Film

 

Film

See Differently

Film is the most culturally influential artistic medium in our era. The film major equips students both to understand film as a culture-shaping force and to pursue diverse careers in the entertainment industry. In a world that increasingly relies on visual information, a comprehension of how meaning grows out of the moving image is indispensable to a deeper social and cultural understanding.

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Degrees Offered

CBU Film majors develop valuable technical knowledge and experience as well as sharp critical thinking skills and significant audio-visual literacy. Our majors have the opportunity to learn how to apply this knowledge to filmmaking by creating high quality films on state-of-the-art equipment, writing screenplays and teleplays, and exploring the best of global cinema.

Film Concentrations

CBU Film offers four concentrations, allowing students to specialize and distinguish themselves as film professionals who demonstrate professional excellence and personal integrity, are servant leaders in their communities, and who live Biblically-based, missional lives within the profession.

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Student Work

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“The CBU Film Department is unique in the fact that it is truly hands-on and the class size is small. The professors truly care in helping the students grow spiritually and succeed in the industry” — Rebecca Lam, (Senior, Film)

“The California Baptist University Film Department is a very pleasant environment to learn in. With a lot of hands on experience, students can expect to learn from great professors and very professional equipment.”  — Micah Emerine (Senior, Double Major in Film and Graphic Design)

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B.A. Film

Film is the most culturally influential artistic medium in our era. The film major equips students both to understand film as a culture-shaping force and to pursue diverse careers in the entertainment industry. Students choose one of three concentrations: Film Production, Screenwriting, or Film Analysis and Industry. Film majors develop valuable technical knowledge and experience as well as sharp critical thinking skills and significant audio-visual literacy. In a world that increasingly relies on visual information, a comprehension of how meaning grows out of the moving image is indispensable to a deeper social and cultural understanding. Our majors have the opportunity to learn how to apply this knowledge to filmmaking by creating high quality films on state-of-the-art equipment, writing screenplays and teleplays, and exploring the best of global cinema.

General Education Courses

The general education requirements will follow the curriculum set forth for other university programs. Some general education requirements will be met through specific major requirements.

Lower Division Requirements

DES 110 Creativity: Process and Purpose

Units: 3. Offered: Fall, Spring.

This course provides an introduction to creativity through discussion and project-based learning. The course provides overview and practice of creative processes (e.g. ideation, research, empathy, proto-typing, etc), in-depth discussion of the theological foundations for creativity, and practice for developing creative habits.

FLM 105 Introduction to Film Studies

Units: 3. Offered: Fall, Spring.

This course offers an introduction to methods and approaches for the study of film. Students will learn film terminology and its effective application in film analysis. Students also will develop, maintain, and improve strategies for close-reading individual shots and sequences, interpreting cinematic narrative and technique, and for negotiating various critical and theoretical paradigms of film study.

FLM 150 Film History

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course studies the development of film history from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century up to the present day. As the growth of cinema has been a global phenomenon, we will look at major films, filmmakers, and film movements in the United States and around the world. Pre- or Co- requisite: ENG 123. Recommended: FLM 105.

FLM 250 Film Theory and Criticism

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course introduces students to the major areas and concepts of film theory and criticism, from their inception in the early twentieth century to the present. It examines how various film theories, as part of a long-standing tradition of critical reflections on life and the arts in general, evolve and interact with one another and with neighboring discourses, nationally and internationally. Knowledge and skills gained in this class will prepare students for further upper-division film courses, in which film theory and criticism will function as important analytical tools. Prerequisites: FLM 105 and 150.

Upper Division Requirements

FLM 450 World Cinema

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

World Cinema is an advanced course focusing on films made outside of North America and their socio-historical contexts. It looks at cinematic history and practice in diverse nations and introduces students to a range of non-Hollywood film styles and forms, including popular and art cinemas, from across the globe. May be taken multiple times with change in topic. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 499 Senior Capstone Project

Units: 3. Offered: Fall, Spring.

This three-unit senior capstone project serves to assess the subject matter competence of the Film Studies major. During the semester, students will compose a philosophy statement, compile a portfolio of previous work, and complete a capstone paper or film project. The class meets with its instructor one hour per week while completing the tasks of the course. Prerequisite: Permission of the Dean of the College of Architecture, Visual Arts, and Design.

Concentration Courses

Students must complete all requirements in one of the following concentrations:

  • Film Analysis & Industry
  • Film Post Production
  • Film Production (optional attendance of the Los Angeles Film Study Center)
  • Screenwriting

Film Analysis & Industry

In the Film Analysis concentration, students have the opportunity to take the broadest range of film studies courses. This concentration is recommended for students who are interested in pursuing careers in education, journalism (film or arts criticism), archiving, or any position on the corporate side of the entertainment industry (agent, manager, publicist, etc.).

Core Requirements:

FLM 340 Major Directors

Units: 3. Offered: Fall (odd years).

With attention to theories about authorship and the auteur, this course surveys the work of one or two major directors. This course may treat a canonical auteur, such as Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, or Akira Kurosawa, or may focus upon figures historically marginalized within cinema studies, such Oscar Micheaux, Ida Lupino, or Sam Fuller. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 350 Film and Literature

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course addresses the adaptation of literature to film. It examines diverse concepts and theories that have been applied to cinematic adaptations of literary texts as part of a larger constellation of issues, including the development of cinematic language, approaches to genre studies, and an appreciation for cinematic visions in literary texts. In addition to film screenings, course readings will include prose fiction and film criticism. Prerequisite: ENG 123.

FLM 420 Independent Film and Counter-Cinema

Units: 3. Offered: Fall (even years).

Independent Film and Counter-cinema is an advanced course that studies diverse film texts considered “independent” while examining the varied and constantly evolving definition of independent film. In addition, the course investigates counter-cinema—film that actively opposes mainstream cinema, offering alternative discourses—and explores the complex relationship between independent film and counter-cinema. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 470 Adaptation and Intertextuality

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (odd years).

This advanced course focuses on diverse texts and theories regarding adaptation and intertextuality as they impact film and other media. The course explores the ways in which texts are adapted from one medium into other media and the ways in which texts intersect and communicate with one another. The complex manner in which adaptation and intertextuality function in our media-saturated, global culture is investigated. Texts that might be examined in this course include films, video games, television shows, novels, comics/graphic novels, operas, and musicals. Course content will vary. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

Complete nine (9) additional units from the following:
ART 385, DES 310, FLM 200, FLM 210, FLM 300, FLM 301, FLM 302, FLM 303, FLM 305, FLM 320, FLM 370, FLM 390, FLM 400, FLM 403, FLM 491, FLP 170, FLP 180, FLP 306, FLP 360, FLP 380, FLP 406, MUS 386, THE 113

Film Post Production

The Film Post Production concentration is designed for students who desire to be involved in the post production side of the business.

Core Requirements:

DES 310 Creativity: Collaboration and Context

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course builds on a foundational understanding of creativity’s process and purpose. The aim of the course is for students to apply these foundations to the act of completing interdisciplinary creative projects in context. Prerequisite: DES 110.

FLM 301 Basic Screenwriting

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of writing for the screen. The elements of theme, plot, character, and dialogue in dramatic writing for cinema will be studied. Students will learn how to construct screenplays by closely examining produced films, reading film scripts, and writing their own short screenplays. The course will provide a foundation in the basics of the three-act act structure, dramatic action, character arc, the revision process, and an introduction to the business of screenwriting. By the end of the semester, students will have produced and polished a twenty- to thirty-page screenplay for a short film suitable for production. Prerequisite: ENG 113 and FLM 105.

FLP 170 Film Production I: Visual Storytelling

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

An introduction to the production of visual storytelling content. Each student will write, direct, and edit a series of exploratory production exercises. The primary emphasis is on telling a compelling story by employing basic cinematography, lighting, editing, sound and on-camera talent to involve an audience emotionally with the characters on screen. This course is restricted to Film majors and minors only. Pre- or Co-Requisite: FLM 105.

FLP 180 Video Editing and Post-Production I

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

A study of advanced cinematic storytelling principles as they are expressed through editing. This course analyzes examples from important films and other media that demonstrate how rhythm, timing, pace, emotion, sound, and other dramatic aesthetics affect the viewer’s perceptions and the success of the sequence. Each student will develop technical skills through weekly editing assignments and the completion of a complex editing project. Students learn skills and techniques of cinematic storytelling via the editing and post production processes. The course emphasizes proficiency using a nonlinear editing system, the history of significant achievement in editing, and the editor’s unique role in the post production process.

FLP 380 Video Editing and Post Production II

Units: 3. Offered: Fall (Even Years).

Provides students with an intensive hands-on experience editing under the supervision of the professor while further developing their skills and techniques of cinematic storytelling via the editing and post production processes, with an emphasis on the role of editing on cinematic and artistic masterpieces from every genre while students work on creating their own film festival ready short film from already existing film and sound elements.  Pre-Req FLP 180.

GDM 351 3D Concept Design I

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course builds a foundation for advanced 3D environmental modeling, photorealistic rendering, stylistic shading, and effects processes. Students will build upon fundamental techniques to create professional quality imagery and motion with industry standard software such as Cinema 4D and Element 3D. Working is a typical design studio pipeline, students will work with NURBS modeling and mesh editing for hard surface and organic objects; texture mapping, special effects including effectors, dynamics, and multiple emitters; optimization techniques; and a variety of compositing methods to create both artistic works and commercial products. Pre-requisite: GDM 215 OR EGR 121

GDM 352 Visual Effects Concept Design

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course teaches students the primary skills and processes used in the visual effects (VFX) industry. Students will learn basic compositing and how to integrate computer graphics and 3D components with live action in a methodology that simulates standard VFX production pipelines. Pre-requisite: GDM 215 or FLP 170 or EGR 121

MUS 386 Audio Recording and Studio Techniques I

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

Introduction to analog and digital audio recording and ProTools recording software. Topics covered will include microphone techniques, signal flow, recording consoles, sound capture and basic sound editing. Recording of vocal and instruments will be covered. Practicum hours required.

MUS 487 Sound Design for Film and Multimedia

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

Integration of audio and studio technology in post-production. Topics include dialogue replacement, sound effects design and editing, Foley, surround sound mixing and music score production. Practicum hours required.  Pre-Req. MUS 386.

Film Studies Elective:
Complete three (3) additional units from the following:
FLM 200, FLM 210, FLM 300, FLM 303, FLM 305, FLM 320, FLM 340, FLM 350, FLM 390, FLM 400, FLM 420, FLM 470

Film Production Elective:
Complete six (6) additional units from the following:
ART 385, FLM 491, FLP 306, FLP 360, FLP 406, MUS 387, THE 113

Film Production

The Film Production concentration is designed for students who desire to be involved in the production side of the business. Students can choose to take the core courses for this concentration on the CBU campus or in one semester at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC), a program sponsored by the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities. Students will learn the technology and artistry of filmmaking in classes ranging from film directing to video editing and get hands-on experience making their own films. Students completing the Film Production concentration on the CBU campus complete all the following:

Core Requirements:

DES 310 Creativity: Collaboration and Context

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course builds on a foundational understanding of creativity’s process and purpose. The aim of the course is for students to apply these foundations to the act of completing interdisciplinary creative projects in context. Prerequisite: DES 110.

FLM 301 Basic Screenwriting

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of writing for the screen. The elements of theme, plot, character, and dialogue in dramatic writing for cinema will be studied. Students will learn how to construct screenplays by closely examining produced films, reading film scripts, and writing their own short screenplays. The course will provide a foundation in the basics of the three-act act structure, dramatic action, character arc, the revision process, and an introduction to the business of screenwriting. By the end of the semester, students will have produced and polished a twenty- to thirty-page screenplay for a short film suitable for production. Prerequisite: ENG 113 and FLM 105.

FLM 350 Film and Literature

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course addresses the adaptation of literature to film. It examines diverse concepts and theories that have been applied to cinematic adaptations of literary texts as part of a larger constellation of issues, including the development of cinematic language, approaches to genre studies, and an appreciation for cinematic visions in literary texts. In addition to film screenings, course readings will include prose fiction and film criticism. Prerequisite: ENG 123.

FLM 390 Film Industry

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course introduces students to an overview of the film industry broadly and examines the evolving structures of development, production, and distribution for a worldwide market.

FLP 170 Film Production I: Visual Storytelling

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

An introduction to the production of visual storytelling content. Each student will write, direct, and edit a series of exploratory production exercises. The primary emphasis is on telling a compelling story by employing basic cinematography, lighting, editing, sound and on-camera talent to involve an audience emotionally with the characters on screen. This course is restricted to Film majors and minors only. Pre- or Co-Requisite: FLM 105.

FLP 180 Video Editing and Post-Production I

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

A study of advanced cinematic storytelling principles as they are expressed through editing. This course analyzes examples from important films and other media that demonstrate how rhythm, timing, pace, emotion, sound, and other dramatic aesthetics affect the viewer’s perceptions and the success of the sequence. Each student will develop technical skills through weekly editing assignments and the completion of a complex editing project. Students learn skills and techniques of cinematic storytelling via the editing and post production processes. The course emphasizes proficiency using a nonlinear editing system, the history of significant achievement in editing, and the editor’s unique role in the post production process.

FLP 306 Film Production II: Creative Producing

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This class will approach film production from prep to post from the perspective of the independent film creative producer, with each student producing and directing two short films in addition to introductory workshops on all the different departments, including technical areas such as grip, electric, and camera. Students will learn how to break down and budget a script, schedule a shoot, create and fill out paperwork, such as deal memos, call sheets, contracts, location scouting, and holding auditions.Pre-Co Requisite FLM 301

FLP 360 Cinematography

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

An introduction to the fundamental tools and principles used by cinematographers to create digital or film images generated from the context of the story. Curriculum covers visualization, digital manipulation, sensitometry, filters and lenses, lighting, color, processing procedures, camera systems, special effects, and image control. Prerequisite: FLP 306.

FLP 406 Film Directing

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course explores a range of ideas, methods, and theories of narrative film directing. While helping students understand the director’s complex functions in the creative process of directing, the course mainly focuses on the study of and practice in two areas: directing the camera and directing actors. Significant time is devoted to the understanding of acting and working with actors (casting, rehearsal, character development, and performing for the camera). Students will work in groups on a series of focused short projects to build the creative experience step by step. Prerequisite: FLP 360.

MUS 386 Audio Recording and Studio Techniques I

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

Introduction to analog and digital audio recording and ProTools recording software. Topics covered will include microphone techniques, signal flow, recording consoles, sound capture and basic sound editing. Recording of vocal and instruments will be covered. Practicum hours required.

Film Studies Elective:
Complete three (3) units from the following:
FLM 200, FLM 210, FLM 300, FLM 303, FLM 305, FLM 320, FLM 340, FLM 400, FLM 420, FLM 470

Film Production Elective:
Complete three (3) units from the following:
ART 385, FLM 302, FLM 370, FLM 403, FLM 491, FLP 380, GDM 352, MUS 387, MUS 487, THE 113

Optional Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC)
Students who opt to take their last semester at LAFSC will enroll in the following LAFSC courses:

Hollywood Production Workshop (4 units)
Faith and Artistic Development in Film (3 units)
Internship: Inside Hollywood (6 units)
Narrative Storytelling (3 units)

Screenwriting

The Screenwriting concentration prepares students for a career in the field. It is designed for students who are interested in writing scripts for film or television. Courses from Basic Screenwriting through Writing Adapted Screenplays work on developing writing skills as well as “pitching” the script.

Core Requirements:

ENG 201 Introduction to Literature for Majors and Minors (or ENG 273)

Units: 3. Offered: Fall, Spring.

An intensive study of literary terminology and the major genres of American, British, European, and multicultural literature. Focuses on critical reading and intelligent appreciation of literature, and ways of writing about literature. Majors and minors should take this introduction course during their sophomore year as soon as they successfully complete ENG 123. Prerequisite: ENG 123.

FLM 301 Basic Screenwriting

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of writing for the screen. The elements of theme, plot, character, and dialogue in dramatic writing for cinema will be studied. Students will learn how to construct screenplays by closely examining produced films, reading film scripts, and writing their own short screenplays. The course will provide a foundation in the basics of the three-act act structure, dramatic action, character arc, the revision process, and an introduction to the business of screenwriting. By the end of the semester, students will have produced and polished a twenty- to thirty-page screenplay for a short film suitable for production. Prerequisite: ENG 113 and FLM 105.

FLM 302 Writing Short Screenplays

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (Odd Years).

This course is an intermediate level treatment of the principles of writing for the screen. It expands on the concepts covered in Basic Screenwriting, deepening the students’ knowledge of the elements of theme, plot, character, and dialogue in dramatic writing for cinema while building the students’ skills in the development of these elements in their own writing. By the end of the semester, students will have produced and polished screenplay for a 1-hour film. Prerequisite: ENG 113 or FLM 105.

FLM 350 Film and Literature

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course addresses the adaptation of literature to film. It examines diverse concepts and theories that have been applied to cinematic adaptations of literary texts as part of a larger constellation of issues, including the development of cinematic language, approaches to genre studies, and an appreciation for cinematic visions in literary texts. In addition to film screenings, course readings will include prose fiction and film criticism. Prerequisite: ENG 123.

FLM 370 Writing for Streaming Media

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of writing the for streaming media. Students will be immersed in what makes for a successful series comedy or drama script: premise, character, story, scene writing, and dialogue. Several past and current series from broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms will be analyzed throughout the semester. The course will provide a foundation in the basics of writing the scripted series and an introduction to the business of scripted series writing and production. By the end of the semester, students will have written a polished pilot episode script suitable for production. Pre-Req. ENG 113 or FLM 105

FLM 403 Writing Adapted Screenplays

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (Even Years).

This is a course in the art of writing a feature-length film script based on a piece of literature or other literary material. Contemporary feature film structure paradigms will be reviewed as the student (individually or in pairs) crafts their own feature-length screenplay from a self-selected literary source. The art of the studio “pitch” used to sell a screenplay also will be reviewed and practiced. Prerequisite: ENG 113 or FLM 105.

FLM 470 Adaptation and Intertextuality

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (odd years).

This advanced course focuses on diverse texts and theories regarding adaptation and intertextuality as they impact film and other media. The course explores the ways in which texts are adapted from one medium into other media and the ways in which texts intersect and communicate with one another. The complex manner in which adaptation and intertextuality function in our media-saturated, global culture is investigated. Texts that might be examined in this course include films, video games, television shows, novels, comics/graphic novels, operas, and musicals. Course content will vary. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

Complete nine (9) additional units from the following:
ART 385, DES 310, FLM 200, 300, 303, 305, 320, 340, 390, 400, 420, 491, FLP 170, 180, 306, 360, 380, 406, THE 113.

Complete nine (9) additional units from the following:
ART 385, DES 310, FLM 200, 300, 303, 305, 340, 400, 420, 491, FLP170, 306, 360, 406, THE 113.

Student Learning Outcomes

Film Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)

  1. Communication Competency: Graduating Film majors will explain the cultural, social, and spiritual relevance of film through written, discursive, and multi-media communication.
  2. Critical Analysis: Graduating Film majors will produce researched critical analyses that reflect the broader historical, cultural, and religious contexts of cinematic artifacts.
  3. Diversity: Graduating Film majors will produce critical analyses, screenplays, and/or film projects that communicate an understanding of and respect for diverse perspectives, including those related to religion, race, gender, and social class.
  4. Theoretical Approach & Methodology: Graduating Film majors will demonstrate the application of theory to filmic texts through oral, written, and visual forms of communication.
  5. Professional and Graduate Preparation: Graduating Film majors will be equipped to pursue professional film-related occupations and graduate studies.
CURRICULUM PATH

The following documents outline a suggested course schedule.

Film Minor

Students minoring in Film Studies will complete 21 units of Film coursework, including 9 units (3 classes) of required lower-division foundational courses and 12 units (4 classes) chosen from any Film courses offered, including both  Film Studies (FLM) and Film Production (FLP) courses in any combination (see list below). Also, Film Studies minors may use the program’s filmmaking equipment and Film Lab, featuring all the screenwriting, editing, and other post-production software needed to complete film projects.

Lower Division Requirements

Complete the following lower division courses.  Note: FLP170 – Basic Production: Visual Story Telling must be taken prior to any upper division FLP courses within the Upper Division Requirement.

FLM 105 Introduction to Film Studies

Units: 3. Offered: Fall, Spring.

This course offers an introduction to methods and approaches for the study of film. Students will learn film terminology and its effective application in film analysis. Students also will develop, maintain, and improve strategies for close-reading individual shots and sequences, interpreting cinematic narrative and technique, and for negotiating various critical and theoretical paradigms of film study.

FLM 150 Film History

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course studies the development of film history from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century up to the present day. As the growth of cinema has been a global phenomenon, we will look at major films, filmmakers, and film movements in the United States and around the world. Pre- or Co- requisite: ENG 123. Recommended: FLM 105.

FLM 250 Film Theory and Criticism

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course introduces students to the major areas and concepts of film theory and criticism, from their inception in the early twentieth century to the present. It examines how various film theories, as part of a long-standing tradition of critical reflections on life and the arts in general, evolve and interact with one another and with neighboring discourses, nationally and internationally. Knowledge and skills gained in this class will prepare students for further upper-division film courses, in which film theory and criticism will function as important analytical tools. Prerequisites: FLM 105 and 150.

Upper Division Requirements

Complete twelve (12) additional units from the following:

FLM 300 National Cinema

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (even years).

National Cinema is an advanced course focusing on the most significant films and filmmakers of one country. It looks at cinematic history and practice in the nation being covered and may include a consideration of popular, independent, and/or art film. The course may cover the entire history of cinema in one nation or focus on a particular type of film or cinematic movement in one country. Special attention will be paid to the socio-historical contexts of the films assigned during the course. May be taken multiple times with change in topic. Prerequisite: FLM 150.

FLM 301 Basic Screenwriting

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of writing for the screen. The elements of theme, plot, character, and dialogue in dramatic writing for cinema will be studied. Students will learn how to construct screenplays by closely examining produced films, reading film scripts, and writing their own short screenplays. The course will provide a foundation in the basics of the three-act act structure, dramatic action, character arc, the revision process, and an introduction to the business of screenwriting. By the end of the semester, students will have produced and polished a twenty- to thirty-page screenplay for a short film suitable for production. Prerequisite: ENG 113 and FLM 105.

FLM 302 Writing Short Screenplays

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (Odd Years).

This course is an intermediate level treatment of the principles of writing for the screen. It expands on the concepts covered in Basic Screenwriting, deepening the students’ knowledge of the elements of theme, plot, character, and dialogue in dramatic writing for cinema while building the students’ skills in the development of these elements in their own writing. By the end of the semester, students will have produced and polished screenplay for a 1-hour film. Prerequisite: ENG 113 or FLM 105.

FLM 303 Asian Cinema

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (odd years).

This survey course offers a unique opportunity to screen and study technically innovative and culturally significant feature films from China, India, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Special attention will be given to the diverse genres in Asian cinema and the dynamic interactions between filmmaking and socio-historical transformation. An East-West comparative approach will be encouraged. Prerequisites: FLM 105 and 150.

FLM 305 Christianity and Film

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course centers on the close reading of both religious and secular filmic texts in order to better understand the ideology that is wrapped within these artifacts of culture. Students will describe and analyze how these cinematic texts communicate both Christian and anti-Christian philosophical and theological arguments, which have the power to shape the horizons of the mind and impact culture. Prerequisite: ENG 123.

FLM 340 Major Directors

Units: 3. Offered: Fall (odd years).

With attention to theories about authorship and the auteur, this course surveys the work of one or two major directors. This course may treat a canonical auteur, such as Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, or Akira Kurosawa, or may focus upon figures historically marginalized within cinema studies, such Oscar Micheaux, Ida Lupino, or Sam Fuller. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 350 Film and Literature

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course addresses the adaptation of literature to film. It examines diverse concepts and theories that have been applied to cinematic adaptations of literary texts as part of a larger constellation of issues, including the development of cinematic language, approaches to genre studies, and an appreciation for cinematic visions in literary texts. In addition to film screenings, course readings will include prose fiction and film criticism. Prerequisite: ENG 123.

FLM 370 Writing for Streaming Media

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

This course is an introduction to the basic principles of writing the for streaming media. Students will be immersed in what makes for a successful series comedy or drama script: premise, character, story, scene writing, and dialogue. Several past and current series from broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms will be analyzed throughout the semester. The course will provide a foundation in the basics of writing the scripted series and an introduction to the business of scripted series writing and production. By the end of the semester, students will have written a polished pilot episode script suitable for production. Pre-Req. ENG 113 or FLM 105

FLM 400 Special Topics in Film Studies

Units: 3. Offered: As offered.

This course focuses on a different subject in the field of cinema studies each time it is offered. Designed to reflect both our rapidly changing culture and the technologically progressive nature of the film industry, this course is devoted to a critical examination of film with regard to, for example, time period, genre, theme, etc. May be taken multiple times with change in topic. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 403 Writing Adapted Screenplays

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (Even Years).

This is a course in the art of writing a feature-length film script based on a piece of literature or other literary material. Contemporary feature film structure paradigms will be reviewed as the student (individually or in pairs) crafts their own feature-length screenplay from a self-selected literary source. The art of the studio “pitch” used to sell a screenplay also will be reviewed and practiced. Prerequisite: ENG 113 or FLM 105.

FLM 420 Independent Film and Counter-Cinema

Units: 3. Offered: Fall (even years).

Independent Film and Counter-cinema is an advanced course that studies diverse film texts considered “independent” while examining the varied and constantly evolving definition of independent film. In addition, the course investigates counter-cinema—film that actively opposes mainstream cinema, offering alternative discourses—and explores the complex relationship between independent film and counter-cinema. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 450 World Cinema

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

World Cinema is an advanced course focusing on films made outside of North America and their socio-historical contexts. It looks at cinematic history and practice in diverse nations and introduces students to a range of non-Hollywood film styles and forms, including popular and art cinemas, from across the globe. May be taken multiple times with change in topic. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 470 Adaptation and Intertextuality

Units: 3. Offered: Spring (odd years).

This advanced course focuses on diverse texts and theories regarding adaptation and intertextuality as they impact film and other media. The course explores the ways in which texts are adapted from one medium into other media and the ways in which texts intersect and communicate with one another. The complex manner in which adaptation and intertextuality function in our media-saturated, global culture is investigated. Texts that might be examined in this course include films, video games, television shows, novels, comics/graphic novels, operas, and musicals. Course content will vary. Prerequisite: FLM 250.

FLM 491 Film Practicum

Units: 1-15. Offered: As Offered.

Students participate in an internship experience in some aspect of the Hollywood film or television industry. These are non-paying positions that may be part of an actual Hollywood film or television production, or similar entertainment industry experience with development companies, agencies, producers, etc. Unit value will vary in relation to time commitment and the individual’s learning contract. Students will be supervised by a member of the Film Studies faculty. Prerequisite: FLM 250 and junior status.

FLP 306 Film Production II: Creative Producing

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This class will approach film production from prep to post from the perspective of the independent film creative producer, with each student producing and directing two short films in addition to introductory workshops on all the different departments, including technical areas such as grip, electric, and camera. Students will learn how to break down and budget a script, schedule a shoot, create and fill out paperwork, such as deal memos, call sheets, contracts, location scouting, and holding auditions.Pre-Co Requisite FLM 301

FLP 360 Cinematography

Units: 3. Offered: Spring.

An introduction to the fundamental tools and principles used by cinematographers to create digital or film images generated from the context of the story. Curriculum covers visualization, digital manipulation, sensitometry, filters and lenses, lighting, color, processing procedures, camera systems, special effects, and image control. Prerequisite: FLP 306.

FLP 380 Video Editing and Post Production II

Units: 3. Offered: Fall (Even Years).

Provides students with an intensive hands-on experience editing under the supervision of the professor while further developing their skills and techniques of cinematic storytelling via the editing and post production processes, with an emphasis on the role of editing on cinematic and artistic masterpieces from every genre while students work on creating their own film festival ready short film from already existing film and sound elements.  Pre-Req FLP 180.

FLP 406 Film Directing

Units: 3. Offered: Fall.

This course explores a range of ideas, methods, and theories of narrative film directing. While helping students understand the director’s complex functions in the creative process of directing, the course mainly focuses on the study of and practice in two areas: directing the camera and directing actors. Significant time is devoted to the understanding of acting and working with actors (casting, rehearsal, character development, and performing for the camera). Students will work in groups on a series of focused short projects to build the creative experience step by step. Prerequisite: FLP 360.

Launch your Creative Career

Film Studies is one of the fastest growing disciplines at universities and colleges in the U.S. Interdisciplinary in nature, Film Studies incorporates other fields such as history, art, popular culture, and communications. Film Studies majors practice the vital activities of analysis, synthesis, and multitasking that many employers seek. As a result, many Film Studies graduates find positions with film production companies, film archives, and festivals, or work as art managers, critics, journalists, independent artists, and teachers. Film Studies majors have been competitive in job searches nationally in the following areas:

  • independent or industrial filmmaker
  • film editor
  • critic or arts journalist
  • press agent
  • photographer
  • actor/actress, performer
  • studio merchandising or distribution company work
  • dramaturge or story editor
  • film archives, museum studies, program researcher
  • tourist industry or community arts worker
  • casting director or casting assistant
  • theater manager or publicist
  • television production, camera operator, censor, or colorizing technician
  • screenwriter, animator, script writer or script supervisor
  • library assistant or assistant language teacher
  • program assistant or a personal assistant to directors or producers
  • talent agent or talent representative

“CBU Film runs a great program for training storytellers of the future -don’t miss it!”

— Ralph Winter

(Producer of X-Men, Fantastic Four, Star Trek)

Student Work

Faculty

Film Engagement

CBU Film encourages its students to regularly engage in the film industry beyond the classroom. Between students submitting to film festivals, CBU hosting film festivals, and regular guest professors from Hollywood, CBU Film students are immersed into the broader film industry while earning their degree.

CBU Film Festival

The CBU annual film festival draws new student filmmakers and motivates returning students to try new ideas.  The film festival is serves as a forum for students to showcase their work in front of a public audience.  Since 2011, the CBU film festival has successfully brought together members of the public, CBU film students, and film critics into a common space.

Riverside International Film Festival

Since 2002, the Riverside International Film Festival has brought the best in contemporary international and independent film to the Inland Empire Region of Southern California, the fastest growing area in America.  CBU Film program regularly partners with, and showcases student film in conjunction with the Riverside International Film Festival.

Tournées Film Festival

The Tournées program is an initiative of the Franco-American Cultural Exchange, which is dedicated to fostering greater international awareness of French and Francophone cultures.  CBU is a proud host of the Tournées program whereby it can expose the CBU student population to a series of acclaimed French films.

Sundance Film Festival & Windrider Forum

In January, CBU Film Students attend the famed Sundance Film Festival.  While there, students also participate in the Windrider Forum, a Christian event that engages spirituality and ethics in contemporary film.

Los Angeles Film Studies Center

As a participant in the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities and a “sending institution” for the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC), CBU gives students the opportunity to study for one semester through the Center in Los Angeles, California. Completion of this concentration is contingent upon admittance to the Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC) program. For more information see the LAFSC website, and for more samples of work from the LAFSC vimeo page.

International Service Projects

CBU is committed to fulfilling Jesus’ mandate in the Great Commission “to go and make disciples of all nations.” To this end, CBU believes that God bestows upon every student gifts and passions to accomplish their purpose. To that end, CBU sends out more students worldwide than any other college in the country.  For more information see the Office of Mobilization.