Full-Time Faculty Position in Digital Film Production

About Fashion Institute of Technology:

The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), an internationally renowned college of art and design and business and technology, of the State University of New York, invites nominations and applications for a full-time tenure-track faculty position in the Film, Media and Performing Arts Department, School of Liberal Arts.

The Fashion Institute of Technology, a part of the State University of New York, has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology for nearly 70 years. With a curriculum that provides a singular blend of hands-on, practical experience, classroom study, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, FIT offers a wide range of outstanding programs that are relevant to today's rapidly changing industries. Internationally renowned, FIT draws on its New York City location to provide a vibrant, creative community in which to learn. The college offers more than 45 majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing students for professional success and leadership in the global marketplace.

With close ties to industry, FIT draws faculty from the city's art, business, and design elite, and from the rich academic community of the region. The College continually seeks creative faculty members who are passionate about their field and demonstrate exceptional professional capability in the core competencies of instruction design, learning enrichment, globalism, and use of technology, as well as mastery of established and emerging industry practices.

The School of Liberal Arts provides the foundation for an FIT degree, committed to providing a broad-based general education for FIT students, integrating traditional academic study with career preparation. Home to seven academic departments, 17 minors, and two interdisciplinary majors, our faculty prepare students to become reflective, critical, and engaged citizens of the world. Committed to scholarship, academic service and student-centered instruction, faculty members foster an understanding of diverse cultures and international perspectives as well as an appreciation for the richness and changing composition of American culture.

The Film and Media program within the Department of Film, Media and Performing Arts is a four-year AAS/BS program housed in the School of Liberal Arts combines filmmaking practice with extensive study of the history and theory of film and media. The approach is interdisciplinary, with production courses in narrative, documentary, experimental, and web-based work. Targeting an industry with deep roots in New York City, students from the program will seek employment in a wide range of industries, from independent film to television production, to advertising and creation of content for a wide range of media platforms.

The department's primary goal is to continue to build a distinctive and strong program that is among the best of the Film and Media alternatives in New York City. A stable core of excellent full-time faculty is critical to the success of the project.

Job Description:

Please note that the College reserves the right to select one or more candidates after having been duly reviewed and presented to the President in conformance with the provisions of Article 15 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The Department of Film, Media and Performing Arts seeks a filmmaker in Digital Film Production. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in narrative and/or documentary production, and experience teaching both filmmaking technologies and the development of personal vision. The successful candidate will be an innovative thinker with industry connections, adept with multiple forms of the moving image. The successful candidate will be dedicated to their craft and to pedagogical practice. The successful candidate will also work closely with other department faculty members to set the direction of the program and be involved in major decisions concerning curriculum development, equipment, facilities, pedagogy, and industry outreach, while expanding the profile of the program.

Duties will include:

• Teaching narrative and documentary filmmaking, cinematography, editing, and related courses at various levels in an undergraduate Bachelor of Science Film and Media program.
• Co-organizing student screenings and the FIT Film+Media Screening Series.
• Working with the Office of International Programs and the Career and Internship Service Office to develop opportunities for students.
• Representing the Department at Open Houses and Accepted Students Day.
• Advising students on film festival participation and career outreach.

Incoming faculty will be expected to:

• Instill in students a global perspective on film and an understanding of the power of film to effect change, enabling students to use images and narratives for social as well as artistic benefit and to communicate across cultural and linguistic boundaries.
• Lead students to integrate skills of writing and organization with the power of visual narrative to create films that are intelligent as well as technically polished, reflecting critical thinking, analysis, and skepticism, as well as passion, commitment, and a sense of beauty.
• Be a working professional, fully knowledgeable of current industry practices, able to aid the department in multiplying professional relationships for student internships and career paths, as well as for adjunct faculty hiring.
• Balance theory and practice, an essential quality in a hybrid academic/production program such as FIT's Film and Media program. Collegiality is especially important within the production area, but the filmmaking faculty must also embrace excellence in academic film study as a goal for students in the department.
• As a forward-looking filmmaker, have a thorough command of digital production technologies, as well as being able to address the range of learning styles in any pool of applicants for a program such as ours.

Requirements:

Successful candidates will excel in the following areas:

Globalism

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the global nature of film and media financing, production and dissemination practices.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the role of media in national and international dialogue and in the ongoing process of globalization.
• Demonstrate an awareness of the importance of cultural differences in media expression and in understanding works in film and media, as well as of the FIT classroom as a manifestation of globalism.
• Demonstrate an ability to take advantage of the resources of New York City as a global media and independent cinema hub.

Instructional Design

• Encourage the integration of theory and practice, whether in media criticism that takes into account production history or in thoughtful filmmaking.
• Maintains currency and updates curriculum to reflect professional film/media production and distribution practice.
• Create synergies with Art and Design elements in the program and outreach to develop Business and Technology links related to the film/media industry.
• Solicit frequently feedback from students, industry, and colleagues in programs at other institutions as part of ongoing assessment of the program.

Learning Enrichment

• Understand the importance of active engagement in the student-centered classroom.
• Encourage engagement with the full range of film and media practices.
• Emphasize the development of critical thinking capabilities through an emphasis on planning, critique of work in progress, and sustained attention to a subject over time.
• Inspire through enthusiasm for the subject and provide a mode of teaching as leadership in a collective pursuit of knowledge.

Professionalism

• Demonstrate an awareness of current industry practices and of their importance for students graduating from FIT.
• Demonstrate an ability to model successful participation in the field for students and to mentor them in ways that will lead to the first steps in a successful professional career.
• Demonstrate an ability to lead collaborative work through team building and an understanding of the collaborative nature of learning and professional achievement.
• Maintains active engagement in professionally creative activities relevant to the filmmaking field and community.

Technology

• Demonstrate mastery of a range of technologies for the production and exhibition of film and media, including cinematography, lighting, audio recording and editing programs.
• Demonstrate an understanding of uses of social media as an effective tool for learning and community building.
• Demonstrate an eagerness and curiosity for new and ever-evolving technologies in the field, including those of digital distribution across Internet platforms.

Candidates should have an MFA in film production with a minimum of two (2) years of college-level teaching experience, and a minimum of three (3) years of professional filmmaking experience, a significant amount of which is with commercial projects and companies at the time of appointment (August 20, 2018).  Expertise in cinematography and/or editing is strongly preferred.

Additional Information:

This is a full-time, tenure-track position beginning in Fall 2018. Review of applications will commence immediately and continue until October 16, 2017.  Salary and appointment rank will be based on education level and experience.

Please note that a background check is required for appointment to this position.

Application Instructions:

For consideration, please provide:

• Letter of interest clearly indicating your qualifications for the position;
• Professional resume/Curriculum Vitae;
• Links to substantive examples of film/video work;
• A minimum of three professional references, including names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail contact information.

Please note due that due to the volume of applications, we will not be able to contact each applicant individually. Additional information about the Fashion Institute of Technology can be found at www.fitnyc.edu.

FIT is firmly committed to creating an environment that will attract and retain people of diverse racial and cultural backgrounds. By providing a learning and working environment that encourages, utilizes, respects, and appreciates the full expression of every individual's ability, the FIT community fosters its mission and grows because of its rich, pluralistic experience. FIT is committed to prohibiting discrimination, whether based on race, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender identity, religion, ethnic background, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military service status, genetic information, pregnancy, familial status, citizenship status (except as required to comply with law), or any other criterion prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local laws. FIT is committed to providing equal opportunity in employment, including the opportunity for upward mobility for all qualified individuals.  Applications from minorities, women, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged.  Inquiries regarding FIT's non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Affirmative Action Officer/Title IX Coordinator, 212 217.3360, titleix@fitnyc.edu.