Opened in the Fall of 2022, Live Oak Hall gives the School of Theatre, Dance & Film a dedicated film studio for the first time. The $10 million dollar facility includes a film soundstage, sound recording mix lab, television studio, editing lab, and houses the Film Division's equipment checkout room.
Texas State Film
Housed within the School of Theatre, Dance, and Film in the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Texas State University, the Division of Film is dedicated to preparing the next generation of filmmakers, screenwriters, and digital storytellers.
Our program blends artistic vision with industry-standard training. All students have the opportunity to create original films, produce their own screenplays, train with professional equipment, and so much more, all from their very first semester. With areas of study in directing, screenwriting, production design, cinematography, producing, and post-production & sound, students gain hands-on experience in every aspect of filmmaking.
Our curriculum is rooted in experiential learning and emphasizes hands-on and project-based coursework. While students engage with dedicated courses in film history and studies, the primary focus is on active production, developing scripts, working on set, and creating original work.
Don't worry about the bad stuff. The important thing is, you got a good story out of it.
Tom Copeland (1950-2024)
Texas State Film Program Founder, former Texas Film Commissioner
Brief History of TXST Film
2011 – Tom Copeland begins teaching film classes at Texas State University
2017 – Johnny McAllister hired and later becomes head of the film program
2019 – Texas State Film begins offering degrees, first cohort enrolls 41 students
2022 – Live Oak Hall opens, providing dedicated film production facilities
2024 – Department of Theatre and Dance renamed to School of Theatre, Dance, and Film
2024 – Texas State Film reaches 300+ film and pre-film majors
Assistant Professor Annie Silverstein screening her film "Breaking Silence" at South by Southwest
Where We Are Now
Our faculty are Emmy Award winners, Independent Spirit Award nominees, WGA and DGA members, and have screened at prestigious festivals like Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Slamdance, Cannes, and more.
Our students and alumni have played at and won awards at Austin Film Festival, Oak Cliff Film Festival, Tucson Film Festival, Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival, San Antonio Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, San Diego Latino Film Festival, Twin Cities Film Festival, Capital City Black Film Festival, and more and have been awarded grants from Austin Film Society and the Roy W. Dean Foundation.
Our alumni have had their projects stream on HBO, Apple TV, Discovery, and have worked on films & shows like Twisters, Killers of the Flower Moon, 1923, Love & Death, Rebel Moon, Yellowstone, Fear the Walking Dead, Walker, Landman, The Morning Show, Thor: Love and Thunder, Hacks, and more. Our alumni are also active in the commercial industry working for brands like HEB, Apple, Starbucks, Nike, NFL, Academy, Wingstop, and more.
