Film and Video Studies, BA

Tuition Fee

Start Date

Medium of studying

Duration

Details

Program Details

Degree

Bachelors

Major

Film Production | Film Studies | Fine Arts

Area of study

Arts

Course Language

English

About Program

Program Overview

Overview

Film at Mason offers a collaborative and interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Video Studies. Students build a strong foundation in film production, business and entrepreneurship, ethics, and film analysis.

Admissions

All students are admitted to the Film program separately from their admission to the university and only by portfolio review.

Policies

Major GPA

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all courses used toward Film and Video Studies major requirements, including electives.

Students may only attempt a Film and Video Studies course three times. Students who do not successfully complete a Core Course within three attempts will be terminated from the major.

For policies governing all undergraduate degrees, see AP.5 Undergraduate Policies. See College of Visual and Performing Arts for policies specific to the college.

Banner Code: AR-BA-FAVS

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 120

Students should be aware of the specific policies associated with this program, located on the Admissions & Policies tab.

Mason Core

Film majors may not double-count Literature and Art courses toward both the Film major and Mason Core requirements. Students may fulfill their Mason Core Global Contexts and their major Diversity of Perspectives requirement simultaneously.

Foundation Requirements
- ENGH 101: Composition (Mason Core) 1
- ENGH 302: Advanced Composition (Mason Core) 1
- Oral Communication
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Information Technology
Exploration Requirements
- Arts
- Global Contexts
- Literature
- Natural Science 2
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Global History
Total Credits: 37

Film Core Courses

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all Film Core Courses.

Students who do not successfully complete a Film Core Course within three attempts will be terminated from the major.

Core Requirements
- FAVS 204: Film Art (Mason Core)
- FAVS 233: Film Sound
- FAVS 250: Business of Film
- FAVS 255: Film Production
- FAVS 260: Video Editing for Film
- FAVS 280: Screenwriting: Introduction (Mason Core)
- FAVS 304: Film Forms (Mason Core)
- FAVS 331: Cinematography
- FAVS 352: Ethics of Film and Video (Mason Core)
- FAVS 450: Internship in Film and Video Studies
Diversity of Perspectives
- Choose one course from the following:
  - FAVS 225: Introduction to World Cinema (Mason Core)
  - FAVS 300: Global Horror Film (Mason Core)
  - FAVS 320: Afrofuturism and Their Kin (Mason Core)
  - FAVS 367: Experimental Filmmaking
  - FAVS 399: Special Topics in Film and Video Studies 1
  - ARAB 360: Topics in Arabic Cultural Production 1
  - AVT 372: Hip Hop Culture
  - AVT 377: Cyberpunk
  - CHIN 320: Contemporary Chinese Film
  - COMM 305: Foundations of Intercultural Communication (Mason Core)
  - COMM 365: Gender, Race, and Class in the Media
  - COMM 380: Media Criticism
  - ENGH 270: Introduction to Screen Cultures (Mason Core)
  - ENGH 318: Introduction to Cultural Studies 1
  - ENGH 362: Global Voices (Mason Core) 1
  - ENGH 370: Documentary and Non-Fiction Film/Media (Mason Core)
  - ENGH 371: Global TV (Mason Core)
  - ENGH 372: Introduction to Film (Mason Core)
  - ENGH 374: Screening the Global City (Mason Core)
  - ENGH 418: Cultural Constructions of Sexualities 1
  - ENGH 470: RS: Topics in Screen Cultures Research (Mason Core) 1
  - ENGH 472: Topics in Film/Media Theory
  - ENGH 474: Topics in Screen Cultures 1
  - FREN 470: French and Francophone Cinema
  - FRLN 331: Contexts for Global Cinema (Mason Core)
  - GERM 340: Topics in German Literature and Film 1
  - GERM 370: German Through the Arts 1
  - HIST 357: Postwar Japan (Mason Core) 1
  - INTS 312: Images and Experiences of Childhood: Social Construct, Literature, and Film
  - INTS 347: Gender Representation in Popular Culture (Mason Core)
  - INTS 374: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Television
  - ITAL 320: Topics in Italian Film and Literature (Mason Core) 1
  - ITAL 340: Italian through Arts 1
  - JAPA 320: Japanese Cinema
  - JAPA 380: Japan in Motion 1
  - KORE 320: Korean Popular Culture in a Global World
  - KORE 321: Korean Proficiency through Visual Culture
  - RUSS 470: Topics in (Post) Soviet Film
  - SPAN 375: Introduction to Spanish-Language Cinema
  - SPAN 482: Mass Media and Popular Culture in the Spanish-Speaking World
  - WMST 300: Current Issues in Women and Gender Studies 1
  - WMST 375: Gender, Race, Sexuality, and TV
  - WMST 450: Current Topics in Women and Gender Studies 1
  - Other courses as approved by Program Director
Apex
- FAVS 499: Career Seminar (Mason Core)
Total Credits: 36

Electives in Film and Video Studies

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all electives used toward the major.

Select 15-24 credits in FAVS courses at the 300-400 level.
Total Credits: 15-24

Electives in Related Disciplines

Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all electives used toward the major.

Film majors may not double-count Literature and Art courses toward both the Film major and Mason Core requirements.

Students select 3-12 credits of approved electives from related disciplines. Other courses will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be pre-approved by the Program Director.
Art and Visual Technology (AVT)
- AVT 206: Color
- AVT 252: Darkroom Photography I (Mason Core)
- AVT 253: Digital Photography I (Mason Core)
- AVT 280: Introduction to New Media Arts
- AVT 305: Creative Processes
- AVT 307: Aesthetics
- AVT 309: Art as Social Action
- AVT 353: Darkroom Photography II
- AVT 354: Digital Photography II
- AVT 356: Photo Studio Techniques
- AVT 357: Photobook: Concepts Form
- AVT 371: Visual Perception and the Arts
- AVT 374: Sound Art I
- AVT 376: Live Movies
- AVT 380: Thinking Through Animation
- AVT 382: 2D Experimental Animation
- AVT 383: 3D Experimental Animation
- AVT 390: Video Art
- AVT 457: Documentary Photography
- AVT 458: Advanced Studio Lighting
- AVT 474: Sound Art II
Communication (COMM)
- COMM 204: Introduction to Public Relations and Strategic Communication
- COMM 305: Foundations of Intercultural Communication (Mason Core)
- COMM 309: Writing across the Media
- COMM 350: Mass Communication and Public Policy
- COMM 354: Podcasting Production
- COMM 358: Multi-Camera Studio Production
- COMM 359: Digital Media Management
- COMM 364: Videography
- COMM 365: Gender, Race, and Class in the Media
- COMM 367: Children and Media
- COMM 372: Sports and the Media
- COMM 375: Digital Advertising Strategies
- COMM 380: Media Criticism
- COMM 430: Persuasion
- COMM 433: Environmental Communication, Campaigns, and Social Movements
- COMM 435: Digital Communication
English (ENGH)
- ENGH 270: Introduction to Screen Cultures (Mason Core)
- ENGH 319: Popular Culture 1
- ENGH 362: Global Voices (Mason Core) 1
- ENGH 370: Documentary and Non-Fiction Film/Media (Mason Core)
- ENGH 371: Global TV (Mason Core)
- ENGH 372: Introduction to Film (Mason Core)
- ENGH 374: Screening the Global City (Mason Core)
- ENGH 377: Digital Creative Writing
- ENGH 386: Editing for Audience, Style, and Voice
- ENGH 392: Forms of Fiction
- ENGH 393: Forms of Nonfiction
- ENGH 396: Introduction to Creative Writing (Mason Core)
- ENGH 398: Fiction Writing
- ENGH 399: Creative Nonfiction Writing
- ENGH 492: Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop
- ENGH 493: Advanced Workshop in Nonfiction
- ENGH 497: Topics in Creative Writing
Computer Game Design (GAME)
- GAME 250: Music for Film and Video
- GAME 332: RS: Story Design for Computer Games (Mason Core)
- GAME 367: Writing and Editing Music and Sound
Modern and Classical Languages (MCL)
- ARAB 360: Topics in Arabic Cultural Production 1
- CHIN 320: Contemporary Chinese Film
- FREN 470: French and Francophone Cinema
- FRLN 331: Contexts for Global Cinema (Mason Core)
- GERM 340: Topics in German Literature and Film 1
- GERM 370: German Through the Arts 1
- ITAL 320: Topics in Italian Film and Literature (Mason Core) 1
- ITAL 340: Italian through Arts 1
- JAPA 320: Japanese Cinema
- JAPA 380: Japan in Motion 1
- KORE 320: Korean Popular Culture in a Global World
- KORE 321: Korean Proficiency through Visual Culture
- RUSS 470: Topics in (Post) Soviet Film
- SPAN 375: Introduction to Spanish-Language Cinema
- SPAN 482: Mass Media and Popular Culture in the Spanish-Speaking World
Music (MUSI)
- MUSI 301: Music in Motion Pictures (Mason Core)
- MUSI 315: Music Technology
- MUSI 355: Recording Techniques
- MUSI 359: Topics in Music Technology
Theater (THR)
- THR 210: Acting I (Mason Core)
- THR 230: Fundamentals of Production (Mason Core)
- THR 310: Acting II
- THR 313: Event Technical Production
- THR 315: Sound Engineering
- THR 332: History of Fashion and Dress
- THR 337: Sound Design
- THR 342: Makeup Design
- THR 343: Costume Technology
- THR 350: Script Analysis (Mason Core)
- THR 380: Playwriting I
- THR 381: Playwriting II
- THR 382: Screenplay Workshop
- THR 410: Acting for the Camera
- THR 411: Great Film Directors (Mason Core)
- THR 412: Great Film Performances (Mason Core)
- THR 415: Advanced Sound Engineering
- THR 437: Advanced Sound Design
- THR 480: Advanced Playwriting
- THR 482: Advanced Screenplay Workshop (Mason Core)
- THR 484: Translation Adaptation for Stage Screen
Other courses as approved by Program Director
Total Credits: 3-12

Advanced Skills Requirement

Students are required to complete at least one Advanced Skills course (below). Students must earn a minimum grade of C in all courses used toward the major.

Advanced Skills
- FAVS 431: Cinematography: Advanced
- FAVS 433: Film Sound: Advanced
- FAVS 460: Film Editing: Advanced
- FAVS 475: Fiction Filmmaking: Advanced
- FAVS 496: Screenwriting: Advanced (Mason Core)
- Other courses as approved by Program Director
Total Credits: 3

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Students must complete a double major or dual degree, a minor (15-21 credits), or demonstrate intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language (0-12 credits).

General Electives

Any remaining credits may be completed with elective courses to bring the degree total to 120.

Bachelor of Arts in Film and Video Studies

The sample plan below is a recommended sequencing of courses based on prerequisites and scheduling. This may not fit every student's needs and is a guideline, not a requirement. Students should confirm major requirements with their academic advisor and with PatriotWeb Degree Evaluation to ensure they enroll in the proper courses and are on track to graduate.

First Year
- Fall Semester
  - FAVS 204: Film Art (Mason Core)
  - FAVS 233: Film Sound
  - FAVS 255: Film Production
  - UNIV 100: University Life
  - Mason Core (ENGH or COMM 101)
  - Mason Core (HIST 125)
  - Total Credits: 16
- Spring Semester
  - FAVS 250: Business of Film
  - FAVS 260: Video Editing for Film
  - FAVS 280: Screenwriting: Introduction (Mason Core)
  - UNIV 110: University Life
  - Mason Core (ENGH or COMM 101)
  - Mason Core (Quantitative Reasoning)
  - Total Credits: 15
Second Year
- Fall Semester
  - FAVS 331: Cinematography
  - Mason Core (IT)
  - Mason Core (Arts)
  - Mason Core (Social & Behavior Science)
  - Mason Core (Lab Science)
  - Total Credits: 16
- Spring Semester
  - FAVS Elective #1
  - Related Discipline Elective #1
  - Diversity of Perspectives Elective
  - Mason Core (Global Understanding)
  - Mason Core (Literature)
  - Total Credits: 15
Third Year
- Fall Semester
  - FAVS Elective #2
  - FAVS Elective #3
  - Related Discipline Elective #2
  - Minor Elective/Foreign Language
  - Mason Core (ENGH 302)
  - Total Credits: 15
- Spring Semester
  - FAVS 304: Film Forms (Mason Core)
  - FAVS 352: Ethics of Film and Video (Mason Core)
  - Related Discipline Elective #3
  - Minor Elective/Foreign Language
  - Mason Core (Non-Lab Science)
  - Total Credits: 15
Fourth Year
- Fall Semester
  - FAVS 450: Internship in Film and Video Studies
  - FAVS Elective #4
  - FAVS Advanced Skill
  - Minor Elective/Foreign Language
  - Minor Elective/General Elective
  - Related Discipline Elective #4
  - Total Credits: 18
- Spring Semester
  - FAVS 499: Career Seminar (Mason Core)
  - FAVS Elective #5
  - Minor Elective/General Elective
  - Total Credits: 12
Total Credits: 122

Detailed four-year plans and degree planning checklists can be found at [insert link].

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Film and Video Studies, BA

Program Overview