advanced Documentary Production II - Post | ||
| Stories that Matter: Creative Decision-Making through the Lens of Cinema | ||
| Location Sound: Artistry & Technique | ||
| The Intersection of Sound & Visual Narrative | ||
| Scheduling and Budgeting for Film & TV : Producing with Movie Magic | ||
| Electives (courses offered outside your Concentration) | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 33 | |