Academics

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MAJOR
 
To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College Chicago , Film & Video Department students are required to take 120 credit hours as follows:

• 60 credits to fulfill the Film & Video requirements
• 42 credits to fulfill general education requirements
• 18 credits of college wide electives. These can be made up of additional film courses, additional general education courses and/or any other course offered at Columbia College.

• 24 credits of department Core classes. 18 credits for students in the Foundation of Film & Video sequence.
• 36 or more credits or 44 credits for students in the Foundation of Film & Video sequence as follows:
• for a Major without Concentration student may take 36 hours or 44 credits for students in the Foundation of Film & Video sequence from any available Film & Video classes for a total of 60 (+) F&V credits.
• for a Major with Concentration (such as directing, cinematography, editing, screenwriting etc) student follows the concentration’s requirements for a total of 60 (+) F&V credits.

See our Degree Requirements pages for more specific information.

Film & Video Major Without a Concentration

Once the student has completed the core, he/she may design a course of study across the concentrations in consultation with a faculty advisors o they follow the most effective sequence of study in realizing their career goals.  This further study must amount to 36 credit hours, and for each course the student must have the appropriate prerequisites.

Film & Video Major with a Concentration
 
Students take a further 36 credit hours (or 44 credits for students in the Foundation of Film & Video sequence) to prepare for a professional specialization.  Concentrations include:

Animation - Barry Young, Program Director

The Animation Program offers the experience of animation through hands-on access to state of the art equipment and facilities in the Animation Center. The student is urged to explore no singular approach to this art form, instead remaining open to the possibilities of this powerful communications tool. Whether enrolled in traditional or computer concentrations, students first learn the art of timing, movement and storytelling by taking a series of classes that teach both the skill and origins of the animation process. Throughout the program, students continue to learn from each other as they explore individual directions.

Audio for Visual Media - Michael Caplan, Area Coordinator

The Audio for Visual Media Concentration prepares students for audio careers in film, video and related visual media. Students study the theory and practice of sound track design, recording, editing, and mixing sound in relationship to story structure. Students develop an understanding of aesthetic principles as well as communication and professional skills that will allow them to effectively pursue their future goals. Audio for Visual Media is a collaboration with the Department of Audio Arts and Acoustics requiring students to complete courses in each department.

Cinematography - Peter Hartell, Area Coordinator

The Cinematography Concentration offers a curriculum that develops a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the Camera Assistant, Camera Operator, and Director of Photography’s work. It covers 16mm and 35mm film formats and equipment, electronic imaging, image optics, visual effects, lighting, and laboratory practices. Students learn to develop and execute visual concepts that give full expression to the underlying intentions and complexities of narrative, documentary and experimental projects, and develop strategies to communicate with all the creative and technical contributors to the film production process.

Critical Studies - Don Smith, Area Coordinator

For all students, foundation courses in the history and aesthetics of cinema provide a vital conceptual and historical perspective of the field as they begin their studies and proceed through their concentrations. For Critical Studies majors, the concentration offers in-depth study of genres, filmmakers, national cinemas, film movements and other critical and historical approaches to the screen arts. This constitutes a rich preparation for graduate work or careers in film writing and criticism.

Directing - Ron Falzone, Area Coordinator

The Directing concentration trains students in all aspects of fictional directing, including analysis of dramatic texts, casting of actors, rehearsal procedures, direction of performance, and application of camera to dramatic material. Work on a Director’s Breakdown includes the preparation of storyboards, ground plans, brackets and shooting scripts. Advanced coursework emphasizes collaboration with producers, editors, directors of photography, and production designers. Our faculty represents a variety of directorial backgrounds and approaches. The goal is for students to develop personal directorial styles based on solid technique, a responsive inner life, and a critical awareness of the world around them.

Documentary - Don Smith, Area Coordinator

The Documentary curriculum, taught wholly in the Michael Rabiger Center for Documentary, is dedicated to a vision of documentary filmmaking that places people above product; exploration and discovery above pre-conception. We validate tolerance and understanding, and emphasize the power and responsibility documentary makers have in a world where communication is dominated by the moving image media. Students are encouraged “to grasp the lived reality of people, and to convey the quality of their experience.” The curriculum prepares students for work in the many varieties of non-fictional filmmaking, and emphasizes the dynamic interplay between reality, experience and representation. Many fiction directors also find they benefit from exposure to the direct, improvisational training Documentary provides.

Postproduction - Sharon Zurek, Postproduction Area Coordinator, Bonnie Winer, Editing Courses Coordinator

Through training in a custom-designed Post-Production Center, students prepare for careers in offline and online picture editing, digital and optical effect, and specialized sound editing. Using 16mm film, film digitally transferred via the Center’s telecine, or material shot in digital video, Editing students learn the craft’s vital function in structuring and pacing film, video, and multimedia productions across all the moving image modes, from fiction and documentary to experimental screen art. They work closely with directors and producers to maximize the strengths of field footage and to realize the specific aims for each project through the creative and imaginative interplay of sound and vision. The concentration also emphasizes the history and aesthetics of editing and utilizes a range of non-linear digital platforms and associated techniques.

Producing- Kevin Cooper, Area Coordinator

Good producers work to ensure screen productions exceed the reasonable sum of the myriad elements from which they are crafted. In the department’s Producing Center, film and video makers acquire the skills to pitch film and video ideas to producing entities within the existing system of professional film production and financing. They also learn to manage a full range of productions across the moving image media and how to sell completed works to a producer/distributor. Courses emphasize merging the creative and business skills necessary to: find material; conduct research; productively employ ‘people management’ skills and networking strategies; develop project proposals; build creative teams; and interact with creative and technical personnel. Students are taught how to negotiate, finance, and distribute creative work for the screen according to the aims, content and approach of any particular project. Career outcomes may be in producing, line producing, and production management, and senior students are eligible to apply to participate in our Semester in L.A Program.

Screenwriting - Carri Callis, Area Coordinator

In the Screenwriting Curriculum students learn storytelling for the screen through a managed regimen of in-class and out-of-class experiences that emphasizes the essential mix of imagination and craft in screenwrting. They hone their skills in observation, communication, and visualization, and receive instruction on structure for screenwriting and how to employ written language to articulate dramatic and visual expression. Through constant practice and self-reflection they learn story development, re-writing, story analysis, constructive critique and a range of strategies for selling scripts. The curriculum is designed for both those solely interested in writing and those wanting to direct their own work. Students explore the various available roles of the screenwriter in Hollywood, in independent film production, and in the international film world, and are eligible to apply to participate in our Semester in L.A program near the end of their study.