Undergraduate Courses - Cinema-Television - Meadows School of the Arts

Cinema-TV (CTV)

1320. Survey of Television and Media. Survey of the history, programming practices, advertising techniques, regulations, and legal aspects of the television/media industries. The relationship between media and society will also be explored.

2301. Film and Video Aesthetics. Introduction to the fundamental visual and audio techniques used in cinema and television to convey meaning and mood. Careful analysis of selected films, sequences, and TV shows.

2304. Basic Video and Audio Production. Practical training in the fundamentals of video and audio production techniques, including various exercises and hands-on demonstrations.

2332. American Popular Film. 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. 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 Television History. Focus on the history of American television 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.

2356. Writing the Fiction Script. Instructs the student in the development of short and feature-length fictional screenplays. Prerequisite: CTV 2354.

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.

2384. War on Film. An intensive examination of the period of the Second World War. Constructed around the cinematic records provided by newsreels, training films, propaganda films, and wartime documentaries.

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. 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 Film-Video Production. Advanced level course in documentary film-video production, including both conceptual and practical study. Through writing, shooting and editing, individually or in groups, students will create nonfiction productions in 16mm film and video formats. Prerequisite: CTV 2304.

3308. Non-Linear Editing. Focuses on the techniques of nonlinear editing and digital post-production in the media world. Students learn the craft and art of editing by using professional digital editing systems like the Avid and Final Cut Pro. Emphasis on cutting scenes, studying major films, and reviewing the latest technological advances. Provides a strong foundation on the media's most unique art form. Prerequisite: 2304.

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, 3314, 3315. Great Directors. Critical and historical review of the world's great directors and their works.

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.

3354. Shooting and Producing PSAs. Students work in groups to create up to five public service announcements, from concept to finished cut.

3355. Film Production I. This 16mm film production course teaches all phases of production and editing for two silent films and for a third which utilizes sound-over interlock. Prerequisite: CTV 2304.

3356. Film Production II. This course in sync-sound film production provides an introduction to film industry practices and to the use of professional film equipment. Complete films are produced by students from concept through AB roll preparation to a final answer print. Prerequisite: CTV 3355.

3357. Film/TV Lighting. Examines all the major aspects of feature film as well as television production studio lighting. Students learn the fundamentals of film and/or video setups. Detailed analysis of selected features/TV shows, and a brief overview of the history of cinematography and its ever-changing technology will provide a full understanding of the art.

3358. 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.

3359. National Cinemas. Examines the social, economic, technological, and aesthetic histories of cinema from various nations, as well as examining the concept of "national cinema." The specific nations under consideration will vary from term to term.

4300. Cinema-Television Seminar. An intensive study of a specific cinema or television-related topic. Topics vary each term.

4305. Motion Pictures of Paris. Ninety-three years of film history, focusing on Paris. Taken in residence.

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.

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 hundred fifty 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 2304; permission of Chair; Junior-Senior standing.

4329. Film Criticism. Examines various critical and analytic approaches to the cinema, emphasizing their application to specific films screened for the class. Students will learn to develop and scrutinize their own critical perspectives through regular writing assignments and discussions.

4353. Film-Television Theory (formerly CCCN 4353 Film Theory). Provides an overview of major theoretical writings on the cinema and television (including the work of theorists such as André Bazin, Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Laura Mulvey, and Christian Metz) and demonstrates the application of various analytical approaches to specific films and TV programs. Prerequisites: CTV 2301, 2351.

5110, 5210, 5310, 5311. Directed Study. Independent study under the direction of a faculty member. Prerequisites: Junior standing and permission of instructor.

5301-04. 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.

Television (CTV)

2304. Basic Video and Audio Production. Practical training in the fundamentals of video and audio production techniques, including various exercises and hands-on demonstrations. Required.

2306. History of Recorded Music. Chronologically examines the machines, minds, and music that constitute our heritage of recorded music, 1877-present.

2307. Basic Audio. Provides a survey of the theory and equipment used in sound recording.

2360. The Black Experience in Cinema-TV. Students will incorporate readings, screenings, lectures, and discussion to examine how the motion picture and television 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.

3301, 3302, 3304. Topics in Television.

3303/5303. Video Production I. Basic principles and practices of television studio production are taught while rotating students through the various studio positions in a series of television production exercises. Prerequisite: CTV 2304.

3304. History of Documentary Film-Television. 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.

3328/5328. 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 the contemporary world electronic media sales. Goals are to combine strategic thinking with creative thought while keeping the target audience/client in mind.

3354. Shooting and Producing PSAs. Students work in groups to create up to five public service announcements, from concept to finished cut.

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

3374/5374. TV Production Process. Examines the process of program production from conception to completion with an emphasis on the various elements that affect the process: staff, genre, format, technology. A field study of a production is a required part of the course.

3393/5393. Video Production II. Basic principles and practices of electronic field production and video editing techniques. Students rotate through various exercises to become familiar with many facets of field production and post-production, including computer editing. Prerequisite: CTV 2304.

3394. Video Production III. Produce and direct entertainment format programming exercises. Prerequisite: CTV 3303.

3395/5395. History of Broadcasting. Study of the origins and development of the electronic media with an emphasis on the people, events, and issues that influenced that development.

4300/5300. Cinema-Television Seminar. Intensive study of a specific area in cinema-television; topics vary per term.

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.

4318. Advanced Television Production Workshop. Through various exercises and a final project, students share in varied production experiences. Prerequisite: CTV 2304.

4325/5325. Internships. Allows students to earn academic credit through practical experience gained by working in the professional media, either part-time during fall or spring terms or full time during the summer. Students may take a maximum of three credit hours of internship. One hundred fifty hours of work per term is calculated as three credit hours. Internship is given on a pass/fail basis only. Prerequisites: Officially declared CTV major; CTV 2304; permission of Chair; Junior-Senior standing.

4328. Media Economics. Examination of corporations and industries involved in the mass media. Emphasis is on understanding the interplay of market's buyers, sellers, consumers, and costs. Microeconomic and macroeconomic analyses are used in studying media organizations and industries.

4339/5339. Television Criticism. Examines contemporary critical methodologies as they apply to mass communications media.

4353. Film-Television Theory (formerly CCCN 4353 Film Theory). An overview of major theoretical writings on the cinema and television (including the work of theorists such as André Bazin, Sergei Eisenstein, Rudolf Arnheim, Laura Mulvey, and Christian Metz). Demonstrates the application of various analytical approaches to specific films and TV programs. Prerequisites: CTV 2301, 2351.

4360/5360. Social Effects of Mass Media. Critical analysis of research on the influence of mass media messages on individuals and groups. Attention is focused on communication theory and how society puts such theories into practice in using the media for information, entertainment, and persuasion.

4361/5361. Media Policy. Emphasizes contemporary regulatory policy in the media. Discussion and readings deal with regulatory aspects of broadcasting, cable, telephone, personal communication services, and wireless communication. Students will become familiar with basics of legal research.

4390/5390. Technology and the Mass Media. Examines the way in which technology develops and is assimilated into the mass media.

4393. Advanced Audio. Course in the business and creative aspects related to being an audio producer. Prerequisite: CTV 2307.

4395/5396. Electronic Media Audience Analysis. Designs and methodologies employed in researching media usage, structure, and development.

4399/5399. Global Media Systems. Interrelationship between broadcasting media in various areas of the world and the system of government under which they developed.

5110, 5210, 5310. Directed Study. Independent study under the direction of a faculty member.