Hello,

I am a Chinese Senior student in Hunan Normal University, Oh, I bet you have never heard about it. Never mind, I am so happy that Innis College have such a good access for us to know more about this college, since I got so many questions in my mind to ask.

For one, I want to apply for a M.A program in film studies. But I have no idea, what exactly a graduates’ life should be? I mean, what a graduate should do during the two years studies? Are they go to classroom everyday, and fulfill the professor’s assignment? Or they will get the chance to help their profressor to accomplish a real film? Or they just be given the topic of a paper, and then try to finish it before they get the degree? You know, cultures and policies vary from countries, I do really want to know what a graduate mean to a native Canadian.

Another thing is that, what’s the relationship between a student and a professor in graduate level? Someone told me that what a professor to a student just like what a boss to a employee, is that ture? Is there any chance that I can contact my “future boss” before admission? Or is there any Chinese student, I mean graduate students, in your college right now is in film studies program? Can I contact to them?

Thank you soo much and it would mean so much if you replied

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My understanding is that here at UofT, at least, graduate school is often the stepping stone to a PhD degree. Currently, there’s no PhD in Cinema Studies at U of T – but that could change. If you go on to do a PhD, you’ll be doing a lot of research, not film-making. After getting a PhD, you’d probably (though not necessarily) become professor and teach and research film theory. I’m guessing that not a lot of film-making will go on in the cinema studies courses at UofT. As a comparison, take the English department. Generally, the majority of the courses offered in the English department are about literature and not on how to write and publish novels.

Similarly, it seems that the cinema studies program at UofT will prepare you for research. I’ve taken a look at the courses, and most of them seem pretty theoretical. Here’s a list of them if you wanted to check it out.

From your email, though, I get the feeling that you want to get there and do some film-making, instead of sitting in a classroom and doing assignments. The link I gave you says that you’ll be given a choice as to whether to do an internship or a major research paper, but I doubt that the internship will entail making a film. I’m not in grad school myself, but I’ve attended several presentations on graduate schools and have been told research is the biggest part of grad school.

If you’re looking for a film-making degree, the Cinema Studies department suggests considering other Universities or colleges that might provide you with direct experience. For instance, York University has an MFA (Master of Fine Arts) program in Film Production in which you would tak[e] courses with [their] faculty of award-winning filmmakers, completing a thesis film or digital work, and Ryerson University has a Documentary Media degree. Check the Universities in other countries too.

However, that’s not to say that a grad school wouldn’t help you with film-making. Just as knowledge of music theory would help someone compose music, learning the theory behind films could teach you a lot. Knowing about movies and movie history can offer some context and some inspiration. In addition, while being in grad school, you could pursue film-making on the side. For instance, there are film-making courses at Hart House (UofT’s student centre).

I’ve contacted the film department and they have told me that you are free to get in touch with anyone in the cinema studies graduate program right now. Contact gradcinema.studies@utoronto.ca, and they will find someone who’s willing to answer your questions. Being a grad student brings you much more in contact personally with professors, because you are in effect on track to becoming an independent scholar in your own right – so you keep learning, but you also engage with the profs a lot more. You’ll write papers and present them at conferences, probably, and get direct supervision.

Feel free to ask more questions if you have any or if I’ve been unclear.