University degrees: Postgraduate
Course length: 2 years full-time
Course city: Budapest
Due to our collaboration with one of the oldest European universities, the Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), there is an opportunity for our students for a two-year graduate film training program in English and Hungarian, and achieving ELTE’s prestigious Master degree.
Outside of the Budapest Film Academy’s business and practical oriented film program, our students can choose from a wide variety of courses from ELTE’s own film division, such as: film making, film history, aesthetics and critical studies. ELTE’s internationally well respected film curriculum includes courses which analyze the evolution of cinema as a science, art and institution.
A considerable part of the Academy’s students come through ELTE (Eötvös Loránd University), because of the connection between the two institutions. These young filmmakers can be either BSc or MSc students, the Budapest Film Academy does not separate them. They go to the same courses at BFA without any reference to their levels of study. If an MA student has never learned scriptwriting, or has no knowledge about cinematography, then he/she studies in the same beginner class as a fellow BA student who has no previous filmmaking background.
Only those who have professional experience do not need to study from the basics. If someone for example, has worked as a camera assistant, then it is not necessary for them to start the Cinematography module from the lowest level, they can start with Cinematography II or III.
The first semester of this program lays the groundwork for training, wherein students will attend mandatory courses on various film-related subjects. Students will choose their majors starting in the second semester.
From day one, our students will take on active roles in real-life film development, production and post-production. We provide a multitude of hours devoted to the handling and usage of film equipment, and to professional, production training.
Our classes are not theoretical explorations; they are practical workshops designed to put students in the audiovisual industry as quickly as possible. We encourage and support students to take creative risks and find their own voices, while exhibiting a strong will to incorporate and adjust to the evolving needs of the industry.
Our program specializes in narrative fiction filmmaking, from script to screen. The intensive nature of this practical course demands 100% of the student’s time and commitment.
All of our teachers are currently working, experienced filmmakers. They will teach the standards for getting involved in the international audiovisual industry and will expect students to apply those in their work and attitude. The students will work collaboratively with the teachers on all of their filmmaking activities. Student films will be crewed by fellow students and supervised by BFA teachers and management.
The BFA will leverage its numerous international connections and partnerships to help its graduates receive fast track entry into the industry, through access to work placements in a variety of settings. We will provide job openings info and make initial telephone calls, but ultimately the student and the future employer (the industry) has the final say on formalizing employment or other collaborative possibilities.
Our teachers will present the process of filmmaking in its diverse and multifaceted nature, where the various work processes not only build upon each other, but tie into one complex operation. They teach that the deeper an understanding one gains of this system, the more efficient one becomes. Theories will be transformed into reality via empirical training, demonstrations and workshops – through these we give our students immediate experience.
Finally, our school’s basic attitude is to presents film as show business. We will educate our students about the business of film, and all of the major economical and
market factors that bear upon it.
Students will receive in-depth, hands-on training across several key disciplines of filmmaking:
The above courses offer an across-the-board view of the entire filmmaking work process to students, who at the end of the first semester will be ready to make a decision on their choice of major; (i.e, the area of film in which they want to dwell deeper). In their second semester, students are encouraged to compile their own curriculum.
Besides the above mentioned practical courses, our students can choose from ELTE’s Film Aesthetics and Film History classes.
Great directors must be great storytellers. Our Directing program is based on the idea that one’s vision as a director is developed through practice, encouragement, critical feedback, collaboration, and a lot of practice.
A young director’s best chance to get the money for his/her first film is to present a screenplay which is sold on the condition that he/she can direct it. To achieve this and ultimately create a great film, the director must know what makes a scene work and how it should be written and edited. He or she must also be fully aware of the proper structure of the screenplay and its dramaturgical elements.
But mastering the written word is not enough. To bring the script to life, we teach our young filmmakers to tell their stories visually. We also train them to do it with a distinct and clear style. Students practice the methods of mise-en-scène, text analysis, casting, working with and leading actors, and more. They receive both instruction and positive critiques on their classwork in each of these areas. During the workshops we provide them with the necessary equipment and training to apply what they learn in real-world situations.
Directing students also learn another part of their job: running a set. This includes effectively communicating with the various on-set departments (camera, lighting, art department, costume, hair and makeup) to work together toward a clear, shared vision. Only through effective coordination and collaboration with all of these creative parties can a film realize its full potential.
In summary, our goal is for Directing students to master visual storytelling within an atmosphere that allows them to express their ideas with ever-increasing creative and technical skill.
The creation of a proper financing structure is the key responsibility of the producer. He/she confers with other producers and puts together the co-production team. To do so, the producer needs to be well-versed in the film financing requirements of different countries, precise methods for obtaining tax and other local subsidies, and strategies for combining the various foundations and funds.
The aim of the Producing module is to provide a comprehensive knowledge of the basics of international film financing and a blueprint for how to create co-productions. Particular attention is paid to the legal and business aspects of independent filmmaking, including the basics of distribution agreements, option deals, copyrights, contract law, and other legal matters. We also examine how different deal structures affect movies.
Effective producing also requires superb communication skills, the power of persuasion, the ability to motivate, and a penchant for generating excellent ideas. The producer develops a common vision with the screenwriter and director, and acts as the motor that organizes and leads all efforts and excitement for the movie.
Our students learn the processes of pre- and post-production (including how to create financing plans, budgets, shooting schedules, call sheets, etc.), and they get to know about the duties of line producers, assistant directors, and script supervisors. During the student films our producing students will take on different tasks and in a real life situation will learn how to run and control a set.
BFA’s specialization in Creative Producing teaches students how a producer makes films possible by harnessing the above skills within the international market. They learn how to become a unifying force between the artistic, organizational, and commercial aspects of a film.
The importance of the screenplay in filmmaking cannot be overstated. To paraphrase a popular saying: it’s possible to make a bad film from a good script, but impossible to make a good film from a bad script. But even before the cameras roll, it’s nearly impossible to get financing and cast in place if the script doesn’t sizzle.
In our Screenwriting classes, students explore the writing process in depth, from concept through final draft. Using both the student’s writing and that of the masters of cinema, we discuss story structure, theme, genre, creating tension and conflict, handling exposition, storytelling through dialogue and action, and perfecting pace within well-constructed scenes, sequences, and acts.
We also cover archetypes, the hero’s journey, and other useful concepts within the world of story.
Hand-on exercises give students the opportunity to try their hand at creating characters and dramatizing conflicts in various formats, group tasks help foster their ability to create and develop stories within teams.
All of this is taught within our brand’s framework: as both an art and a business. BFA students learn to craft a screenplay that will stand on its own artistically while also distinguishing itself within a competitive marketplace — by appealing to actors, directors, producers, and investors. At the same time, they refine their skills in creating the supporting materials they’ll need to sell their script: the logline, synopsis, one-page, and more.
A cinematographer creates the visual world of a film. From the first stage of pre-production, he/she acts as the creative partner of the director. During the production he/she helps to create the proper artistic and technical conditions and the visual realization of the story.
Our students learn the aesthetic, technical, and organizational aspects from first-rate cinematographers, helping them to become versatile and innovative director of photographers themselves.
Lighting is the basis of cinematography. In this module, students learn the nuances of controlling light source and shadow, and discover how to create the lighting that helps the director to tell a great story in a unique atmosphere.
But lighting is just part of the story. The heart of cinematography is composition: camera placement, framing, angles and movement, and lens choice. Together with the lighting style, color choices, and shot flow give the film life.
The cinematographer’s last task is the digital polishing, color timing of the film. Its art and technique are taught on a laptop for low-budget student films, but in preparing for professional film shootings we work in a professional post-production film studio as well.
Students get experience in preparing for and shooting on location: outside, inside, or in a studio. They are also introduced to multiple-camera shooting. The course ends after completing production cinematography exercises under the mentorship of the instructor.
Our young cinematographers serve as the directors of photography on all projects written and directed by BFA students.
Editing is an art and a critical part of cinematic storytelling. The results of pre-production and production land in the editing room, where an editor assembles the footage, then uses his/her creativity to cut the movie. It is the final ‘rewrite’ of the film.
Under the mentorship of an experienced editing instructor, BFA’s Editing classes cover everything from the basic, practical components of editing to the final desired effects. We teach our students the artistic and aesthetic aspects of editing along with the technical side. In addition to covering the basics (cutting shots, scene construction, in and out points, title sequences, transitions, pacing, rhythm, continuity, color correction, and more), we place a special emphasis on communication with the director during production.
To further develop the skills they learn in class, students edit films directed by our Directing students. During the editing of student films, we focus on the use of both traditional and non-conventional editing techniques.
In this module, we also explore the world of sound in film — a world whose importance is emphasized by the use of the word ‘audience’ to refer to the viewing public. Designing the audio elements of the film helps the picture in myriad ways, and that design has to be in complete harmony with the editing, the cinematography, and the storytelling style of the director.
We use our student films to teach the mastery of sound recording (including microphones, space acoustics, and handling on-location problems) and sound post-production (including Foley, dubbing, and effect fundamentals), and we illustrate the importance of all of these in effective storytelling. The course also covers the most complex part of sound post-production: the sound mixing. In a professional sound-mixing studio, our students learn from a sound engineer about the usage of different sound effects and music.
It is essential for filmmakers to understand story structure, dramaturgical principles, and the background of both artistic and technical choices. That’s what this course is all about.
Via in-class film screenings and follow-up discussions and presentations, this class analyzes different film structures and the trend-setting elements of cinema. Students learn how to convey crucial information visually and how to enhance drama through the structure of cause and effect. They also learn what makes scenes and movies credible and complex.
Students get to know how a cinematographer augments the vision of the director and how a story is told by using images without dialogue. The different cinematographic styles and tasks are illustrated through specific examples.
By analyzing film rhythm, students will learn about the editing techniques that best match different dramatic structures. The class will see examples of dramatic montage, parallel editing, and excitement-increasing editing.
When examining sound and music, the focus is on their dramatic power and their role in storytelling and character forming.
Course goal:
Building on the skills developed in SCWR 220 (Beginning Screenwriting), students will take a fully developed treatment for a feature-length screenplay and turn it into a completed rough first draft. We will explore long form narrative in a writer workshop that focuses on character development, scene construction, dialogue and story structure. A completed draft is required to receive a passing grade in the course.
Learning objectives:
Course outcomes:
A completed rough first draft of a long form screenplay
Process:
This course will focus on building the skill set necessary to become a working writer. Because the class is largely based on a workshop environment, participation is key. Constructive criticism and feedback are required from each student. One of the most valuable aspects of being in a workshop class is to share ideas with other writers, to support and learn from one another as we delve into the creative process. As the writer, you are in the unique position of taking the suggestions that make sense to you and discarding the rest. Use criticism to spur you to greater work, to create a richer screenplay. And when it is your turn to comment, offer only constructive criticism. Be honest; be supportive; be kind.
Course Objectives and Goals:
Adaptations of existing novels, plays, short stories and historical events have long been important sources for Hollywood in creating feature films for screen and television. This course explores the process for choosing and adapting pre-existing source material to the screen. Through careful analysis, students will study how others have solved the problems of adaptation. By examining what works and what does not work in various adaptations, students will learn how to approach source material and develop their own unique perspective as they develop screenplays based on adapted sources.
The Students will:
Assignments are expected to be delivered on time and to be written in a professional manner. All scripted work must be in standard screenplay format. The work we do together in class is essential; therefore, it is of utmost importance to attend class and to be on time.
