Hao Zhou

In this course, we consider the collaborative nature of filmmaking and how its various crafts combine to tell stories with perhaps the greatest mass appeal of any artistic medium. We explore dramatic narrative structure, mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing and film genres as they have been used and advanced in the history of cinema. In addition to regular class meetings, attendance at weekly film showings is required. This course includes an introduction to film production in which students are expected to write, direct and film short projects in collaboration with their classmates. This course is ideal for first-year students and is required for the major. No prerequisite. Generally offered once a year.

This class is about finding your voice as a filmmaker. In this sense, the class is not just a writing class, it also is a film history class and a directing class. In many successful shorts, it is difficult to separate great writing from great directing. The goal of this course is to write a great short. In order to accomplish this, students spend half of their time watching short films to learn what makes them successful. This counts toward the film production/screenwriting requirements for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 111 or FILM 111. Generally offered every other year.

This course explores cinematography as an art of visual storytelling. The cinematographer plays a critical role in shaping the light and composition of an image and capturing that image for the screen. Students investigate the theory and practice of this unique visual language and its power as a narrative element in cinema. Students study films by accomplished cinematographers and engage in the work of the cinematographer through a series of projects. This course is taught at the Wright Center in Mount Vernon. This counts toward a course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: FILM 111. Generally offered every year.

This course focuses on the understanding of cinema through the practical application of pre-production and post-production techniques. Students learn the art of telling a story on screen by taking on the roles of the major positions in a film production, including producer, director, actor, cinematographer and editor. This course is taught at the Wright Center in Mount Vernon. This counts toward the production course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: DRAM 111 or FILM 111. Generally offered every year.

In this course, students learn the practice of documentary film making. Professionals in the world of documentary film visit and present. This course is intended to be a fusion of practical film making skills through the use of digital video technology and a deeper understanding of the nature of documentary through exposure to existing films and contact with professional filmmakers. The course, designed for the upper-level student, is taught at the Wright Center in Mount Vernon. This counts toward the production course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: FILM 261. Generally offered every third year.

Film editors are problem-solvers, improvisers, collaborators and, above all, storytellers. Editors are sometimes even credited as writers on the films they edit, but what do they actually do? What happens to the footage once you capture it in the camera? Where does it go? How does raw media become a finished film? In this course, we explore the technical and intellectual journey that is the post production process from the recording and organization of media on set, to setting up an editing project in Adobe Premiere, to editing and storytelling techniques and theory of both narrative fiction and documentary films. We all also spend time talking about the finishing process and what happens to the film after completing the final cut but before delivery to festivals or distributors. We introduce basic elements of color-correcting in DaVinci Resolve, the industry standard software for coloring, and then sound-mixing in Pro Tools. Students shoot several small projects that we all then work with in Adobe Premiere, the industry standard software for editing short films. We read articles and books by renowned editors from all different genres of film, past and contemporary. We watch a variety of short and feature-length films as we explore both narrative fiction and documentary editing styles. This counts toward a course requirement for the major. Prerequisite: FILM 111.

This seminar is for senior majors in film. Through this course, senior majors prepare for the completion of their Senior Capstone. Students present their project proposals, develop these projects through collaboration with peers, critique one another's work and utilize feedback to improve their individual projects. Students are expected to provide project schedules and weekly status updates and to meet regular guideposts for project completion. This course culminates in public presentations of the senior projects and oral examinations by faculty in the department. One semester of this course is required for the major, but it may be taken twice for credit.