Meadows School of the Arts
(2010 Undergraduate Catalog)
Cinema-Television
Associate Professor Sean Griffin,
Division Chair
Professors: Rachel Lyon, Rick Worland.
Associate Professors: Kevin Heffernan, Lisa Kaselak, Derek Kompare, Carolyn Macartney, David Sedman.
Assistant Professor: Mark Kerins.
Senior Lecturer: Kelli Herd.
Students pursue a cinema-television curriculum that provides a well-rounded program of technical, scholarly and aesthetic training in the fields of film, television and emerging media. The degree requires 48 credit hours, designed to prepare students for careers in professional film, television, new media production and/or writing, and to develop students' creative abilities in the art form. A wide variety of courses in cinema and television history, theory, and criticism provide a basic and necessary knowledge of these media as art forms and as vibrant social and cultural institutions. Courses in single-camera production, multiple-camera production and production specialization offer experience in writing, shooting, directing, and editing film and video projects. In addition, students in Meadows are required to pursue cocurricular elective courses in the creation and study of the traditional fine arts. Students are also encouraged to take an internship in the professional sector to gain practical experience in the field and establish professional contacts. Finally, students complete a capstone course (creative, business or history/criticism) as preparation for a career in the media industries or further graduate studies.
Instructional Facilities. The Division of Cinema-Television is located in the Umphrey Lee Center, which houses faculty offices, classrooms, audio, video and film production, and media support areas. These include nonlinear video editing labs, graphics labs, storage and equipment checkout, digital audio editing rooms, a recording studio, an audio mixing suite, viewing rooms, a seminar room, and production classrooms. Two additional screening classrooms equipped for film, video and DVD projection are located in the Greer Garson Theatre, and a shooting stage is located in McFarlin Auditorium.
Admission and Degree Requirements. To be admitted to the major in cinema-television, a student must complete the following courses with a cumulative 3.0 GPA: ENGL 1301 and 1302, an approved liberal arts course, CTV 1301 Film and Media Aesthetics, and CTV 1302 Media and Culture. Students transferring from other universities must have completed equivalent courses and obtained the equivalent GPA in those courses before they can be admitted to the major.
Upon acceptance into the major, students are required to pass the following courses with a grade of C- or better to receive their degree: CTV 1304 Basic Video and Audio Production, CTV 2351 International Film History and CTV 2354 Basic Screenwriting.
Internships. Upon attaining upperclass status, qualified students are encouraged to pursue internships that enable them to work under the guidance of professionals in the motion picture, television, cable and other electronic media industries. Nonclassroom internship credit is limited to three credit hours taken as an elective on a pass/fail basis. Students must be a declared CTV major, must have taken CTV 1304 and must obtain permission of the chair.
Directed Studies. A directed study is a close collaboration between a professor and an advanced student with junior or senior standing who conducts a rigorous research or creative project that goes beyond the experience available in course offerings. The student must secure formal approval from the professor to undertake a directed studies project.
Class Attendance. Due to limited class space and enrollment pressures, a student who fails to appear on the first day or who fails to attend three consecutive class meetings during an academic term without establishing contact with the instructor may be administratively dropped from a course.
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B.A. Degree in Cinema-Television
Minor in Cinema-Television Studies
The minor in cinema-television studies offers students the opportunity to study the historical and critical background of mass media and broaden their understanding and appreciation of cinema, television and new media as art forms and industries. Courses offered in the minor may be applied as required courses in the major.
Requirements: 18 credit hours, distributed as follows:
- CTV 1301 Film and Media Aesthetics
- CTV 1302 Media and Culture
- CTV 2351 International Film History
Three additional courses (nine hours) selected from any film, history criticism or industry offering. The following courses may be repeated once for minor elective credit, provided the course material/topic is completely different each time: CTV 2332 American Popular Film/Television, CTV 3300 Film/Television Genres, CTV 3310 Screen Artists and CTV 3359 National Cinemas.
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1301. Film and Media Aesthetics. Introduction to the fundamental visual and audio techniques used in cinema, television and emerging media to convey meaning and mood. Careful analysis of selected films, TV shows and other media. Required of all majors.
1302. Media and Culture. Survey of the relationship between media and society. The technological, economic and legal aspects of the media industries are also explored. Required of all majors and minors.
1304. Basic Video and Audio Production. Practical training in the fundamentals of video and audio production techniques through lecture, hands-on exercises, and individual and group projects. Required of all majors.
Prerequisite: CTV 1301 or instructor consent.
2306. History of Recorded Music. Connects major periods of recorded music to innovations in music hardware, with special focus on the importance of music to the radio, television, cinema and new media industries.
2332. American Popular Film/Television. An in-depth examination of specific aspects of the American popular cinema and television, focusing upon questions of popular culture and ideology, of the historical development of styles and genres, and of the impact of the Hollywood film industry. Specific topics and films vary from term to term.
2344. History of Animated Film. Provides a critical and historical overview of the development of the animated film from its origins in the 19th century to the present.
2351. International Film History. Provides an overview of the development of the cinema as a technology, as an art form, as an industry and as a social institution, beginning with the origins of the medium and tracing its major movements and configurations up to the present.
2352. American Film History. An overview of U.S. film history from the silent period to the present day. Emphasis on the genres, directors, cinematic techniques and industrial factors that advanced the art of Hollywood and independent filmmakers.
2353. American Broadcast History. Focuses on the history of American television and radio with an emphasis on the industrial and sociocultural aspects of the medium’s development. Issues of race, gender, class, genre, sexuality and national identity are studied in the context of significant television shows of the past and present.
2354. Basic Screenwriting. Teaches the basic skills required for both fiction and nonfiction screenwriting, and includes such topics as research methods; script preparation; differences in script formats; verbal-to-visual style; and the uses of music, effects, pacing and rhythm.
2360. The Black Experience in Cinema-TV. Students incorporate readings, screenings, lectures and discussion to examine how the motion picture and television industry presented both unfeeling caricatures and accurate self-expressions of black culture from 1895 to the present, how negative stereotypes and idealized challenges to those stereotypes were represented in film and TV, how black artists were included and excluded in the creation of modern mass media, and how cultural representation in the media affects perceptions of racial issues.
2362 (CFA 3362). Diversity and American Film: Film, Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality. Historical survey of representations of race and ethnicity, class structure, gender, and sexual orientation in American cinema, as well as the opportunities for minorities within the industry.
2364. History of Cinema-TV Comedy. Survey of the development of comedy in film and television, with an emphasis on a historical examination of comic films and TV shows and a theoretical analysis of the phenomena of humor and laughter.
3300. Film/TV Genres. Examines questions of genre pertinent to film and/or television by focusing on various generic forms and their history. The specific genres under consideration vary from term to term.
3301. 16mm Production. Practice and study of technical and aesthetic concerns specific to shooting 16mm film. Covers the basics of preproduction, production and post-production. Each student makes his/her own non-sync 16mm film.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304.
3302. Multi-Camera Field Production. Basic principles and practices of electronic multiple-camera field production and editing techniques. Students rotate through various exercises to become familiar with many facets of field production by producing, directing and editing entertainment programming.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304.
3303. Multi-Camera Studio Production. Basic principles and practices of electronic multiple-camera studio production. Students rotate through the various studio positions in a series of production exercises.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304.
3306. Documentary and Reality Production. Advanced-level course in documentary and reality production, including conception and practical study. Individually and in groups, students develop, write, shoot and edit nonfiction productions in video formats.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304.
3307. Audio Recording. Survey of the theory, equipment and practice of audio recording for audiovisual media.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304.
3308. Editing. Practical course on the art and craft of editing through short projects, close study of films, and discussion and critique sessions. Avid software covered in detail.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304.
3310. Screen Artists. Examines the questions of authorship pertinent to the cinema by focusing on the works of one or more film artists. The specific directors, producers, screenwriters and other artists treated by the course vary from term to term.
3311, 3312. Great Directors. Critical and historical review of the world’s great directors and their works.
3315. History of Documentary Film/TV. An overview of the development of the documentary mode in cinema and television, offering a survey of the nonfiction film and video provided by newsreels, training films, propaganda movies, wartime documentaries and “reality” TV.
3328. Media Management. Explores the relationship between the theory and practice of broadcast and cable management, with emphasis on the legal and economic constraints on these media outlets.
3330. Media Sales. Examines electronic media sales in the contemporary world. Goals are to combine strategic thinking with creative thought while keeping the target audience/client in mind.
3335. Film Exhibition and Distribution. Offers a detailed examination of contemporary practices in the distribution and exhibition of theatrical feature films, including the roles of audience survey techniques, booking, publicity and advertising.
3350. Advanced Screenwriting. Through weekly story conferences with the instructor, each student develops a complete feature-length screenplay ready for submission to a producer or agent.
Prerequisite: CTV 2354.
3359. National Cinemas. Examines the social, economic, technological and aesthetic histories of cinema from various nations, as well as the concept of “national cinema.” The specific nations under consideration vary from term to term.
3361. Media Programming. Analysis of the development of program ideas and the research and strategies involved in programming media outlets.
3375 (CFA 3375). Postwar European Cinema, 1945–Present. Presents an overview of postwar European cinema, focusing on major films, directors and national movements. Considers cultural and stylistic features that differ from Hollywood-genre models. Taken summer abroad.
3390. Topics in Single-Camera Production. Focuses on a specific topic pertinent to single-camera production. Subjects vary from term to term.
3391. Topics in Specialization. Intensive study of a special topic or area of specialization.
3392. Topics in Multi-Camera Production. Focuses on a specific topic pertinent to multi-camera production. Subjects vary from term to term.
3394. Audio Post-Production. Project-based course on post-production audio techniques for film and television, with an emphasis on the creative aspects of sound design. Includes in-depth training on Pro Tools software/hardware and other equipment.
Prerequisite: CTV 3307 or MSA 3310.
3395, 3396, 3397, 3398. Topics in Cinema-Television. This course focuses on a specific topic pertinent to film or television study. Subjects vary from term to term and may include the areas of film and TV history, critical theory, the film and TV business, etc.
4101 (ADV 4196). TV Ad Concepting. Using a preselected client and working in small groups, students create advertising concepts and develop them into shootable 30- and 60-second television commercials. Must be followed by enrollment in CTV 4201. May be repeated for credit in different years.
Prerequisite: Instructor consent.
4201 (ADV 4297). TV Ad Production. Students plan, shoot and complete television commercials based on concepts created in CTV 4101 for ultimate submission to a national competition. May be repeated for credit in different years.
Prerequisites: Instructor consent and CTV 4101 (must have been taken in the same school year).
4125, 4225, 4325. Internship. Allows students to earn academic credit through practical experience gained by working in the professional media, either part-time during the fall or spring terms, or full time during the summer. Students may take a maximum of three credit hours of internship. One hour of intern credit equates to 50 hours of work, two hours of credit equates to 100 hours of work and 150 hours of work per term are calculated as three credit hours. Internship credit is given on a pass/fail basis only.
Prerequisites: Officially declared CTV major, CTV 1304, instructor consent, junior-senior standing.
4301. Television Advertising Concepting and Production. Working collaboratively, this class creates and develops ideas for 30-second commercials for predetermined clients, completes all necessary preparation for producing these concepts, and shoots and edits them into finished ads. Focus is on real-world commercial-style production, emphasizing how to address clients' specific needs while maintaining the creative elements of design and production. Completed ads are submitted to national and/or international advertising competitions and festivals.
Prerequisite: Admission by instructor consent only; in general, students must have taken ADV 3395 or CTV 1304, though in special cases exceptions may be made by the instructor.
4304. New Media Platforms. Explores contemporary new media content, production and multiplatform distribution modes. Students will research the aesthetics, culture and theories of multiplatform new media, including webisodes, mobisodes, blogs, games and podcasts, and then collaboratively produce their own pieces for on-and off-line distribution.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304 or instructor's consent.
4308. Advanced Post-Production. In-depth exploration of technical and creative aspects of post-production. Topics may include DVD design and authoring, color correction, video codes and formats, project file management, post-production scheduling and budgeting, digital intermediates, animation, titles and credits, surround sound, etc.
Prerequisites: Must have passed at least two 3000-level production courses, including CTV 3308 (CTV 3394 highly recommended).
4316. Producers Seminar. Lectures and discussions by faculty and guest speakers provide an overview of the basic business and legal aspects of film and television production.
4351. Mapping Modernism: Artistic Collaborations in Paris and Moscow, 1890–1940. Investigates artistic Modernism, emphasizing fertile collaborations and exchanges in art, dance, theatre, music and film. Focuses on Paris, Moscow and St. Petersburg, 1890–1940.
4353. Film and Media Theory. Provides an overview of major theoretical writings on cinema, television and new media, including the work of theorists such as André Bazin, Sergei Eisenstein, Laura Mulvey and Christian Metz, and demonstrates the application of various analytical approaches to specific texts. Prerequisites: CTV 1301, 2351.
4356. Narrative Production. Introduction to sync sound production practices and equipment. Two in-class projects demonstrate and provide practical hands-on practice in professional crew organization techniques and gear. Additionally, each student conceives, shoots and completes her/his own short film. Scheduling, budgeting and other advanced production skills are covered. Prerequisites: Must have passed at least two 3000-level production courses.
4357. Cinematography. Cinematography is motion picture visual language articulated technically and aesthetically through the lens, composition, lighting, visual design, camera movement and point of view. This course explores each of these elements in theory and in practice to better develop the student's visual storytelling skills. Examination and analysis of art, print media, films, videos and TV shows are complemented by demonstration of an intensive hands-on practice with camera and lighting. This is an advanced production course; as such, students are expected to already have a firm grasp on the following: camera equipment operation, basic lighting and editing techniques, and media import and export. Prerequisites: CTV 1304 plus must have passed at least two CTV 3000-level production courses.
4358. Directing the Screen Actor. Theoretical background and practical experience in directing performers for film and television productions. Blocking action, camera placement and movement, line deliveries, action scenes, hitting marks, props, costumes, lighting, makeup, dubbing, and the “Method” and other acting theories are studied, discussed and practiced on videotape through a series of exercises.
4370. Advanced High-Definition Production. Comprehensive study of technical and creative issues specific to high-definition production, from conception to completed video.
Prerequisite: CTV 4356.
4399. Global Media Systems. Interrelationship between broadcasting media in various areas of the world and the system of government under which they developed.
4401. Seminar in TV Series Development. Students develop, research, outline and submit drafts for production of a one-hour television drama. Experienced professional writers, story analysts and creative consultants participate as executive producers on this two-term project. A real-time practical study of group writing to acquire skills necessary for participation in the series television industry. Enrollment in CTV 4402 TV Series Production Seminar is not required. Admission limited.
Prerequisite: CTV 2354.
4402. Seminar in TV Series Production. Continuation of CTV 4401 as students finalize the one-hour television drama script during preproduction. Experienced professional writers, producers and creative consultants assist students during auditions, crew hires, the production shoot and post production. Participation in CTV 4401 is not required.
Prerequisite: CTV 1304.
5110, 5210, 5310. Directed Study. Independent study under the direction and supervision of a faculty member. A directed study is a close collaboration between the professor and an advanced student who conducts a rigorous project that goes beyond the experience available in course offerings.
Prerequisites: Junior standing and instructor consent.
5311. Advanced Production Workshop. Capstone production course. Each student works on a large project of her/his own design. Class sessions are divided between student project workshops and short lessons in areas of student/instructor interest.
Prerequisites: Instructor consent and prior completion of all other production requirements.
5312. Media Career Preparation. Capstone production course. Students develop resumes and compile demo reels of their work. Critical forum facilitates fine-tuning of students’ existing film/video projects. All students prepare press kits for film festival submission. Industry guest speakers and field trips to local facilities expose students to the extensive career opportunities available within the media industry.
Prerequisites: Instructor consent and prior completion of all other production requirements.
5313. Senior Producing Project. Capstone industry course. Students develop a concept that is 20 to 30 minutes in length and see their idea through production and post-production, as well as develop a plan for marketing and distribution.
Prerequisites: Instructor consent and prior completion of all other industry and production requirements.
5314. Thesis. Capstone history/criticism course. Prerequisites: Instructor consent and prior completion of all other history/criticism requirements.
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