Courses

MA 100 Media Aesthetics 

FIL 101 Early Films/1900-1950
This course studies the silent film and the birth and development of film as an art form in the United States, Germany, Russia, and France.

FIL 102 US Film History/1950 to Present
In this course students study the sound film: the international development of creative motion pictures from the advent of sound through Neorealism, the New Wave, and the work of major new directors.

FIL 105 Film Theory
The course acquaints the student with the multitude of theories that together constitute Film Theory. The course traverses the multiple disciplines that have been used to examine the film, including psychology, linguistics, history and sociology and aesthetics. The course traces the broad outlines in the evolution of each branch of Film Theory including psychoanalysis, semiotics, feminism and theories of ideology. Considerable attention is also paid to students developing a sense of how to place the film object in its historical and cultural context.

FIL 106 Basic Motion Picture Production
The introductory concepts of visual storytelling are taught with HD production techniques.

FIL 107 Intermediate Motion Picture Production
Introduction to working in small crews; development of storytelling skills.

FIL 109 Screenwriting I
This course includes an intensive program of screenwriting techniques, focusing on writing a short form screenplay. Prerequisites of ENG 1, 2, or permission of instructor are required.

FIL 113 Intermediate Editing & Sound
This course is designed to give students intermediate skills in digital picture and sound editing, sound recording, and sound mixing. Prerequisite of CIN 12 is required.

FIL 112 Basic Editing and Sound
This course is designed to give students basic skills in digital picture and sound editing, sound recording, and sound mixing.

FIL 115 Cinematography
This course is an intensive study of the motion picture camera and lighting technology.

FIL 123 Digital Documentary Workshop I
Students learn the basics of producing a short documentary film, including research, interviewing, budgeting, shooting styles and organizing footage for editing.

FIL 125 Computer Graphics Animation I, Rotoscoping and Special Effects
Basic overview of FX Artist designs, procedural simulation, dynamic simulation, and particle and fluid systems. (Photoshop and After Effects)

FIL 135 Filmmaking Studio A
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production where teams of students will develop and produce a film project that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices. Prerequisites of FIL 101, 102, 105, 106 & 109 and co-requisite of FIL 137 are required.

FIL 136 Filmmaking Studio B
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production where teams of students will develop and produce a film project that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices. Prerequisites of FIL 101, 102, 105, 106 & 109 and co-requisite of FIL 138 are required.

FIL 137 Filmmaking Studio C
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production where teams of students will develop and produce a film project that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices. Prerequisites of FIL 101, 102, 105, 106 & 109 and co-requisite of FIL 135 are required.

FIL 138 Filmmaking Studio D
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production where teams of students will develop and produce a film project that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices. Prerequisites of FIL 101, 102, 105, 106 & 109 and co-requisite of FIL 136 are required.

FIL 187 Capstone
Students work on pre-production and planning for a high-quality film project

FIL 188 Film Thesis
Students work with a professor to create an original work that showcases his or her main areas of interest in film. will shoot the film and engage in post-production. These films will also be submitted to film festivals. Prerequisite FIL 187

FIL 199 Film Internship
This is an opportunity for the student to work in a professional venue and to be directly and meaningfully in day-to-day operations with an emphasis in an area of special interest. Credits: 1-3

FIL 103 Major Forces in the Cinema
The influence of major movements in the cinema is examined in this course. Subject changes each semester. May be taken for a maximum of three semesters.

FIL 104 Major Figures in the Cinema
The personal styles and influences of major directors are covered in this course. Subject changes each semester. May be taken for a maximum of three semesters.

FIL 108 Advanced Motion Picture Production
This course develops further exploration into the techniques of filmmaking and application of professional practice.

FIL 110 Screenwriting II
This course includes an intensive program of screenwriting techniques, focusing on the development of a feature length screenplay.

FIL 111 History of World Cinema
A concise history of film from its origins in the 1890s to the present is covered. Silent and sound films from around the world are screened and discussed each week. For non-majors only fine arts core requirement.

FIL 113A Advanced Motion Picture Editing
This course is designed to give students advanced skills in digital picture and sound editing, sound recording, and sound mixing. Prerequisite of FIL 112 and FIL 113 is required.

FIL 114 Directing the Moving Image I
This course begins to break down the job of the Director in narrative filmmaking. One of the mysteries of filmmaking is what a director does. We will seek to understand the process that is directing by exploring the role they play as they interface with the crew, producer, production designer and cinematographer. How is the vision for the script developed and nurtured throughout the process of filmmaking? How does a director work, through all of the stages of film production, development, preproduction, production, post production and distribution?

FIL 116 Advanced Cinematography
This course covers advanced camera, lighting and field production, theory and technique. A series of location and studio set scenes demonstrate techniques used to create and control the "look" of moving images. Related issues from camera and set preparation to post production considerations are covered. Prerequisite of FIL 115 is required.

FIL 117 Advanced Screenwriting
This course includes an intensive program of screenwriting techniques, focusing on the development of a feature length screenplay. In addition to traditional three-act structure, students will explore the Hero/Heroine’s Journey model, as well as the sequence approach. Time will be spent investigating techniques that will help create more fully dimensional characters, and ways to build a narrative that also carries a theme. Prerequisite FIL 109, or permission of instructor are required.

FIL 122 Independent Producing
A hands-on approach to the production management tasks of the independent producer of film, video, or multimedia. Topics include, script breakdown, scheduling, budgets, writing the business plan, marketing, and distribution. Students will complete a Production Handbook and mock Business Plan as their final projects.

FIL 124 Making a Documentary II
This class is an intermediate class in documentary production. Students will learn how and where to pitch your project, a variety of methods of financing through grants and other types of fundraising. This class will look deeper at the variety of styles and non-typical approaches to topics and the use of special effects in documentary filmmaking, creating a more powerful user experience. FIL 123 prerequisite.

FIL 126 Graphics Animation II, 3-D Animation, particles, tracking and green screen This course is a continuation of FIL 125. Prerequisite of FIL 125 is required.

FIL 127 Computer Graphics Animation III
Advanced 3-D animation particles and tracking on multiple layers FX designers responsible for recreating the behavior of real world elements such as fire, water, explosions, cloth, hair and a lot more.

FIL 128 Visual Components of Storytelling
A deep dive into the six basic visual components and how to use them for the art of storytelling. We will look at Space, Line & Shape, Tone, Color Movement and Rhythm.

FIL 129 Directing the Moving Image II
This course will be from the director’s perspective and dig into analyzing the structure of films and the choices that directors make that creates the mise en scene. Advance film theory prerequisites FIL 101, 102, 105,109

FIL 130 Film Festivals, Markets and Platforms
Now that you've made a film: what next? This course will delve deeply into advertising, selling, and marketing films in the current television and film industry. How do films make money? How are they bought and how are they sold, who are the entities and the players in this part of the industry? Distribution and marketing and what do you Producer/ Director need to know about surviving in this industry.

FIL 144 Directing the Screen Actors
This course will allow the student director to experience the craft of acting first-hand and also begin to develop methodologies for an approach to directing actors for the screen through an understanding of the actor's "tools" and actor vocabulary. Performance exercises, script analysis, and the concept of "organic blocking" will be explored through practical activities, screenings, readings, and discussions. Frequently team-taught. Course may be repeated for credit with permission of the department.

FIL 189 Advanced Individual Study
Faculty-guided projects in cinema are appropriate when existing courses in the student's area of interest have been completed. Film majors may repeat for a maximum of four semesters. Students may register for more than one section during a given semester as long as the number of units for each section differs. Credits: 1 to 3

Typical Sequence