Film Production (BFA)

Every year, you work on the making of a film. In this competitive program, you’ll develop your craft and vision as a filmmaker under the supervision of established filmmakers, media artists and scholars who instruct and mentor you.

The program integrates rigorous hands-on technical training with aesthetic, historical, commercial and theoretical topics that influence filmmaking today. Our approach pushes you to find innovative ways to express yourself through motion pictures.

Our facilities are amongst the best in Canada. A wide range of film and digital equipment is available to you, and our production studios cater to everything from hand-made analog techniques to the latest digital technologies.

As your skills improve, you may choose to specialize in a specific technical area such as cinematography or sound. Fiction filmmaking has a rich history here, but we also make significant contributions to documentary and experimental films.

Montreal has a bustling film industry, so take advantage of your time here. Our school and our city will offer you both time to be creative and many opportunities for professional work.

A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree takes a minimum of three or four years (90 – 120 credits) of full-time study, depending on your academic background.

Program options

• Specialization in Film Production (66 credits)
• Major in Film Production (54 credits)

Students in the Major may apply to transfer to the Specialization in their third year. It is strongly recommended that students in the Specialization have, or acquire, knowledge of French.

The Film Production curriculum provides flexible opportunities to develop skills as a filmmaker through collaborative and individual studio practices, technical & theoretical seminars, critiques, screenings and guest speakers.

At the core of the Film Production Program are the Filmmaking I, II and III courses. All projects produced in these courses are initiated by students and mentored through all stages of production to completion. Numerous genres are explored and students are exposed to contemporary production methods.

Supporting these core production courses are technical courses, that inform specific areas of film production such as cinematography and sound. There are also ancillary courses that incorporate process and aesthetic considerations such as writing, directing, expanded cinema, montage, production design and creative producing.

In addition to film production courses, students choose from a range of courses in film history, theory and aesthetics as well as elective seminars in liberal arts and sciences. These courses provide an interdisciplinary historical and critical framework to support individual creative practices.

• For a list of required courses please download the Program Guide according to year of entry.
• Schedules for courses are available on the class schedules website.

International study opportunities
Concordia University offers students the opportunity to take part in an International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) that will count for credit towards their Concordia degree, while paying the same tuition fees they do at home and possibly receiving funding. International study opportunities bring cultural diversity and enrichment through immersion in the programs of study at Concordia’s partner institutions.

Professional internships
Internships provide students with the opportunity to pursue work in the film industry, film research, archival work, editing film publications, or writing film criticism. Consult the Undergraduate Calendar or Graduate Calendar for details about program specific requirements and prerequisites.

Independent studies
Students may explore specific areas of film through independent study. Consult the Undergraduate Calendar or Graduate Calendar for details about program specific requirements and prerequisites.  

For over thirty-five years our alumni have obtained critical acclaim in the film and media industry locally and internationally. As a Concordia Film School graduate you will enter the world of media professionals with the knowledge and discipline to think critically about your work. You will possess the training and skills needed to successfully embark on a career path in cinema and media production – one that is based extensively on teamwork and collaboration. Your degree may lead to many paths:

• Director
• Cinematographer
• Lighting Technician
• Camera Technician
• Producer
• Production Manager
• Post-Production Coordinator
• Picture Editor
• Sound Designer
• Multidisciplinary film-artist