Film and Media
How do you want to change the world? The story you tell is up to you, but FIT’s Film and Media program prepares you with a background in history and theory, paired with rich hands-on opportunities to learn digital film production.
We give you the skills and knowledge to go in any direction: feature films, short films, advertising, editing, and more. We are committed to the study of media—behind the camera and in front of the screen—and to helping our students develop their own personal vision and the tools to express it.
Movies do not just mirror the culture of any given time; they also create it.
Programs
Film and Media AAS
The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) program teaches the basics of filmmaking and related disciplines, including digital film camera operation, editing, lighting, audio recording, film history, and storytelling. On completing the AAS degree, you will be able to demonstrate effective use of camera position, framing, and selection of lenses in a wide range of filming situations; employ appropriate editing strategies (e.g., montage, continuity, etc.) in a variety of film projects; create lighting strategies appropriate to the cinematography and subject matter in short films; record, mix, and edit sound for film, including dialogue, sound effects, and music; and write, produce, shoot, and edit short films. The first year concentrates on building skills in preproduction, production, and visual organization. In your second year, you will learn to use these skills in developing your own personal vision.
Film and Media AAS students are encouraged to apply for the Stanley Solomon Award, which provides support for student films.
And once you earn your AAS, you’ll be ready to apply for a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Film and Media.
Film and Media BS
The Bachelor of Science (BS) program blends hands-on digital filmmaking with the academic study of film history, theory, and criticism. You’ll study advanced storytelling techniques through cinematography and lighting, along with advanced sound design, while exploring film genres like crime, horror, and romantic comedy; major directors; avant-garde film; and world cinema from China, Italy, Latin America, and Russia. You will learn to compare filmmakers, film aesthetics, and film industries in domestic and international cinema, as well as evaluate and analyze historical and theoretical perspectives relevant to film and media, such as genre, form, spectatorship, and narrative.
You will learn about techniques for effective narrative, documentary, and experimental filmmaking. Your thesis film project will be screened at FIT’s annual film festival, which is open to the public and invited guests from the New York City film community.
Film and Media BS students are encouraged to apply for the Women's Media Group Scholarship Award.
If you have an AAS in Film and Media from FIT, you may apply. Learn more about eligibility for the BS program.
Our Work
FIT's Film and Media program offers an uncommon blend of practical experience and theory on a foundation of arts and sciences. We prepare students to become innovative professional filmmakers, with a focus on developing their own artistic vision. Explore what our students and faculty have accomplished.
Celebrating a decade of storytelling, creativity, and industry impact! Over the past 10 years, FIT’s Film and Media program has empowered a diverse new generation of filmmakers, editors, producers, and media innovators to discover and express their unique voices. Watch this special anniversary video by alumna Margaret McCloskey ’23 and see how our graduates are redefining the future of film and media.
Jean Kim, Film and Media ’26, was featured at DOC NYC, one of the most competitive documentary film festivals. Her eight-minute autobiographical film, If You Forget, I’ll Remember, offers a poignant glimpse into a visit with her ailing grandfather, delving into the subtle complexities and unspoken dynamics of her family.
Dahlia Schweitzer, chair of Film, Media, and Performing Arts, is heavily featured in a new four-part docuseries, Menendez Brothers: Victims or Villains, which premiered on the streaming service Fox Nation.
Josh Koury, director and associate professor filming for the 6-part HBO documentary series, I'll Be Gone in the Dark.
Impact
Study in NYC. Cut to a great career … In a world capital of film and media, the array of studios, TV networks, and agencies offers a wealth of opportunity.
Outside the Classroom
Once you learn the skills, it’s up to you what kind of filmmaker you’ll be. Students have interned at Robot Fondue, Vice Media, Digital Arts NY, ESPN, Duart Media, Rock Shrimp Productions, Untitled Entertainment, The Fader, Filmmaker, and Tribeca Film Festival. You'll graduate with a demo reel that highlights your technical skills and creative vision. You may work in roles such as production assistant, cinematographer, editor, screenwriter, producer, independent filmmaker, archivist, film restorer, and film historian. Or, you may opt to enter a graduate program.
Explore More
some related minors
Check It Out
The FIT Film and Media Blog features descriptions of our production equipment and announcements of events.
Learn From the Best
Koury is an accomplished director, producer, and educator with impressive and extensive industry experience and accomplishment in original documentary filmmaking. His timely and inspiring projects have premiered at some of today’s most prominent film venues, including SXSW, the Sundance Film Festival, the New York Film Festival, and IFC Cinema.
Dahlia Schweitzer is Professor and Chair of the Film and Media Department. Her work focuses on the cultural politics of popular media, particularly around gender, stardom, and genre. She is the author of Haunted Homes, which examines how domestic space functions as a site for anxieties about family, gender, race, and economic collapse. Her previous books include L.A. Private Eyes, Going Viral: Zombies, Viruses, and the End of the World, and Cindy Sherman’s Office Killer: Another Kind of Monster. Her scholarship has appeared in journals such as Cinema Journal, Journal of Popular Film and Television, Jump Cut, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, and Journal of Popular Culture.
Dr. Ben Ayoun is a film historian and theorist whose work has been published in a number of academic journals, digital publications, and edited collections. She writes about a wide range of topics, including disability justice, virtual reality, animal studies, experimental documentary, color, and slow cinema. At FIT, Dr. Ben Ayoun teaches classes on sexuality in cinema, film theory and criticism, disability media, and new wave cinemas of Hong Kong and Taiwan, among others.
Contact Us
Film and Media
Dahlia Schweitzer
Dianne Bellino
Drean Hostie
Let's Make It Happen
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS