University of North Carolina School of the Arts · Courses
FIM
186 courses with the subject FIM, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
FIM 1001Fundamentals of Production Design1
This course is an introduction to the mechanics involved in creating the "look" of a live-action film. We will examine the design and creation of sets and environments for motion pictures. This one-semester survey course includes lecture and lab components: take home assignments, in class screening, group discussions, critical analyses, as well as involvement on the Year Two, Three and Four productions.
This introductory course explores the foundation of screenwriting craft, concentrating on fundamental story concepts and screenplay format. Students will use their personal insights and observations as the basis for understanding narrative cinematic storytelling, and will transition from writing short prose sequences to crafting short screenplays. In addition, students will write a ten-page autobiography that will be used as source material for writing scenes and sequences, and for story idea inspiration. The capstone project will be a five-minute script that they will direct in the spring term of Year One.
The basis of all compelling screenwriting is the ability to develop and convey each writer's individual voice. In this elective class, students will build on their skills developed in FIM 1101 to write longer screenplays suitable for the Year Three and Four student productions. Emphasis will be on writing the longer scripts with the goal of tackling feature-length works. The capstone project will be a polished script for consideration as a Year Three or Four student production in the upcoming academic year. This course is strongly recommended for those students who may be interested in screenwriting as their concentration. Prerequisite: FIM 1101 or permission of instructor.
This two-semester course provides a basic introduction to the art and discipline of storytelling through the directing process, with emphasis on the collaborative process of filmmaking, the fundamentals of visualizing story, and techniques of directing the camera and actor.
This two-semester course provides a basic introduction to the art and discipline of storytelling through the directing process, with emphasis on the collaborative process of filmmaking, the fundamentals of visualizing story, and techniques of directing the camera and actor. FIM 1251 Story, Structure and Vision 3 credits
This course is an invitation to plunge into the art of cinema with curiosity, play, and imagination. We will focus on the essential elements of filmmaking: image, sound, rhythm, and emotion. This is a space to experiment, to take risks, and to learn how stories of every kind can be told with the moving image. Through both theory and practice, this course establishes a foundation for long-term creative growth. FIM 1298 Special Topics in Directing 1 to 3 credits A one-semester course devoted to techniques, methods, and issues of Directing.
This course consists of an examination of the short film in all of its aspects: inspiration, creation, revision and finally production. Students will be exposed to a variety of short films from around the world, in all genres and styles, as an aid to developing their own approach to storytelling via the short form.
A historical survey of American cinema from the late 19th century through the early 21st. This course will delve into the origins of motion pictures in the early silent era and then will focus on the changing technologies and aesthetics throughout the decades. Screenings on multiple formats (including 35 mm film) will highlight the full range of filmmaking in the United States: narrative fiction; documentary shorts and features; various styles of animated, avant-garde, and experimental films; as well as trailers, newsreels, and home movies. FIM 1351 Filmmaking Symposium 1 credit
The Filmmaking Symposium course provides both practical and theoretical knowledge, fostering growth as professionals in the filmmaking industry by providing the opportunity to meet, interact, and work with a wide range of guest artists from across the filmmaking industry and within the arts. Guests will share their work and knowledge about the creative process, career building, and other valuable insights. Students will interact with guests on creative prompts, topical discussions, and career exploration. Symposium brings together voices from across the creative spectrum – fine artists, alumni, activists, poets, filmmakers, researchers and educators – to explore our roles as creatives. Through a mix of lectures, screenings, presentations and discussions, we’ll focus on developing your unique voice and vision while deepening your awareness of the cultural impact of your work.
In Year One, the School of Filmmaking student will take a production design class to learn how to see, a cinematography class to learn how to paint with light, screenwriting to be able to recognize conflict on the page - and in the producing discipline, our students will learn to define that vision and lead the process from development, pre-production, production, post, marketing and distribution, no matter the medium they are working in. Students will learn the role of the creative producer as well as physical production - breaking down a script, budgeting and scheduling, and the relationship between all keys on set as well as in post-production. This year-long course is an overview for what is to come as a producing major at the School of Filmmaking.
In Year One, the School of Filmmaking student will take a production design class to learn how to see, a cinematography class to learn how to paint with light, screenwriting to be able to recognize conflict on the page - and in the producing discipline, our students will learn to define that vision and lead the process from development, pre-production, production, post, marketing and distribution, no matter the medium they are working in. Students will learn the role of the creative producer as well as physical production - breaking down a script, budgeting and scheduling, and the relationship between all keys on set as well as in post-production. This year-long course is an overview for what is to come as a producing major at the School of Filmmaking. FIM 1451 Safety and Set Protocols 1 credit
The Safety and Set Protocols course provides students with essential knowledge and skills in safety procedures and set protocols within the film Industry. Students will explore industry standards, regulations, and best practices to ensure the safety of personnel, equipment, and the environment on set and during production. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the roles and responsibilities of crew members in maintaining a safe working environment and executing effective set protocols. FIM 1498 Special Topics in Producing 1 to 3 credits A one-semester course devoted to techniques, methods, and issues of Producing.
The history, theory, and practice of picture editing from Muybridge to modern times. The student will learn the evolution of film editing and carry out practical exercises. In this class, the student will be introduced to Final Cut Pro, and be expected to cut a dialogue scene and special FX.
The focus of this class is on the techniques and aesthetics of picture editing. Individual scenes and full-length films are analyzed with close attention to story arc, how characters are developed and crafted through editing choices, and how an editor uses pacing, shot selection, sounds and music to create drama and emotional impact.
This class is designed to take the Year One students and guide them through the first critical steps of preparing a successful soundtrack experience. It is a practical workshop focusing on the “sound design” of the film, starting with pre-production through to final mix. This class will include basic techniques and protocols of production sound recording, as well as professional hands-on instruction with digital recording equipment. Students will also be instructed in various microphones and their pickup patterns.
Fundamentals of Cinematography is an introduction to the tools, equipment and terminology of the cinematographer. The course will include: hands-on instruction in the use of the basic grip and lighting equipment; an introduction to the camera and sound equipment used on first-year projects; introduction to crew positions, on-set procedures and protocol, composition, basic lighting, film cameras and film stocks, exposure, filters and more.
A supervised work experience on a professional film or television production outside of UNCSA, through which a student applies the knowledge and skills learned in course work to on-the-job assignments and responsibilities. The number of credits varies according to the nature and scope of the internship. The validity of any Professional Internship will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Graded Pass/Fail.
This two-part screenwriting course will explore techniques for creating strong three-act story structure, which forms the backbone of feature screenplays. In the fall, students will select, analyze and create the main building blocks used to develop strong narrative drive and learn outlining techniques for their first full-length script, as well as complete the first act of a feature script. In the spring semester, students will complete Acts 2 and 3 and explore the impact of deep characterization on plot and structure.
This two-part screenwriting course will explore techniques for creating strong three-act story structure, which forms the backbone of feature screenplays. In the fall, students will select, analyze and create the main building blocks used to develop strong narrative drive and learn outlining techniques for their first full-length script, as well as complete the first act of a feature script. In the spring semester students will complete Acts 2 and 3 and explore the impact of deep characterization on plot and structure.
This two-semester course will give aspiring directors an opportunity to build upon their knowledge of traditional narrative techniques, and to expand this understanding through the study and practice of various methods and forms of visual storytelling. In the Fall Semester, students in Directing Workshop will engage in development and reproduction of a short 7-minute video project; in the Spring Semester, they will direct principal photography and supervise post-production, as well as participate as crew-members on classmates' projects.
This two-semester course will give aspiring directors an opportunity to build upon their knowledge of traditional narrative techniques, and to expand this understanding through the study and practice of various methods and forms of visual storytelling. In the Fall Semester, students in Directing Workshop will engage in development and preproduction of a short 7-minute video project; in the Spring Semester, they will direct principal photography and supervise post-production, as well as participate as crew-members on classmates' projects.
A survey course of international film classics from around the globe: touchstone motion pictures produced from the silent era to the turn of the 21st-century. The goals of this course are multi-fold, not the least of which is to broaden the students' viewing experience beyond contemporary Hollywood product, thus becoming more well-informed filmmakers. The course will look at these films' cultural, historical, and theoretical or aesthetic contexts, and students will learn to use a critical and analytical vocabulary through which to articulate how these films function as both artistic and social statements - that is, as works of film-art that speak to the human condition.
This course will cover the role of the creative producer from the development of your idea, pitching your project, writing a log line, writing coverage, and developing a screenplay specifically designed for the short film format to develop your slate of films to produce at the School of Filmmaking. You will be exploring your own voice as a filmmaker, realizing why you choose to make the kind of films you do. We will also learn about the legal aspects of developing a film project.
This producing workshop will provide the Year Two Student Filmmaker with the necessary skills to take on the responsibilities and duties of a producer at the School of Filmmaking, including the creative process and the production process, with particular attention paid to the upcoming Spring Semester production. You will learn how to be an effective leader, how to schedule and budget your films, lock locations, negotiate deals, manage your crew as well as your heads of all departments.
This course will provide a place for Year Two students to learn and practice the process of creative collaboration on a film. From idea generation to the selection process, students will acquire the most important tool in their artistic toolbox: the ability to collaborate creatively with their peers across disciplines.
This course will give students an opportunity to build on their knowledge of traditional narrative technique and expand their understanding through the exploration of various methods and forms of visual storytelling. Students will increase their understanding of the role and specific functions of the various Heads of Department on a film production. The second half of the course will consist of screenings and in-class analyses of rough cuts of the students' second year productions. Students will practice how to give and receive thoughtful, in-depth, and constructive critique of each other's projects with the aim of helping each student improve their creative work and achieve their artistic intention.
Students will engage in a series of practical exercises designed to deepen their understanding of the editor's sense of dynamic motion and individual "moments" within a scene that create meaning and significance. In addition, this class will concentrate on developing the student's understanding of micro-movements and gestures of the human face, in order to better understand emotion and acting. The class will also focus on increasing the student's command of Final Cut Pro software.
This class builds on FIM 2601, and continues to explore new ways of seeing, through more practical exercises and examples from classical cinema, photography, painting, and the other arts. The class will continue with the practical exploration of the contribution of sound and how it affects picture. An introduction to the Pro Tools software and sound recording techniques will also be a part of the course.
Building on the fundamentals taught in Year One, this workshop explores in more detail many of the key aspects of shooting both film and digital. In-class exercises involve lighting and shooting with the most current digital cameras. Course content includes the analysis and break-down of the script, balancing lighting for exterior and interior shooting situations, the use of gels to affect lighting, lab procedures, and special processing techniques. Additional instruction covers the aesthetics of cinematography, as well as safe practices of camera, grip and electric work, understanding the "look" of various film stocks, the visual effect of different film lenses, camera blocking, color timing, and advanced camera movement.
Building on the learning outcomes accomplished in Cinematography Workshop I, this hands-on workshop explores in more detail many of the key aspects of shooting both film and digital. Students will also work with their faculty member to discuss location issues, lighting style, shot selection, etc., in preparation to shoot the Year Two 7-minute project.
This lab class will provide one-on-one mentoring for each student enrolled in FIM 2802: Cinematography Workshop II, during the pre-production, production and post-production of the spring semester 7-minute video project. In addition to shooting at least one of the Year 2 spring projects, the cinematography candidate must also serve as first assistant cameraman or gaffer on at least one additional spring term project.
Building on the skills learned in Year Two, students will explore various aspects of creating strong feature scripts in this two-part course. In the fall, students will generate and evaluate ideas using classic genres as a springboard, and then enhance their ability to develop those ideas by working with a writing partner. In the Spring Semester, students will workshop the first 50 pages of each other's features, making appropriate corrections on each other's scripts, and writing evaluation notes for each workshop submission.
Building on the skills learned in Year Two, students will explore various aspects of creating strong feature scripts in this two-part course. In the fall, students will generate and evaluate ideas using classic genres as a springboard, and then enhance their ability to develop those ideas by working with a writing partner. In the Spring Semester, students will workshop the first 50 pages of each other's features, making appropriate corrections on each other's scripts, and writing evaluation notes for each workshop submission.
Students will further explore techniques to enhance their writing through the study of styles and formats. In the Fall semester, students will focus on the impact of cinematic storytelling and alternative narrative structure; in the Spring Semester, students will develop a documentary as well as a spec TV script.
Students will further explore techniques to enhance their writing through the study of styles and formats. In the Fall Semester, students will focus on the impact of cinematic storytelling and alternative narrative structure; in the Spring Semester, students will develop a documentary as well as a spec TV script.
The first part of a two semester course sequence in which students will work with their screenwriting mentor to conceive and execute a feature screenplay, including the initial pitch, a first, second and third act outline, as well as a rough draft of each act.
The second part of a two semester course sequence in which students will work with their screenwriting mentor to complete a rough draft of the entire feature script, demonstrating command of visual storytelling, setting, dialogue, emotional tone and story resolution techniques.
In this two-semester series of courses, Year Three Directing students will learn the tools and techniques that enable a greater understanding of the actor's needs and processes in order to better communicate effectively with actors and thereby get performances that serve the filmmaker's vision.
In this two-semester series of courses, Year Three Directing students will learn the tools and techniques that enable a greater understanding of the actor's needs and processes in order to better communicate effectively with actors and thereby get performances that serve the filmmaker's vision.
In this two-semester series of courses, Year Three Directing students will study in depth the core principals of effective visual storytelling via not only the creatively written word on paper but also through the use of space, composition, and color. Students will also develop their ability to pitch a project to a potential financier or creative element (i.e., actor, DP, editor, etc.), as well as sharpen their skills in telling a story effectively and efficiently, from concept to practice. Primary among these directing skills is the understanding of intention, interpretation, and performance of the text by the actor. Students will learn how an actor interprets the text, and how an actor can inform the material in a productive way.
In this two-semester series of courses, Year Three Directing students will study in depth the core principals of effective visual storytelling via not only the creatively written word on paper but also through the use of space, composition, and color. Students will also develop their ability to pitch a project to a potential financier or creative element (i.e., actor, DP, editor, etc.), as well as sharpen their skills in telling a story effectively and efficiently, from concept to practice. Primary among these directing skills is the understanding of intention, interpretation, and performance of the text by the actor. Students will learn how an actor interprets the text, and how an actor can inform the material in a productive way.
This practicum develops directing students' skills in all phases of production leading to their Year Three student film. Students work closely with their faculty mentors during script development, preproduction, production, and postproduction processes.
This practicum continues to develop the directing student's skills in all phases of production required to successfully complete their Year Three film. Student Directors work closely with their faculty mentors during the entire script development, preproduction, production and post-production processes. FIM 3298 Special Topics in Directing 1 to 3 credits A one-semester course devoted to techniques, methods, and issues of directing.
FIM 3330The History of Experimental & Stop-Motion Animation3
Some of the most experimental work ever done in the film medium has originated in animation. This class will look at experimental animation, and its successor, stop-motion animation, from the earliest beginnings of cinema to current practitioners like Aardman Studios and Henry Selick, and will include both American and international work.
This Cinema Studies course will explore the evolution of documentary motion pictures from the birth of the film medium to the present day explosion of nonfiction programming, thanks to cable television. Over the course of the semester, we will screen and discuss a variety of nonfiction styles, the many varied purposes to which documentary can be put, and the ethical issues raised by this mode of production.
In this class, we will screen diverse narrative features that exhibit a variety of realist approaches: some that focus on an external reality, others that attribute a level of reality to the realm of the fantastic, and still others that present the inner-reality of dreams. At the same time, we will read essays by various film historians and critics, as well as a number of essays about visual art and literature, since narrative cinema necessarily borrows techniques of visual representation and storytelling from these other art forms.
This course will focus on two extremely popular approaches to cinematic storytelling: adaptations and reflexive films. We will read the source material upon which various film adaptations were based, screen these films, and discuss the various theoretical and practical issues surrounding screen adaptation from other media; we will also screen diverse reflexive films, and discuss the literary as well as filmic techniques of reflexivity.
During the late 1950s and early '60s, a number of French film critics and other artists turned to filmmaking, with enormously creative and widely influential results. This class will survey the historical context, films, and filmmakers of the movement aptly called the "French New Wave." Over the course of the term, we will look closely at the aesthetic and cultural context of this break-through film movement, and how these filmmakers expressed their artistic as well as political concerns via the medium of film.
In this class, we will screen films that exhibit a diverse range of cinematic styles. At the same time, we'll read a number of essays by a variety of filmmakers, film historians, and aestheticians, which will not only provide you with various analytical "lenses" through which to look at and discuss these films, but also furnish you with multiple ways of thinking about your own filmmaking practice; hence the course title "Practical Aesthetics" - theories about film that are relevant to creative film production practice.
FIM 3338Cinema Studies Seminar: Theory, Criticism, Aesthetics3
This course will cover the key texts of classical and contemporary film theory and criticism, as well as the academic debates surrounding them. Various films will be screened each week to help ground our study of theory with the theorist's object of study.
This course will introduce the student to the history and variety of animated films made throughout the world, from the beginning of the 20th century through to the present day. Starting with the dominant American animators, students will watch the evolution of animation stylists, particularly Walt Disney, the Fleischers, Pixar and Laika. Special attention will be paid to the competing styles exhibited by Warner Bros. legendary cartoonists Tex Avery, Robert Clampett and Chuck Jones, the MGM cartoonists Bill Hannah and Joe Barbera, and the other 1950s styles of Paramount/Famous Studios and UPA. Students will then study the evolution of international animators such as Jan Svankmajer, the Brothers Quay, Norman McLaren and Hiyao Miyazaki. Much of the course will focus on the differences between Hollywood and these more artistically and socially driven cartoons. By the conclusion of this class, students will have a clear understanding of the artistic evolution in both American and international cel and digital animation.
Do ethics and filmmaking have to be an oxymoron? Can we find a path to ethical behavior and values in a competitive, sometimes morally questionable business? The philosophical background, social context and pragmatic impact of making sound ethical choices will be explored, on both a personal level and using professional examples. Among the films to be screened to illustrate ethical dilemmas and choices will be Set It Off, JFK, Hurricane, Thank You For Smoking and Saw, along with other illuminating works that will help students establish their own ethical boundaries.
This course examines a style of American filmmaking of the 1940s and '50s that relied on high contrast cinematography, postwar confusion on gender roles, and the prominence of the urban environment. To understand both the roots and the evolution of the genre, films made in the United States and Great Britain from 1945-1955 will be screened and analyzed, as will Neo-Noir movies made by subsequent generations of filmmakers.
FIM 3345Black & White: Race and Image in American Cinema3
This course consists of an examination of the depiction of African-Americans in American films from the industry's inception to present day, as well as an examination of films made by black filmmakers for the African-American audience, and ultimately, a global marketplace. The depiction of blacks in Hollywood films from 1914 until the late 1960s, and especially in culturally significant films such as Gone with the Wind, was marked by radical racial stereotyping and objectification into familiar cultural categories, such as the Big Buck, the Uncle Tom, the Mammy, the Hot Mama and Pickaninny Children. The search for authentic black expression of genuine black experience led to the first films by mainstream African-American filmmakers in the early 1970s, followed by the blaxploitation era and then the rise of African-American auteurs such as Spike Lee and Tyler Perry, who resonantly explore contemporary and historical black life.
All too often, the decade of the 1970s is characterized by three films and three filmmakers: The Godfather and Francis Coppola, Jaws and Steven Spielberg, Star Wars and George Lucas. The 1970s as a distinct period represented a renaissance in American filmmaking, the rise of the "New Hollywood," and the emergence of exciting directors such as Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Brian DePalma, Gordon Parks, Jr., John Cassavetes, and Robert Altman, among others. Among the films to be screened and analyzed are Mean Streets, Badlands, Superfly, Nashville and A Woman Under The Influence, along with other significant and lesser-known works of the period.
The content of this course consists in an in-depth study of the cinematic work of writer-producer-directors Ethan and Joel Coen, viewed within the context of the key influences on their work by other films and filmmakers ranging from Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch to Carol Reed and Akira Kurosawa.
This elective delves deep into the critically acclaimed DVD collection curated by the Criterion programmers as the basis for weekly online screenings. Each student enrolled in the class then meets with the professor on an individual basis to discuss each film and related readings. This course is graded "Pass/Fail.
For the student who has been accepted into the Producing program, this course will explore the many and varied duties of the producer outside UNCSA - in the Hollywood studio system as well as the independent film market. There will be more of an emphasis on the development process and the practical art of negotiating the deal, writing deal memos, life rights issues, the development and pre-production process. Other topics include the role of agents, managers and lawyers, copyright laws, financing alternatives, music rights and clearances, and how to speak effectively to your director, editor, and composer.
Picking up where we left off at the end of the fall semester's course material covering creative development, we will begin to explore other topics with an emphasis on what happens during production and after post-production, including how to communicate effectively with the studio or your financiers, as well as marketing, advertising and distribution concerns around the world. Special emphasis will be placed on developing, pitching and budgeting the Year Three School of Filmmaking productions.
FIM 3431Above- and Below-the-Line Budgets & Schedules2
In this class student producers will learn that there is a difference between real-world budgets and the budgets of UNCSA film productions, because of the many production costs provided by the School of Filmmaking. Students will learn how to use EP Budgeting & Scheduling software (the film and television industry standard) and actually budget and schedule a feature film screenplay as if they were line producing the feature themselves. This course will cover the unions (SAG, IATSE, WGA, DGA, FICA, Pension, Health & Welfare, Workers Comp, etc.), how they function, and how to incorporate that information into a budget with EP B&S software. This course will provide Year Three producing students with the skills needed to organize big-budget films with many shooting days and large crews that move around from location to location, all the while being clear about the end-product being created.
In this Year Three producing class, you will learn about the purpose of a market research screening and how to organize one. Since the significant rise in the cost of marketing and distributing a film, this class will cover all the tools necessary to understand the practical elements needed to bring your film to market and the alternative choices to fit into your budget: TV/radio spots, trailers, posters, and internet marketing through social networking. The course will also give you an overview of the many ways to approach your marketing plans for short films, TV series, and webisodes.
In this practicum students will work directly with producing mentors on their Year Three production. Producing mentors will guide their mentees through development, preproduction, production, post-production as well as the marketing and advertising aspects of their Year Three production.
A continuation of students' one-on-one work with their producing mentor, as Year Three Producing students move through development, preproduction, production, post-production, as well as the marketing and advertising aspects of their Year Three production. FIM 3498 Special Topics in Producing 1 to 3 credits A one-semester course devoted to techniques, methods, and issues of producing.
Year 3 students in the Interdisciplinary Production program may work on Year 3 and Year 4 projects in a capacity to be determined on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with their mentor. The goal of this two-semester practicum is to provide the interdisciplinary student with individualized mentorship and hands-on experience in the making of a short project on schedule and with extensive peer collaboration.
Year 3 students in the Interdisciplinary Production program may work on Year 3 and Year 4 projects in a capacity to be determined on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with their mentor. The goal of this two-semester practicum is to provide the interdisciplinary student with individualized mentorship and hands-on experience in the making of a short project on schedule and with extensive peer collaboration.
Through this year-long course, the editing student will become more proficient with Final Cut Pro. The fall semester will utilize project-based training through cutting exercises with stock footage. This course will provide in-depth analysis of narrative and non-narrative films by examining film form, narrative structure, style, aspects of mise-en-scene, continuity editing and its alternatives, and dimensions of film sound. In the Spring Semester, students will be introduced to the Avid editing system. We shall also analyze the 3rd year film projects, focusing on creative restructuring, modulating mood, and editing around performance, if necessary. The editing student will learn to mine the unseen potential inherent in the footage.
Building upon the work done in Intermediate Picture Editing I, this course continues the Year Three editing students' training on Final Cut Pro, and also introduces them to the Avid editing system. In this class, picture editing students learn to mine the unseen potential inherent in the footage. In-class projects include analysis of the Year Three student film projects, focusing on creative restructuring, modulating mood, and editing around performance when necessary.
Building upon the sound design instruction in Years One and Two, the fall semester of this class will further explore the Pro Tools platform and professional techniques of production sound recording, sound editing, and re-recording processes. In the spring semester, students will develop as filmmakers, storytellers, and artists, through step-by-step development and design of their student film sound tracks. The student will discover the creative possibilities in the narrative by dissecting and rebuilding the production track. The course will look at editing the dialogue, alternate takes, cueing ADR, designing backgrounds, Foley, sound effects, and music.
Building upon the work done in Intermediate Sound Design I, this course continues the Year Three editing students' journey as filmmakers, storytellers, and artists, through step-by-step development and design of their Year Three student film sound tracks. The course focuses on dialogue editing, alternate takes, cueing ADR, designing backgrounds, Foley, sound effects, and music. Through dissecting and rebuilding the production track in different ways, students discover various creative possibilities in sound design.
This practicum provides Year Three editing students the one-on-one faculty mentorship through which they will hone and refine their editorial skills and artistry, as they apply these skills to their Year Three productions.
In this Practicum editing students will continue to work one-on-one with faculty mentors to hone and refine their editorial skills and artistry and apply these skills to their Year Three productions.
In this elective course for students outside the Screenwriting concentration, students will learn how to outline and write a feature screenplay, whether original material or adaptation. Students will be required to turn in weekly pages (including revisions thereof) for workshopping in class. By permission of Instructor. Prerequisite(s); Enrollment by permission of instructor.
Students will adapt traditional screenwriting techniques to writing for emerging media, including gaming, digital shorts, PSAs, and music videos Students will learn how these forms will shape storytelling techniques, how to recognize trends in future media and technological venues, and how students can continue to learn to write for new forms. The capstone assignment will be to create and complete a writing project for one of the emerging media venues.
Students will learn both about the TV and documentary business and learn techniques for writing in both media. Central focus will be given to writing strong spec scripts both for television series and documentaries, which are the primary means for obtaining entry-level jobs. Students will also explore techniques for doing original primary research. The capstone project will be either a spec script or a documentary outline, depending on the student's individual career goals.
In this elective course, students will learn to master the survival tactics necessary for a successful career in the film and television industries. Techniques in business acumen, social know-how, and professional attire will be demonstrated through mock situations. Collaboration with fellow classmates is a key element in all these simulations. By the end of the semester, students should feel confident that they will be able to chart and navigate a successful course in the entertainment industry.
The purpose of this directing elective is to further develop storytelling skills, including the ability to pitch a project to a potential financier or creative element (i.e., actor, DP, editor, etc.), as well as to sharpen the director's skills in telling a story effectively and efficiently. Student directors will hone their powers of script analysis and development of concepts. In order to help shape the filmmaker's approach to directing or rewriting someone else's material, it is important to know how to analyze that material, i.e., what questions to ask in order to define or clarify theme, tone and ultimately narrative elements of the story. This class will explore the craft elements of suspense, mystery and dramatic irony. The approach to storytelling taken in this course is not a law in every case, but it is a classic form and a touchstone from which one may stray; but of course one must first understand the form before one can depart from it, in an effort to evade an audience's expectations. Prerequisite(s): Enrollment by permission of instructor.
Taught by Peter Bogdanovich and using Who the Devil Made it?, his seminal anthology of interviews with classic film directors as the text for the course, this class will entail screenings and close analysis of films by these various directors, their narrative concerns, aesthetic approaches, and practical methods from preproduction through post.
As the world of production and distribution adjusts to the new distribution and marketing avenues via the internet, this elective course will cover the concepts of making films for the shorter format, with an emphasis on using all the new tools available to the young filmmaker to attract an audience for those films.
This course will demonstrate the tried and true rules of what makes a film in the horror/creature feature/thriller genre work. We will examine a select group of these films from the development of the screenplay through production, focusing on what we come to expect and what makes these movies feel fresh - what works and what feels like a rehash of old ideas.
This elective will focus on protocol and procedures, safety, equipment, terminology and the basics of electricity and lighting. Topics will include power distribution and load balancing, generator use, dollies, rigging, vehicles and other related aspects of production.
This survey course will explore two specialized forms of contemporary film production: music videos and commercials, including spot advertisements created in the Public Service. In technology and film craft, these purpose-driven shorts have much in common with theatrical features. Yet the creative challenges they pose are often uniquely different. This course is open to all students regardless of concentration, and whether or not they wish to tackle the promotional short subject as their production in Year Four; it is, however, a required prerequisite for any student planning to make such a short for his/her Year Four project.
FIM 3755The Image & Internal Space-Time Continuum I2
This course is an exploration of the moving image freed from quotidian isolation. By investigating the expression of communication between external stimuli and internal responses, the students will create short works of artistic integrity. These visual and aural exercises are designed to lead to the deeper awareness of how we shape and are shaped by images. Students may take each of these classes twice for credit.
FIM 3756The Image & Internal Space-Time Continuum II2
This course is an exploration of the moving image freed from quotidian isolation. By investigating the expression of communication between external stimuli and internal responses, the students will create short works of artistic integrity. These visual and aural exercises are designed to lead to the deeper awareness of how we shape and are shaped by images. Students may take each of these classes twice for credit.
A documentary's story is crafted in editing. In this year-long elective course, each student will develop his or her potential as a documentary filmmaker. In the fall semester, students will cut together a documentary from pre-existing footage provided by the instructor. Students will also begin doing research on another nonfiction narrative concept of their choosing, and then write a proposal/treatment for that short project. In the Spring Semester, students will then team up to shoot and edit their short documentary. Prerequisite(s): Enrollment is limited and by permission of instructor.
A documentary's story is crafted in editing. In this year-long elective course, each student will develop his or her potential as a documentary filmmaker. In the fall semester, students will cut together a documentary from pre-existing footage provided by the instructor. Students will also begin doing research on another nonfiction narrative concept of their choosing, and then write a proposal/treatment for that short project. In the spring semester, students will then team up to shoot and edit their short documentary. Prerequisite(s): Enrollment is limited and by permission of instructor.
An extremely hands-on course in which the students work in teams to learn the art form of creating custom sound effects: footsteps, cloth movement, and props.
FIM 3764Multichannel Recording Techniques and Automation2
Utilizing our Scoring Stage, this course will focus on multichannel recording techniques and the techniques of Pro Tools advanced automation. Students will become familiar with state-of-the-art multi-track music recording equipment and software. Enrollment by permission of instructor.
Camera operating is to lighting what drawing is to painting. It is the scaffolding upon which the structure of cinematography is mounted. Because of this primary function, all cameramen must at least be exposed to operating if they have any hope of mastering their craft. This course is designed to give students that exposure and, by the end of the year, the confidence in their ability to make the camera look steadily and beautifully at what is happening before it. Prerequisite(s): successful completion of FIM 2802. Strongly recommended for Year Three cinematographers; this elective course may be taken twice for credit.
This course will teach students the different lighting styles for three of the major commercial areas: automotive, people, and product. Using the "Chapel Street House," Film Village, Stage 6 and on-campus street locations, we will explore different ways to create realistic and dramatic lighting for hypothetical commercial spots. Much of the work that cinematographers face in their upcoming Spring-semester projects will be covered in this class.
This seminar is designed to teach the art of cinematography by studying individual cinematographers who are considered by many to be masters of their craft. Much attention will be paid to the artistry, craftsmanship and style of each cinematographer's body of work. We will also attempt to research and study how each cinematographer's professional career has developed. Attention will also be given to the regular crews of camera, grip and electric departments that each cinematographer works with on a regular basis. In-depth studies of cinematographers will be presented by both the instructor and each student.
Taught by Thomas Ackerman, A.S.C., this class traces the evolution of one cinematographer's career. However, it is intended for all who seek their livelihood in the motion picture trade. Insightful lecture content will accompany lively class dialogue and screenings of Mr. Ackerman's work. Three topics will be explored on a regular basis: collaboration with key creative partners, the functional sociology of a movie set, and career strategies in a volatile and unpredictable business. As schedule permits, question-and-answer sessions will be arranged between the class and filmmakers with who Mr. Ackerman has worked over the years.
This elective course will trace the beginnings of motion picture stereography, including the 1950's "revival" that was seen as a way to combat the popularity of television programming. The evolution of equipment and production methods will be studied, from early examples to the revolutionary technologies now in use on ground-breaking films like Avatar. In-class exercises will give each student the opportunity to put stereographic theories and practices to the test. Vendors will provide a range of cameras, lenses, and support systems currently available to the stereographer.
This elective course, offered in partnership with the School of Filmmaking Directing program and the School of Drama, offers an opportunity to re-imagine narrative scenes from existing motion pictures. In collaboration with student directors, you will gain a deeper understanding of the actor's process. Effective stagecraft will be studied in depth, in addition to lighting requirements, the importance of shot listing, and editorial continuity.
This year-long course introduces Year Three cinematographers to the vast creative potential of motion picture photography. Following a technical indoctrination in the first and second years of the program, students now begin their journey as artists. Building on the entry-level skills they have acquired, they will learn to think and act in visual terms. Images will be studied in terms of their depth, dimension, color, rhythm, and tonal separation. Students will be encouraged to practice cinematography as a holistic process in which the final image is the sum of many parts.
FIM 3812Aesthetics & Control: Making the Image II3
This year-long course introduces Year Three cinematographers to the vast creative potential of motion picture photography. Following a technical indoctrination in the first and second years of the program, students now begin their journey as artists. Building on the entry-level skills they have acquired, they will learn to think and act in visual terms. Images will be studied in terms of their depth, dimension, color, rhythm, and tonal separation. Students will be encouraged to practice cinematography as a holistic process in which the final image is the sum of many parts.
FIM 3821Intermediate Cinematography: Shooting Film2
This course will build upon the foundations introduced in Years One and Two, expanding the cinematography students' understanding of the procedures, methods and technical requirements of fiction and nonfiction film production. The course goal is to prepare the student cinematographer for shooting on motion picture film, as opposed to digital acquisition. Students will be instructed in the use of the Arriflex SR-2 and SR-3 16mm sound cameras, which they will use to shoot their Year Three and Year Four film projects, and be familiarized with fiction and nonfiction film lighting, exposure and camera techniques.
FIM 3822Cinematography & Production Design: The Essential Partnership2
Cinematographers and production designers cannot produce their best work in a vacuum. This class will promote robust communication and common ground between the two disciplines. Year Three cinematographers and production designers will each come to appreciate the methods of the other, thus achieving a more powerful on-screen partnership. Working with state of the art pre-visualization tools, students will come to understand the ways in which a Director of Photography collaborates with the Designer to achieve a common vision. Traditional as well as cutting edge methods will be studied, including effective micro-budget strategies that can produce beautiful yet affordable results on screen.
This practicum provides experience in the making of short narrative films on both location and sound stages, with limited budgets and extensive peer collaboration. Year Three cinematographers will crew on Year Four film productions, as well as prepare for their own Year Three Spring Semester film project. Students will be expected to crew on at least two Year Four films in the camera, grip and lighting crew positions. As the Spring Semester approaches, students will meet with their mentor to discuss the preproduction and production of their Spring Semester film or video project.
In this practicum, Year Three Cinematographers will continue to work closely with their faculty mentors as they prepare and then execute their Year Three film or video project. Cinematography students will also meet with their mentors to discuss lighting style, shot selection, film stock, filters, etc., in preparation for their Year Four productions. Course content will also include evaluation of dailies from ongoing student projects.
An Independent Study is a course of individualized work proposed by a student to a faculty member on subject matter of particular interest to the student but not currently available within the existing curricula. In order to register for an Independent Study, you must receive written permission from the faculty member under whose guidance you will be working. The “Independent Study Approval Form” is available on uncsafilm.net. Once the individualized plan of study is delineated on the form, and all signatures and therefore permissions are obtained, you must bring the completed form to the Assistant Dean of Academics in the School of Filmmaking, after which you may register for the course. Be sure to enroll in your guiding faculty member's section number of 4088.
A supervised work experience on a professional film or television production outside of UNCSA, through which a student applies the knowledge and skills learned in course work to on-the-job assignments and responsibilities. The number of credits varies according to the nature and scope of the internship. The validity of any Professional Internship will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Graded Pass/Fail.
Building on storytelling skills learned in Year Three, students will explore various techniques of adaptation, i.e., different approaches to transforming a variety of original source material for the screen. In this series of classes, Year Four screenwriters will also learn how to prepare their final drafts so that they are ready for the professional marketplace.
Building on storytelling skills learned in Year Three, students will explore various techniques of adaptation, i.e., different approaches to transforming a variety of original source material for the screen. In this series of classes, Year Four screenwriters will also learn how to prepare their final drafts so that they are ready for the professional marketplace.
In conjunction with their other Year Four classes, screenwriting students will learn both external career strategies and internal emotional preparation necessary for each step of their professional development. In the fall, students will identify short-term, medium-term and long-term goals, and learn how to research the kind of specific information needed to create a targeted action plan. In the spring, students will focus on writing story documents and exploring in detail the various stages and expectations of the script development process.
In conjunction with their other Year Four classes, screenwriting students will learn both external career strategies and internal emotional preparation necessary for each step of their professional development. In the fall, students will identify short-term, medium-term and long-term goals, and learn how to research the kind of specific information needed to create a targeted action plan. In the spring, students will focus on writing story documents and exploring in detail the various stages and expectations of the script development process.
In this practicum students will work with their screenwriting mentor to complete their Year Four feature screenplay and begin writing a second screenplay for film or TV. Students will be expected to complete a polished treatment or outline for their second screenplay. Students will also complete a series of outside assignments, such as attending a variety of UNCSA performances.
In this practicum students will continue to work with their screenwriting mentor to complete their Year Four feature screenplay and a completed outline or polished treatment for a second screenplay for film or TV. Students will also complete a series of outside assignments, such as attending a variety of UNCSA performances.
In this two-semester series of classes, Year Four Directing students will screen and analyze the works of established film directors, as well as develop and write (in the Fall) and direct (in the Spring) their own short Dogme '95 projects, placing firm focus on story and actor performance.
This course provides Year Four Directing students the opportunity to direct their own short projects built upon their screenplays written in the Fall Semester, which place firm focus on story and actor performance.
This course will focus on the study of various filmmakers from around the world who have been influenced by different philosophical trends, artistic movements, or political issues, and who have used the motion picture medium to communicate these ideas/issues to a broader public.
This capstone course in the Directing concentration will provide graduating Year Four students with a practical, real-world guide to taking their first steps into "the industry." Through research projects as well as conversations with established professionals (both in person and via teleconference), students will learn about the opportunities and hazards they will encounter on the path to a directing career.
In this practicum students will develop directing skills in all phases of production leading to their Year Four film project. Students will work closely with their faculty mentors during the entire script development, preproduction, production, and postproduction processes. Students not selected to direct a Year Four production will be evaluated on their participation in another film school project.
In this practicum students will continue to work closely with their faculty mentors during the script development, preproduction, production, and postproduction processes of their Year Four film. Students not selected to direct a Year Four production will be evaluated on their participation in another film school project.
This class focuses on how a motion picture studio functions and how producers operate within that system. The course covers how the departments within the studio (acquisitions, production, and marketing) work together to maintain a regular supply of movies into theaters around the world and how studios break down a story to identify value, develop and market their projects.
A practical guide to taking your first steps into the real world of filmmaking. We will explore all the different paths to a career in filmmaking, whether making your way up the ladder in Hollywood or as an independent filmmaker. This course will look at all the practical options available and prepare you for your transition into the profession.
This two-semester class will cover independent financing and international co-productions, and will provide an in-depth look at the numerous ways of independently financing a film, including equity, soft money, bank loans, gap financing, foreign sales, tax incentives, etc. We will also be looking at the opportunities that international co-productions provide for financing your independent film. This course will examine the various windows and sources of revenue streams; how to make your money back on the cost of production and how the revenue is split up in the back-end. The course will give you an in-depth understanding of alternative forms of distribution, from four-walling your own distribution, to film markets, foreign sales and direct-to-TV or DVD deals.
This two-semester class will cover independent financing and international co-productions, and will provide an in-depth look at the numerous ways of independently financing a film, including equity, soft money, bank loans, gap financing, foreign sales, tax incentives, etc. We will also be looking at the opportunities that international co-productions provide for financing your independent film. This course will examine the various windows and sources of revenue streams; how to make your money back on the cost of production and how the revenue is split up in the back-end. The course will give you an in-depth understanding of alternative forms of distribution, from four-walling your own distribution, to film markets, foreign sales and direct-to-TV or DVD deals.
This is a one semester course designed to cover the logistical aspects of post-production supervision in managing workflow, from editing through the delivery of both the digital elements of picture and sound as well as document production. The students will review distribution deals and learn about the needs and expectations of a distributor in preparation for marketing and distribution.
In this practicum students will work directly with producing mentors on their Year Four production. Producing mentors will guide their mentees through development, preproduction, production, and postproduction as well as the marketing and advertising aspects of their Year Four production.
Building upon the work accomplished in the Fall Semester, Advanced Producing Practicum II continues the one-on-one engagement between faculty mentors and students. Year Four Producing students carry on the work on the postproduction process, including the marketing and advertising aspects of their student productions.
Year 4 students in the Interdisciplinary Production program may work on Year 3 and Year 4 projects in a capacity to be determined on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with their mentor. The goal of this series of courses is to provide the interdisciplinary student with individualized mentorship and the opportunity to create projects worthy of a professional portfolio.
Year 4 students in the Interdisciplinary Production program may work on Year 3 and Year 4 projects in a capacity to be determined on a case-by-case basis and in consultation with their mentor. The goal of this series of courses is to provide the interdisciplinary student with individualized mentorship and the opportunity to create projects worthy of a professional portfolio.
This course will examine cinematic structures using Stefan Sharff's The Elements of Cinema. Class lectures and discussion will introduce the student to the aesthetic and grammatical components of film, the language used to identify and describe these components, and how they can manipulate, contribute to, enhance, and shape narrative and dramatic element. The course will also utilize the project-based training developed by Avid, including menus, tools and commands, in order for the student to experience the professional workflow of a project.
In this course, Year Four editing students learn the basic steps expected of the Assistant Editor: providing technical and logistical support to the picture department; functioning as lab liason; digitizing and logging footage; organizing ADR, SFX, VFX; creating titles; sound mixing; and creating outputs for the music and sound departments. Students in this class also develop a professional reel of their editorial work.
This class is designed to more thoroughly immerse the student into the world of motion picture sound. The class will discuss the proper techniques of dialog track breakout and editing procedures to achieve both smooth dialog tracks and strategic layout for the re-recording mixer. This class is specifically designed to give the tactical, philosophical as well a practical "hands-on" skills to empower the student to become an accomplished craftsman in the field of motion picture sound as it is practiced in the professional world.
This course examines the sonic characteristics of objects, actions, environments, emotions, and transitions. In this class, Year Four Editing students analyze sound qualities such as rhythm, intensity, pitch, timbre, speed, how they are perceived, and how they elicit emotion. Students also learn how to utilize audio signal pathways to perform EQ, reverb, and noise reduction sound treatment; how to edit the production track as well as music in order to maximize the narrative; design SFX and backgrounds; record and edit Foley.
In this practicum editing students will work one-on-one with faculty mentors to hone and refine their editorial skills and artistry and apply these skills to their Year Four productions.
In this Praticum editing students will work one-on-one with faculty mentors to hone and refine their editorial skills and artistry and apply these skills to their Year Four productions.
This course provides advanced instruction and training in the setup of professional motion picture cameras, along with methods of lighting, metering, camera movement, collaborative teamwork, and set protocol. In-class assignments afford Year Four Cinematography students the opportunity to rotate through all key crew positions while receiving hands-on training with some of the latest motion picture camera and lighting equipment available to the cinematographer today.
Building upon the work accomplished in the Fall Semester, this course continues the hands-on training Year Four Cinematography students require to function efficiently and effectively on set according to industry standards.
This class is designed to complement and expand upon the experience Year Four Cinematography students have gained from their Year Four student production assignments. Through in-class exercises both on interior sets and exterior locations, students work in teams, with each student having the chance to function as Director of Photography, and explore enhanced industry-standard techniques for image formation.
FIM 4832Transition to the Profession: The Freelance Cinematographer2
This course is designed to give Cinematography students insight into the business side of the film and television industries. We will examine labor unions, contracts, wages, taxes, and types of work available to the cinematographer after graduation. Included in this "transition to the profession" course will be the development of each student's reel, resume, and business card.
In this practicum Year Four cinematography students will be involved in the preproduction, production and postproduction of the fall semester Year Four film or video project, or one of the digital short subject projects. Cinematography students will meet in preproduction with their mentor to discuss lighting style, shot selection, film stock, filters, etc., in preparation for production in the Fall Semester. Course content will also include evaluation of dailies from ongoing student productions.
In this practicum Year Four cinematography students will continue to work one-on-one with faculty mentors on their Year Four film project as well as participate as crew on Year Three film productions in the camera, grip and lighting departments. Year Four cinematographers will also work closely with their Year Three counterparts to help them achieve their vision for their Year Three projects.
An Independent Study is a course of individualized work proposed by a student to a faculty member on subject matter of particular interest to the student but not currently available within the existing curricula. In order to take an Independent Study, the student must receive permission from the faculty member under whose guidance s/he will be working. The "Independent Study Approval Form" is available on uncsafilm.net. Once the individualized plan of study is delineated on the form, including credit-hour value and grading mode, and all signatures and therefore permissions are obtained, the student must bring the completed form to the Assistant Dean of Academics in the School of Filmmaking for processing.
A supervised work experience with a professional film or television company outside of UNCSA, through which a student applies the knowledge and skills learned in course work to on-the-job assignments and responsibilities. Proposed internships will be approved by the student's mentor on a case-by-case basis. The number of credits varies according to the nature and scope of the internship. Graded Pass/Fail. FIM 6091 Preparing to Teach 1 credit
per semester This course is designed to introduce students to the art of teaching from theory to practice. Topics include theories of learning, reflective practice, and course and lesson design. Students will gain practical experience in syllabus creation, lesson planning and delivery, and assessment strategies. FIM 6092 Preparing to Teach Practicum 1 credit
per semester This course is designed to provide practical experience with teaching. Students will study a variety of classroom strategies and techniques, observe master teachers in action, and create and deliver their own lessons and portions of lessons.
The School of Filmmaking graduate program offers a variety of courses on topics of special interest, making every effort to respond to both faculty and student interest in the formulation and scheduling of such courses. The number of credit hours and grading mode will vary according to the nature and scope of the subject matter.
This two-semester class will explore the full spectrum of the story development process, from creating an initial concept through writing a first draft. Students will examine both the screenwriting and creative producing point of view, with special emphasis on the intersection of personal passion and marketplace realities. In the Fall Semester, students will identify, create, pitch, develop, and refine their vision. In the Spring, students will focus on writing a first draft of their feature screenplay while exploring classic Three Act as well as alternative structures.
FIM 6102Fundamentals of Cinematic Storytelling II3
This two-semester class will explore the full spectrum of the story development process, from creating an initial concept through writing a first draft. Students will examine both the screenwriting and creative producing point of view, with special emphasis on the intersection of personal passion and marketplace realities. In the Fall Semester, students will identify, create, pitch, develop, and refine their vision. In the Spring, students will focus on writing a first draft of their feature screenplay while exploring classic Three Act as well as alternative structures.
This is a screening-intensive course that focuses on the evolution of episodic narrative through the lens of various genres that American showrunners have developed and codified. We will examine how creators fulfill time-honored genre expectations while also innovating within a genre. The course provides a broad survey of hour and half-hour forms, including (but not limited to) the soap opera, the case-of-the-week procedural, and the sitcom.
Surveying touchstone motion pictures from around the globe, this required Cinema Studies course will familiarize the graduate student to a wide range of narrative fiction feature filmmaking styles from the silent era to the present.
This required Cinema Studies seminar class focuses on the evolution of American cinema through the lens of various genres that American moviemakers largely developed and codified. An understanding of these narrative modes will broaden the graduate students' understanding of film aesthetics, thereby helping them become more well-informed filmmakers.
This course introduces students to the Creative Producer's role in creating and delivering stories that satisfy an audience's simultaneous desire for familiarity as well as surprise. Course material focuses on traditional (theatrical and television [cable and network]) exhibition outlets, in order to inform an understanding of the contemporary media landscape. The course covers story forms, genres, and trends in exhibition; course work includes script review and analysis, industry awareness, and pitching original work.
This course focuses on story forms, genres, and trends in new media exhibition outlets: streaming platforms, social media, and transmedia. Course work includes script review, story analysis, story notes, and the creation of a crowd-funding video.
The Development Process is a two-semester practicum in which students will work individually with their mentors to begin to develop the underlying material for their eventual thesis project (a screenplay for feature film, television pilot, or web series, etc.). In the Fall, students will identify their core vision, choose the production path, and develop a pitch and outline. In the Spring, students will develop a treatment and break down the material for budgeting and scheduling.
The Development Process is a two-semester practicum in which students will work individually with their mentors to begin to develop the underlying material for their eventual thesis project (a screenplay for feature film, television pilot, or web series, etc.). In the Fall, students will identify their core vision, choose the production path, and develop a pitch and outline. In the Spring, students will develop a treatment and break down the material for budgeting and scheduling.
In this two-semester series of courses, students will learn how to write for a TV series, how to write documentaries, and how to adapt original material into dynamic screenplays. In the Fall semester, students will learn about both the TV and documentary business, how to do original primary research, and how to develop both a TV spec script and a documentary. During the Spring semester, students will focus on techniques for adapting stories from one medium to another, including how to analyze a script's narrative in order to convert the story's original intent into its most effective cinematic form. Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of FIM 6102: Fundamentals of Cinematic Storytelling
In this two-semester series of courses, students will learn how to write for a TV series, how to write documentaries, and how to adapt original material into dynamic screenplays. In the Fall semester, students will learn about both the TV and documentary business, how to do original primary research, and how to develop both a TV spec script and a documentary. During the Spring semester, students will focus on techniques for adapting stories from one medium to another, including how to analyze a script's narrative in order to convert the story's original intent into its most effective cinematic form. Prerequisite(s): Successful completion of FIM 7101: Advanced Cinematic Storytelling
A two-semester "transition to the profession" course, focusing on the practical aspects of launching a career as a writer in the film or television industry.
A two-semester "transition to the profession" course, focusing on the practical aspects of launching a career as a writer in the film or television industry. Prerequisite(s): FIM 7111: Career Strategies I
This elective course will introduce the student to the history and variety of animated films made throughout the world, from the beginning of the 20th century through to the present day. Starting with the dominant American animators, we will watch the evolution of animation stylists, particularly Walt Disney, the Fleischers, Pixar and Laika. Special attention will be paid to the competing styles exhibited by Warner Bros. legendary cartoonists Tex Avery, Robert Clampett and Chuck Jones, the MGM cartoonists Bill Hannah and Joe Barbera, and the other 1950s styles of Paramount/Famous Studios and UPA. We will then study the evolution of international animators such as Jan Svankmajer, the Brothers Quay, Norman McLaren and Hiyao Miyazaki. Much of the course will focus on the differences between Hollywood and these more artistically and socially driven cartoons. By the conclusion of this class, students will have a clear understanding of the artistic evolution in both American and international cel and digital animation. This class may fulfill Cinema Studies elective credit for graduate students, who will be required to do advanced work.
FIM 7330The History of Experimental & Stop-Motion Animation3
Some of the most experimental work ever done in the film medium has originated in animation. This class will look at experimental animation, and its successor, stop-motion animation, from the earliest beginnings of cinema to current practitioners like Aardman Studios and Henry Selick, and will include both American and international work.
This Cinema Studies course will explore the evolution of documentary motion pictures from the birth of the fim medium to the present day explosion of nonfiction programming. Over the course of the semester, we will screen and discuss a variety of nonfiction styles, the many varied purposes to which documentary can be put, and the ethical issues raised by this mode of production.
In this class, we will screen diverse narrative features that exhibit a variety of realist approaches: some that focus on an external reality, others that attribute a level of reality to the realm of the fantastic, and still others that present the inner-reality of dreams. At the same time, we will read essays by various film historians and critics, as well as a number of essays about visual art and literature, since narrative cinema necessarily borrows techniques of visual representation and storytelling from these other art forms.
This course will focus on two extremely popular approaches to cinematic storytelling: adaptations and reflexive films. We will read the source material upon which various film adaptations were based, screen these films, and discuss the various theoretical and practical issues surrounding screen adaptation from other media; we will also screen diverse reflexive films, and discuss the literary as well as filmic techniques of reflexivity.
During the late 1950s and early '60s, a number of French film critics and other artists turned to filmmaking, with enormously creative and widely influential results. This class will survey the historical context, films, and filmmakers of the movement aptly called the "French New Wave." Over the course of the term, we will look closely at the aesthetic and cultural context of this break-through film movement, and how these filmmakers expressed their artistic as well as political concerns via the medium of film.
In this class, we will screen films that exhibit a diverse range of cinematic styles. At the same time, we'll read a number of essays by a variety of filmmakers, film historians, and aestheticians, which will not only provide you with various analytical "lenses" through which to look at and discuss these films, but also furnish you with multiple ways of thinking about your own filmmaking practice; hence the course title "Practical Aesthetics" - theories about film that are relevant to creative film production practice.
This course will introduce the student to the history and variety of animated films made throughout the world, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day. Starting with the dominant American animators, students will watch the evolution of animation stylists, particularly Walt Disney, the Fleischers, Pixar and Laika. Special attention will be paid to the competing styles exhibted by Warner Bros. legendary cartoonists Tex Avery, Robert Clampett and Chuck Jones, the MGM cartoonists Bill Hannah and Joe Barbera, and the other 1950s styles of Paramount/Famous Studios and UPA. Students will then study the evolution of international animators such as Jan Svankmajer, the Brothers Quay, Norman McLaren and Hiyao Miyazaki. Much of the course will focus on the differences between Hollywood and these more artistically and socially driven cartoons.
Do ethics and filmmaking have to be an oxymoron? Can we find a path to ethical behavior and values in a competitive, sometimes morally questionable business? The philosophical background, social context and pragmatic impact of making sound ethical choices will be explored, on both a personal level and using professional examples. Among the films to be screened to illustrate ethical dilemmas and choices will be SET IT OFF, JFK, HURRICANE, THANK YOU FOR SMOKING and SAW, along with other illuminating works that will help students establish their own ethical boundaries.
This course examines a style of American filmmaking of the 1940s and '50s that relied on high contrast cinematography, postwar confusion on gender roles, and the prominence of the urban environment. To understand both the roots and the evolution of the genre, films made in the United States and Great Britain from 1945-1955 will be screened and analyzed, as will Neo-Noir movies made by subsequent generations of filmmakers.
FIM 7345Black & White: Race and Image in American Cinema3
This course consists of an examination of the depiction of African-Americans in American films from the industry's inception to present day, as well as an examination of films made by black filmmakers for the African-American audience, and ultimately, a global marketplace. The depiction of blacks in Hollywood films from 1914 until the late 1960s, and especially in culturally significant films such as Gone with the Wind, was marked by radical racial stereotyping and objectification into familiar cultural categories, such as the Big Buck, the Uncle Tom, the Mammy, the Hot Mama and Pickaninny Children. The search for authentic black expression of genuine black experience led to the first films by mainstream African-American filmmakers in the early 1970s, followed by the blaxploitation era and then the rise of African-American auteurs such as Spike Lee and Tyler Perry, who resonantly explore contemporary and historical black life.
All too often, the decade of the 1970s is characterized by three films and three filmmakers: THE GODFATHER and Francis Coppola, JAWS and Steven Spielberg, STAR WARS and George Lucas. The 1970s as a distinct period represented a renaissance in American filmmaking, the rise of the "New Hollywood," and the emergence of exciting directors such as Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Brian DePalma, Gordon Parks, Jr., John Cassavetes, and Robert Altman, among others. Among the films to be screened and analyzed are MEAN STREETS, BADLANDS, SUPERFLY, NASHVILLE, and A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE, along with other significant and lesser-known works of the period.
The content of this course consists of an in-depth study of the cinematic work of writer-producer-directors Ethan and Joel Coen, viewed within the context of the key influences on their work by other films and filmmakers ranging from Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch to Carol Reed and Akira Kurosawa.
This one-semester course will provide an in-depth view of the extensive and integral role of the producer in marketing of film and television. Students will examine how marketing impacts all aspects of filmmaking, from inception to sale, and will examine recent successes and failures in the marketplace to further that end. Students will learn how to create a market and advertising plan for their own projects to better prepare them for fundraising, attracting media interest, navigating the festival circuit, and ultimately obtaining distribution.
This course will build on the story work done in the first year Creative Producing courses. Using narrative structures as described in "The Hero's Journey," as well as those developed within numerous film genres, students will break down stories from films and episodic series that are similar to their own projects, in order to better identify those structures and apply them effectively to their own creative work.
This two-semester course will cover all aspects of the business of filmmaking, from the inception of the idea through development, production, sales, and distribution. Creative Producing students will learn about intellectual property, chain of title, the acquisition of rights, and the nuances of rights deals, as well as have the opportunity to practice negotiation skills.
This two-semester course will cover all aspects of the business of filmmaking, from the inception of the idea through development, production, sales, and distribution. Creative Producing students will learn about intellectual property, chain of title, the acquisition of rights, and the nuances of rights deals, as well as have the opportunity to practice negotiation skills.
A one-semester course devoted to the marketing research and predictive analytics of the business model for a chosen mode and market (i.e. film, television, web-based, corporate).
The Fall semester of this year-long course constitutes the preparation phase of the students' work on their Master's thesis. Working closely with their faculty mentor, students will determine the parameters of and begin working on their individualized project. The thesis project is to be completed during the Spring semester, and represents the culmination of the students' requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Filmmaking. Graded Pass/Fail.
The Fall semester of this year-long course constitutes the preparation phase of the students' work on their Master's thesis. Working closely with their faculty mentor, students will determine the parameters of and continue working on their individualized project. The thesis project is to be completed during the Spring semester, and represents the culmination of the students' requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Filmmaking. Graded Pass/Fail.
A one-credit course to enable graduate students to maintain matriculation while finishing up their thesis project. FMU 6001 Film Music Composition Lessons I 3 credits One hour per week of film music composition lessons. FMU 6002 Film Music Composition Lessons II 3 credits One hour per week of film music composition lessons.
