In part 2 of our exclusive interview with filmmaker and Professor Kelly Sears, we discuss how to navigate CU Boulder’s competitive admissions process, portfolio tips, scholarship opportunities, equipment film students use, and more.
Read part 1 here:
KS: I'll be honest: The last thing I look at on MFA applications is transcripts. The number one thing that I prioritize is the letter of application and creative samples.
If their work is really good and they've earned mostly A's and B's, we can move forward to the faculty review process. Two faculty members have to give the okay for us to advance to the interview stage. At that point, we have a set list of questions and whittle it down to two offers, plus the wait list.
KS: I call our film MFA a ‘Buy one, get one’ program. Long story short, we were strictly a film program instead of a department for a long time, so we could not house our own graduate program. Film, sculpture, painting and drawing, printmaking, ceramics — they're all different degrees that live within the same MFA. MFA film students actually have to take a class in art history. In fact, it’s a degree requirement to help them grow as filmmakers. We’ve since established the Cinema Studies department, but this model has always worked great. So, we didn't change it.
KS: Well, it changes at times. But in general, we take around two students each year for film out of around 12 incoming MFA students in the entire department. We have two first-years, two second-years, and two third-years at a time. In the first semester of the first year, they take the first-year seminar to gain exposure to film theory and concepts that bridge all different areas of making movies. Plus, it helps everyone learn the same conceptual and artistic grammar.
The MFA is two and a...
Read part 1 here:
How to Get Into CU Boulder’s Film Program: Tips from Kelly Sears, Associate Chair (Part 1)
The Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder is a pioneer in avant-garde filmmaking, with a curriculum that emphasizes the technical storytelling skills students need to succeed across genres and formats. With historic roots in experimental film, CU...
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- Category: Admissions Interviews
Is there a GPA requirement for film MFA applicants?
KS: I'll be honest: The last thing I look at on MFA applications is transcripts. The number one thing that I prioritize is the letter of application and creative samples.
If their work is really good and they've earned mostly A's and B's, we can move forward to the faculty review process. Two faculty members have to give the okay for us to advance to the interview stage. At that point, we have a set list of questions and whittle it down to two offers, plus the wait list.
Instead of operating as a standalone film school, CU Boulder’s film MFA lives within the Department of Art and Art History. What are the benefits of that structure?
KS: I call our film MFA a ‘Buy one, get one’ program. Long story short, we were strictly a film program instead of a department for a long time, so we could not house our own graduate program. Film, sculpture, painting and drawing, printmaking, ceramics — they're all different degrees that live within the same MFA. MFA film students actually have to take a class in art history. In fact, it’s a degree requirement to help them grow as filmmakers. We’ve since established the Cinema Studies department, but this model has always worked great. So, we didn't change it.
What should incoming film MFA students expect in terms of program structure?
KS: Well, it changes at times. But in general, we take around two students each year for film out of around 12 incoming MFA students in the entire department. We have two first-years, two second-years, and two third-years at a time. In the first semester of the first year, they take the first-year seminar to gain exposure to film theory and concepts that bridge all different areas of making movies. Plus, it helps everyone learn the same conceptual and artistic grammar.
The MFA is two and a...
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