What Will I Study?
The Filmmaking program at Marshall University engages students in the creation, production and post-production of narrative, documentary, and experimental styles of video through an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Courses teach cinematography, documentary research, motion graphics/animation, screenwriting, acting, directing, sound design, and internships which prepare students for a rapidly growing job market in film and video.
Course Descriptions
TThe following courses are offered as part of the Filmmaking BFA. Please refer to the 4-year plan for your catalog year to confirm which of these will be required to complete the degree.
Art Classes
ART 101 – Visual Culture and Research. 3 hrs. Introduction to the functions of art applications of media, elements, and principles of design, artists, and aesthetics.
ART 202 History of Art. 3 hrs. A survey of the history of art from the Renaissance to the present.
ART 214 Foundations: Grid/Chroma. 3 hrs. A survey of the history of art from the Renaissance to the present.
ART 219 – Foundations: Frame/Time. 3 hrs. Introduction to digital/film photography in one half-semester workshop and 4D design principles/video-based processes in another. Students will develop visual, technical, and critical thinking skills by solving conceptual problems.
Art 321 Experimental Media Arts. 3 hrs. Students explore experimental media through historical contexts, practices, and processes from the analog experiments of early 20th-century avant-garde cinema through contemporary digital practices in new media art.
ART 325 – Image Visualization: Digital Techniques. 3 hrs. ART 325 is an exploration of color photography using digital techniques. Students will refine their personal vision using digital cameras, lighting and digital imaging software.
ART 327 Filmmaking I. 3 hrs. ART 325 is an exploration of color photography using digital techniques. Students will refine their personal vision using digital cameras, lighting and digital imaging software.
ART 325 – Image Visualization: Digital Techniques. 3 hrs. Students work together through advanced filmmaking concepts such as directing, cinematography, color grading, and sound design. Working in various crew roles, students complete a short film project for public screening.
ART 325 – Image Visualization: Digital Techniques. 3 hrs. Students will explore diverse styles, techniques, and storytelling approaches to create impactful and compelling, short-form non-fiction films.
Art 330 2D Animation. 3 hrs. Students learn traditional and digital 2D animation through projects that explore conceptual development and formal principles, tools, and techniques.
ART 390 Professional Practice. 3 hrs. Current views and practice: contemporary issues in art, safe practices in the studio, career opportunities, technology and art, and professional skills for artists. Current views and practice: contemporary issues in art, safe practices in the studio, career opportunities, technology and art, and professional skills for artists.
ART 423 – Photographic Lighting. 3 hrs. Advanced course for students who have completely mastered the basics of photography. Covers basic studio setup, creative use of the studio situation in portraits, still life and photo illustration.
ART 425 History of Photography. 3 hrs. Selected survey of the history of photography investigating the prehistory and invention of photography, por-traiture, landscape, social documentary, aesthetic, and experimental practice, post-modernism, and the digital age.
Art History 300/400 Elective. 3 hrs. (Art 364, 389, etc.)
ART 433 Film Production Fundamentals. 3 hrs. In this advanced workshop, students will work as small production teams with community organizations to create real-world client short film projects (or JMC 432 AD-PR Video Production)
Art 434 Video Art. 3 hrs. This course explores video as an artistic medium, examining its historical roots in the 1960s and its contemporary positioning within contemporary 4D digital media.
ART 453 – Motion Design I. 3hrs. Introductory topics in time/based media. Topics may include motion design, animation, video compositing, sound design, interactive design, data visualization, digital storytelling, or related subjects.
ART 454 – Motion Design II. 3hrs. Advanced topics in time-based media. Topics may include motion design, animation, video compositing, sound design, interactive design, data visualization, digital storytelling, or related subjects.
ART 490 Apprenticeship. 1-3 hrs. Student is placed in a supervised work situation, offering the opportunity to perform professional work. This will include 60 work hours per each registered credit hour.
Non-Art Course
THE 222 Acting I: Foundations. 3 hrs. Development of skill through foundational exercises.
MUS 219 – Digital Recording Techniques. 2 hrs. Concepts, implementation, and utilization of digital audio workstation software and hardware: MIDI, digital audio, recording techniques, production, and using the Internet to empower music creators (or JMC 231 Intro to Audio Production).
ENG 344 Introduction to Film Studies. 3 hrs. An intensive study of film form (mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound) and international film his-tory. (PR: Completion of Core II Composition Requirement)
ENG 445 Screenwriting. 3 hrs. Practice in writing screenplays.
AM 298 – Sophomore Review. 1 hr. Students present work from major courses for review by Art & Design faculty. Successful completion of 298 is a prerequisite for advancing to additional coursework in the major.
AM 498 – Senior Pre-Capstone. 3 hrs. A preparatory course for AM 499. Students will conceive, plan and start production of a culminating senior video project.
AM 499 – Senior Capstone Project. 3 hrs. A discipline-based experience combining video production capabilities and a range of knowledge outside the field resulting in a culminating senior video project.
