How to Enroll

For more information about our courses and to register, click on www.registrar.ucla.edu.

 

FILM, TELEVISION & DIGITAL MEDIA COURSES FOR FALL 2024

 

Click through the class name to see the course description on the Registrar's website.

 

1A / Freshman Symposium
Laboratory, three hours. Course 1A is enforced requisite to 1B, which is enforced requisite to 1C. 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.


4 / Introduction to Art and Technique of Filmmaking
Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Students acquire understanding of practical and aesthetic challenges undertaken by artists and professionals in making of motion pictures and television. Examination of film as both art and industry: storytelling, sound and visual design, casting and performance, editing, finance, advertising, and distribution. Exploration of American and world cinema from filmmaker's perspective. Honing of analytical skills and development of critical vocabulary for study of filmmaking as technical, artistic, and cultural phenomenon. P/NP or 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.


99 / Student Research Program
Tutorial (supervised research or other scholarly work), three hours per week per unit. Entry-level research for lower-division students under guidance of faculty mentor. Students must be in good academic standing and enrolled in minimum of 12 units (excluding this course). Individual contract required; consult Undergraduate Research Center. May be repeated. P/NP grading.


101A / Junior Symposium
Laboratory, three hours. Course 101A is enforced requisite to 101B, which is enforced requisite to 101C. Limited to Film and Television majors. Structured forum in which juniors meet on regular basis to discuss curricular issues, meet with faculty members, and have exposure to array of guest speakers from within film industry. Letter grading.


102A / Senior Symposium
Laboratory, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 101A. Course 102A is enforced requisite to 102B, which is enforced requisite to 102C. Limited to Film and Television majors. Structured forum in which seniors meet on regular basis to discuss curricular issues, meet with faculty members, and have exposure to array of guest speakers from within film and television industry. Letter grading.


106B / History of European Motion Picture
Lecture/screenings, six hours; discussion, one hour. Historical and critical survey, with examples, of European motion picture both as developing art form and as medium of mass communication. 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.


122D / Film Editing: Overview of History, Technique, and Practice
Lecture, three hours. Exploration of film editing techniques, how they have evolved, and continue to evolve. Examination of history of editing, as well as current editing trends, terminology, and workflow. P/NP or letter grading.


122E / Digital Cinematography
Lecture, three hours. With lectures, screenings, and demonstrations, study of principles of digital cinematography. How tools and techniques affect visual storytelling process. Topics include formats, aspect ratios, cameras, lenses, special effects, internal menu picture manipulation, lighting, composition, coverage, high definition, digital exhibition, filtration, multiple-camera shooting. P/NP or letter grading.


135A / Advanced Screenwriting Workshop
Laboratory, three hours. Requisite: course 134. Course 135A is requisite to 135B, which is requisite to 135C. Course in film and television writing. First 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.


C157 / Lighting for Film and Television
Lecture, two hours; laboratory, six hours. Requisite: course 52. Limited to Film and Television majors. Lectures, supervised exercises on stage or in exterior, screenings of scenes, and discussions aimed at learning to master lighting to create appropriate mood or atmosphere of premeditated scene recorded on film or through electronic system. May be repeated twice for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course C417. Letter grading.


C158 / Digital Workflow
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Requisites: courses 52, 185. Limited to departmental majors. Through discussions, demonstrations, outside speakers, and laboratory assignments, demystification of ever-changing world of digital workflow. Students plan, schedule, and budget their overall workflow in preproduction. May be repeated once for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course C454C. Letter grading.


163 / Directing Cameras
Laboratory, three hours. Enforced requisite: course 101A. Limited to Film and Television majors. Investigation of expressive potential of image within and beyond narrative from directorial perspective. Experiments with working methodologies that stimulate visual creativity and positioning image as fundamental element of cinematic expression. Letter grading.


175A / Undergraduate Film Production
Lecture, four hours; laboratory, eight hours. Requisite: 185. Course 175A is requisite to 175B. Limited to Film and Television majors. Writing, preproduction, and production of short film not to exceed 12 minutes, including credits. 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.


C181A / Introduction to Animation
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours. Drawing experience not required. Fundamentals of animation through preparation of short animated film. Concurrently scheduled with course C481A. P/NP or letter grading.


C181B / Writing for Animation
Lecture, six hours; studio, to be arranged. Requisite: course C181A or consent of instructor. Research and practice in creative writing and planning for animated film. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Concurrently scheduled with course C481B. P/NP or letter grading.


183B / Producing II: Entertainment Economics
Lecture, three hours. Open to nonmajors. Critical understanding of strategies and operating principles that drive flow of revenue in entertainment industry. Exploration of theoretical frameworks and development of critical perspective, while studying industrial processes through which movie and television properties are financed and exploited throughout all revenue streams. May be taken independently for credit. Letter grading.


184B / Overview of Contemporary Television Industry
Lecture, three hours. Examination of evolving economic structures and business practices in contemporary Hollywood television industry, with emphasis on operations of networks and cable companies, series development, marketing, and network branding from 1947 to present. Letter grading.


C186A / Advanced Documentary Workshop
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours; fieldwork, four to six hours. Requisite: course 185. Course 186A is requisite to 186B, which is requisite to 186C. Introductory 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 C403A. Letter grading.


187A / Global Film and Television Development
Lecture, three hours. Exploration of film and television development practices in key international markets. Introduction to key international markets, prominent global development and production entities, and their properties and development strategies. Designed to blend theory with practical application. Students read both academic literature and trade publications addressing development practices in U.S. and around world, and gain understanding of mechanisms that drive development in domestic and international territories. 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.


199 / Directed Research or Senior Project in Film, Television, and Digital Media
Tutorial, three hours. Limited to senior Film and Television majors. Supervised individual research or investigation under guidance of faculty mentor. Culminating paper or project required. May be taken for maximum of 8 units. Individual contract 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.


206A / Seminar: European Film History
Seminar, three hours; film screenings, four to six hours. Designed for graduate students. Studies in different periods of European cinemas or movements. Topics may include Italian neorealism, French film of 1930s, French New Wave and crime film, Weimar cinema, and Soviet silent cinema. See annual departmental listings for special topics. May be repeated twice for credit with topic change. Letter grading.


210 / Viewing and Reading Media
Lecture, three hours; media viewings, three hours. Study engages media originating on different platforms and deriving from different modes of production, cultural locations, and various critical approaches. Each approach considers various components of what can be read in individual work including form and aesthetics, organization (narrative/nonnarrative, fiction/nonfiction), orientation to spectator or user, industrial or artisanal production context, and relation to historical or cultural moment. 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.


215 / Seminar: Text and Context in Intermedia Age
Seminar, three hours. Limited to Film and Television MA and PhD candidates. Introduction to range of textual and contextual approaches to studying cinema and media. Broad historical overview of intellectual history of field, combining foundational works with more recent publications that address similar theoretical questions. Combines foundational writings in cultural and critical theory with key works in cinema and media studies that deploy these theories to analyze screen texts, cultures, institutions, and industries. S/U or letter grading.


217A / Seminar: American Television History
Seminar, three hours; screenings, four hours. Critical survey of U.S. television industry from its inception to present. Examination of programming and changes within industry by considering range of technological, economic, aesthetic, social, and cultural dimensions. Letter grading.


222 / Seminar: Film Genres
Seminar, three hours; film screenings, four to six hours. Designed for graduate students. Studies of patterns, styles, and themes of such genres as Western, gangster, war, science fiction, comedy, etc. May be repeated twice for credit. S/U or letter grading.


274A / Research Design 1: Initial Research Design
Seminar, three hours. Introduction to components of dissertation prospectus including development of fields of study, situating one's work in relation to fields of audio/visual material. Study helps prepare students for comprehensive examinations and decide which fields of study best align with chosen methodological approaches. Establishment of a literature review, work plan, bibliography, filmography, and/or archive of visual/audio media. Development of research questions, bibliographic research, literature review, methodology of evidence gathering in relation to project. Setting and justification of project scope. S/U or letter grading.


282A / TV Development 1
Seminar, three hours. Basic tenets and analysis of television scripted shows and contemporary industry production and business practices. Development of original show concepts and pitch 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.


285 / The Limited Series
Seminar, three hours. Writing workshop and seminar that investigates, through reading scripts and viewing episodes of celebrated limited series, creation of an original limited series for television including broadcast, cable, streaming, and new media formats. Letter grading.


286 / Television Speculative Script
Seminar, three hours. Writing workshop in which students write a speculative episode for an existing one-hour drama series of a half-hour comedy/dramedy series. Letter grading.


287A / Introduction to Art and Business of Producing I
Seminar, three hours. Introduction for first-year producers program students to producer's role in navigating unique dynamic between art and commerce in entertainment industry. Overview of development, production, and distribution of feature films for worldwide theatrical market, including identifying material, attracting elements, and understanding basics of studio and independent financing and distribution. S/U or letter grading.


288A / Feature Film Development I
Lecture, three hours. Course 288A is requisite to 288B. 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. Basic introduction to story and exploration of proper technique for evaluating screenplays through writing of coverage. S/U or letter grading.


290A / Thesis Workshop 1
Seminar, three hours. Forum for roundtable strategy sessions and mock story meetings with instructor, students, and various industry guests. Development of one story idea for thesis project. S/U or letter grading.


297A / Digital Media Producing 1
Seminar, three hours. Overview of changing world of storytelling through development of new technologies and new media. Conceptualization and pitch of innovative, original, digital media concepts with interactive or participatory story elements for review and feedback by class, instructor, and guests. 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.


402A / Advanced Narrative Directing Workshop
Laboratory, six or 12 hours; fieldwork, to be arranged. Requisites: courses 405, 409, 410A, 410B, 410C, 433. Limited to nine graduate film and television students. Production of 10- to 15-minute fiction film or project. Students budget and preproduce their projects by end of first term. Letter grading.


C403A / 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 C186A. S/U or letter grading.


411A / Modes of Making: Experimental
Seminar, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Exploration of multiple and alternative modes of filmmaking and platforms for creative expression. Students are exposed to wide variety of media types and invited to undertake their own experiments, paying equal attention to form and content. Each student completes series of small-scale, low-tech, low-stakes film projects designed to fuel curiosity and open creative pathways, while also developing sense of community and learning to offer and accept feedback that is both supportive and challenging. Letter grading.


412A / Tools and Techniques: Editing I
Laboratory, three hours. Technical and aesthetic components of editing. Basic instruction in use of editing hardware and software. Deepening knowledge of requisite editing software and hands-on skills needed for editing in non-fiction mode. Training in digital workflow and duties and responsibilities of digital imaging technician and assistant editor. Letter grading.


413A / Tools and Techniques: Sound I
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 listen to and record audio without visual component, then acquire tools and techniques to prepare for documentary work. Letter grading.


414A / Tools and Techniques: Cinematography I
Laboratory, three hours. Introduction to design elements of cinematography with special emphasis on support for course 411A. Tools and techniques required for motion picture capture including lens choice, camera settings, composition, movement, lighting design, and color design to use as visual art forms. Assignments train students on proper set etiquette and production procedures, as well as allow for experimentation and technical growth. Experimental films are more often transformed in post-production process, requiring an open-minded approach for filmmaking in this course. 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. Study of documentary filmmaking techniques such as vérité filmmaking, documentary coverage, and interview setups. Exploration of simple lighting concepts for documentary. Creation of micro- and short-form experimental and documentary films in variety of aesthetic and conceptual modes. Letter grading.


C417 / Lighting for Film and Television
Lecture, two hours; laboratory, six hours. Limited to graduate film and television students. Lectures, supervised exercises on stage or in exterior, screenings of scenes, and discussions aimed at learning to master lighting to create appropriate mood or atmosphere of premeditated scene recorded on film or through electronic system. May be repeated twice for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course C157. Letter grading.


419 / Advanced Cinematography
Lecture, two hours; discussion, one hour; laboratory, one hour. Requisites: courses 417, 418. Limited to graduate film and television students. Advanced study of principles of cinematography, with emphasis on exposure, lighting, and selection of film, camera, and lenses. S/U or letter grading.


423B / Advanced Direction of Actors for Film and Television
Studio laboratory, six hours. Requisite: course 423A. Limited to graduate film and television students. Advanced study and practice of directing actors before camera. Emphasis on developing techniques to immediately enhance communication between director and actor on set in order to maintain continuity from shot to shot. S/U or letter grading.


430 / Introduction to Film and Television Writing
Lecture, three hours. Introduction to film and television writing. S/U or 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.


435 / Advanced Writing for Short Film and Television Screenplays
Discussion, three hours. Requisite: course 410C. Limited to graduate film and television students. Conception, development, and writing of dramatic film script to be produced as advanced or thesis project. Letter grading.


438 / Advanced Screenwriting: Rewrite
Seminar, three hours. Enforced requisites: courses 430, 434. Workshop in which students rewrite first draft of original screenplay that was written in course 434. Discussion of problems particular to rewrites: how to take notes and make them one's own; how to do deep-read on line-by-line basis of script; overall rewriting strategies; what is best for situation and script. Reading and discussion of student rewrites. Particular attention directed to how people talk about scripts that are not their own; how they avoid giving feedback based on how they might write something and how they move toward giving feedback that honors intention and integrity of script. May be repeated once for credit. Letter grading.


C454C / Digital Workflow
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours. Limited to departmental majors. Through discussions, demonstrations, outside speakers, and laboratory assignments, demystification of ever-changing world of digital workflow. Students plan, schedule, and budget their overall workflow in preproduction. May be repeated once for credit. Concurrently scheduled with course C158. Letter grading.


C481A / Introduction to Animation
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, three hours. Drawing experience not required. Fundamentals of animation through preparation of short animated film. Concurrently scheduled with course C181A. S/U or letter grading.


C481B / Writing for Animation
Lecture, six hours; studio, to be arranged. Requisite: course C481A or consent of instructor. Research and practice in creative writing and planning for animated film. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Concurrently scheduled with course C181B. S/U or letter grading.


483A / Advanced Computer Animation
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, four hours. Requisites: courses C481A, C481C, 489A. Recommended: course C481B. Course 483A is requisite to 483B, which is requisite to 483C. Creation and production of complete and original advanced computer animated film. Letter grading.


484A / Visual Thinking and Organization for Animation
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, four hours. Course 484A is requisite to 484B. 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.


489A / Computer Animation in Film and Video
Lecture, six hours; laboratory, four to eight hours; other, to be arranged. Preparation: completed animated film. Requisites: courses 181A, 181C. Instruction in and supervised production of computer animation. May be repeated for maximum of 16 units. Letter grading.


495A / Practice of Teaching Film and Television
Seminar, three hours. Required of all teaching assistants and associates in critical studies program. Orientation and preparation of graduate students who have responsibility to assist in teaching undergraduate courses in department; discussion of problems common to teaching experience. S/U 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.