The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in film and media arts is a professional degree program with a focus on hands-on production of documentary, narrative and experimental films using state-of-the-art motion picture cameras and post-production facilities. The robust curriculum includes a broad array of courses in production and post-production, as well as cinema studies, art history, screenwriting and more, designed to prepare students for roles as directors, producers, editors, special effects artists, sound designers, screenwriters and/or independent filmmakers. Elective offerings allow students the flexibility to explore coursework in their area of interest. Students create a short format thesis film as a capstone experience. A digital copy of the approved project must be submitted to the UT library's institutional repository.

Students have many opportunities both inside and outside the classroom to gain hands-on experience and real-world knowledge of the industry. Students work on film projects locally and around the country and participate in internships at small production companies and large movie studios alike. The program also brings in leading industry professionals to give students an insider's view of the business.

Students have access to state-of-the-art cameras, production and post-production facilities, and industry-standard editing software. Facilities also include two surround-sound screening rooms, a black box studio for three-camera TV production, a TV control room, an audio edit suite and foley room, video and film production labs, 3D printing facilities, and a digital arts and 3D animation lab. The BFA in Film and Media Arts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in film and media arts is a liberal arts program that combines critical studies with production experiences and provides students with a foundation of theory and application. Blending creative expression with technology, students study critical perspectives and practice implementing techniques in emerging (digital) formats. Courses cover narrative, documentary and experimental forms and utilize both single- and multiple-camera approaches. The B.A. in Film and Media Arts is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Cameras and Sound
RED Scarlet Dragon
Blackmagic 4K/6K Production Cameras
Canon DSLR, T3i, MkII 3 and 4
H6N Zoom Recorders
H8n Zoom
Sennheiser Microphones

Support Systems
Matthews Track and Doorway Dolly
Varizoom Jib with Remote Controlled
Steadicam Unit
Drone System

Editing
All professional software

Facilities
Cass Labs: Production and Post-Production facility with Virtual Production Studio with Lighting Grid. 121 Station Mac and PC Lab, Professional Sound ProTools Studio, Davinci Resolve Color Lab.

Ferman Center for the Arts: A four-story, 90,000-square-foot building on campus will provide spaces for UT’s fine and performing arts. A creative and transformative space for the fine and performing arts. Students studying music, art, design, speech, theatre, dance, communication, philosophy and film will enjoy four-stories of a visual and acoustic showcase.

FabLab: Digital fabrication lab with Laser cutters, 3-D printers, Computer numerical CNC routers, Large format printers, Vinyl cutters, State of the Art computer technology.

Charlene Gordon Theatre: with state of the art digital cinema projection where thesis showcases and Blackbox Film Festival visiting artist/filmmakers.

Film and Media Arts Minor — For the minor in film and media arts, see the course catalog for more details.

Internships are available for credit for sophomores with a minimum 3.0 GPA by registering for FMX 374 Internship. Film and media arts students have interned locally and nationally, including at the following:

On location with feature films shot in the Tampa Bay area:

• The Infiltrator
• Dolphin Tale
• No Postage Necessary
• Not Alone

With companies based in the Tampa Bay area:

• Blue Water Media
• Diamond View Studios
• ES Creative
• Film Tampa Bay
• Litewave Media
• Mediagistic
• Movie Groovy
• Shooting Stars Post
• Spectrum
• Theory Studios
• With Legend 3D in Los Angeles and at Sony Music Entertainment in New York
• Vū Studio

• UT Scholarships and Grants
• Top Film Scholarships

Semester Awards

The following awards are offered per semester to any qualifying and enrolled UTampa student. Awards are selected by a panel of professional jurors. To qualify, students must have made a film, animation or new media work within the academic school year that they submit to BlackBox Film Festival for consideration.

• Best Narrative
• Best Documentary
• Best Experimental
• Best Animation 
• Best of the Fest  

Annual Awards

The following awards are offered yearly to BFA and B.A. students in the Film, Animation and New Media program. 

These awards are voted on and chosen by full-time faculty in the FMX department and are presented in the spring at the College of Arts and Letters Academic Awards Ceremony.
 

Agnès Varda Filmmaker Award in Film and Media Arts
Agnès Varda was a pioneering French filmmaker and key figure in the French New Wave, known for blending documentary realism with experimental storytelling and a deeply personal touch. Her influential works, such as Cléo from 5 to 7 and The Gleaners and I, redefined the possibilities of cinematic form and feminist filmmaking.

Jonathan Demme Directing Award in Film
Jonathan Demme was an American director celebrated for his versatility, humanistic storytelling and distinctive visual style, most famously showcased in The Silence of the Lambs, which won him an Academy Award. His career ranged from narrative features to music documentaries, all marked by a deep empathy for his characters.

Vilmos Zsigmond Cinematography Award in Film and Media Arts
Vilmos Zsigmond was a Hungarian-American cinematographer renowned for his evocative use of natural light and atmospheric textures, shaping the look of 1970s American cinema. His work on films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Deer Hunter earned him critical acclaim and an Academy Award.

D.A. Pennebaker Documentary Award in Film and Media Arts
D.A. Pennebaker was a groundbreaking American documentary filmmaker who helped pioneer the direct cinema movement with films like Don’t Look Back and The War Room. His unobtrusive, observational style captured pivotal cultural and political moments with raw intimacy.

Richard Protovin Award in Animation
Richard Protovin was an American animator and educator known for his poetic, surreal short films and his contributions to the development of independent animation. As a faculty member at NYU, he mentored a generation of animators while continuing to explore deeply personal and experimental animation work.

Nam June Paik Award in New Media
Nam June Paik was a Korean-American artist widely recognized as the father of video art, whose playful, radical experiments with television and electronic media redefined the boundaries of contemporary art. His work bridged technology, performance, and global cultural critique, influencing generations of media artists.

Maya Deren Award in Film and Media Arts
Maya Deren was a Ukrainian-American filmmaker and avant-garde artist whose influential short films like Meshes of the Afternoon explored dream logic, ritual, and the subconscious. She was also a theorist and advocate for experimental cinema, shaping the foundations of American avant-garde film.

Filmmakers have included:

• Nicole Katz, Emmy Award-Winning Editor - The Price is Right
• Andrew Hauser, Post Production Executive
• Brad Schiff, Laika Stop-Motion Animator
• Timothy Albaugh, Screenwriter
• Catherine Haight - Editor
• Hal Ackerman, Screenwriter
• Christine Vachon, Producer
• Martha Coolidge, Director, Producer
• John McLaughlin, Screenwriter, Black Swan
• Julie Buck, Film Producer
• John Jackson, Casting Director
• Russel Williams II (2) , Cinema Sound Recordist
• Brad Schiff, Animation Supervisor
• Ted Hope, Film Producer
• Justin Long –Writer/ Director of Lady of the Manor
• Christian Long – Producer/Director of Lady of the Manor

Nicole Katz
Emmy Award-Winning Editor - "The Price is Right" TV Series

Brad Schiff
Golden Globe Winning Animation Supervisor LAIKA

AJ Favicchio
Filmmaker and Music Video Producer

Michael Cobuzio
Filmmaker, Team Playback

Kelsey Stroop
Editor, Los Angeles

David Andrade
Co-Founder and Director, Theory Studios, Orlando

Spencer Haberman
Assistant Camera, Big Fish Entertainment, Los Angeles

Vanda Orosz
Animation Production Assistant, The Divine Saga Studios, Tampa

Morgan Rudd
Creative Marketing Manager, Atlantic Health Solutions, Tampa

Matthew Goldberg
Social Media Marketer/Community Manager, Apple Vacations, Chicago