Be a Master of Film. Learn 35MM in the Czech Republic.
Carry out the vision for your story in a city whose cinematic history stretches back to the early days of the art form itself. From the late 1800s, when the first Czech films were made in the region of Bohemia, through the political struggles of the 1960s that spawned the Czech New Wave, the film heritage of this country will give you a rich tapestry of material to draw from.
There is no match for the beauty of an image captured on film. The incredible dynamic range and fine grain offered by film stock make it the medium of choice for directors such as Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan, despite the convenience and low cost of digital formats. Learn to harness the visual power of 35mm and broaden your talents as an aspiring director or director of photography. You’ll have the opportunity to complete your project in a supervised post-production session where you color correct and transfer your original 35mm negative. This program is your only opportunity as an undergraduate at Tisch to practice 35mm film production techniques and storytelling.
"When you work with film, every little detail in the frame matters. There is no nonchalance or affordability that permits a third or fourth take, so you rarely press record until what you see on camera is bordering perfection: there is no room for error. To endure this, you adapt. You begin to focus more, to look at light and color with greater precision - things you are taught to do when working with digital but can sometimes become negligent about due to complacency and it’s flexibility as a medium.
When you are stripped off this privilege, you are suddenly forced to reckon with sublimity - there is no other option. As a result, your skills as a filmmaker are strengthened if not tested, and you return to digital filmmaking with a greater reiteration and appreciation of the fundamentals of cinematography."
— Farah Jabir, 35mm Filmmaking in Prague, summer 2018
Program Overview
The Tisch School offers this program in collaboration with one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious film schools, the Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU). FAMU is an independent academy which focuses on audio and visual media. Their alumni include Jiri Menzel (Closely Watched Trains), Milos Forman (Amadeus and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and Agnieszkha Holland (Europa Europa). The FAMU faculty are active members of the Czech filmmaking community (including established cinematographers, directors, editors, scholars, and writers). Under their expert guidance, you will have the opportunity to branch out and study 35mm sync-sound filmmaking from an entirely different tradition and culture.
Note: The Prague academic year program varies slightly from the summer program. In spring and fall you participate as director and director of photography, and work on two separate interior and exterior individual projects. For summer, you must indicate your preference for either director or director of photography when you apply, or be open to both depending on which position is available (not all students direct in the summer). You only shoot exterior projects in the summer. (It’s light out until nearly midnight in Prague in the summer!)
Students will enroll in the following two courses for a total of 8 points
Program Dates
Summer 2019
Student Arrival: Sunday, June 2, 2019
Student Departure: Saturday, July 13, 2019
Arrival and departure dates are subject to change.
Admissions
Prerequisites:
- Film/TV majors: Sight and Sound Filmmaking (FMTV-UT 43) and one more Sight and Sound of your choice, Production Safety & Set Protocol (FMTV-UT 101)
- For Tisch Film majors in the cinematography concentration, it is suggested that you participate in Prague after taking Camera I.
- NYU and Visiting students: Fundamentals of Digital Filmmaking (OART-UT 560) and Fundamentals of Digital Filmmaking II (OART-UT 561) or college level experience in film production. Production Safety & Set Protocol (FMTV-UT 101) or equivalent.
Deadline: The summer 2019 application is closed.
For more information please view our Admissions Calendar.
Application: Please read the following admissions information before starting your application.
Expenses
Summer 2019
- Undergraduate summer 2019 tuition: $11,608
- Registration and Services Fee: $972
- Program Fee: $662
- Lab Fee: $602
- Housing:
Single: $2,717
Double: $2,132
Triple: $1,861
Quad: $1,622
- CSI Insurance: $155*
- Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to/from the program.
Visit the NYU Office of the Bursar for additional information on tuition and fees.
Scholarship and Financial Aid
There are opportunities for financial assistance to study abroad.
Please review the Scholarships and Financial Aid for Study Abroad page for more information.
Housing
Visit the NYU Prague website for housing options and descriptions.
