Ringling College of Art and Design’s Film program is the No. 1-ranked undergraduate-only film program in the country on The Hollywood Reporter’s latest list of the 25 Best U.S. Film Schools. Ringling College ranked No. 15 overall, standing out as the highest-ranked undergraduate-only program on a list dominated by graduate-level film schools.
In its report, THR emphasized how much “better equipped” Ringling College was than the majority of schools in L.A. and New York to prepare students for the industry, including access to virtual production and the LED wall. They also noted, “with no graduate programs to contend with, students are getting their hands on equipment early and often.”
“At Ringling College, our extraordinary resources are focused entirely on undergraduate education, which means our students don’t have to compete with graduate students,” said Dr. Davis Schneiderman, president of Ringling College. “As the film industry continues to evolve, from virtual production to branded storytelling, our students are gaining practical experience with the tools, technologies, and ways of working that are shaping its future. We’re proud of our exceptional facilities, but ultimately, this recognition belongs to the students and faculty who bring their stories to the screen.”
Whereas most film schools reserve high-level opportunities for graduate students, Ringling undergrads have exclusive access to five soundstages, two of them 8,400 square feet each, and the 15,000-square-foot Studio Labs post-production facility, with Dolby ATMOS mix rooms, an ADR and Foley stage, a color grading room, and a theater for screenings. Two of the soundstages are also equipped for virtual production, while editing is supported by an 18-machine lab and 14 individual bays across campus. There is no MFA program to compete for the gear, the soundstages, or the faculty’s attention, giving Ringling students early and full access.
This access extends further via multiple forms of financial aid, including merit- and need-based scholarships, as well as Florida scholarship funds, donor scholarships, and grants. Notably, Ringling College is also home to the Carl Foreman Award, a unique, purpose-driven award that follows a legacy of honoring emerging filmmakers for over 40 years.
During their education, students are able to produce their own projects while also working on films by their peers. By graduation, the average Ringling Film student has worked on roughly 60 films in nearly every role on a set. The College’s professional-quality facilities also draw professional productions to the area, providing world-class opportunities for students to meet and work with experienced filmmakers.
Notable recent guests include:
- Hank Azaria
- Alec Baldwin
- Ron Howard
- Laura Linney
- RaMell Ross, director of Nickel Boys and Hale County This Morning, This Evening
- Kazuhiro Soda
- Stanley Tucci
- Caveh Zahedi
THR also praised Ringling College’s new Branded Entertainment Certificate, so that students can study narrative filmmaking and branded content creation simultaneously. The program positions graduates to work with a broad spectrum of brands that are increasingly focusing on narrative content.
Additionally, the College offers a Virtual Production Certificate that allows students to work on the same technology driving major studio productions today, often on interdisciplinary projects. Film students work alongside students from Game Art and Virtual Reality, pairing cinematography with real-time 3D to operate the full pipeline, from building environments in Unreal Engine to camera tracking, LED wall operation, and finishing.
Notable Ringling College Film Faculty include:
- Patrick Alexander, MFA (Florida State University), Department Head
- Sena Amengor, MFA (Florida State University)
- Bradley Battersby, MA (Savannah College of Art and Design), Variety’s 2017 Mentor of Year
- Matt Gissing (University of Toronto)
- Sheryl Haler, MFA (University of Houston)
- Troy Logan (Ringling College of Art and Design)
- Damon Maulucci, MFA (Columbia University)
- Andy Nguyễn, MFA (Columbia University)
- Laura Parker Samson, MFA (Harvard University)
- Mark Parry, MFA (University of Southern California)
- Paul Ratner, MFA (Chapman University)
- Sean Webley, MFA (Columbia University)
Film Department Head Patrick Alexander wrote and is directing a feature film in Sarasota this December. Siesta, a neo-noir, brings together Ringling Film alumni now working professionally in the industry, faculty and staff from the College, and established talent from Los Angeles and New York. Current students are placed on the production through INDEX, the College’s experiential education initiative. The set functions as three generations of the program working at once, with established alumni mentoring recent graduates, and both of them mentoring current students still enrolled.
