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FILM, TELEVISION & DIGITAL MEDIA COURSES FOR WINTER 2025
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1B / Freshman Symposium
Laboratory, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 1A. Limited to Film and Television majors. Structured forum in which freshmen meet on regular basis to discuss curricular issues, meet with faculty members from department, and have exposure to array of guest speakers from media industries. Letter grading.
6A / History of American Motion Picture
Lecture/screenings, six hours; discussion, one hour. Historical and critical survey, with examples, of American motion picture both as developing art form and as medium of mass communication. Letter grading.
33 / Introductory Screenwriting
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Not open for credit to students with credit for course C132/C430. Structural analysis of feature films and development of professional screenwriters' vocabulary for constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing their own work. Screenings of films and selected film sequences in class and by assignment. P/NP or letter grading.
M50 / Introduction to Visual Culture
(Same as English M50.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; laboratory, two hours. Enforced requisite: satisfaction of Entry-Level Writing requirement. Study of how visual media, including advertising, still and moving images, and narrative films, influence contemporary aesthetics, politics, and knowledge. P/NP or letter grading.
51 / Digital Media Studies
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Introduction to history, theory, and authoring skills of digital media, art, and culture. P/NP or Letter grading.
106C / History of African, Asian, and Latin American Film
Lecture/screenings, six hours; discussion, one hour. Critical, historical, aesthetic, and social study--together with exploration of ethnic significance--of Asian, African, Latin American, and Mexican films. Letter grading.
109 / Advanced Topics in Documentary: New Documentary Forms
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour; screenings, three hours. Examination of today's documentary modes of representation and genres focusing on rise and diversification of nonfiction modes since new millennium. From short form to series based, virtual reality to interactive, crowd sourced to animated, study of new documentary forms and platforms as situated within complex media environment. Exploration of theoretical models through which documentaries can be understood, questioned, and critically approached. Letter grading.
114 / Film Genres
Lecture/screenings, four hours; discussion, one hour. Study of specific film genre (e.g., Western, gangster cycle, musical, silent epic, comedy, social drama). May be repeated for credit with topic change. P/NP or letter grading.
M117 / Chicanos in Film/Video
(Same as Chicana/o and Central American Studies M114.) Lecture/screenings, five hours; discussion, one hour. Goal is to gain nuanced understanding of Chicano cinema as political, socioeconomic, cultural, and aesthetic practice. Examination of representation of Mexican Americans and Chicanos in four Hollywood genres--silent greaser films, social problem films, Westerns, and gang films--that are major genres that account for films about or with Mexican Americans produced between 1908 and 1980. Examination of recent Chicano-produced films that subvert or signify on these Hollywood genres, including Zoot Suit, Ballad of Gregorio Cortez, and Born in East L.A. Consideration of shorter, more experimental work that critiques Hollywood image of Chicanos. Guest speakers include both pioneer and up-and-coming filmmakers. P/NP or letter grading.
CM129 / Contemporary Topics in Theater, Film, and Television
(Same as Theater CM129.) Lecture, two hours; screenings, two hours. Limited to junior/senior and graduate theater/film and television students. Examination of creative process in theater, film, and television, with consideration of writing, direction, production, and performance. Overview of individual contributions in collaborative effort; examination of distinctiveness and interrelations among these arts. Individual units include participation of leading members of theater, film, and television professions. May be repeated twice for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course CM229. P/NP or letter grading.
135B / Advanced Screenwriting Workshop
Laboratory, three hours. Requisite: course 135A. Limited to Film and Television majors. Designed for seniors. Course in film and television writing. Second act of original screenplay to be developed. Letter grading.
150 / Cinematography
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours. Requisite: course 101A. Corequisite: course 154. Limited to Film and Television majors. Introduction to motion imaging photography for thorough understanding of fundamental tools and principles of cinematography to create images that support and enhance story of film, achieve comprehension of principles of motion imaging photography through lectures, discussions, and screenings, develop skills of cinematographer by shooting exercises during laboratory period, and acquire appreciation of art of cinematography. Language and skills of image construction provided, as well as image analysis and deconstruction. Letter grading.
154 / Film Editing
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Requisite: course 101A. Corequisite: course 150. Limited to Film and Television majors. Introduction to artistic and technical problems of film editing, with practical experience in editing of image and synchronous sound. Letter grading.
155 / Introduction to Digital Media and Tools
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, one hour. Enforced requisite: course 101A. Limited to Film and Television majors. Instruction and exercises in basic concepts and software of virtual production environments and digital postproduction tools. Letter grading.
175B / Undergraduate Film Production
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, eight hours. Enforced requisite: course 175A. Limited to Film and Television majors. Completion of postproduction (editing, creation of sound tracks) for short film begun in course 175A. P/NP or letter grading.
178 / Film and Television Production Laboratory
Laboratory, to be arranged. Supervised laboratory experience in various aspects of film and television production. May be repeated for maximum of 12 units, but only 8 units may be applied toward Film and Television major. Letter grading.
C181C / Animation Workshop
Studio, six hours. Preparation: storyboard at first class meeting. Requisite: course C181A. Organization and integration of various creative arts used in animation to form complete study of selected topic. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Concurrently scheduled with course C481C. P/NP or letter grading.
183A / Producing I: Film and Television Development
Lecture, three hours. Open to nonmajors. Critical analysis of contemporary entertainment industries and practical approach to understanding and implementing producer's role in development of feature film and television scripts. Through scholarly and trade journal readings, in-class discussions, script analysis, and select guest speakers, exposure to various entities that comprise feature film and television development process. Basic introduction to story and exploration of proper technique for evaluating screenplays and teleplays through writing of coverage. May be taken independently for credit. Letter grading.
C186B / Advanced Documentary Workshop
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours; fieldwork, four to six hours. Requisite: course C186A. Intermediate viewing and discussion of selected documentaries and instruction in various production skills necessary to create video documentaries. Completion of series of exercises from conceptualization through postproduction, culminating in production of short documentary. Concurrently scheduled with course C403B. Letter grading.
187B / Domestic and Global Entertainment Industry Careers and Strategies
Lecture, three hours. Exploration of select film and television career paths and strategies in U.S. and major international markets. Introduction to typical and atypical career paths and strategies of producers, screenwriters, directors, and creative executives in U.S. and abroad. Students take part in moderated discussions with domestic and international industry professionals and read both academic literature and trade publications addressing current state of domestic and global media industries. Through readings and discussions, students gain understanding of rapidly changing global entertainment landscape, and current and future employment trends and project development strategies. P/NP or letter grading.
188A / Special Courses in Film, Television, and Digital Media
Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Special topics in film, television, and digital media for undergraduate students taught on experimental or temporary basis. May be repeated for credit. P/NP or letter grading.
195 / Corporate Internships in Film, Television, and Digital Media
Tutorial, one hour; internship, eight hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Corporate internship in supervised setting in business related to film, television, and digital media industries. Students meet on regular basis with instructor and provide periodic reports of their experience. May be repeated for credit. Individual contract with supervising faculty member required. P/NP or letter grading.
195CE / Corporate Internships in Film, Television, and Digital Media
Tutorial, one hour; fieldwork, eight to 10 hours. Limited to juniors/seniors. Corporate internship in supervised setting in business related to film, television, and digital media industries. Examination of issues related to internship site through series of reading assignments constructed by faculty sponsor and graduate student coordinator. May be repeated for credit with consent of Center for Community Engagement. Individual contract with supervising faculty member required. P/NP or letter grading.
203 / Seminar: Film and Other Arts
Seminar, three hours; film screenings, four to six hours. Designed for graduate students. Studies in interrelationships between film and fine arts, or performing arts, or literature, with emphasis on ways these other arts have influenced film. May be repeated twice for credit. S/U or letter grading.
209D / Seminar: Animated Film
Seminar, three hours; film screenings, three hours. Designed for graduate students. Critical study of animated film: its historical development, structure, style, use, and relation to contemporary culture. S/U or letter grading.
211 / Seminar: Historiography
(Formerly numbered 211A.) Seminar, three hours. Limited to MA and PhD candidates. Examination of function and methods of historiography/history as branch of field of media studies by examining variety of methodologies, debates, and strategies that have shaped often provocative, contradictory, and contested ways that history has been imagined and applied to field of media studies. S/U or letter grading.
212 / Cinema and Media Studies Graduate Colloquium
Lecture, two hours. Exchange with scholars inside and outside department through lectures and academic paper presentation and offers students practice in presenting papers for professional conferences, CV writing seminars, job market/interview preparation seminars, and discussion of current topics and trajectory of area of cinema and media studies. May be repeated for maximum of 14 units. S/U grading.
CM229 / Contemporary Topics in Theater, Film, and Television
(Same as Theater CM229.) Lecture, two hours; screenings, two hours. Limited to junior/senior and graduate theater/film and television students. Examination of creative process in theater, film, and television, with consideration of writing, direction, production, and performance. Overview of individual contributions in collaborative effort; examination of distinctiveness and interrelations among these arts. Individual units include participation of leading members of theater, film, and television professions. May be repeated twice for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course CM129. S/U or letter grading.
C247 / Production Management: Physical Production for Creatives
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Analysis of procedure, problems, and budgets in planning feature-length script for film and television production, with emphasis on role of producer and creative organizational techniques of producing. Concurrently scheduled with course C147. Letter grading.
274B / Research Design 2: Bibliography
Seminar, three hours. Building reading lists and reading texts essential to development of dissertation project. S/U or letter grading.
282B / TV Development 2
Seminar, three hours. Advanced analysis of television scripted shows and contemporary industry production and business practices. Continued development of original show concepts and series proposals for review and feedback by class, instructor, and guests. Letter grading.
283B / Writing Half-Hour Comedy Pilot and Series Bible
Seminar, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 430. Examination of basics of half-hour pilot format, style, and content, and learning of principles behind network needs and choices in choosing pilots. Workshop in which to discuss ideas and issues with class and instructor. Weekly progress on original half-hour pilot and series bible required. Letter grading.
284B / Writing One-Hour Drama Pilot and Series Bible
Seminar, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 430. Examination of basics of drama pilot format, style, and content, and learning of principles behind network needs and choices in choosing pilots. Workshop in which to discuss ideas and issues with class and instructor. Weekly progress on original drama pilot and series bible required. Letter grading.
287B / Introduction to Art and Business of Producing II
Seminar, three hours. Requisite: course 287A. Builds on principles taught in course 287A and presents continuation of study of development, production, and distribution of feature films for worldwide theatrical market, including identifying material, attracting talent elements, and understanding basics of studio and independent financing and distribution. Minimum of two unproduced screenplays to be presented for review by class and instructor to begin identifying potential thesis projects. S/U or letter grading.
288B / Feature Film Development II
Lecture, three hours. Requisite: course 288A. Practical hands-on approach to understanding and implementing producer's role in development of feature film screenplay and negotiating particulars of production process. Through in-class discussions, script analysis, story notes, and select guest speakers, exposure to various entities that comprise feature film development process. Deeper evaluation of screenplay through writing of story notes. S/U or letter grading.
290B / Thesis Workshop 2
Seminar, three hours. Forum for roundtable strategy sessions and mock story meetings. Students must make concrete weekly progress on thesis project and adapt strategy based on feedback received. Development of marketing and business strategies for story idea set up in course 290A. S/U or letter grading.
291B / Feature Film Marketing
Lecture, three hours. Course 291A is not requisite to 291B. Examination of numerous groups that are responsible for specific marketing components and make up marketing departments. Distribution and in-theater marketing, trailers, publicity, promotions, research, and media. Mechanics and levels of intuition required to make sure movies are seen by public. S/U or letter grading.
292A / Overview of Network Television Management
Lecture, three hours. Designed to expand basic understanding of network and cable television business. Exploration of role of showrunner, executives from networks and production companies, packaging agents, and studios responsible for developing and creating programming. S/U or letter grading.
297B / Digital Media Producing 2
Seminar, three hours. Examination and analysis of creative and physical production processes for producing content for digital platforms. Development of production plans for original scripted and unscripted digital and web-based series. S/U or letter grading.
298A / Special Studies in Film and Television
Seminar, three hours; film screenings, three hours. Designed for graduate students. Seminar study of problems in film and television, organized on topic basis. May be repeated once for credit. S/U or letter grading.
400B / Introduction to Cinematography II
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours. Continuation of study of cinematography with emphasis on lighting. Instructor meets individually with teams of director/cinematographer to prepare for shooting six-minute projects. Letter grading.
402B / Advanced Narrative Directing Workshop
Laboratory, 12 hours; fieldwork, to be arranged. Requisite: course 402A. Limited to nine graduate film and television students. Production of 10- to 15-minute fiction film or project. In second term students must complete photography on location and/or in studio. Letter grading.
C403B / Advanced Documentary Workshop
Lecture/discussion/laboratory, 16 to 24 hours; fieldwork, to be arranged. Requisites: courses 409, 410A, 410B, 410C, 433. Limited to graduate film and television students. Production of advanced individual documentary film or video projects. Students conceptualize, research, write, shoot (on location), and edit projects to completion. May be repeated once for credit. Concurrently scheduled with courses C186B. S/U or letter grading.
411B / Modes of Making: Documentary
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Exploration of craft and form of documentary filmmaking through series of synchronous and asynchronous film projects. Viewing, discussion, and practicing of interview, vérité, animated, and hybrid documentary approaches. Students work in partnerships and small crews to rotate and produce work in collaboration. Contemporary debates around documentary representation and film ethics are incorporated into classroom discussions and critiques. Letter grading.
412B / Tools and Techniques: Editing II
Laboratory, three hours. Advances understanding of video editing process and of Avid Media Composer software. Material covered is in support of projects created in courses 411B and 411C. Includes screenings concentrating on editing techniques. Letter grading.
413B / Tools and Techniques: Sound II
Laboratory, three hours. Theory and technique behind production sound and field recording including operation of Sound Devices MixPre-6 audio recorder, and use of wired and wireless microphones and boom poles. Students also learn vocabulary and theory about how sound is experienced, and how those experiences can be translated into creative context. Students take a finished short film through a complete post-production sound process, from spotting to a finished mix. Students finish films completed in course 411B through a similar process. Development of hands-on skills needed for the craft of media making in a narrative fiction mode. Letter grading.
414B / Tools and Techniques: Cinematography II
Laboratory, three hours. Introduction to design elements of cinematography. Tools and techniques required for motion picture capture including lens choice, camera settings, composition, movement, lighting design, and color design to use to document a variety of events. Assignments train students on proper field production etiquette and procedures, as well as allow for experimentation and technical growth. Hands-on exercises and workshops of increasing complexity designed to understand skills used for visualizing and executing design, compositional balance, and exposure of cinematographic storytelling. Development of hands-on skills needed for the craft of media making in a fiction mode including basic camera, lighting, and production techniques for shooting scripted scenes. Creation of micro- and short-form documentaries and scripted scenes in a variety of aesthetic and conceptual modes. Letter grading.
415 / Themes and Issues: Foundations of Directing
(Formerly numbered 413.) Seminar, three hours. Provides intellectual and creative toolkit for subsequent undertakings in filmmaking, media making, and audio-visual storytelling. These source materials are agnostic with regard to certain questions of origin (genre, nation, format, portal, duration) and yet deeply rooted in politics and histories of representation that catalyze and inform racial, gendered, sexual, and ethnic lenses and visions. Letter grading.
423A / Direction of Actors for Film and Television
Lecture, four hours; laboratory. Preparation: first film project. Limited to graduate film and television students. Required of all production majors shooting fiction thesis. Exercises in analysis of script and character for purpose of directing actors in film and television productions. Emphasis on eliciting best possible performance from actors. May be repeated twice for credit. S/U or letter grading.
433 / Writing Short Screenplays
Lecture, three hours. Limited to and required of first-year MFA production program students. Conception, development, and writing of six-minute dramatic film script to be produced in courses 410A, 410B, 410C. Letter grading.
434 / Advanced Screenwriting
Seminar, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 430. Advanced problems in writing of original film and television screenplays. May be repeated for credit. Letter grading.
437 / Adaptation for Screen
Seminar, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 430. Students analyze techniques of dramatic adaptation and apply them by writing their own scripted adaptations. Students read selected texts and view their filmed versions in order to learn various approaches to adaptation. Students workshop their own screenplays adapted from preselected list of stories. Letter grading.
440 / Festival Strategies
Seminar, three hours. Exploration of film, television, streaming, and specialized festivals. Emphasis on strategies and practical knowledge necessary to navigate local, regional, and global festivals, whether as producer, director, animator, screenwriter, or scholar/programmer. Dialog and exchange of diverse ideas, perspectives and real-world experiences among students, faculty, and special industry guests. S/U or letter grading.
C454B / Advanced Film Editing
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Preparation: submission of rough cut of existing project or proposal to edit work of another director. Limited to film and television students in postproduction phase with advanced knowledge of organization and operation of postproduction process. Students may also propose to edit significant scene given to them by instructor. Concurrently scheduled with course C154B. Letter grading.
C481C / Animation Workshop
Studio, six hours. Preparation: storyboard at first class meeting. Requisite: course C181A. Organization and integration of various creative arts used in animation to form complete study of selected topic. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Concurrently scheduled with course C181C. S/U or letter grading.
482A / Advanced Animation Workshop
Lecture, three hours; studio, to be arranged. Requisites: courses 181A, 181B, 181C. Advanced organization and integration of various creative arts used in animation, resulting in production of complete animated film. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. S/U or letter grading.
483B / Advanced Computer Animation
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, four hours. Requisite: course 483A. Creation and production of complete and original advanced computer animated film. Letter grading.
484B / Visual Thinking and Organization for Animation
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, four hours. Requisite: course 484A. Systematic approach to analyzing and communicating two-dimensional and three-dimensional form and applying traditional compositional approaches to animation. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Letter grading.
488A / Interactive Animation
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, to be arranged. Requisites: courses C481A, C481C, 489A. Organization and integration of various creative arts used in animation and interactive media to form complete study of selective interactive animation project. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Letter grading.
489B / Production in Computer Animation
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, four to eight hours. Requisite: course 489A. Instruction in creation, preparation, and production of complete and original computer animation film or tape. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Letter grading.
498 / Professional Internship in Film and Television
Tutorial, to be arranged. Full- or part-time at studio or on professional project. Designed for MFA program advanced students. Internship at various film, television, or theater facilities accentuating creative contribution, organization, and work of professionals in their various specialties. Given only when projects can be scheduled. S/U or letter grading.
596A / Directed Individual Studies: Research
Tutorial, to be arranged. Limited to graduate students. May be repeated with consent of instructor. S/U or letter grading.
596B / Directed Individual Studies: Writing
Tutorial, to be arranged. Limited to graduate students. May be repeated with consent of instructor. S/U or letter grading.
596C / Directed Individual Studies: Directing
Tutorial, to be arranged. Limited to graduate students. May be repeated with consent of instructor. S/U or letter grading.
596F / Directed Individual Studies: Production
Tutorial, to be arranged. Limited to graduate students. May be repeated with consent of instructor. S/U or letter grading.
597 / Preparation for PhD Qualifying Examinations in Film and Television
Tutorial, to be arranged. May be taken for maximum of 12 units. S/U grading.
599 / PhD Dissertation in Film and Television
Tutorial, to be arranged. Preparation: advancement to PhD candidacy. Research and writing for PhD dissertation. May be repeated. S/U grading.