What does Long Island University’s BFA Film program offer. How does the curriculum cover film history, production techniques, and theory. Which courses provide hands-on experience in filmmaking.
Overview of LIU’s BFA Film Program
Long Island University (LIU) offers a comprehensive Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Film program that provides students with a well-rounded education in both the theory and practice of filmmaking. The curriculum is designed to cover various aspects of cinema, from its historical roots to contemporary production techniques.
The program aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the competitive film industry. It combines theoretical study with practical, hands-on experience, allowing students to develop their creative vision while gaining technical proficiency.
Film History and Analysis Courses
LIU’s BFA Film program places a strong emphasis on understanding the historical context and evolution of cinema. Several courses are dedicated to exploring different eras and movements in film history:
- CIN 1: The Art of the Film: 1900 – 1930
- CIN 2: The Art of the Film: 1931 to Present
- CIN 3: Major Forces in the Cinema
- CIN 4: Major Figures in the Cinema
- CIN 5: The Art of the Documentary Film
These courses provide students with a solid foundation in film history, allowing them to understand the development of cinema as an art form and the influences that have shaped it over time.
Analyzing Film Movements and Directors
How do students gain a deeper understanding of specific film movements and directors? The program offers courses that focus on these aspects:
CIN 3: Major Forces in the Cinema examines the influence of significant movements in cinema. This course changes its subject each semester, allowing students to explore various influential periods and styles in film history.
CIN 4: Major Figures in the Cinema delves into the personal styles and influences of major directors. Like CIN 3, this course’s subject changes each semester, providing students with the opportunity to study multiple influential filmmakers throughout their academic journey.
Film Production Techniques
A crucial component of LIU’s BFA Film program is the hands-on experience in film production. The curriculum includes a series of courses that progressively build students’ skills in various aspects of filmmaking:
- CIN 6: Basic Motion Picture Production
- CIN 7: Intermediate Motion Picture Production
- CIN 8: Advanced Motion Picture Production
These courses cover a range of topics, from introductory concepts of visual storytelling to more advanced techniques and professional practices. Students learn to work in small crews, develop their storytelling skills, and explore various filmmaking techniques.
Specialized Production Courses
In addition to the core production courses, the program offers specialized classes that focus on specific aspects of filmmaking:
- CIN 12 and CIN 13: Basic and Intermediate Editing and Sound
- CIN 15: Cinematography
- CIN 24: Video Documentary Workshop II
These courses allow students to delve deeper into particular areas of film production, honing their skills in editing, sound design, cinematography, and documentary filmmaking.
Screenwriting and Creative Development
Recognizing the importance of strong storytelling in film, LIU’s program includes dedicated screenwriting courses:
- CIN 9: Screenwriting I
- CIN 10: Screenwriting II
These intensive courses focus on teaching students the techniques of screenwriting, with a particular emphasis on writing short-form screenplays. By the end of these courses, students should have developed the skills to craft compelling stories for the screen.
Developing Directorial Skills
For students interested in directing, the program offers CIN 44: Film Concepts: Directing. This course provides a unique opportunity for aspiring directors to experience acting firsthand and develop methodologies for directing actors on screen. It covers performance exercises, script analysis, and the concept of “organic blocking,” helping students understand the actor’s perspective and tools.
Advanced Production and Thesis Projects
As students progress through the program, they have the opportunity to engage in more intensive and professional-level production experiences:
- CIN 35 and CIN 36: Production Laboratory
- CIN 37 and CIN 38: Film Production Lab-Practicum
These courses provide students with an immersive production experience, covering advanced cinematography, sound, research, budgeting, and post-production practices. The Film Production Lab-Practicum courses culminate in the creation of a group-made professional film, including basic distribution planning and possible film festival screenings.
Capstone Experience: Film Thesis
How do students showcase their skills and interests at the end of the program? The BFA Film program at LIU concludes with a thesis project:
CIN 88: Film Thesis allows students to work closely with a professor to create an original work that showcases their main areas of interest in film. This two-semester course provides students with the opportunity to apply all the knowledge and skills they’ve acquired throughout the program, resulting in a significant piece of work for their portfolio.
Film Theory and Critical Analysis
To complement the practical aspects of filmmaking, LIU’s program also emphasizes theoretical understanding and critical analysis of cinema:
CIN 28: Film Theory introduces students to various theories related to realism, montage, narrative, and non-narrative films. Students analyze writings by influential film theorists such as Eisenstein, Vertov, and Bazin, while also viewing and discussing relevant films.
This course helps students develop a deeper understanding of the theoretical foundations of cinema, enhancing their ability to analyze and create films with a more informed perspective.
Industry Connections and Contemporary Cinema
LIU’s BFA Film program also provides students with opportunities to engage with the contemporary film industry:
CIN 14: Cinema and the Arts offers a series of films, discussions, and forums presented by film professionals working in the contemporary scene. This course can be repeated for up to three semesters, allowing students to stay connected with current trends and practices in the industry.
Networking and Professional Development
How does the program help students prepare for careers in the film industry? Through courses like CIN 14 and the advanced production labs, students have opportunities to:
- Interact with industry professionals
- Learn about current trends and practices
- Develop a professional network
- Create work that can be showcased at film festivals
These experiences are invaluable for students as they prepare to transition from academic studies to professional careers in the film industry.
Curriculum Flexibility and Specialization
One of the strengths of LIU’s BFA Film program is its flexibility, allowing students to tailor their education to their specific interests and career goals:
- Repeatable courses: Several courses, such as CIN 3, CIN 4, and CIN 14, can be taken multiple times with different focuses each semester.
- Range of specializations: The program offers courses covering various aspects of filmmaking, from screenwriting and directing to cinematography and sound design.
- Progressive skill development: The curriculum is structured to build skills progressively, from basic to advanced levels in areas like production and editing.
This flexibility allows students to explore different areas of filmmaking while also developing expertise in their chosen specializations.
Interdisciplinary Connections
The program also encourages interdisciplinary thinking and connections with other arts and humanities disciplines:
- CIN 3 fulfills the Ethics, Self, and Society thematic cluster requirement in the core curriculum.
- CIN 5 fulfills the Perspectives on World Cultures thematic cluster requirement.
These connections help students understand film in a broader cultural and societal context, enriching their approach to storytelling and filmmaking.
Long Island University’s BFA Film program offers a comprehensive education in cinema, combining theoretical knowledge with practical skills. From exploring the history of film to hands-on production experiences, the curriculum is designed to prepare students for successful careers in the dynamic world of filmmaking. Whether students aspire to be directors, screenwriters, cinematographers, or critics, LIU’s program provides the foundation and opportunities needed to pursue their cinematic dreams.
BFA Film | Long Island University
CIN 1 The Art of the Film: 1900 – 1930
This course studies the silent film and the birth and development of film as an art form in the United States, Germany, Russia, and France.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 2 The Art of the Film: 1931 to Present
In this course students study the sound film: the international development of creative motion pictures from the advent of sound through Neorealism, the New Wave, and the work of major new directors.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 3 Major Forces in the Cinema
The influence of major movements in the cinema is examined in this course. Subject changes each semester. May be taken for a maximum of three semesters. This course fulfills the Ethics, Self, and Society thematic cluster requirement in the core curriculum.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 4 Major Figures in the Cinema
The personal styles and influences of major directors are covered in this course.
Subject changes each semester. May be taken for a maximum of three semesters.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 5 The Art of the Documentary Film
This course is an analysis of the major contributors to the film documentary from the Lumière and Edison one-shot films through the contemporary documentary. This course fulfills the Perspectives on World Cultures thematic cluster requirement in the core curriculum.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 6 Basic Motion Picture Production
The introductory concepts of visual storytelling are taught with HD production techniques.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 7 Intermediate Motion Picture Production
Introduction to working in small crews; development of storytelling skills.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 8 Advanced Motion Picture Production
This course develops further exploration into the techniques of filmmaking and application of professional practice.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 9 Screenwriting I
This course includes an intensive program of screenwriting techniques, focusing on writing a short form screenplay.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 10 Screenwriting II
This course includes an intensive program of screenwriting techniques, focusing on writing a short form screenplay.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 12 Basic Editing and Sound
This course is designed to give students basic skills in digital picture and sound editing, sound recording, and sound mixing.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 13 Intermediate Editing & Sound
This course is designed to give students intermediate skills in digital picture and sound editing, sound recording, and sound mixing.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 14 Cinema and the Arts
This course is a series of films, discussions and forums presented by film professionals working in the contemporary scene.
May be repeated for a maximum of three semesters.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 15 Cinematography
This course is an intensive study of the motion picture camera and lighting technology.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 24 Video Documentary Workshop II
Students learn the basics of producing a short documentary film, including research, interviewing, budgeting, shooting styles and organizing footage for editing.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 28 Film Theory
This course is an analysis of theories related to realism, montage, narrative and non-narrative films. Writings by Eisenstein, Vertov, Bazin and others are examined and films are viewed and discussed.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 35 Production Laboratory
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 36 Production Laboratory
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 37 Film Production Lab-Practicum
This course is an intensive production experience that culminates in a group-made professional film, including basic distribution planning, and possible film festival screenings.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 38 Film Production Lab-Practicum
This course is an intensive production experience that culminates in a group-made professional film, including basic distribution planning, and possible film festival screenings.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 44 Film Concepts: Directing
This course will allow the student director to experience the craft of acting first-hand and also begin to develop methodologies for an approach to directing actors for the screen through an understanding of the actor’s “tools” and actor vocabulary. Performance exercises, script analysis, and the concept of “organic blocking” will be explored through practical activities, screenings, readings, and discussions.
Frequently team-taught. Course may be repeated for credit with permission of the department.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 88 FIlm Thesis
Students work with a professor to create an original work that showcases his or her main areas of interest in film. Students must register for two consecutive semesters.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 89 Advanced Individual Study in Cinema
Individual faculty-guided projects in cinema are appropriate when existing courses in the student’s area of interest have been completed. Film majors may repeat for a maximum of four semesters. Students may register for more than one section during a given semester as long as the number of units for each section differs.
Credits: 4.00
CIN 99 FIlm Internship
This is an opportunity for the student to work in a professional venue and to be directly and meaningfully in day-to-day operations with an emphasis in an area of special interest.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 303 Film and Society
This course examines a selected topic (varying from year to year) in the relationship between sociopolitical issues and film as an art form, an entertainment medium, and an index of cultural and historical values.
Emphasis is placed on relating movies to the times and places in which they were produced, and on interdisciplinary interpretations of cinematic texts. Screening of selected films are coordinated with lectures, readings on cinema and other subjects, and discussions of relevant ideas. Students are expected to do substantial reading, viewing, and researching on their own to enhance class discussions and to prepare for writing a term paper. Oral reports and in-class presentations may also be required. Students may take CIN 303 or 304 but may not take both.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 304 Film and Society
This course examines a selected topic (varying from year to year) in the relationship between sociopolitical issues and film as an art form, an entertainment medium, and an index of cultural and historical values. Emphasis is placed on relating movies to the times and places in which they were produced, and on interdisciplinary interpretations of cinematic texts. Screening of selected films are coordinated with lectures, readings on cinema and other subjects, and discussions of relevant ideas.
Students are expected to do substantial reading, viewing, and researching on their own to enhance class discussions and to prepare for writing a term paper. Oral reports and in-class presentations may also be required. Students may take CIN 303 or 304 but may not take both.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 359 Honors Advanced Elective
Honors Advanced Elective – Please consult the Honors website for complete description.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 360 Honors Advanced Elective
Honors Advanced Elective – Please consult the Honors website for complete description.
Credits: 3.00
BDST 4 Digital Audio Production
This course is designed to familiarize the student with intermediate-level theory and practice of digital audio production. Continues instruction in the various techniques for capturing and engineering sound. it offers training in the tools and techniques of producing audio and provides the foundation for sound production/reproduction essential to dealing with audio in environments such as radio, television, film ,multimedia, broadcast journalism and web production.
Prepares the student for advanced work in audio production.
Credits: 3.00
JOU 52 Interviewing Skills for Media
This course teaches communications skills essential for any media career. Students receive practical training in interview techniques, including the one-on-one interview, the news interview, panels, and oral history interviews. Students record video or audio of interviews to assess their performance, and gain instructor feedback and peer critiques. Cross-listed as BDST 52.
Credits: 3.00
Film and Television Program | Filmmaking Colleges
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Film and TelevisionHealy Craig2023-01-26T16:25:53-05:00
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WELCOME VIDEO: FIlm & Television Division Chair Michael Prywes
FACULTY
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VIDEO: Film Division Promo
Bachelor in Fine Arts (B.F.A.) Degree
OVERVIEW
The Film and Television Program leads to a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree (B.F.A.) and is designed for students interested in a career in directing, cinematography (lighting and camera), screenwriting, editing, producing, production design and sound recording. From the first day of classes, Film and Television students have access to the College’s professional film equipment. A hands-on approach provides professional experience and teaches the skills needed to pursue a career in any sector of the film industry.
The Film and Television Division’s mission is to provide direct experiential training in the art, science, and discipline of filmmaking. Filmmaking is a skill and art to be practiced, not simply information to be amassed.
Students will be supported by a balance of instructors’ and guest industry professionals’ shared wisdom, rigorous study of texts/creative works, and direct interactive exercises to put theory into practice. Through the medium of filmmaking, students will be encouraged to explore the truth within as they create beauty and build connections with the world around them. The wide variety of pathways into a life of film will be available for trial in the program’s diverse course topics and subdisciplines.
The program prepares students for a career in the Film and Television industry by offering a step-by-step approach that builds key skills and techniques, deepens critical reasoning and understanding of canonical theory, and broadens cinematic literacy and analysis. The curriculum guides students through real-world hands-on situations in order to hone creativity and craft. By emphasizing self-discipline, collaboration, and a global awareness, the Film/Video Division aims to develop students who become filmmakers with an ideal blend of technical skill and creative passion.
The College’s sound stage is equipped with a lighting grid, along with cyclorama, green screen, set construction, props and furniture. The equipment room supplies students with the latest filmmaking equipment for use on or off campus.
Cameras:
RED Dragon Package, Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Packages, Canon C100’s, C200’s, Sony Packages, Canon DSLR Packages, Arriflex Super 16mm film cameras.
Grip & Lighting:
J.L. Fisher Dolly, DJI Phantom and Mavic Drones, Walkera Racing Drones, DJI Ronin Camera Stabilizing System, Easyrig Camera Stabilizing System, Sachtler fluid heads and tripods, TV Logic Video Monitors, Pix 240 Recorder, Jimmy Jib, a multitude of Matthews grip equipment; Arri, Aputure, Mole Richardson, Kino Flo, Litepanel, and LED Ikan Lighting units
Audio:
Sennheiser and RODE shotgun and wireless microphones, Sound Devices 702t field recorder
The editing lab is equipped with Macintosh computers installed with the latest software, such as Final Draft, The Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (including After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, Bridge), Unreal Engine, Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite, DaVinci Resolve color correction software, and more.
