FAQ

  • Tuition at The Feature Film Conservatory is $25,000 per semester, $100,000 to complete the degree.

  • The time to degree at The Feature Film Conservatory is one calendar year, September through August.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory is an accelerated degree program that requires five 8-hour days, 40 contact hours per week, for four semesters (44 weeks) for one calendar year with four breaks.

    A typical graduate program requires 12 contact hours a week for two 15-week semesters each calendar year necessitating up to five years to complete.

    The Feature Film Conservatory focuses on the practical experience of creating a feature film in a workflow consistent with professional practice.

  • Tuition for The Feature Film Conservatory is paid over two installments:

    $50,000 due July 15, 2025
    $50,000 due March 1, 2026

  • No. Tuition at The Feature Film Conservatory includes all academic expenses related to the completing the degree.  

    Unlike other programs, there are no additional fees for registration, equipment, laboratories, textbooks, curricular projects, thesis preparation, or matriculation.

  • Applicants to The Feature Film Conservatory must have a bachelor’s degree from a college or university.

  • Applicants to The Feature Film Conservatory must be:

    • Intelligent
    • Creative
    • Mature
    • Dedicated
    • Cooperative
    • Collaborative

  • No. Tuition at The Feature Film Conservatory will not increase during the academic year.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory only offers a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Feature Film Production through the Palm Beach Photographic Centre.

  • No. The Feature Film Conservatory will grant up to $500,000 in each class’s feature film.

    Students invest no money, only sweat equity.

  • No. The Feature Film Conservatory is the first and only degree-granting program that subsidizes each class’s feature film.

  • Absolutely not. Students at The Feature Film Conservatory develop, preproduce, produce, and post produce their unique feature film, not someone else’s film.

  • The estimated living expenses for a single person living in West Palm Beach for one calendar year averages $38,000.

    Living expenses include housing, transportation, food and groceries, utilities, cell phone, internet, etc.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory admission requirements are:

    • Proof of age of majority

    • Proof of a bachelor’s degree

    • A completed creative endeavor - the creative endeavor is any unique, personal expression in any media that demonstrates intelligence, creativity, maturity, and dedication

    • Three letters of recommendation

  • The Feature Film Conservatory admission requirements for international applicants are:

    • Proof of age of majority

    • Proof of a bachelor’s degree

    • A completed creative endeavor - the creative endeavor is any unique, personal expression in any media that demonstrates intelligence, creativity, maturity, and dedication

    • Two letters of recommendation

    • If English is not the applicant’s native language, applicants must submit a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score.

    • International applicants who have completed an undergraduate program outside the U.S. must submit a bachelor's degree equivalency document.

    Please note that participation in the academic year beginning in September 2025 is limited to U.S. residents and lawful permanent residents. The Feature Film Conservatory will accept international applications and offer a Form I-20 “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Students Status” for international students for the September 2026 class.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory accepts applications from December 15, 2024, through May 15, 2025.

  • There is $100 fee to apply to The Feature Film Conservatory.

  • No. An applicant to The Feature Film Conservatory must have either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree or a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree.

  • No. All applicants to The Feature Film Conservatory will be evaluated equally regardless of their undergraduate major.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory is in Palm Beach County, Florida.

  • An MFA is more prestigious and offers more career options than does an MA.

    An MFA is considered a terminal degree, while a MA is considered a transitional degree.  

    An MFA qualifies one to teach at a university level.

  • No. Every student at The Feature Film Conservatory learns the entire job cycle of feature film production, not a subset of skills.

    There are many more career tracks in feature film production than just producing, directing, screenwriting, and cinematography.

  • Virtually every film program in the world is based on a similar art school derived academic model: a faculty shepherds attending students through courses, seminars, little projects, and self-financed short films, designed to prepare one for a career in film. While making short films can be a useful but expensive mnemonic tool, there is little commercial potential to recoup any investment.

    Feature film production is a high expression of the cinematic arts, and the feature film has greater potential to be monetized. If one masters feature film production, one can easily adapt that knowledge to virtually any other audio/visual production or format.

  • Each class owns their feature film and will equally divide 100% of any net profits from their film’s monetization.

  • Each class will collectively determine the content of the feature film.

  • There are only three methods to acquire a script: write a script, commission a script, or buy an existing script.  Each class will make that decision collectively.

  • Each student, working from a collectively accepted script, will rotate through all the key roles during production, including at least one day as the Director.

  • Every format and workflow, from 16mm or 35mm film to 2K, 4K, or 8K, has its economic, practical, and aesthetic advantages and challenges. It is the responsibility of each class to collectively determine which format, and workflow best suits their vision.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory is a teaching facility. All production facilities and production equipment and will be rented on an as needed basis.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory does not own any production facilities or production equipment because the number of formats, the variety of specialized equipment, the accelerated depreciation, the cost of maintenance, and the inherent underutilization makes ownership economically prohibitive and conceptually limiting. Any production facilities and production equipment can be rented on an as needed basis.

  • To expedite the actual filmmaking process, industry professionals will be available to monitor and advise students during each production stage. While the students will make the feature film, the students will make their feature film under the guidance of professional filmmakers.

  • All students take the same curricula in the same sequence. There are no separate majors or individual concentrations. Each course is taught to the entire class and requires no prerequisite.

    Concurrent with the academic courses and seminars, the students will be developing, pre-producing, producing, and post-producing their class’s feature film.

    TFFC 01 Ethics – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of moral and political philosophy, and business ethics in the context of media production.

    Course objective: (1) increase students’ knowledge of the methods of analysis of moral and political philosophy, and business ethics in particular; (2) improve students’ critical reasoning skills, particularly as applied to ethical issues; (3) improve students’ ability to engage productively in discussions of difficult and controversial moral issues. 

    TFFC 02 Survey of Global Cinema – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of global cinema in its aesthetic, economic, historical, linguistic, literary, and social contexts.

    Course objective: (1) explore global cinema in its aesthetic, economic, historical, linguistic, literary, and social contexts; (2) provide students with grounding in the history of cinema’s technical and aesthetic development across the world as well as current trends and developments in global film production.

    TFFC 03 Feature Film Scriptwriting – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of feature film plot development, structure and blending the elements of storytelling, visual art, and the technical requirements of a film script.

    Course objective: (1) improve students’ critical analysis of feature film plot development, structure and blending the elements of storytelling, visual art, and the technical requirements of a film script; (2) apply critical analysis to their capstone feature film script.  The theoretical treatment will be complimented by hands-on experiences, with the goal of imparting comfort and confidence when using these scriptwriting tools in their careers.

    TFFC C 01 Feature Film Development – 6 credits/90 contact hours per semester

    Course description: Develop an approximately ninety-minute feature film suitable for an international distribution.

    Course objective: (1) secure the rights to an original and compelling capstone feature film script by either buying an existing script, commissioning an original script, or writing an original script; (2) develop a budget, a task list, a timeline, and a chronology for their capstone feature film.

    TFFC 04 Advanced Image Acquisition – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of the various techniques and technologies for image acquisition.

    Course objective: (1) survey various techniques and technologies for image acquisition; (2) survey various cameras, lenses, and support systems; (3) survey various techniques and technologies for interior and exterior lighting.  The theoretical treatment will be complimented by hands-on experiences, with the goal of imparting comfort and confidence when using these image acquisition tools in their careers.

    TFFC 05 Advanced Audio Acquisition – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of the various techniques and technologies for audio recording.

    Course objective: (1) survey various techniques and technologies for audio recording including recorders, microphones, mixers, etc.; (2) survey various techniques and technologies for sound design; (3) survey various techniques and technologies for dubbing, sound effects, Foley, and voice-overs.  The theoretical treatment will be complimented by hands-on experiences, with the goal of imparting comfort and confidence when using these audio acquisition tools in their careers.

    TFFC 06 Advanced Negotiation – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of the theory and practice of negotiation.

    Course objective: (1) provide training in both the theory and practice of negotiation; (2) acquire the conceptual skills necessary to become a sophisticated analyst of negotiation situations; (3) understand the underlying structure of the negotiation; (4) understand the underlying psychology behind negotiation-based judgment and decision-making. 

    TFFC C 02 Feature Film Preproduction – 6 credits/90 contact hours per semester

    Course description: Preproduce an approximately ninety-minute feature film suitable for an international distribution.

    Course objective: (1) create their capstone feature film script breakdown; (2) finalize their capstone feature film budget; (3) create their capstone feature film shooting schedule; (4) create their capstone feature film production departments; (5) assemble their capstone feature film crew; (6) audition talent for their capstone feature film; (7) hire talent for their capstone feature film; (8) secure locations for their capstone feature film; (9) secure costumes and props for their capstone feature film; (10) hire craft services for their capstone feature film.

    TFFC C 03 Feature Film Production – 15 credits/225 contact hours per semester

    Course description: Produce an approximately ninety-minute feature film suitable for an international distribution.

    Course objective: (1) is to shoot the capstone feature film; (2) prepare the acquired images and audio for editing their capstone feature film.

    TFFC 07 Advanced Editing – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of various techniques and technologies for editing images and audio.

    Course objective: (1) survey various techniques and technologies for editing images and audio; (2) survey various aesthetic visual and audio editing techniques. The theoretical treatment will be complimented by hands-on experiences, with the goal of imparting comfort and confidence when using these editing tools in their careers.

    TFFC 08 Advanced Distribution – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of the various revenue streams existing both nationally and internationally to maximize the exploitation of a feature film.

    Course objective: (1) survey the various revenue streams existing both nationally and internationally to maximize the exploitation of a feature film including theatrical, broadcast, streaming, etc.; (2) survey the various marketing strategies a feature film; (3) apply this knowledge marketing to the exploitation of their capstone feature film.

    TFFC 09 Contracts – 3 credits/45 contact hours per semester per semester

    Course description: A comprehensive analysis of the basic elements required to constitute an enforceable contract in the context of media production.

    Course objective: (1) understand the basic elements required to constitute an enforceable contract; (2) understand what one is signing if asked to sign a contract; (3) know what terms one should try to change or renegotiate; (4) understand exclusivity provisions, options for renewals, and ownership and copyright clauses; (5) learn the significance of what is called “boiler plate” language such as the applicable state law, insurance paragraphs, arbitration provisions, merger clauses, etc. 

    TFFC C 04 Feature Film Postproduction – 6 credits/90 contact hours per semester

    Course description: Post produce an approximately ninety-minute feature film suitable for an international distribution.

    Course objective: (1) edit their capstone feature film images and audio; (2) create their capstone feature film EFX, SFX and titles; (3) prepare their capstone feature film audio tracks for mixing; (4) mix their capstone feature film audio; (5) color grade their capstone feature film images; (6) complete their capstone feature film; (7) create a trailer for their capstone feature film.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory will present 25 industry-specific seminars: ten during the first semester (Development), five during the Second Semester (Pre-production), none during the Third Semester (Production) and ten during the Fourth Semester (Post-production).

    These 25 seminars will be presented by an Art Director, a Casting Director, a Colorist, a Craft Services Representative, a Costume Designer, a Digital Imaging Technician (DIT), a Director, a Dolly Grip, a First Assistant Camera (1st AC), a First Assistant Director (1st AD), a Gaffer, a Key Grip, a Line Producer, a Location Manager, a Makeup Artist, a Post-production Supervisor, a Producer, a Production Designer, a Production Manager, a Prop Master, a SAG-AFTRA Representative, a Script Supervisor, a Set Designer, a Sound Designer, and a Visual & Special Effects Supervisor.

  • Experienced professors and other professionals with terminal degrees or significant industry recognition will teach the academic classes. Working film industry professionals will present all the industry seminars and will guide all stages of the production.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory provides many collegial interactions with the seminar presenters and the industry mentors present during development, pre-production, production, and post-production.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory provides graduates with several unique advantages not offered by any other undergraduate, graduate or certificate film programs, anywhere in the world. These advantages include:

    • Learning every aspect of feature filmmaking, from developing the concept through distributing the completed feature film

    • Creating their own feature film

    • Profiting from their feature film

    • Earning a Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

    • Reduced program length of 12 months, not up to 72 months

    • Reduced tuition

    • No mandatory fees or hidden production costs

    • Safe, accessible location in Palm Beach, Florida

    • Extensive networking opportunities

  • The Feature Film Conservatory at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre will not accept the transfer of credits from another institution.

  • The Feature Film Conservatory at The Palm Beach Photographic Centre will not grant credit for prior learning or examination from another institution.

  • The Palm Beach Photographic Centre does not provide financial aid.

  • The Palm Beach Photographic Centre (13090) is licensed by

    the Florida Department of Education Commission for Independent Education.  Additional information regarding this institution may be obtained by contacting the Commission at 325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1414, Tallahassee, Fl 33399-0400, toll-free telephone number (888) 224-6684.