MEADOWS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
CINEMA-TELEVISION

Professor: Rick Worland, Chair
Associate Professors: David Sedman, Pamela Elder, Sean Griffin, Kevin Heffernan; Assistant Professors: Carolyn Macartney Mark Kerins, Derek Kompare; 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 their 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 are required to pursue co-curricular elective courses in the creation and study of the traditional fine arts in Meadows.

Students are also encouraged to take an internship in the professional sector in order 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 G.P.A.: 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 G.P.A. 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 in order 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. Non-classroom 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.

B.A. Degree in Cinema-Television

Common Core Requirements: 18

CTV 1301 Film and Media Aesthetics
CTV 1302 Media and Culture
CTV 1304 Basic Video and Audio Production
CTV 2351 International Film History
CTV 2354 Basic Screenwriting
CTV 4353 Film and Media Theory

History Requirements: 6

CTV 2352 American Film History
CTV 2353 American Broadcast History

Industry Requirements: 3

Choose one course from:

CTV 3328 Media Management
CTV 3330 Media Sales
CTV 3335 Film Exhibition and Distribution
CTV 4399 Global Media Systems

Production Requirements: 9

Courses must be spread across at least two of the three intermediate-level cognate areas (single-camera, multiple-camera, specialization). The nine hours may be either: a) all within the intermediate-level, or b) six hours of intermediate-level and three hours of advanced level. In order to enroll in any advanced production course, students must have enrolled and passed two intermediate courses.

Intermediate Cognate Areas:

Single-camera production:

CTV 2355 16mm Production
CTV 2390 Topics in Single-Camera Production

Multiple-camera production:

CTV 2303 Multi-Camera Studio Production
CTV 2393 Multi-Camera Field Production
CTV 2391 Topics in Multi-Camera Production

Specialization:

CTV 3306 Documentary and Reality Production
CTV 3307 Audio Recording
CTV 3308 Editing
CTV 3350 Advanced Screenwriting
CTV 3391 Special Topics in Specialization
CTV 3394 Audio Post-Production
CTV 4101/4201 TV/Advertising Concepting/Production
CTV 4304 New Media Platforms

Advanced Courses:

CTV 4308 Advanced Post-Production
CTV 4316 Producers Seminar
CTV 4356 Narrative Production
CTV 4357 Lighting for the Camera
CTV 4358 Directing the Screen Actor
CTV 4359 Advanced Digital Production
CTV 4401 Television Series Development
CTV 4402 Television Production Process

Capstone Requirement (enrollment is contingent upon completing all above requirements): 3

Choose one course from:

CTV 5311 Advanced Production Workshop (CTV 4318)
CTV 5312 Media Career Preparation (CTV 4333 Advanced Film Seminar or Get a Job)
CTV 5313 Senior Producing Project (CTV 3374 TV Production Process)
CTV 5314 Thesis

Cinema-TV Electives: 6

Meadows Elective/Corequirement (in Meadows – outside CTV): 3

Total Term Credit Hours: 48

TOTAL HOURS: 122

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 (9 hours) selected from any film/history criticism/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
CTV 3359 National Cinemas
CTV 5301-5304 Topics in Cinema-Television

The Courses (CTV)

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 will also be 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.

2303. Multi-Camera Studio Production. Basic principles and practices of electronic multiple-camera studio production are taught while rotating students through the various studio positions in a series of production exercises. Prerequisite: CTV 1304.

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, 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 will 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 will be 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.

2355. 16mm Production. Practice and study of technical and aesthetic concerns specific to shooting 16mm film. Covers the basics of pre-production, production and post-production. Each student makes their own non-sync 16mm film.. Prerequisite: CTV 1304.

2360. The Black Experience in Cinema-TV. Students will 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 our perceptions of racial issues.

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.

2390. Topics in Single-Camera Production. Focuses on a specific topic pertinent to single-camera production. Subjects vary from term to term.

2391. Topics in Multi-Camera Production. Focuses on a specific topic pertinent to multi-camera production. Subjects vary from term to term.

2393. 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..

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 will vary from term to term.

3304. 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.

3306. Documentary and Reality Production. Advanced-level course in documentary and reality production, including conception and practical study. Individually and in groups, students will 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, 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 will vary from term to term.

3311, 3312. Great Directors. Critical and historical review of the world’s great directors and their works.

3328/5328. 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.

3330/5330. Media Sales. Designed to examine electronic media sales in the contemporary world. Goals are to combine strategic thinking with creative thought while keeping the target audience/client in mind.

3335/6335. 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 will vary from term to term.

3361/5361. Media Programming. Analysis of the development of program ideas and the research and strategies involved in programming media outlets.

3375. Postwar European Cinema, 1945-Present. Presents an overview of postwar European cinema focusing on major films, directors and national movements. with particular emphasis on Italian film. Considers cultural and stylistic features that differ from Hollywood-genre models. Cross-listed as CFA 3375. Taken in Italy.

3391. Special Topics in Specialization. Intensive study of a special topic or area of
specialization.

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 1304, CTV 3307.

4101. TV Ad Concepting. Using a pre-selected 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. TV Ad Production. Students plan, shoot, and complete television commercials based on concepts created in TVV 4101 for ultimate submission to a national competition. May be repeated for credit in different years. Prerequisite: 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 is calculated as three credit hours. Internship credit is given on a pass/fail basis only. Prerequisites: Officially declared CTV major; CTV 1304; permission of Chair; Junior-Senior standing.

4304. New Media Platforms. Explores contemporary new media content, production and multi-platform distribution modes. Students will research the aesthetics, culture and theories of multi-platform 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.

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. Prerequisite: must have passed at least two 2000- and 3000-level production courses, including CTV 3308 (CTV 3394 highly recommended).

4316. Producers Seminar. Lectures and discussions by both faculty and guest speakers provide an overview of the basic business and legal aspects of film and television production.

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. Prerequisite: Must have passed at least two 2000- or 3000-level production courses.

4357. Lighting for the Camera. A study of lighting for the camera intended for those who already have a firm grasp on the basics of film or TV production. Examination and analysis of lighting in selected films and TV shows will be complemented by demonstration of lighting technique and intensive hands-on experience. Other topics relating to the art of cinematography will also be investigated. Prerequisites: Must have passed at least one 2000-level production course, and one other 2000- or 3000-level production course.

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 will be studied, discussed, and practiced on videotape through a series of exercises.

4359. Advanced Digital Production. Comprehensive study of technical and creative issues specific to high-definition production, from conception to completed video. Prerequisite: CTV 4356.

4399/5399. 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-semester project. A real-time practical study of group writing to acquire skills necessary for participation in the series television industry. Enrollment in CTV 4403 (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 pre-production. 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, 5311. Directed Study. Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisites: Junior standing and permission of instructor.

5301-5304. Topics in Cinema-Television. Focuses on a specific topic pertinent to film or television study. Subjects vary from term to term, and may include the areas of film/TV history, critical theory, the film/TV business, etc.

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 will 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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