Graduate Resources

Overview

As a a graduate student in the Feature Film Production MFA, you have a variety of resources available to you. This includes access to NSCM Media Labs, Production Lab, Film Editorial Rooms, and the checkout of general-purpose media equipment as well as production facilities and equipment for the principal photography of their thesis project.

Policy Requirements

Students are required to complete the Film Student Policy Form before they can checkout equipment or use facility spaces. This form covers all course work and creative activities and must be completed once each semester.

Facility Access

NSCM Media Labs – NSC-211A and 211B are available for open labsEnrolled students can electronically access these labs using their UCF ID cards when classes are not being held in theses spaces.

Graduate students can also access the Production Lab | NSC-143 as well as the Advanced Media Lab | NSC-172. Please use the Activity Calendars located on the NSCM Media Lab resource page to help determine when these spaces are available for open and assisted lab hours.

Graduate students are also able to utilize a dedicated Graduate Production Office | NSC-143F, Graduate Meeting Room | NSC-143E, and a large Seminar Room | NSC-143D to support pre-production activities such as crew meetings and table readings.

When engaged in post-production for their Intermediate Project (Proof-of-Concept Short Film) or their Thesis Project (Feature Film or similar Body-of-Work) students can also access the Film Editorial Rooms 1-4 – NSC-171, 174, 176, & 178 as well as the dedicated Graduate Editorial Room | NSC-177. These rooms are available on a first come, first served basis. Please use the Production Lab | NSC-143 when not engaged in post-production activities to ensure that editorial workstations are available for use by other students.

The Color Correction Suite | NSC-175, Sound Mixing Room | NSC-175, and the Sound Recording Suite | NSC-172B & C are available upon request and requires a qualified operator. Please contact Film Production Services for additional information.

The Flatbed Editorial Suite | NSC-186 is available once students have received in-class training on linear editing and hand animation. The Steenbeck flatbed should only be used by qualified operators.

If you are unable to access the above facilities or have been issued a replacement UCF ID card, please see production services staff for assistance. If you are working with an editor on your Intermediate or Capstone project, please contact Film Operations to have editorial suite access provisioned for them.

Equipment Checkout

How to Reserve Genereal-Purpsoe Equipment

Please use the Zeus Now Portal to request a checkout in advance.

You can also walk in for checkouts Monday-Friday from 9:30am to 5:30pm (unless otherwise posted). Items can be returned Monday-Friday from 9:00am to 5:45pm (unless otherwise posted).

Zeus login credentials will be emailed to you by Film Operations. If you cannot locate this email, search your inbox for “MFA Film General Purpose – Important Information about the Zeus Portal” or check your Junk Email folder. If found in Junk Email, Report these emails as ‘Not Junk’. 

Please email Film Production Services if these solutions do not work or if you have any questions.

Resource Windows

Enrolled students will be able to access these resources after the Add/Drop Deadline each semester until Classes End, before Finals Week.

Duration & Frequency

Students can checkout equipment multiple times per semester. Each checkout period is limited to a maximum set of 4 days as indicated by Zeus Portal.

The total number of days includes the pickup and return dates (i.e., equipment checked-out on a Monday would have to be returned on Thursday). Weekend checkouts will be considered as two days (i.e., equipment checked-out on a Friday would have to be returned on Monday).

Due to limitations with our reservation system, we are not able to grant extensions to checked-out equipment. Students can only request one checkout per week. No back-to-back requests can be made (e.g., you must wait at least one business day to submit a new request to allow other students a chance to reserve the equipment).

Equipment List

The current list of general purpose equipment that can be checked out by graduate students can be found by clicking the button below. There are additional resources available for assignments/projects in stacked courses or the production of creative activities.

Production of Creative Activities

Graduate students produce a Thesis-Level Project (Feature Film or similar Body-of-Work) during the second-year of the Feature Film Production MFA program. An Intermediate Project (Proof-of-Concept Short Film) is produced by first-year students as part of the Advanced Directing Workshop course.

All Documentary and Experimental Intermediate and Thesis Projects are managed as Turnkey Productions by default. All Narrative Intermediate and Thesis Projects are managed as Full-Service Productions. All projects must be greenlit by the instructor-of-record to commence the physical production of principal photography.

Projects that have high-risk items or activities, that seek advanced equipment packages beyond the general purpose equipment list, use of the sound stage, or a production that requires significant review or supervisionmust submit a Full-Service Production Application a minimum of 10 business days (2 weeks) before the desired start date of principal photography.

See the Risk
Management Policies and Creative Activities section of the NSCM-FMM Student Production Handbook for additional information.

Thesis Project

Thesis Projects can commence physical production once they have received a greenlight from the Thesis Chair and Graduate Program Coordinator. Please be mindful to schedule your production during a MFA Production Seasons during the Summer and Winter Breaks.

See the Master Production Calendar for exact dates for Production Seasons.