Filmmaking is a creative practice rooted in storytelling and curiosity—about yourself and the world around you. As a student here, you’ll learn the craft from every angle, from writing and pre-production to shooting and editing. You’ll explore narrative, documentary, experimental filmmaking and video art, discovering what type of artist you want to be and developing the practical skills to become one.
Andrew Guaman directing his Film+Fashion class project, 'Loteria'
At Pratt you begin making your own films and collaborating with your peers in your first semester. You will have access to everything you need to make your work– professional cameras, tripods, sound, and lighting equipment as well as computer labs, software and production facilities. Our faculty of filmmakers and artists will facilitate your learning in intimate classes of 12 students through screenings, readings, technical demonstrations, production exercises, class critiques, and visiting professionals. By the time you have graduated, you will have created 12-20 short films and will have crewed on many others directed by your peers. You will leave with a sample reel of your work ready for entry into the professional landscape and your strongest work will be ready to submit to film festivals and/or used as the foundation of an application to graduate school.
In your first semester, you’ll gain essential conceptual and technical training in two rigorous foundational courses: Film Fundamentals and Production Studio. You’ll then explore varied modes of filmmaking in fiction, nonfiction, and experimental studio courses. In your junior year, the curriculum broadens to include more electives and advanced coursework in Fiction II and either Nonfiction II or Experimental Studio II.
Senior Thesis Project
The culmination of the program is a guided but self-defined year-long senior thesis project. You will direct and edit your most ambitious short film to date. Finished films will be presented as part of our Senior Showcase in our state-of-the-art Katharine L. McKenna Screening Room and at the prestigious BAM Rose Cinemas.
Internships
New York City is teaming with film and television production and we encourage all of our students to gain experience by doing an internship in the junior year. Our internship program mimics a real world job search in that it is personalized to the goals and interests of each student. When you have identified an area of interest (production, post-production, color correction, live television, distribution) we will coach you through the research and application process. Our students have been placed in internships in a wide range of contexts including Saturday Night Live, Late Night, A24, MoMA, Technicolor, Kino Lorber, and MTV.
Study Abroad
Immersing yourself in another culture is an incredible experience that can shift your perspective and inform your creative work. In addition to a spring break program in Cuba, Film/Video students can study abroad at partner institutions in the spring semester of junior year in cities such as London, Lisbon, Paris, Rome, and Florence. Learn more.
Learning Resources
While you will develop disciplinary fluency in our program we celebrate the interdisciplinary, collaborative nature of filmmaking and encourage students to explore everything Pratt has to offer. Learning resources.
The Film/Video program at Pratt Institute provides a foundation in nonfiction, fiction, experimental, and other time-based media practices. Our rigorous, project-based curriculum is centered around the creation of a sequence of films and videos that grow in complexity each semester, culminating in a year-long thesis project.
Each student is offered ample opportunity to grow and advance their conceptual, technical, and professional skills. They are encouraged to take creative risks, and to push the boundaries of conventional forms. They are introduced to a diverse canon of creators and works, and are asked to investigate complex histories and contexts as they strive to become reflexive and conscientious artists.
We aim to foster a supportive and collaborative creative community in which differences are respected and celebrated. We value the personal perspectives that each student brings to the classroom, and our goal is to elevate that unique voice to the forefront of their artistic vision.
The Pratt Film/Video Department strives to recognize, accept, and celebrate differences (such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and other individual characteristics), while creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful environment that champions the creative and academic empowerment of all individuals. We condemn oppression in any form and recognize, in particular, the systemic prejudice and discrimination at play in the media industry. With this awareness, we ask students and faculty to join us in actively interrupting the paradigms of power and privilege that might play out subtly or not so subtly in the classroom and on set. As such, we intend to foster a creative and collaborative community in which all students enjoy the comfort that comes from being seen, valued, respected and included as uniquely talented individuals. It is our hope that students will emulate this model and have a positive impact in the field as they move into their roles as industry professionals.
Our Faculty
Our full time and part time faculty are active filmmakers and artists representing a myriad of professional possibilities and creative directions students might take with their work. They are award-winning directors, professional editors, sound mixers, colorists, experimental filmmakers, animators, and video artists.
John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (BFA ‘91) returned to do a public talk in 2022
Our students go on to do many different kinds of things. They are directing television, feature films, commercials, and music videos. They are professional editors, colorists, cinematographers, and sound recordists. They are award-winning writers, producers, and educators.
Highlights
Liz Hannah (BFA ‘07) Golden Globe Nominated Screenwriter of The Post (directed by Steven Spielberg), showrunner of ‘The Girl From Plainville’ and a writer on ‘The Dropout’
April Maxey (BFA ‘12) was named one of Sundance’s “Women to Watch 2023”. Winner of Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding US Narrative Short Film at the Tribeca Film Festival 2022
Park Min-woo (BFA ‘17) is the director of photography on the Korean dramatic TV series Oasis (2023)
Yessenia Sanchez’s (BFA ‘21) thesis film Double Cultura is streaming on HBOMax as part of the Latino Short Film Competition in 2023/24
Yi Xiong, ‘22, A Tortoises Year of Fate an official selection in the Locarno Film Festival
Glenn Ficarra (BFA ‘91) & John Requa (BFA ‘91) are showrunners for the Paramount+ spy thriller Rabbit Hole (2023). They wrote Bad Santa and wrote and directed Crazy, Stupid, Love
Luiza Gonçalves (BFA ‘19) won best film in competition for A BANANA TREE IS NO COINCIDENCE Pesaro Festival of New Cinema in Italy, 2021
Joel Haver (BFA ‘18) is a YouTube phenomenon whose weekly animations and comedic skits regularly get hundreds of thousands if not millions of views
Owen Kline’s first feature Funny Pages (2022) was produced by A24 and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
Mika Altskan (BFA ‘15) is a cinematographer whose commercial work includes a Nike ad with singer Billie Eilish; his narrative work includes Wild Nights with Emily (2018) which premiered at SXSW
Mackie Mallison’s (BFA ‘22) short film It Smelled like Springtime (2022) premiered at the New York Film Festival
Myrsini Aristidou’s (BFA ‘13) short films have screened at the Toronto, Venice and Sundance film festivals; and Semele (2015) won a Special Jury Prize at the Berlinale
Jungah Kim (BFA ‘86) is a producer and was the first female president of CJ Entertainment in South Korea
Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step.
You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out.
Green Film School Alliance @prattfilm_video sustainabilty information, check lists, and guidelines for best practices on set - located at link in bio!
#sustainability #greenfilmmaking @greenfilmschoolalliance
FALL 2023 FILM + FASHION LIVE STUDIO SHOOT
CAST/CREW CREDITS WITH IG HANDLES
Designers:
SHUMING GU / @mrnd_iaa / @_pyohanger_
YICHEN LU / @frances_llu
HEATHER ORTIZ / @heathermortiz.studio
CHAOYUE WANG / @wangchaoyue
HAOZHE WANG / @haoooo0000
PROFESSIONAL CREW CREDITS
Model: Haoqing / @hg59795
Scouting Agency: Unsigned Models / @unsignedmodels_
Director: Sewra G Kidane / @sewragee / @GeeSpotCine
Producer: Saima Lulu / @saima_name
Stylist: Chandra Moore / @chandralmoore
MakeUp: Antoinette “Toni” Greenwood / @thuggish.ruggish.tone.mua
Hair: Haoqing / @hg59795
Photographer: Hannah Kim / @thehannahkim
STUDENT CREW CREDITS
DP: Stephanie Herrera
Creative Directors: Jane Baronak & Will Morrow
Lighting/Set Design: Geunwoo Kal & Meghan Miller
Assistant to Ms. Moore: Will Morrow
Wardrobe Handlers: Shuyan Jin & Julia Messick
Videographer: Emily Brownstein
BTS Set Stills: Yizhou Shen
SHOT ON LOCATION AT PRATT INSTITUTE, BKLYN NY
THIS IS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN PRATT FASHION / @prattfashion AND
PRATT FILM VIDEO / @prattfilm_video
Sewra G Kidane | Adjunct Professor, FV371 Film + Fashion
Music: Ladyflash by The Go! Team
On March 19, 2024 Pratt Film/Video was so pleased to welcome Director Sam Green to the Screening room. A packed audience enjoyed the unique sounds and sights of "32 Sounds".
Professor Jacob Burckhardt led a Q&A and lively discussion.
It was a fascinating experience.
Director: Sam Green
Original music: JD Samson
Sound Design: Mark Mangini
#32soundsmovie @sam_b_green @jd_samson @prattinstitute @prattfilm_video
Pratt Film/Video Staff lunch 2024!
Lorenzo Gattorna, Matt Hysell, Kara Hearn, Wendy Margulies, Tray Tsui, Caroline Lathrop, Eric Trenkamp, and Tristan Muller have only great things to say about @blackirisrestaurant !
@prattfilm_video
The Pratt Film/Video Department was proud to host Sky Hopinka on the 7th of March for an evening of presentation, discussion, and sharing. Thank you to all who came out to enjoy this special conversation.
@prattinstitute @soartpratt @prattfilm_video
Pratt alum, Bob Giraldi (BFA '60, bob-giraldi.com) was the gracious host to 6 Pratt F/V seniors this week at his acclaimed restaurant "Gigino Trattoria"; the main location for one of Mr. Giraldi's best-known films; "Dinner Rush". Mr. Giraldi is an Award Winning and prolific Film/Television Director, Educator, Restaurateur. The "Dinner for Six" program is organized by the Pratt Institutional Advancement | Alumni Engagement office.
We thank Mr. Giraldi and Alumni Engagement for making this exceptional evening possible for our students!
On Tuesday March 5th, several lucky F/V students enjoyed a lively dining experience and conversation at the famous Gigino Trattoria, with restaurant owner and filmmaker - Bob Giraldi (center).
Pictured here with Mr. Giraldi are Max Drexler, T Sancho-Spore, Candace Ovid, Adriene Klein, Vidhu Kota, Bruna Braga, Annie McLaughlin, Eli Gutierrez, Caitlin McFadden, and Dan Vogel.
Upcoming Special Guest; Sky Hopinka!
Plus a moderated conversation with F/V students and Professor Suneil Sanzgiri.
Filmmaker, Writer, & Poet - presented jointly by Pratt Institute Writing department and the Film/Video department. Join us on February 15th for a reading at 2 pm, and on March 7th, for speaker series screening. Both events in the F/V Katharine L. McKenna screening room.
Sky Hopinka (Ho-Chunk Nation/Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians) was born and raised in Ferndale, Washington and spent a number of years in Palm Springs and Riverside, California, Portland, Oregon, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In Portland he studied and taught chinuk wawa, a language indigenous to the Lower Columbia River Basin. His video, photo, and text work centers around personal positions of Indigenous homeland and landscape, designs of language as containers of culture expressed through personal, documentary, and non fiction forms of media.
His work has played at various festivals including Sundance, Toronto International Film Festival, Ann Arbor, Courtisane Festival, Punto de Vista, and the New York Film Festival. His work was a part of the 2017 Whitney Biennial, the 2018 FRONT Triennial and Prospect.5 in 2021. He was a guest curator at the 2019 Whitney Biennial and participated in Cosmopolis #2 at the Centre Pompidou. He has had a solo exhibition at the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College, in 2020 and in 2022 at LUMA in Arles, France. He is the recipient of the Infinity Award in Art from the International Center and the Alpert Award for Film/Video and fellowships including The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, Sundance Art of Nonfiction, Art Matters, The Guggenheim Foundation, and The Forge Project. In the fall of 2022, Hopinka received a MacArthur Fellowship for his work as a visual artist and filmmaker.
RSVP Link in bio for March 7th.
Please join us for a hybrid screening and discussion of The Tuba Thieves, directed by Alison O'Daniel.
On Tuesday February 27th at 3:15pm EST, Alison O'Daniel's new film The Tuba Thieves will be screened in our screening room and online to registered guests.
Following the film at 5:00pm, there will be a virtual discussion and Q&A with Alison led by Jess Shane, to be live-streamed into the screening room.
Please RSVP to the event here
For virtual participants, a Zoom link will be sent out before the screening.
About the film:
From 2011-2013, Tubas were stolen from Los Angeles High Schools. This is not a story about thieves or missing tubas. Instead, it asks what it means to listen. Blending documentary and fictionalized performances by Nyke, a Deaf woman playing herself, and Geovanny, a drum major of a burglarized, now-tubaless band, the film documents their lives during the years of the robberies. A finely tuned sense of silence and sound is collaged to create an utterly singular sonic and cinematic experience. According to O'Daniel, the film is “about listening, but it is not tethered to the ear. It is a film about Deaf gain, hearing loss and the perception of sound in Los Angeles.”
Filmmaker Bio:
Alison O’Daniel is a visual artist and filmmaker working across sound, moving image, sculpture, installation, and performance. She is d/Deaf/Hard of Hearing and explores access and complex embodiment. O'Daniel lives and works in San Francisco and Los Angeles, CA.
For Pratt community members who register but cannot make the live screening, a private screener link will be made available for 24 hours following the live event.
@thetubathieves @prattfilm_video @soartpratt @prattinstitute
32 Sounds is an immersive documentary and profound sensory experience that explores the elemental phenomenon of sound. The film is a meditation on the power of sound to bend time, cross borders, and profoundly shape our perception of the world around us.
The movie will be shown in a special setting for live audience, complete with individual headphones so that each audience member can fully perceive the binaural nature of the sound track.
“Bursting with humor, emotion and curiosity, ’32 Sounds’ is a uniquely mind-expanding plunge into a dimension of the human experience so many of us take for granted, a rare and rewarding sonic journey with the potential to enrich our lives.” Peter Derbruge, Variety
There will be a Q and A with the filmmaker afterwards.
Admission is free but you must RSVP at the link in Bio.
#prattinstitute @prattfilm_video @soartpratt
In the first semester film majors start making work right away in Film Fundamentals and Production Studio, two rigorous and comprehensive courses, which provide essential foundational training. Students then delve into various modes of filmmaking in Fiction I, Nonfiction I, and Experimental Studio I. In addition to writing, analysis, and theory classes, technical skills are put to practice in Postproduction Studio, Cinematography + Lighting Design, and Sound Design. Students develop advanced skills in Fiction II and their choice of Nonfiction II or Experimental Studio II. In the junior year, the curriculum opens up to electives giving students a chance to try new things and gain more experience in their areas of interest. The culmination of the program is a guided but self-defined senior thesis project, publicly screened in our state of the art screening room and at BAM Rose Cinemas.
Students learn in an intimate workshop setting through screenings, readings, technical demonstrations, production exercises, class critiques, and visiting professionals, as well as through internship programs in the many film, video, and postproduction studios throughout the city.
Upon graduation, students will have produced their senior project as well as compiled a sample reel of personal work, which can be part of a graduate school application, be submitted to galleries and festivals, or serve as a demonstration of students’ skills for entry into the professional landscape.
Upon graduation from the BFA in Film, the student is expected to be competent in the following areas:
Student is able to effectively plan, oversee, and complete all phases of the filmmaking process (pre- production, production and post- production).
Student is able to clearly conceptualize a cinematic project within a historical, theoretical or cultural context.
Student is able to demonstrate technical and aesthetic proficiency in service to the cinematic project.
Student is able to communicate creative, aesthetic and conceptual ideas.
