Skip to Content
SVA BFA Film
FILM MAJORS: Editing





At SVA Film, we understand that the art of editing is what Francis Ford Coppola calls “the essence of cinema.”

If you’re the editor, every choice you make is key to what the viewer feels. Because SVA Film is intensely collaborative, our editors develop a writer’s understanding of story; a DP’s eye for image, composition and color; and a director’s sense of performance and pacing.

  • You learn how to cut for emotion, pacing and rhythm, while mastering each application, and keeping current with the constant change of technology in postproduction.
  • You take editing classes in the two leading postproduction applications, Avid and Final Cut Pro. Courses focus on fundamental editing artistry and techniques as well as technical expertise in the software and hardware.
  • You work in two state-of-the-art editing labs, one focused on Final Cut Pro and the other on Avid. The labs feature top-of-the-line Macs to put the finishing touches onyour projects. We also feature a select number of private editing suites for Thesis and upperclassmen.

While editing has always been the bottom-line in cinematic storytelling, new technologies have fundamentally changed the way we understand movies. The art of editing is being reshaped to create new and evolving film languages.

Today, the power is in post.


Everything that follows at SVA is based on what you learn in this foundation year. As well as being introduced to film history and screenwriting skills, right away you'll be given hands-on experience in preproduction, production and post-production through intensive workshop classes. In each of the disciplines, from acting and writing to cinematography and editing, you’ll be required to demonstrate commitment and energy.
required courses:
AHD-1070 Film History and Criticism
CFD-1020 Introduction to Production I
CFD-1025 Introduction to Production II
AHD-1075 Film History: Analysis of Genre

CVD-1080 Editing I
CVD-1130 Editing II
CFD-1140 Fundamentals of Narrative I
CFD-1145 Fundamentals of Narrative II
HCD-1020 Writing and Literature I
HCD-1025 Writing and Literature II
required courses:
CFD-4940 Film Thesis I
CFD-4945 Film Thesis II