Approach
Vassar College offers a Bachelor of Arts and a correlate sequence in Film. Our courses cover film history (American and international), film theory, film production, and screenwriting.
Film at Vassar emphasizes the exploration of film within a broad liberal arts education. Roughly half of students’ classes are taken outside their major area of concentration, drawing freely from Vassar’s rich curriculum. Thus, our students achieve an understanding of film in the context of their interests in the other arts, social sciences, and sciences. All of our classes are small, and the instructors come to know the students well.
Students majoring in Film at Vassar move in many directions after graduation. Even though our program is not specifically pre-professional in nature, the high level of skill students obtain here helps them find employment or pursue post-graduate degrees in filmmaking or film studies.
Curriculum
The department offers an introductory course, Film 175: Introduction to Screen Arts, which is open only to First-year students. The major officially starts during the Sophomore year, with students enrolling in an introduction to film history and theory course(Film 209).
Many of our courses are offered every year; others on a three-year cycle.
During their Senior year, our students undertake sophisticated, advanced projects, writing screenplays or academic theses, making short films, or working on multimedia presentations.
Facilities, Equipment, and Resources
Vassar College completed the construction of a state-of-the-art Center for Drama and Film, designed by the renowned architect, Cesar Pelli in 2003. The facility houses modern classrooms with smart podia; a screening room with surround sound, a 35mm, and an advanced digital projector; a soundproof studio equipped with a lighting grid and green screen; three editing suites, and a high-tech multimedia laboratory.
The Vassar library offers a comprehensive collection of scholarly books, as well as an ever-growing archive of over 13,000 feature and documentary films, all of which are available to all students.
Our Rosenwald Theater, a premiere screening facility, allows us to invite professional filmmakers to campus. Vassar graduate John Gatins brought his feature, Flight (2012), to Vassar prior to its theatrical release date. Tom Hanks and Lisa Kudrow have also come to speak, and we held a premiere of Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha (2012). As a part of our Katherine Stone White Artist in Residence Program, we have hosted visiting filmmakers such as Debra Granik, Kasi Lemmons and Shola Lynch.
Internships and Fieldwork
Vassar maintains an active network of alumnae/i and friends who help Film majors obtain summer internships and fieldwork positions. Our website lists internships where students have recently worked.
Usually in the Spring semester of each year the department hosts a Career Night, during which Vassar graduates come to speak to current students about their own experiences in the industry and about the myriad of opportunities available in preproduction, production, post-production, distribution, festivals and archives.
Financial assistance for summer work can sometimes be obtained through the Fellowship Office (Main Building, N-162). Students are particularly encouraged to consider:
- The Geraldine Gewirtz Friedman ’41 Career Development Fund for Students of Drama, Film, Literature and the Visual Arts
- The Steven J. Hueglin ’74 Media Studies Internship
- Students should consider applying for the Telluride Film Festival Symposium held every year.
- Students looking for internships and jobs should join these Facebook groups:
- Please check the Film Department website for news: film.vassar.edu
