There is no one answer. This question tends to acquire the shape of an answer over time, particularly during the first year or so of study. The MA does not serve to prepare students for the Ph.D. exclusively. One can quite successfully complete the MA and go on in other areas. Nonetheless, a number of MA graduates have been accepted in doctoral programs.
The most important qualities of a graduate program are general compatibility with your own orientation toward film study (a quantitative analysis emphasis may not go well with a psychoanalytic leaning; strength in American genre films and studio history may not match up well with an interest in Third World cinema or documentary/experimental film), and the presence of specific faculty members who work in the area or methodology of particular interest to you. The further you advance in graduate work the more your work becomes focused; it is very important to have a faculty member who can assist that process and share the basic orientation and assumptions that underlie your focus. It is seldom profitable to apply to a graduate program where you cannot find a faculty member with interests (publications/seminars/papers) similar to your own.
Doctoral programs are competitive. If you acquire teaching and publishing experience, it is much to your advantage. If you have helped organize events or curate film programs, this, too, can help. Our MA students have sometimes presented papers at conferences, published reviews or articles, and taught courses at SFSU or elsewhere. While not necessary to a successful application, these activities are clearly advantageous, because they offer an idea of what scholarly life is like, and assist in making informed decisions about doctoral programs.
