Experimental Film / Video

As an art and design school, and a hub of innovative thinking, MCAD is uniquely suited to support experimental film and video work in our highly interdisciplinary environment. Our program is a great fit for very motivated and self-directed students who crave freedom in their studies.

Students with an experimental film/video, visual art, photography, or performance background will be well suited to our art-form-first approach to studying experimental film/video, cinematography, visual direction, or pursue director of photography positions. While directors, producers, and writers are also supported, the MCAD community is very visually oriented.

The Twin Cities’ thriving arts community also has several organizations, which support many approaches to film and video:

Walker Cinema – Renovated in 2012, this is one of the best places to view film in the country. Cinema programs are often presented in combination with guest filmmakers through premieres and series that include the Walker Dialogues & Retrospectives, Filmmakers-in-Conversation, and Cinema of Urgency.
MSP Film Society – brings the best of international and independent cinema to Minnesota audiences through the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, numerous film festivals and series, and daily programming 365-days a year. A special shout out to MCAD faculty member Craig Rice, who helps organize Cine Latino and brings artists to campus for in-class lectures.
Film North – empowering artists to tell their stories, launch and sustain successful careers, and advance The North as a leader in the national network of independent filmmakers.
MNFilmTV – a non-profit film commission that advances Minnesota’s economy and enhances its robust cultural environment by promoting and supporting the state’s production industry.
Minneapolis Television Network (MTN) – serves as the city of Minneapolis’s Community Media (Public Access) Center; strengthens the community through the free exchange of information and ideas in the media – anyone can congregate and create unique, individual programming.
SPNN – a community media and technology center that provides the tools and training for youth, adult, and nonprofits to use media and technology to tell stories and gain job skills. They have 35 AmeriCorps members in nonprofits, libraries, and workforce centers around the Twin Cities metro area.
Mizna – a critial platform for contemporary arab film, literature, and art
Trylon Cinema – repertory showings of classic, cutting-edge, foreign, and art-house films
Sound Unseen Festival – Named “One of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals In The World” by Moviemaker Magazine in

Above: Shirin Ghoraishi ’20

Equipment & Space

M/LAB is a 13,282-square-foot space fostering innovation and collaboration. You can check it out on our virtual building tour. It contains:

Media Center (check out photography, film, digital, animation, lighting, sound, VR/AR, and exhibition AV technology)
Black Box Gallery
Analog and digital print studios
Film and animation production studios
Digital photo lab
Sound recording and mixing studio
Web and multimedia studio
High-tech classrooms
2 multi-use production studios

Unique Analog Options

Artists and filmmakers often want to shoot on film but are intimidated by costs, as well as the general lack of access to materials, resources, and technical support at universities and colleges.

MCAD can help graduate students navigate the process of shooting on analog motion picture film with the help of our faculty who are very knowledgable about contemporary and historic approaches. With their assistance, you can learn how to shoot, develop and scan super 8 and 16mm film.

Analog film materials/supplies we have at MCAD:

>> Eiki 16mm & super 8mm projector

>> Chemistry, supplies and facilities to develop certain types of super 8mm film. (chemistry at MCAD is currently only for black and white reversal super 8mm, but it’s possible for the Media Center to purchase other chemicals or you can buy your own and use the dark room to develop.)

>> Various film cameras: Canon 514 XL-S, Bolex H16, Canon Scoopic, Arriflex SR2

>> The Art Cellar sells Super 8mm film

> Super 8mm HD scanner (Scanning motion picture film is incredibly expensive, which is usually the reason why people decide to shoot digitally. Take advantage of this resource!)

Sishir Bommakanti ’18

Mentors/Faculty

Students can select their mentors from the MCAD faculty and/or the professional community of the Twin Cities. See the Recent Mentors to get a sense of who our students are working with. You can read more about mentor selection in this handbook.

We also have fantastic faculty in film/video at MCAD, and they are always eager to work with MFA students. You can also audit their classes in film/video to work with a larger group of students focused on filmmaking:

Additionally, MCAD’s MFA program can help you apply to several regional sources of funding. For some awards, you can apply during the summer between your first and second year to receive funding in the months after graduating.

Jerome Foundation Grants
Minnesota Artists Exhibition Program
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Grants
Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grants (can apply as a student, but project cannot be associated with your degree program)
McKnight Foundation Grants
Midway Contemporary Art Visual Arts Fund
Red Eye’s Works-In-Progress Program
and more (the funding environment in MN is ever-evolving and growing)

Above: Nora Spiekermann (2019-2020 exchange student) and Lee Noble ’20 at Minneapolis Telecommunication Networks (MTN) for BAUHAUS100BONANZASHOW

Recent Alumni Achievements

You can view an on-going list of MFA alumni highlights here. A few call outs include:

Essma Imady ’16, Artist on the Verge 10 Fellowship 2019
Jodie Burke ’18 – Best Director at Portland Comedy Film Festival, and Best Comedy (webisode) at Women’s Comedy Film Festival in Atlanta 2019
Preston Drum ’16, MN Artist Initiative Grant 2018
Essma Imady ’16, MN Artists Exhibition Program at Mia, 2018