Programs: Media Production

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Media Production, the department's newest degree program (available Fall 2006) prepares graduates for a life of transformational service, employing some of our culture's most powerful tools. Instruction from a reformed, Christian perspective empowers students to influence their world with redemptive, instructional, and entertaining messages.

The Media Production major is time-intensive and best suited to creative people energized by group collaboration. Sequenced, project-based skills courses are complimented by offerings in theory, history, and criticism. Technique thus arises from the solid foundation of the liberal arts.

In addition to the coursework outlined below, mentoring professors emphasize the importance of a graduate reel which compiles samples of both class and extracurricular projects.

MEDIA PRODUCTION CURRICULUM

Level 1
CAS 145: Introduction to Film (3)
CAS 190: Introduction to Video Production (4)

Level 2
CAS 248: Scriptwriting (3)
CAS 249: Audio Design and Aesthetics (3)
— Prerequisites for both courses: CAS 145, CAS 190

Two Courses selected from:

CAS 250: Multi-Camera Production (3)
CAS 316: Principles of Directing (4)
— Prerequisite: CAS 218
CAS 290: Video Production II (3)

Level 3

Two Courses from:
CAS 346: Internship in Communication (4)
CAS 351: Advanced Media Production (3): Repeatable.
— Prerequisite: CAS 248, CAS 250, or 290, and permission of instructor
CAS 390: Independent Study (3-4)

Integration Requirement: CAS 352 or 399

Electives

Three Courses (with at least one from each category):

Media History:
CAS 230: History of North American Media (3)
CAS 255: Documentary Film and Television (4)
CAS 281: American Film (4)
CAS 282: World Cinema (4)

Media Theory and Criticism:
CAS 238: Theory and Communication (3)
CAS 254: Media Criticism (3)
CAS 284: Critical Approaches to Film (4)
CAS 305: Persuasion and Propaganda (3)
CAS 383: Film Theory and Aesthetics (3)

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

145 Introduction to Film (3). A study of film as an art form and cultural phenomenon, including dramatic, visual, and sonic elements, theme and focus, acting, and directorial style. Topics covered include the materials and methods of filmmaking, the major styles and genres of film to American and world culture. Course work includes a mandatory weekly screening (lab) and readings in the history, theory, and criticism of film.

190 Introduction to Video Production (4). An introductory course in film-style production in the medium of digital video, with instruction in all of the elements of production, including scriptwriting, videography, sound, lighting and editing. Students will produce a series of exercises and a short finished video. All equipment is provided.

230 History of North American Media (3). This course emphasizes changes in the means of communication, the control of media systems, the audiences for media products, and the changes introduced into North American life (Canadian, Mexican, U.S. ) by the press, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, photograph, cinema, wireless, radio, television, cable and satellite, and computers. It concentrates on the history of technological development, programming, audience development, representation of constituent groups in society – especially minorities – and changes in law and regulation that have affected media institutions.

238 Theory and Communication (3). An examination of the significance and role of theory in understanding the nature of human communication. The course focuses on the fundamental elements of communication processes, the assumptions that underlie communication theory, the similarities and differences between theoretical approaches, and the means of evaluating theoretical perspectives, including a Christian critique of communication theories. Prerequisite: CAS 140.

248 Scriptwriting (3). An introduction to the content, styles, and formats of media scripts. The course emphasizes the differences in media writing compared with more familiar forms of writing, the role of the script as text in producing media programs, the styles of writing used (journalistic, dramatic, polemical, and emotive), and the technical requirements for scripts used to focus the work of directors, actors, camera, and sound technicians, editors and mixers in creating a media product. Also listed as English 248. Prerequisite: English 101. Topic for both semesters: Film Scripts.

249 Audio Design and Aesthetics (4). An introduction to the aesthetic principles that govern the production of media programs, focusing on sound. Students produce a variety of short audio programs in lab situations. The course also introduces students to the process by which media programs are produced, the aesthetic and ethical challenges that this process demands, and how Christians working in the media should respond to such demands.

250 Multi-Camera Production (3). An introduction to the theory and practice of studio-based video production. Various program formats are discussed and evaluated in light of particular communication principles and needs. Students gain experience with stationary video cameras, recorders, switchers and related technologies. Performance for the camera, studio lighting, audio recording and mixing principles are analyzed and demonstrated. Prerequisite: CAS 190 or permission of the instructor.

254 Media Criticism (3). The theory and practice of media criticism. This course develops a Reformed lens for consumers and producers of media to evaluate mass media on behalf of church and society.  Students write audience-focused reviews and evaluate others' criticism of media such as television, radio, popular music, and new media technologies (including the Internet, digital music, video games, and blogs). Prerequisites: ENGL 101 and CAS 140 or permission of the instructor.

255 Documentary Film and Television (4). An examination of the history, aesthetics, ethics and cultural and institutional functions of documentary film and television. Course includes a mandatory weekly screening (lab).

281 American Film (4). The study of American film as an art form, including technology, industry, and the system of representation and communication from the silent era to the present. This course investigates how Hollywood films work technically, artistically, and culturally to affirm and challenge images of America. Films considered represent major expressions of the classical Hollywood style and diversions from that style. Topics include film technique and style, narrative conventions and genres, the Hollywood studio and star systems, directors, and ideologies.

282 World Cinema (4). An introduction to significant film movements outside the United States. Topics include the early history and development of basic cinematic principles, the differences between the “Hollywood style” and the narrative forms developed in Europe, Asia, and elsewhere, and the response of various film industries to the dominance of the American cinema.

284 Critical Approaches to Film (4). An introduction to the key concepts and cultural paradigms employed in the study of film. Students are introduced to the diverse ways in which films are examined and critiqued, central theoretical, ethical, and critical issues surrounding the study of film, and major film theories based on cognitive, psychoanalytical, ideological, semiotic, structural, and feminist perspectives. Various schools of film criticism (e.g., formalist, auteur, genre, humanist, and religious) are considered. Prerequisite: CAS 251, 281, or permission of the instructor.

290 Video Production II (3). An intermediate- level course in video production. Course includes further development of technical and creative skills, with special emphasis on the writing, design and production of documentaries and narrative videos. Prerequisite: CAS 190 or permission of instructor.

305 Persuasion and Propaganda (3). The theory and practice of persuasive communication. Topics include theory and research of persuasion, improving personal persuasive abilities, recognizing and resisting persuasive strategies, and the role of propaganda in modern society. Examples for analysis are taken from advertising, religion, sales, political campaigns, and democratic and totalitarian propaganda.

316 Principles of Directing (4). An introduction to the theory of directing.
Through readings, play attendance, discussions, and exercises, the students will develop a basic understanding of the directing process and an appreciation for the art of directing. This course is for students interested in theatre-related professions as well as for students wishing to deepen their understanding of theatre and dramatic structure. Prerequisite: CAS 218.

346 Internship in Communication (4). Students work in profit or non-profit communication under the supervision of a professional. Typical placements include public relations or advertising agencies, broadcast or cable stations, video production companies and the like. A journal and seminar participation
are required. Grading is based on the professional’s evaluation, the tudent’s daily journal, and seminar participation. Prerequisites: Junior or senior status, 2.5 GPA, and recommendation of department.

351 Advanced Media Production (3). The intensive study and production of video in a particular style or genre. The course focus, designated by a subtitle, will alternate between documentary, narrative and other styles and genres of video and television, and may include field and/or studio production and multimedia. The style or genre will be thoroughly investigated, with emphasis on its creative, ethical, and technical requirements and skills. Students will produce their own work in a digital video format. May be repeated for credit when course focus varies. Prerequisite: CAS 248, CAS 250, or CAS 290, and permission of instructor.

352 Communication Ethics (3). This course examines the moral dimensions of human communication, exploring dilemmas in interpersonal, group, and mediated communication, with special reference to problems encountered in communications professions. While wrestling with cases and controversies, students also review and apply historic criteria for coming to reasoned moral judgment, including the contemporary voices of feminist, determinist, post-modern, and naturalist ethicists. Major Christian positions are reviewed and applied. Case studies are the focus of the class, with a variety of learning opportunities and encouragement for students to pursue personal learning objectives. Prerequisites: Biblical Foundations I, Developing a Christian Mind, and Philosophical Foundations.

383 Film Theory and Aesthetics (3). An advanced study in film form and its implications, including narrative structure, editing and sound, acting, cinematography, production design, and their influence on viewers. The course also examines basic theoretical issues such as the relationships between film and reality, the nature of film as an art, adaptation, identification, and elicitation of emotional response. Prerequisites: CAS 284 and course work in the applied knowledge category, or permission of instructor.

390 Independent Study. (3-4) Independent study of topics of interest to particular students, under the supervision of a member of the department. Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

399 Senior Seminar (3). This capstone course examines the application of
a Reformed worldview to understanding communication and culture, especially communication-related vocations. It concentrates on the relationships between the Christian faith and professional communication and focuses on the ways in which communication-related professions define professional activity and on the responsibilities that Christians have to work in and through professions. It also examines a Christian view of success, the importance of understanding one’s gifts, finding and using mentors, committing to a location, mastering persuasive, honest interviewing and resume-writing, networking with reciprocity, overcoming Christian tribalism in a world economy, and being patiently flexible in the face of economic and cultural changes. Prerequisites: Biblical Foundations I or Theological Foundations I, Developing a Christian Mind, and Philosophical Foundations.

See the Calvin College Catalog for a listing of all courses.

2008 Interim

Contact

For more information, contact Professors Brian Fuller or Daniel Garcia.

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