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Contact:
Prof. Tony Pemberton
973.655.7200
film@montclair.edu
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Filmmaking is a pre-professional program through which students create their own films and actively participate in all aspects of the filmmaking craft. The program mentors students in their developing a strong understanding of the art and craft of the medium that is supported by a strong foundation in the liberal arts and humanities.
Students are encouraged to develop their own creative voices by producing works in the various genres of narrative, documentary and experimental films, culminating in a thesis project in one of these categories. Students will also develop fluency in filmmaking crafts such as editing, cinematography, sound recording, screenwriting and producing. At Montclair our goal is to continually intertwine the program with the filmmaking industry through the hiring of working professionals and by way of special seminars, visiting lecturers and internships.
Top 10 Reasons to enroll in
Montclair State University’s BFA in Filmmaking:
1. Located 14 miles west of New York City.
(The train and bus stops directly on campus.)
2. Small classes.
3. A faculty of professional filmmakers and artists.
4. Up-to-date practices; industry and alternative forms.
5. Tuition is less than 1/3 of that of many other schools.
(You will, therefore, have more money to spend on your films.)
6. Excellent internship possibilities.
7. More credits within your concentration than is the case at many other schools.
8. Interdisciplinary opportunities to study other fine art forms.
9. The flexibility to take courses in the humanities to inform your art.
10. Cutting edge equipment and software, including Arriflex Cameras, Panasonic 24P Cameras, 16mm & DVCAM, AVID, FINAL CUT HD. And there is no waiting list for a camera.
Curriculum and Courses
The BFA Filmmaking curriculum consists of 128 total credits which include courses in general studies, Art and Design, and a mandatory 64 credits in Filmmaking and Film studies. For a more complete course listing download the attached curriculum and courses pdf. In addition to the BFA major in Filmmaking, MSU offers a less intensive concentration in film/video and a major in Broadcasting.
Admission Requirements
Students applying for the BFA in Filmmaking must first submit an application to the MSU Office of Admissions, after which they may be invited to show a portfolio to the Department of Art and Design’s Film Program
The portfolio must consist of the following:
- Two writing samples, e.g. a fictional short story, film script, and/or documentary treatment.
- A Film/Video sample, e.g. a film or video you’ve made. If you’ve never touched a camera, please state this and submit the following assignment: Borrow someone’s camera and make a “portrait film” of yourself without showing yourself on camera. Formats: DVD, VHS, and or MiniDV (NTSC) only.
- Optional: Additional artwork such as drawings, paintings, photography, sculpture or installation. Large works may be presented in the form of slides or small photographic prints.
 
TONY PEMBERTON, Program Coordinator; Director/Producer
- Tony Pemberton is a filmmaker whose feature films and shorts have been seen in festivals around the world. Most recently his feature film Beyond the Ocean premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2000 where it was nominated for a Jury Award, cited by Variety as “One of Ten Directors to Watch in 2000,” and was recipient of a Princess Grace Foundation Award, as well as a Kodak Vision Award. His past and current projects have been awarded funding from the Princess Grace Foundation, Jerome Foundation, Arts Matters and Arts Link. Mr. Pemberton is a graduate from the State University of New York at Purchase with a BFA in Film, and the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts: Bard College with an MFA in Film. Most recently Pemberton received the New Jersey State Council of the Arts Fellowship Award. Tony Pemberton’s Webpage: www.goeastfilm.com
BILL JENNINGS, Writer / Director
- Bill Jennings’ feature film, Harlem Aria (2000), is the winner of the Chicago International Film Festival Audience Favorite Award, Urbanworld Film Festival Audience Award, Pan African Film Festival Audience Award and recipient of a special commendation from the Maryland Film Festival. The film was the “Featured Selection” of the National Black Arts Festival, an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival and Munich International Film Festival among others. As a member of the Director's Guild of America, Bill worked as an assistant director on major studio films such as Clean Slate, Airheads, Beverly Hills Cop III, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, New Jack City, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, Storyville, and Boomerang. He also worked as an assistant director on the television series Saturday Night Live, The Cosby Mysteries, Central Park West, New York Undercover, Prince Street and Dellaventura. His original screenplay Welcome to Mayfield was optioned by Cataland Films in 2002 and is in development. Mr. Jennings adapted the Chester Himes novel End of the Primitive for Two Point One Films. That film is also in development and he is attached to direct. Jennings also recently adapted the Victor Pelevin novel Buddha’s Little Finger for Intrinsic Value and Go East Productions of Moscow, Russia, which is scheduled for production in 2007. Most recently Mr. Jennings has been hired to write a screenplay biography of Alexander Pushkin, the famed Russian writer.
ALINA VIOLA GRUMILLER, Artist
- Alina V. Grumiller studied Film and Cooking with Peter Kubelka and Film with Martin Arnold and Monika Schwitte. She completed her “Meisterschuler” at the Staedelschule, Frankfurt am Main. She received an exchange scholarship for the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College where she studied with Peggy Ahwesh, Cecilia Dougherty, Les LeVeque, Arthur Jafa and Sue Friedrich to mention only a few. There she completed her MFA. Grumiller was founder and member of the “Oskar von Millerstrasse 16” art group and gallery in Frankfurt am Main together with Michael Riedel, Dennis Loesch and Ursula Schoendeling. Her work ranges from installation to experimental film, video, photography and drawing. In her work, beliefs and expectations are severed and represented within visual manifestations of multiplicity that play off the logic of a western-identity imploding itself. Within a familiar but differently ordered reality, her work puts us into the position of interpreter and translator of how ‘humans’ are educated into a system of thought and practice. Her recently exhibited piece entitled “Disappearance of the Self” showed a 3x3 meter large tent in a group show called “Playpen” at The Drawing Center. In the summer of 2003 she published an artist book (edition of 500) entitled “Words to your Mother” which is distributed by Printed Matter in New York. Grumiller’s films and videos have been screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival, The Austrian Film Museum in Vienna, Austria, The Contemporary Art Center (CAC) in Vilnius, Lithuania, The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, The International Film / Video Festival in Brazil, and DUMBO, Short Film / Video Festival in Brooklyn among others.
OLGA HUMPREY, Screenwriter/Filmmaker
- Olga Humphrey has worked as a programming executive for HBO. In that capacity, she selected and screened numerous films ranging from classic to new. Since then she has been a story analyst and script consultant for many top independent film companies and studios located in New York, including Miramax, Dimension, Focus Features, USA Films, October Films, MGM-UA, Hallmark Entertainment, Spring Creek, Walden Media among others. Olga was a private script consultant for Sandra Bullock, having worked on two projects in which the actress was featured. She was also the favored story consultant for top producers Robert Halmi, Sr. ("Dinotopia," "Merlin") and Donna Gigliotti ("Shakespeare in Love"). Other screenplays that Olga did consulting work on and that were recommended for production or acquisition include several drafts of "Gosford Park" (Academy Award winner for Best Screenplay), "About Schmidt" (Writers Guild Award nominee), "Possession" (directed by Neil LaBute), the international hit "Bend It Like Beckham," "Around the World in Eighty Days" starring Jackie Chan, "Holes," "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby" "50 First Dates", and many others. As a writer, Olga's plays have been published and produced around the U.S. and internationally. She has written for television, including the current kids hit "Oobi" seen on Noggin and Nick Jr. Her screenplays have attracted star talent and directors. She was awarded a Fellowship by the IFP/New York and was mentored by Nora Ephron and Mary Harron. Her short film "Tahini & Tears" has played at film festivals around the world. Olga holds a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Fordham University.
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