Department of Cinema {College of Liberal & Creative Arts}

Photo collage of students and faculty of the Cinema Department at SFSU.

Department Awards

Application deadline for all scholarships is May 6, 2013 unless otherwise noted. Deliver applications to the Cinema Dept. office in FA 245. All scholarships will be disbursed in Fall 2013.

 

THE BILL NICHOLS SCHOLARSHIP

Bill Nichols is a founding member of the field of film and media studies and the world's leading scholar of documentary film.  He led Cinema's M.A. program to international prominence during his twenty plus years of service to the Department.  He has been a mentor and inspiration to many successful graduate students in Cinema. The scholarship of $1,000 is intended for graduate students interested in documentary film production and studies. Applicants should be actively working on a project, either a paper focused on documentary film or a film in the documentary tradition.

To apply, submit

  • Application coversheet
  • Personal statement, addressing all of the following:  a sense of who you are as a person and a cinema student; how you inspire others in the world of cinema; your creativity and diligence to the subject matter; your financial need. (Maximum 500 words, double-spaced.)
  • Unofficial transcript
  • Written description of your proposed, in-progress, or completed documentary film project (250 words maximum, double-spaced)
  • Abstract of your critical work on a topic related to documentary film (250 words maximum, double-spaced)

To receive the scholarship, students must be enrolled full-time in Fall 2013 (8 units minimum).

 

GORDON THOMAS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

This award honors Gordon “Don” Thomas (1967-2003), animator and filmmaker, who earned the first Master of Fine Arts in Cinema with an Animation emphasis at San Francisco State University in June of 2001. He designed his own program concentrating in 2D and 3D computer animation and 3D stop motion. Don was also an instructor at SF State teaching beginning and advanced animation classes. With this scholarship, Don’s family and friends seek to honor Don’s memory and promote his values: creativity, diligence, inspiration to others, and celebration of human diversity. In addition, the scholarship is intended to promote Don’s commitment to learning, his love for teaching and his belief that we need to hear each other’s voices to make a difference. One award for $1,000 will be disbursed.

To apply, submit

  • Application coversheet
  • Personal statement, addressing all of the following:  a sense of who you are as a person and an animation/cinema student; how you inspire others in the world of animation/cinema; your creativity and diligence to the subject matter; your financial need. (Maximum 500 words, double-spaced.)
  • Unofficial transcript
  • Description of your senior or thesis animated project; include story outline, storyboard, techniques and goals for completion
  • CD/DVD containing your animation and artwork as Quicktime Movie, .jpeg, and/or .pdf files; be sure to include samples of your best and most complete work. Also, include one sample of your animated work in progress which this scholarship will help fund. This could include an animatic, storyboard, script, development artwork, animated sketches.

To receive an award, students must be enrolled full-time in Fall 2013 (undergrad = 12 units minimum; grad = 9 units minimum).

 

THE JAMESON (JIM) GOLDNER SCHOLARSHIP

Jameson (Jim) Goldner helped found our Cinema program after coming to SFSU in 1963. Since then he has been a revered teacher of directing as well as other production and studies subjects, including courses on the Hollywood blacklist, the Holocaust, and screenwriting.  He has been a mentor and inspiration to many successful graduates of our program. The scholarship of $1,000 is intended to help a junior-level undergraduate student complete a project that has originated on film.

To apply, submit

  • Application coversheet
  • Personal statement, addressing all of the following:  a sense of who you are as a person and as a student of cinema; how you inspire others in the world of cinema; your creativity and diligence to the subject matter; your financial need. (Maximum 500 words, double-spaced.)
  • Unofficial transcript
  • Existing footage from the project (10 minutes on DVD)

To receive an award, students must be seniors and must be enrolled full-time in Fall 2013 (12 units minimum).

 

THE ROBIN EICKMAN CINEMA STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP

Robin Eickman was an SFSU alumna, director of the San Francisco Film and Video Commission (1989-1998), and a friend of the SFSU Cinema Department. The Eickman Scholarship supports outstanding seniors and graduate students pursuing careers as professional filmmakers, as well as individuals who may be underrepresented in the film industry. This award is presented to a Cinema Department senior or graduate student whose creative work shows great potential in one of the following categories: (1) cinematography/lighting; (2) sound recording/mixing; (3) special visual effects; (4) art direction/set design; or another category to be designated by the applicant. The award is for $1,000.

To apply, submit

  • Application coversheet
  • Personal statement, addressing all of the following:  a sense of who you are as a person and as a student of cinema; how you inspire others in the world of cinema; your creativity and diligence to the subject matter; your financial need. (Maximum 500 words, double-spaced.)
  • Unofficial transcript
  • Creative work sample (10 minutes maximum on DVD) demonstrating talent in one of the following: cinematography/lighting; sound recording/mixing; special visual effects; art direction/set design; or another category to be designated by the applicant.

To receive an award, students must be enrolled in Fall 2013 for at least one unit.

 

RONALD A. JACOBS SCHOLARSHIP

The Jacobs scholarship was created to honor the memory of Ron Jacobs, an alumnus of SF State who went on to work as an editor and post-production supervisor, and who was a respected member of the international film community. Ron was a member of the team at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley in the 1980s. The intent of the scholarship is to award $1,000 to encourage a promising Cinema Department student in the pursuit of a career in film.

To apply, submit

  • Application coversheet
  • Personal statement, addressing all of the following:  a sense of who you are as a person and as a student of cinema; how you inspire others in the world of cinema; your creativity and diligence to the subject matter; your financial need. (Maximum 500 words, double-spaced.)
  • Unofficial transcript
  • Creative work sample (10 minutes maximum on DVD). To receive awards, students must be enrolled in Fall 2013 for at least one unit.

 

SF State Home