Program Overview

Introduction to the Cinematic Arts Program

The cinematic arts major is an interdisciplinary program designed for students who are eager to engage in the study and practices of film and filmmaking. This major allows students to explore a wide range of film studies, including film histories, theories, directors, cultural perspectives, and more. In addition to film studies, students will take courses offering instruction in production techniques such as cinematography, directing, and upper-division courses in animation, editing, sound, visual effects, and screenwriting.

The Major

The major in cinematic arts consists of seven lower-division courses and twelve upper-division courses. All courses taken to satisfy major requirements must be taken for a letter grade, and only grades of C- or better will be accepted in the cinematic arts major.

Lower-Division Core Courses

The seven lower-division core courses are:

• FILM 71. Fundamentals of Cinematography
• FILM 72. Fundamentals of Directing
• FILM 73. Fundamentals of Editing
• VIS 84. Film History
• Choose three courses from the following:
  • COMM 10. Introduction to Communication
  • COMM 20. Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
  • COMM 30. Digital Media Literacy: Analyzing Forms, Practices, and Infrastructures of Mediated Public Life
  • HILD 14. Film and History in Latin America
  • TDGE 10. Theatre and Film
  • TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
  • TDGE 12. Topics in Cinema and Race
  • TDTR 20. Dance on Film
  • VIS 6. Race, Gender, and Robots
  • VIS 7. Movie Magic from Melies to Marvel
  • VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
  • VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics

Upper-Division Core Course Requirements

The twelve upper-division core course requirements are:

• Choose any five courses from the following:
  • CGS 119/LTCS 119. Asian American Film and Media
  • COMM 103D. CM: Documentary History and Theory
  • COMM 106F. CI: Film Industry
  • COMM 107. Visual Culture
  • COMM 118A. Action Cinema
  • COMM 118T. Television as a Cultural Form
  • COMM 135. Contemporary Minority Media Makers and the Festival Experience
  • COMM 137. Black Women Filmmakers
  • COMM 139. Examining Marvel's Black Panther
  • COMM 140. Cinema in Latin America
  • COMM 141. African Cinema
  • COMM 142. Film Authorship
  • COMM 143. Science Fiction
  • COMM 149. Southern California Cinema
  • ETHN 101. Ethnic Images in Film
  • ETHN 101TV. Ethnic Images on TV
  • ETHN 143. Chicana/o Film and Media Studies
  • ETHN 163F/TDGE 131. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • ETHN 163FR/TDGE 131R. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • HIEA 154. Korean History through Film
  • HIUS 122. History and Hollywood: America and the Movies since the Great Depression
  • LTAF 120. Literature and Film of Modern Africa
  • LTAF 120GS. Literature and Film of Modern Africa
  • LTCS 119/CGS 119. Asian American Film and Media
  • LTCS 172. Special Topics in Screening Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
  • LTCS 172GS. Special Topics in Screening Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
  • LTEA 120A. Chinese Films
  • LTEA 120B. Taiwan Films
  • LTEA 120C. Hong Kong Films
  • LTEA 138. Japanese Films
  • LTEA 142. Korean Film, Literature, and Popular Culture
  • LTSP 180. Film and Visual Arts in Latin America
  • LTWL 157. Iranian Film
  • LTWL 180. Film Studies and Literature: Film History
  • LTWL 180GS. Film Studies and Literature: Film History
  • LTWL 181. Film Studies and Literature: Film Movement
  • LTWL 183. Film Studies and Literature: Director's Work
  • LTWL 184. Film Studies and Literature: Close Analysis of Filmic Text
  • RELI 150. Religion and Cinema
  • SOCI 105. Ethnographic Film: Media Methods
  • SOCI 150. Madness and the Movies
  • SOCI 172. Films and Society
  • SOCI 184. Gender and Film
  • SOCI 187. African Societies through Film
  • TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
  • TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film
  • TDGE 127. The Films of Spike Lee
  • TDGE 131/ETHN 163F. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • TDGE 131R/ETHN 163FR. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • USP 164. Cities in Film
  • VIS 150. Landmarks of World Cinema
  • VIS 150A. Seminar in Film History and Theory
  • VIS 151. Experimental Cinema
  • VIS 151A. Seminar in Media History and Theory
  • VIS 152. Media in Social Context
  • VIS 152D. Identity through Transnational Cinema
  • VIS 155. Media Artists at Work
  • VIS 156. Latino American Cinema
  • VIS 157. Environmentalism in Arts and Media
  • VIS 157D. US Civil Rights in Art and Media
  • VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film

Production Series

• Choose one screenwriting course:
  • LTWR 110. Screen Writing
  • LTWR 110C. Screen Writing Craft
  • LTWR 110W. Screen Writing Workshop
  • TDPW 104. Screen Writing
  • VIS 177. Scripting Strategies
• Choose any three courses from the following:
  • General
    • COMM 101. Introduction to Audiovisual Media Practices
    • COMM 101T. MPL: Topics in Production
    • VIS 174. Media Sketchbook
  • Editing and Sound
    • COMM 101D. MPL: Nonlinear/Digital Editing
    • COMM 101K. MPL: Documentary Sketchbook
    • COMM 101N. MPL: Sound Production and Manipulation
    • VIS 175. Editing Theory and Practice
    • VIS 178. Sound Theory and Practice
  • Animation
    • FILM 179. Fundamentals of Animation
    • FILM 180. Advanced 3-D and CGI
    • TDGE 126. Storytelling and Design in Animation
    • VIS 172. Motion Design and Visual Effects
  • Shooting and Staging
    • FILM 182. Production Studio Technique
    • TDAC 110. Acting for the Camera
    • VIS 171. Digital Cinema: Theory and Practice
    • VIS 176. 16 mm Filmmaking

Practicum

• FILM 170. Cinematic Arts Practicum

Capstone/Thesis Series

To take place across two consecutive quarters.

• FILM 184A. Thesis I
• FILM 184B. Thesis II

The Minor

The cinematic arts minor provides students with an exciting opportunity to examine the many facets of US and international cinema. Students interested in exploring cinema as a multidimensional art medium will engage in the analysis of cinematic works of various forms. Study of film genres, history, theories, directors, cultural perspectives, and more allow students to gain a robust understanding of cinema as a historical and contemporary means of expression.

Requirements

The minor requires completion of seven courses (twenty-eight units), at least five of which must be upper division. The seven courses chosen must be selected from at least two different departments.

• Choose seven courses from the following:
  • ANSC 156. Mad Films: Cultural Studies of Mental Illness in Cinema
  • ANSC 166. Film and Culture in Asia
  • CGS 119/LTCS 119. Asian American Film and Media
  • COMM 10. Introduction to Communication
  • COMM 20. Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
  • COMM 30. Digital Media Literacy
  • COMM 103D. CM: Documentary History and Theory
  • COMM 106F. Film Industry
  • COMM 106T. CI: Television Culture and the Public
  • COMM 107. Visual Culture
  • COMM 118A. Action Cinema
  • COMM 118T. CI: Television as a Cultural Form
  • COMM 135. Contemporary Minority Media Makers
  • COMM 137. Black Women Filmmakers
  • COMM 139. Examining Marvel's Black Panther
  • COMM 140. Cinema in Latin America
  • COMM 141. African Cinema
  • COMM 142. Film Authorship
  • COMM 143. Science Fiction
  • COMM 149. Southern California Cinema
  • ETHN 101. Ethnic Images in Film
  • ETHN 101TV. Ethnic Images on TV
  • ETHN 143. Chicana/o Film and Media Studies
  • ETHN 163F/TDGE 131. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • ETHN 163FR/TDGE 131R. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • FILM 71. Fundamentals of Cinematography
  • FILM 72. Fundamentals of Directing
  • FILM 73. Fundamentals of Editing
  • HIEA 154. Korean History through Film
  • HILD 14. Latin American History and Film
  • HIUS 122. History and Hollywood: America and the Movies since the Great Depression
  • LTAF 120. Literature and Film of Modern Africa
  • LTAF 120GS. Literature and Film of Modern Africa
  • LTCS 119/CGS 119. Asian American Film and Media
  • LTCS 172. Special Topics in Screening Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
  • LTCS 172GS. Special Topics in Screening Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
  • LTEA 120A. Chinese Films
  • LTEA 120B. Taiwan Films
  • LTEA 120C. Hong Kong Films
  • LTEA 138. Japanese Films
  • LTEA 142. Korean Film, Literature, and Popular Culture
  • LTSP 180. Film and Visual Arts in Latin America
  • LTWL 157. Iranian Film
  • LTWL 180. Film Studies and Literature: Film History
  • LTWL 180GS. Film Studies and Literature: Film History
  • LTWL 181. Film Studies and Literature: Film Movement
  • LTWL 183. Film Studies and Literature: Director's Work
  • LTWL 184. Film Studies and Literature: Close Analysis of Filmic Text
  • LTWR 110. Screen Writing
  • LTWR 110C. Screen Writing Craft
  • LTWR 110W. Screen Writing Workshop
  • RELI 150. Religion and Cinema
  • SOCI 105. Ethnographic Film: Media Methods
  • SOCI 150. Madness and the Movies
  • SOCI 172. Films and Society
  • SOCI 184. Gender and Film
  • SOCI 187. African Societies through Film
  • TDGE 10. Theatre and Film
  • TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
  • TDGE 12. Topics in Cinema and Race
  • TDGE 122. Films of Woody Allen
  • TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
  • TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film
  • TDGE 127. The Films of Spike Lee
  • TDGE 131/ETHN 163F. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • TDGE 131R/ETHN 163FR. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema
  • TDPW 104. Screenwriting
  • TDTR 20. Dance on Film
  • USP 164. Cities in Film
  • VIS 6. Race, Gender, and Robots
  • VIS 7. Movie Magic from Melies to Marvel
  • VIS 70N. Introduction to Media
  • VIS 84. Film History
  • VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics
  • VIS 150. Landmarks of World Cinema
  • VIS 150A. Seminar in Film History
  • VIS 151. Experimental Cinema
  • VIS 151A. Seminar in Media History
  • VIS 152. Media in Social Context
  • VIS 152D. Identity through Transnational Cinemas
  • VIS 155. Media Artists at Work
  • VIS 156. Latino American Cinema
  • VIS 157. Environmentalism in Arts and Media
  • VIS 157D. US Civil Rights in Art and Media
  • VIS 171. Digital Cinema
  • VIS 172. Motion Design and Visual Effects
  • VIS 174. Media Sketchbook
  • VIS 175. Editing Theory and Practice
  • VIS 176. 16mm Film
  • VIS 177. Scripting Strategies
  • VIS 178. Sound Theory and Practice
  • VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film

The following courses frequently cover topics related to cinematic arts. Students should check the departments' quarterly course descriptions and yearly course spreads for their applicability to the program and discuss if a petition is needed in advance with the adviser.

• HIEA 133. Twentieth-Century China: Cultural History
• HIEA 153. Social and Cultural History of Twentieth-Century Korea
• LTCS 111. Special Topics in Popular Culture in Historical Context
• LTCS 150. Topics in Cultural Studies
• LTWL 120. Popular Literature and Culture
• LTWL 128. Introduction to Semiotics

Degree offered: Bachelor of Arts.