Film and Digital Media
The Department of Film and Digital Media offers studies in film, video, audio, and new media production, as well as screenwriting, media studies, film theory, media effects, and media management.
The film and digital media major is designed to prepare students for a variety of careers in television, cable, film, digital media, and allied fields. Several courses are designed for non-majors who desire an understanding of the role of the broadcast and film media in American society.
The communication specialist major combines courses in communication and film and digital media. This program of study blends a leadership/management/organizational communication focus with the development of expertise in digital media production. Like the communication major, it is appropriate for students with a wide array of career aspirations but is most appropriate for those intending to take advantage of communication expertise in a corporate career track. The requirements for the communication specialist major are listed in the Department of Communication.
Various activities offer laboratory settings in which a student's work is aided, directed, and evaluated by faculty specialists in a particular area of the discipline. These activities include:
- the production of short and feature films by faculty, with students serving in various crew roles to learn how a film set functions, and
- internship programs in film and digital media, including the annual NAB and the semester in New York City programs, which provide students with real-world experience in their chosen field.
Pre-Film and Digital Media
Students interested in Film and Digital Media as a major will choose the Pre-Film and Digital Media designation upon enrollment at Baylor. Application for entry to the Film and Digital Media major must be made to the Department after a student has completed, with grades of “B” or better, FDM 1198 Practicum in Grip and Lighting Equipment, FDM 1199 Practicum in Video and Audio Equipment, FDM 1304 Visual Literacy: Sight, Sound, Motion, and FDM 2360 Production Methods. The Department will grant admission to all students who fulfill this requirement as it is explained here.
Students may repeat each of these introductory courses only once if they fail to make a “B” or better the first time they take the course. Students may only remain in the Pre-Film and Digital Media major designation until the completion of 60 hours. Students who have not met the admission requirement at 60 hours will not advance to the Film and Digital Media major and must change degree programs. (Transfer students who enter with at least 15 hours will be given up to the completion of 90 hours to complete the four courses with a grade of “B” or better and progress into the Film and Digital Media major.)
Film and Digital Media (FDM)
A New Student Experience course for first-year and transfer students entering as Pre-Film & Digital Media majors. Designed to help students acclimate to college life with a specific focus on the Film & Digital Media major, opportunities for FDM majors, and future career options.
Supervised practical experience in video and/or audio production. May be repeated for three credit hours.
Supervised practical experience and development of proficiency with common grip and lighting equipment and practices.
Supervised practical experience and development of proficiency with common video and audio acquisition equipment and practices. Cannot be repeated for credit.
The mass media, how they operate, and how they affect society.
Examines how pictures, sounds, and motions communicate sense and meaning in contemporary media. Considers the major aesthetic image elements -- light, color, space, time, motion, and sound -- and how they are used in film, video, and computer media.
Examines and explores representative masterpieces of cinema. Seeks to enhance understanding of the cinematic experience through non-technical discussions and analyses of films. Also considers the times and lives of the filmmakers.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.
International and domestic cinema since 1880, focusing on film as an art form and changes due to social, political, economic, ideological, and cultural influences.
Radio and television since 1890, focusing on developments in technology, economics, management, programming, audiences, regulation, and the roles of radio and television in society.
An introduction to single-camera, multiple-camera, and audio production using basic video and audio equipment.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Principles of business theory and practice associated with the production, promotion, and distribution of media, including the broadcasting, cable, recording, satellite, Internet, video game, and cinema industries.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Process of media programming, including economic, legal, and audience factors. Analysis of programming practices from organizational and political viewpoints. Class programming project.
See RUS 3345 for course information.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Further development of the technical abilities and conceptual approaches to single-camera and multiple-camera digital media production introduced in FDM 2360, Production Methods.
See JOU 3372 for course information.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Development of skills in writing a feature film screenplay. Topics include theme, plot, characterization, dialogue, story structure, filmic time, filmic space, filmic motion, script format, and script revision. Students will generate their own feature film idea and complete a first draft screenplay.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Analysis of various television production formats such as half-hour sitcoms, one-hour dramas, and two-hour movies-of-the-week. Students will generate an original script idea for an existing television program and complete a first draft teleplay.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. An introduction to old and emerging theories which explain the spread of innovative ideas and technologies among members of a society, emphasizing the role of communication processes and the special problems for diffusion in communication technology.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Analysis of the technical foundations of communication media, the interrelationships among the various media technologies, and the impact of these technologies on media management, content, distribution, and consumption.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Roles of the media in society and their relationship with other societal institutions. Impacts of the media upon society, responsibilities of the media, and restraints imposed upon them.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. An examination of the issues at the intersection of modern media technology, philosophy, and contemporary culture.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. An examination of the cinema as an art form in the context of other artistic media (such as painting, music, etc.).
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. The artistic potential of motion picture and television production, including major film theories and visual aesthetics. Dramatic narrative (fiction), documentary (non-fiction), and non-narrative subjects will be analyzed.
A survey of the history of film criticism and different approaches to the analysis and critical evaluation of film. The works of major critics are analyzed and their approaches use to write film criticism.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. An examination of the reciprocal functions of communication and urban culture as they continue to shape and define each other. Specific areas of inquiry vary each semester. May be repeated once with a different topic (maximum six semester hours).
Not open to pre-Film and Digital Media students. Advanced audio techniques for media productions, technical and conceptual aspects of sound design. Emphasis on sound/image relationships in film and video, and the interface between traditional analog and digital audio technologies. Includes recording, editing, and mixing of audio sources in the creation of original sound tracks.
Not open to pre-Film and Digital Media majors. Advanced short narrative digital cinema production with emphasis on storytelling, theme, and mise-en-scene.
Not open to pre-Film and Digital Media majors. Develops proficiency in producing, directing, and editing of advanced digital content using single camera and multi-camera studio techniques. Covers pre-visualization, visual effects compositing, digital audio, and postproduction. Emphasis on bringing ideas from conception to realization in a professional setting.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Interactive media elements and authoring systems, emphasizing the integration of computer technology in the development of interactive media messages.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Advanced film and video production with emphasis on the techniques, equipment, and theories involved in lighting and cinematography. Emphasis on the role of the cinematographer or director of photography.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Advanced film and video production with emphasis on the techniques, equipment, and theories involved in editing film and video. Emphasis on the use of computer-based non-linear editing systems.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. In-depth investigation into the history, theory, and basic concepts of film and video direction; script preparation; story-boarding; blocking actors and staging the camera; sound; and editing. Projects include directing and shooting short videos.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Current film and television industry practices, including analysis of literary material, industry structure and economics, pitching, deal-making, and distribution.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Workshop course for advanced writers of narrative fiction screenplays emphasizing discussion of student work.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. In-depth investigation of important historical eras in the development of various media, for example, cinema, television, radio, and gaming. May be repeated twice under different topic not to exceed nine credit hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Examines media management issues and the impact of technological innovations on a wide range of media industries including broadcasting, Internet, telecommunication, cable, satellite, video game, and digital cinema. May be repeated twice under different topics, not to exceed nine credit hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Examines a selected topic in film, television, radio/audio, games, or other form of digital media storytelling. May be repeated twice under different topics, not to exceed nine credit hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. An aesthetic, cultural, and/or historical examination of a selected national mass medium, for example, Japanese Cinema, British Television, or French New Wave Cinema. Focuses on directors, films/programs, movements, and cultural contests of national media. May be repeated twice under different topics not to exceed nine credit hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Advanced media production with emphasis on one particular aspect of production. Topics covered may include cinematography, experimental film or video collaborative projects, documentary, studio drama, narrative, and other topics. May be repeated twice under different topics not to exceed nine credit hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. An analysis of major media genres (in film, television, gaming, and other media). Methodological issues in genre criticism will also be addressed. May be repeated twice under different topics not to exceed nine credit hours.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. An academic examination of current cinema. Topics covered may include contemporary world cinema, contemporary American cinema, artists/directors, philosophy, history and other topics. May be repeated once with a different topic.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. Designed to fit the needs and interests of the individual student. Interns may select activities in a broadcast station or network, wire service, film production hours, corporate communications department, advertising agency, or in other appropriate organizations. Internships must be approved by the division director (undergraduate) or graduate director (graduate) and are carried out under the supervision of the division director. May be repeated for a total of six semester hours provided the professional setting is different. Graduate students will be limited to three hours credit.
Study of a current topic in electronic media and/or film, including directed research and reading. May be repeated once with different topic.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. A conference course designed to give individual students opportunities for additional work in their area of concentration in the film and digital media division of the department. One to three hours may be earned a semester. May be repeated once with change in content.
Not open to Pre-Film and Digital Media students. A directed project to a detailed individual or group radio, television, or film production including preproduction, research and concept development, production, post production, and planning for distribution. May be repeated once in a different semester for a total of six semester hours.
Undergraduate research undertaken with the supervision of a faculty member. May be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.