Film & Media Arts

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Video

What's it like to study Film at SMU

Join #smumeadows film students and faculty discuss what makes the Division of Film & Media Studies at SMU and unique. (🎥 by Ryan Reed, Film & Media Arts '15)

With a curriculum that combines media production and creativity with media history and theory, the Division of Film and Media Arts prepares students for careers in film, television and other media-related fields. Students learn and work in small classes that develop their creative and collaborative skills and enhance their understanding of the art and business of media.

Undergraduate Majors/Minors

Meet Our Faculty

Amber Bemak Amber Bemak

Amber Bemak

Assistant Professor

Michael Cerny Cerny-Michael-April-2023

Michael Cerny

Adjunct Professor

Kesleigh Jones Dougherty Dougherty-Kesleigh-January-2024

Kesleigh Jones Dougherty

Adjunct Professor of Practice

Michelle Glasby-Millington Glasby-Millington-Michelle-May-2023

Michelle Glasby-Millington

Professor of Practice in Screenwriting

Sean Griffin Sean Griffin

Sean Griffin

Professor

Tearlach Hutcheson Tearlach Hutcheson

Tearlach Hutcheson

Adjunct Lecturer

Niloo Jalilvand Niloo Jalilvand

Niloo Jalilvand

Adjunct Professor

Mark Kerins Mark Kerins

Mark Kerins

Professor

Derek Kompare Derek Kompare

Derek Kompare

Chair and Associate Professor of Film and Media Arts

Benjamin Pluenneke PluennekeBenjamin

Benjamin Pluenneke

Adjunct Professor

Ryan Reed Ryan Reed

Ryan Reed

Media Equipment Manager

David Sedman David Sedman

David Sedman

Associate Professor of Film and Media Arts

Vonnie Smith Smith-Vonnie-May-2023

Vonnie Smith

Professor of Practice in Production

R. Colin Tait Tait-R-Colin-January-2024

R. Colin Tait

Adjunct Professor

Brady Wolchansky bradywolchansky-July-2023

Brady Wolchansky

Division Coordinator

Rick Worland Rick Worland

Rick Worland

Professor

alumni

LaurenHadaway

Lauren Hadaway (B.F.A. ’11), freelance filmmaker

Film and Media Advice for forging your own path into the film industry.

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News

film shoot behind the scenes in a bedroom

Meadows Student Film Picked Up by Major Distributor

Film and Media The Book of Job, the 2017-19 Summer Film Production project of Meadows’ Division of Film and Media Arts, features a teenage boy whose expectations fail to align with reality.

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Courses

 FILM 2304

Creativity and Ideation
Troy Perkins

 This hybrid production and studies course on creativity in film and media examines the nature of creativity in different fields and businesses. Includes how creativity in film and media manifests both in finished works themselves and within the production process. Explores different sources of ideas and develops ways to generate a myriad of project pitches, stories and concepts. Students leave the course with multiple ideas for potential projects for future production courses.

 FILM 2354

Screenwriting 1
Amber Bemak or
Lorena Padilla

 Introduces the language of screenwriting. Topics include the creative process of idea generation and ways to make a story filmable; the creation of memorable and redeemable characters; the arc and transformation of story, including the setup, the question or conflict, the turning point, and the climax or ending; and the details of proper format and presentation. Required of all majors.

FLM 3384

Sound 1
Mark Kerins

 Comprehensive audio course with instruction and work in recording, editing, mixing and design. Topics include microphone selection and placement, Pro Tools, advanced recording techniques, routing in a studio and within software, Foley sound effects, automated dialog replacement, and introduction to audio processors. Also, individual and group sound-design projects.

FILM 4353

Philosophy of Film and Media
Sean Griffin

 Provides an overview of major philosophical and 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 perspectives to specific texts.

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Student Work

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Film & Media Arts

"VII"
Created in Film Directing class, spring 2016.
Director: Audrey Billups (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2016)
Shot by: Adrian Aguirre (B.A. Film & Media Arts / B.F.A. Dance, 2016)

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Film & Media Arts

"Mobsters" PSA
Spec commercial group project produced in TV Ad Concepting & Production class, January 2017.
Director: David Fice (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2019)
Producer: Schuyler Morris (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2017)
DP: Kendall Kramer
Design: Tanner Thompson
Client rep: Madeline Khare
AD: Presley Impson (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2017)
Other crew: Al Bouchillon (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2019), Conrad Li, Eric Sedeno

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Film & Media Arts

"Grandma knows best"
Southern Comfort Egg Nog spec commercial;
group project made for TV Ad Concepting & Production class, 2017.
Director: Tanner Thompson
Producer/editor/colorist: Presley Impson (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2017)
DP: David Fice (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2019)
Design: Eric Sedeno / Conrad Li
Client rep: Schuyler Morris (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2017)
Other crew: Al Bouchillon (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2019), Madeline Khare, Kendall Kramer (B.F.A. Film & Media Arts, 2018)

Film & Media News

Upcoming Film & Media Events