FEA Curriculum

Degree Programs Offered:

• Bachelor of Arts (Major) in Film and Electronic Arts
• Minor in Film and Electronic Arts
• Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts, Option in Dramatic Writing

Every student in Film and Electronic Arts (FEA) receives a comprehensive education in media history and theory. There are two parallel concentrations of study offered in our Department: the Media Studies Option, and the Production Option. Despite the existence of formal tracks, students in FEA are not separated. All students share many of the same opportunities for learning in both theory and production.

For example, while enrollment in three production courses is limited to students who have been accepted into the Production Option, the following twenty-four courses in writing, production, post production and animation are available to ALL students who are pursuing a major or a minor in FEA:

• FEA 303 Film and Electronic Media Writing
• FEA 304 Writing the Short Script
• FEA 307 Audio Production
• FEA 320 Sound Design
• FEA 325 Audio Activity
• FEA 327 Production Management
• FEA 335 University TV Activity
• FEA 337 Digital Arts Production
• FEA 338 Television Studio Production (begins Fall, 2008)
• FEA 344 Directing
• FEA 355 Audio Video Film Activity
• FEA 382 Digital Documentary Production
• FEA 382 Digital Documentary Production II
• FEA 403 Diverse Media: Writing and Production
• FEA 404 Advanced Scriptwriting for Film and Electronic Media
• FEA 405 Comedy Writing
• FEA 408 Writing the Screen Adaptation
• FEA 415 Editing
• FEA 437 Computer Animation
• FEA 486I Alternative Media
• FEA 490 Special Topics (Radio Programming)
• FEA 490 Special Topics (TV Commercials)
• FEA 498 Advanced Seminar (Surfside Productions)
• FEA 499 Special Projects (Independent Study)

All of our students are encouraged to volunteer for crew positions on the hundreds of films and videos that are produced in the Department and through the Film Club during each school year. With the permission of the instructors, all FEA students may also enroll in FEA 341 & 343 (Advanced Cinematography I & II). In fact, some of our most accomplished student filmmakers over the years have been in the Media Studies Option, and a number of our finest critical essays have been written by students in the Production Option.

Also, any FEA student interested in traditional hand-drawn film animation may seek permission to enroll in ART 391 & 393 offered by the Department of Art. Please contact Professor Aubry Mintz at amintz@csulb.edu for more information.

Finally, all FEA students are encouraged to obtain entertainment industry internships, for which they may receive up to 6 hours of course credit in FEA 492. Our Department traditionally leads the campus in student internships every year.

MEDIA STUDIES

Media studies courses are based on the principle that history and theory inform practice: students are expected to acquire critical skills that will enable them to adapt to changing technologies and economic markets. The Media Studies track provides foundational courses in the study of aesthetics and the history of cinema and broadcasting, as well as focused courses exploring classical and contemporary film theory; international cinemas (Europe and Latin America); national cinemas (Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, and Spain); American film genres; documentary history and theory; alternative media; women and film; African-Americans and TV; and fiction and film.

PRODUCTION OPTION

Due to equipment availability and class size, admission to the Production Option sequence is selective. Prospective students submit creative portfolios and finalists are interviewed by faculty. Approximately 50 students are accepted each year. Students considering the Production Option should be aware that the expense of making films and videos for upper level production classes typically exceeds $1,500 for intermediate films and $5,000 for senior thesis projects.