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Melissa Andersonfilm editor and criticMA, Media Studies, 1998Melissa Anderson is the film editor of 4Columns, where she is also a regular contributor. From November 2015 until September 2017, she was the senior film critic for the Village Voice. She writes frequently for Artforum and Bookforum. http://www.4columns.org/archive/anderson-melissa https://www.villagevoice.com/author/melissaanderson/ https://www.artforum.com/contributor/melissa-anderson
Where are you from and when did you graduate?I was raised in Pennsylvania but had been living in Washington, D.C., for five years by the time I arrived at the New School in 1996. I graduated in 1998. Why did you choose The New School?The emphasis on both theory and practice in the Media Studies program greatly appealed to me. What is unique about the School of Media Studies?During my time in the program, from 1996 to ’98, I met incredibly talented, interesting, and curious people from all over the world. A course I took with Deirdre Boyle on film criticism was instrumental, as was a class taught by Cecilia Dougherty on experimental video. What are your skills and values that people in your field notice and value the most, which set you apart, which you acquired at the school?Undoubtedly the papers I wrote for my Media Studies coursework helped me hone the skills necessary for robust criticism: how to advance an argument, how to place a specific work within a larger context, and how to tell a joke.What is your professional mission? I always hope to be a better writer with each new piece. Your biggest professional achievement, the one you are most proud of?It was a great honor to be asked to serve on the selection committee for the New York Film Festival, a position I held from 2009 until 2012. What is next for you?One day I hope to write a book, if only to see whether I can face the abject terror I have of writing anything longer than 3,000 words.
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Learn more about our programs
The MA in Media Studies gives students experience in creative media making, critical analysis, and entrepreneurialism. The Media Management MS offers the practical experience you need to succeed in today's media industries. The Documentary Studies Certificate program provides an opportunity to study documentary filmmaking in a small, tightly focused program. The Media Management Certificate Program provides a strong foundation of management principles and leadership skills to find work in the ever-changing global media landscape.
Annual Events
Over three evenings, short documentaries made by students in the Documentary Media Studies graduate certificate program are screened for the public. The films are the products of a year of study in documentary production, history and theory. The program has just completed its tenth year.
This annual event features film and video works produced by students taking graduate, undergraduate, and certificate classes in the School of Media Studies. Finalists are selected by an external jury of film professionals.
New School graduate students exhibit and discuss their works-in-progress in this popular monthly media workshop and screening series. Presenting students receive constructive feedback on their film, video, and audio work.
Mixed Messages is an annual exhibition showcasing outstanding creative work by graduate students in the School of Media Studies. Selected by a panel of distinguished jurors, projects include installations, interactive experiences, Web-based projects, and works on paper.
Kinoscope is a screening series designed to foster dialogue about film as cinematic art. Kinoscope events include discussion and analysis at the end of each program. Kinoscope’s mission is to enhance the awareness and understanding of the film and filmmaking process by screening a wide variety of national and international films.
Immediacy is a student-centered online journal produced by the School of Media Studies that provides a space for fresh approaches and perspectives on the understanding of media.