BFA Cinema

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The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cinema provides the experience of taking on the entire filmmaking process with a cross-disciplinary program that immerses you in the technical, theoretical, creative and business aspects of visual storytelling.

You’ll work collaboratively with other students who are actors, cinematographers, directors, editors, producers, screenwriters and sound mixers to acquire career-ready, working knowledge of the tools, techniques and professional workflow used in film development, production and post-production.

You’ll learn from a distinguished faculty of filmmakers and creative professionals, many of whom continue to work in film and television development, production and post-production and a diverse general education faculty with rich academic backgrounds in the liberal arts and sciences.

The program culminates in a two-term Senior Thesis Workshop in which you’ll produce an industry-ready project that showcases your unique talents, abilities, voice and vision.

Program learning outcomes

Upon successfully completing the BFA in Cinema, students will be able to:

  1. Implement storytelling form and technique in the cinematic arts, from writing and development through production and post-production.
  2. Make use of the tools and techniques of professional cinema production.
  3. Evaluate works of cinema with regard to cultural influences and historical precedents.
  4. Apply knowledge of business practices, legal standards and protocols specific to entertainment industries.
  5. Justify plans and decisions as the result of research, consensus building and critical thinking.

Time to completion

 

 

Your career path

The BFA Cinema program prepares you to start your career in the film, television and digital media industries. Most importantly, you’ll acquire the essential, practical skills, experience and knowledge you need to develop your own projects and create your own entrepreneurial career path as a filmmaker and visual storyteller.

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Choose your emphasis

Customize your BFA program by choosing an emphasis that focuses advanced studies on an area of film that interests you most. Emphasis choices are acting, cinematography, directing, editing, producing and screenwriting.

 

 

Acting is the expressive on-camera component to narrative filmmaking. As an acting emphasis student, you’ll take courses that provide the fundamental basics of movement, voice and character development. You’ll learn to interpret the intent of the line, the event of the scene and the objective of the piece, then move into the challenge of using your interpretation when the camera captures your performance. As an acting emphasis graduate, you will have learned the interaction of acting with the other key elements of narrative filmmaking and acquired the ability to be the total storyteller working both in front and behind the camera. During your Senior Thesis courses, you’ll have the opportunity to be the total storyteller, working both in front of the camera and behind the camera.

Career opportunities

  • Anchor/host.
  • Casting associate.
  • Line reader.
  • Reporter.
  • Spokesperson/model.
  • Voiceover artist.
  • Stage actor.
  • Film and television actor.
  • Commercial actor.
  • Character actor.

Cinematography is the art and craft of using the camera and lighting to create a visual mood. As a cinematographer or director of photography, you’ll be the director’s primary collaborator in the process of bringing a screen story to life. Your job will be to create images that tell the story using lighting and camera movement and constantly discover new methods of expressing yourself through imagery, whether the tool is a digital or film camera.

When you choose the cinematography emphasis, you’ll work closely with aspiring directing, writing and producing students to create short films, documentaries, TV commercials and music videos. Using real-world techniques and methods in hands-on classes, you’ll learn the vocabulary of professional cinematography, acquire practical, technical skills and techniques and become familiar with the practical management skills necessary to work in the role of director of photography.

The advanced emphasis curriculum includes immersive courses in studio lighting, camera movement and filming on location to prepare you for a career in the camera department. During your Senior Thesis courses, you’ll produce and refine a reel of original and produced work to use as a professional portfolio.

Career opportunities

  • Director of photography.
  • Best boy.
  • Lighting supervisor.
  • Camera assistant.
  • Camera operator.
  • Dolly grip.
  • Gaffer.
  • Grip.
  • Key grip.
  • Steadicam operator.
  • Still photographer.

For 70 years, California College of ASU has been educating and preparing student directors for careers in the entertainment industry. When coupled with the core curriculum of the BFA Cinema program, the directing emphasis requirements provide you with a solid foundation in the art of directing for film, television and documentaries. You’ll acquire key skills in script analysis, communicating an original vision to actors and guiding crews from pre-production to production to post-production. You’ll use professional equipment and industry-standard tools and techniques in practical, hands-on classes. You’ll learn to interpret text, explore film and television genres and ultimately discover your own unique and personal path to a creative career as a visual storyteller. During Senior Thesis courses, you’ll produce and refine a reel of original and produced work to use as a professional portfolio.

Career opportunities

  • Director’s assistant.
  • Commercial director.
  • Feature film director.
  • Music video director.
  • Assistant director.
  • Field director.
  • Production assistant.
  • Television series director.

Film editing is the process of preparing existing motion and sound footage for finalized publication and distribution requiring creativity and expertise using specialized computer hardware, software and on-set tools. It is an essential part of the process of filmmaking and requires expertise and creativity. The Editing emphasis focuses on all of the key components of the post-production process, including editing, visual effects editing, sound design and sound editing.

 

Career opportunities

  • Editor.
  • Editor, assistant.
  • Animator.
  • Colorist.
  • Compositor.
  • Digital imaging technician.
  • Motion graphics editor.
  • News editor.
  • Post production coordinator.
  • VFX coordinator.

Producing is both a key component of filmmaking and essential to the intertwined discipline of project development. In the motion picture and television industries, you can become a producer by working up through the ranks of production jobs or use your entrepreneurial spirit and savvy to leapfrog to selling projects to studios, networks and investors. You can also transition into producing after ascending in professions that are careers in and of themselves, as an executive for a studio, network or production company or by working as a talent/literary agent or personal manager. In the producing emphasis, you’ll acquire the skills to oversee and run a professional film or digital set and critical information about the entertainment industry and its practices to pitch, sell and shepherd projects that you can bring to the multitude of entertainment and distribution platforms.

 

Career opportunities

  • Accounting assistant.
  • Agency assistant.
  • Assistant to producer.
  • Associate producer.
  • Casting coordinator.
  • Casting director assistant.
  • Celebrity booker.
  • Consulting producer.
  • Distributor.
  • Executive producer.
  • Line producer.
  • Marketing executive.
  • News producer.
  • Production assistant.
  • Production accountant.
  • Show runner.
  • Story producer.
  • Television producer.
  • Unit manager.

The screenplay is a blueprint that guides a motion picture production. As a screenwriter, you have the challenging task of providing the textual foundation for visual and aural media.

The screenwriting emphasis is a forum for you to explore your creativity and tell your own stories while gaining essential skills to develop and write professional screenplays. Coursework focuses on developing and fine-tuning story elements while embracing a realistic understanding of the entertainment industry. The screenwriting emphasis also provides you with an overview of industry practices such as finding an agent, pitching ideas, submitting spec scripts and navigating business deals.

 

Career opportunities

  • Development executive.
  • Script coordinator.
  • Screenwriter.
  • Script supervisor.
  • Television staff writer.
  • Writer’s assistant.

Frequently asked questions

No, you can only choose one emphasis, but you’re free to choose from a wide variety of elective courses in other areas.

Yes! An internship is one of the best ways to build industry relationships and gain practical experience that you’ll be able to include on your resume. Most California College of ASU students can begin applying for internships that earn college credit in their junior year.

A liberal arts degree program provides a foundation of critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and effective communication skills that best prepare you to be a resilient, agile, lifelong storyteller, ready to build your own future career doing what you love.

No, we don’t require auditions, portfolios or reels to apply. We believe college is the place to discover your passion, try new things, hone your skills and develop a body of work to take into the real world after graduation. If you already have a reel and want to submit a web link with your application, it’s completely optional. However, if you want to apply for a California College of ASU Scholarship you may be required to submit a portfolio, video or creative sample of your work as part of your scholarship application.

The committee is looking for a complete application, including your official high school transcripts and all other required documents, submitted on time. When you write your personal essay, express yourself, describe your creative and academic goals, then proofread carefully for grammar and punctuation errors. Ask teachers, counselors, or employers who really know you to write letters of recommendation. Finally, during your admissions interview, let your individuality shine so your admissions counselor can see how you’ll contribute something unique to the California College of ASU community.

Yes! Contact your admissions counselor directly to coordinate a campus visit.

Yes, you can sign up to attend one of our Saturday Open House events or you can arrange for a private tour.

In our unique BFA program, you’ll study all aspects of the filmmaking process while you focus on learning how to professionally light and shoot projects for film, television, commercials and digital media. You’ll become a more complete storyteller as you work with other students who are focusing on directing, screenwriting, editing, acting, producing and sound to take projects from preproduction to final cut.

Yes! You’ll take hands-on courses in every aspect of the filmmaking process on a campus that reflects the real world of the entertainment industry. You’ll start building your career with an insider’s perspective on how films and digital content are made from start to finish.

Yes! Our equipment room is fully stocked with current, professional-quality, industry-standard film cameras, digital cameras, and grip, lighting and sound equipment, all available for you to check out and use on your film productions and hands-on coursework. You’ll shoot on our standing sets, on a professional-quality soundstage, and in front of our green screen. You’ll edit your films in fully equipped, pro-level post-production suites and screen your work in our HD surround sound theaters.

Most California College of ASU students have a camera in their hands during their first semester on campus.

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