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FTVP - Film, Television and Video Production


2023-2024 UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES CATALOG

Effective 1 June 2023 through 31 May 2024

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog Archives for PDF versions of past catalogs.


Course Descriptions

Global Citizenship Program
Knowledge Areas
  (....)
ARTS Arts Appreciation
GLBL Global Understanding
PNW Physical & Natural World
QL Quantitative Literacy
ROC Roots of Cultures
SSHB Social Systems & Human Behavior
Global Citizenship Program
Skill Areas
(....)
CRI Critical Thinking
ETH Ethical Reasoning
INTC Intercultural Competence
OCOM Oral Communication
WCOM Written Communication
** Course fulfills two skill areas

 

FTVP 0501 Program Meeting (0)

During the semester, majors in the Film, Television, and Video Production program will meet as a group with faculty from the major to hear announcements and network with each other. Attendance is mandatory for all FTVP majors while they are enrolled in classes at the home campus. This course will enable access to the basic equipment package/edit labs.

FTVP 0502 Program Meeting (0)

During the semester, majors in the Film, Television, and Video Production program will meet as a group with faculty from the major to hear announcements and network with each other. Attendance is mandatory for all FTVP majors while they are enrolled in classes at the home campus. This course will enable access to the intermediate equipment package/edit labs. Prerequisite: FTVP 0501 and FTVP 2200.

FTVP 0503 Program Meeting (0)

During the semester, majors in the Film, Television, and Video Production program will meet as a group with faculty from the major to hear announcements and network with each other. Attendance is mandatory for all FTVP majors while they are enrolled in classes at the home campus. This course will enable access to the advanced equipment package/edit labs. Prerequisite: FTVP 0502 and FTVP 3210.

FTVP 1000 Introduction to Film, Television, and Video Production (3)

This course will introduce basic concepts of production with cameras and editing equipment. Intended mostly for non-majors or new majors who are unsure about the field. This class will introduce the foundations of production with video cameras, including basic documentary and narrative production. Areas of study will include camera basics, 3-point lighting, audio for video, editing and online delivery.

FTVP 1100 Produce and Direct (3)

Students will learn the roles and responsibilities of those charged with the execution of a film, television, or video production. Areas of emphasis will include terminology, film and television producing and directing roles, how to read and breakdown a script, writing treatments, budgeting, logistics, production management, working with talent, working with crews and scheduling.

FTVP 1200 Camera and Light (3)

Cameras and lights are the primary artistic tools of the filmmaker and as such Camera and Light will focus heavily on the aesthetics of cameras and lighting in both documentary and narrative style environments. Areas of study will include: film language, film and television production roles, video formats, acquisition styles, lens basics, composition and framing, light, shadow, color and form.

FTVP 1300 Edit and Color (3)

Editing is the last and most important writing process in a film, video, or television production. Edit and Color will focus on that writing process in both documentary and narrative ways and will include: media management, postproduction roles and workflows, the language of the edit, basic toolset navigation, color theory, color correction and grading, editing for emotion, editing mechanics and editing for genre.

FTVP 1400 Graphics and Effects (3)

The visual toolset of the modern producer is not limited to just what can be done with cameras and editing, but also contains elements made outside of the physical production. This course will concentrate on those elements, introducing concepts like typography, shape, and form, as well as shape layers, masking, compositing, motion tracking, chroma keying, particle systems and delivery.

FTVP 2100 Advanced Producing (3)

Students learn the various producing roles (line producer, executive producer, supervising producer, co-producer, etc.) while simultaneously performing those roles on a narrative film or television program. Ideation, budgets, logistics, planning, legal issues and personnel questions will all be studied. Prerequisite: FTVP 1100 and sophomore or higher status.

FTVP 2150 Advanced Directing (3)

Students learn the elements of directing applicable to narratives in film and/or television. Areas addressed include script analysis, choice of shots, character development, working with actors, working with production designers and cinematographers, techniques for efficient, creative work on the set, and working with editors in post-production. Students will direct short, dramatic narratives. Prerequisite: FTVP 1100 and sophomore or higher status.

FTVP 2200 Advanced Camera and Light (3)

Students will move beyond the basic skills learned in FTVP 1200. We will work with advanced camera systems and rigging equipment. Emphasis will be placed on camera movement, angle, and theory. We will view examples of camera and lighting work in both historical and contemporary styles. Using industry standard terms, we will light and shoot scenes with complex blocking. Prerequisite: FTVP 1200 and sophomore or higher status.

FTVP 2300 Advanced Edit and Color (3)

Expanding on principles taught in FTVP 1300, this class will move from editing and pacing single scenes to editing an entire short film for emotion, continuity, and pacing. We will look at examples of the editing styles of master editors of narrative and documentary projects from film and television. Prerequisite: FTVP 1300.

FTVP 2400 Motion Graphics (3)

Students in this course will work to create professionally finished motion graphics projects with delivery outcomes for potential broadcast, film, and web clients. Areas of emphasis will include aesthetics, technical skills, collaborative capacity, and time management. Prerequisite: FTVP 1400.

FTVP 2450 Visual Effects (3)

"Visual effects" is the term used to describe what many think of as film "magic" and includes areas of study such as particle systems, compositing, color correction, chroma keying, and basic modeling. Students will explore these concepts in both 2D and 3D programs using timeline and node-based software. Prerequisite: FTVP 1400.

FTVP 2500 Event and Studio Production (3)

Students will learn the multi-camera, live-switched video production environment commonly employed in sitcoms, news shows, and large-scale live events both to tape and to a live feed. Studio roles and hierarchy, technical operations of studio equipment, and timing and choreography will be covered. May be repeated for credit.

FTVP 3000 StoryLab (3)

The Webster University StoryLab is a unique opportunity for School of Communications students from every discipline to come together and work on storytelling projects, both of their own design as well as helping others realize their vision. Students can use this course to develop professional examples of work, do storytelling projects like films, podcasts, YouTube shows, advertising campaigns, investigative journalism, scripts, concept development for television shows, documentary photography and video, radio shows, and anything else you can imagine. Students will develop and pitch ideas, and work together across disciplines to complete projects from ideation though development and into production and implementation. Storylab functions like an actual laboratory environment where the telling of compelling stories is the whole focus. May be repeated for credit as content differs. Prerequisites: FTVP 1100, FTVP 1200, FTVP 1300 and sophomore or higher status.

FTVP 3100 Experimental Film and Video (3)

Students learn the potential of film and video as a fine art medium. Projects are screened and discussed in class, and students are trained in advanced techniques to enable them to produce individual works to be screened in a group show at the end of the semester. Prerequisites: FTVP 1100, FTVP 1200, and FTVP 1300 or permission of the instructor.

FTVP 3110 Documentary Production (3)

This class will focus on one of the most challenging forms of storytelling: the documentary. The documentary producer is often a one-person team responsible for navigating the legality, setting up the shoots, doing the shooting and lighting, wrangling the footage, and determining the story of the documentary project. Using historical examples from around the world, we will look at trends and examples of good documentary work, and students will produce, direct, and shoot their own short documentary projects. Prerequisites: FTVP 1100, FTVP 1200 and FTVP 1300.

FTVP 3120 Narrative Filmmaking (3)

Narrative Filmmaking will cover the holistic approach to filmmaking, notably, the theory, history, and creative practice of auteur filmmaking. Students in this course will research and discuss the various processes of famous and not-so-famous auteurs and use that discovery as a jumping off point for how to approach their own work. Building on the skills developed at the 2000-level, each student will be responsible for the conception, execution and delivery of a complete film. Prerequisite: FTVP 2100 or FTVP 2150 or FTVP 2200.

FTVP 3150 Topics in Film, Television or Video Production (3)

These courses are offered periodically to feature topics in film, television or video production not covered by regularly offered courses. May be repeated for credit if content differs. Prerequisites: Vary with topic.

FTVP 3200 Reality TV (3)

Students will work on a scripted, documentary-style show to be delivered online while also discussing examples of the style from multiple platforms. Alongside this production, students will work in groups to develop their own projects complete with treatments, a pitch, and a sizzle reel. Prerequisites: FTVP 1100, FVTP 1200 and FVTP 1300.

FTVP 3210 Cinematography (3)

Students will move beyond the Cinematography skills learned in FTVP 2200. We will work with advanced motion picture rigging equipment and create story-based projects. Emphasis will be placed on theory, safety and procedure. This class will provide access to specialized grip and equipment such as the Arri M18, Joker Bug 800, Matthew's doorway dolly, track and hot buttons, Matthew's Master Car Mount, 8' Jib, butterfly kit, autopole, etc. Prerequisites: FTVP 1200 and FTVP 2200.

FTVP 3300 The Socially Responsible Filmmaker (3)

Film, video, and television producers are some of the most powerful shapers of ideas in modern culture, and as such have a unique responsibility to the society in which they produce. This course will look at the medium as a tool to tell stories that help rather than harm, and expose issues dealing with ethics, race, sex, gender, creed, and ideology. During the course, production students will work together to develop examples of films, videos, or television programs that address such issues. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

FTVP 3500 Production House (1-3)

A faculty member acts as an executive producer and/or producer/director, while students work as a crew to produce a project that embodies professional standards and production values. This course is also open to audio production and animation majors with permission from the instructor. May be repeated for credit as content differs. Prerequisite: Junior standing.

FTVP 3599 Independent Study in Film, Television or Video Production (1-12)

Independent study involves research work on a specialized subject or project, artistic work, or study of an interdisciplinary nature. In contrast to a practicum, the emphasis in an independent study is usually an individual pursuit of a specific content area. Requires the filing of official form and permission of instructor. May be repeated for credit if content differs.

FTVP 4000 Professional Development in Film, Television and Video Production (3)

Students are introduced to the basics of the working world of film and video production, including: freelancing, the business of production, marketing themselves, and making a portfolio and résumé. Students will participate in the construction of necessary materials for their further career development, and participate in critiques of those materials. Students must complete this course to be eligible to do a senior overview or internship. Prerequisite: Senior standing.

FTVP 4200 Senior Overview (3-6)

Provides an opportunity for seniors to demonstrate their proficiency in a selected area of film production or film history/criticism. The student assumes responsibility for the production of a project under the direction of a faculty member. Projects may include a film production or a thesis. Prerequisites: Senior standing, FTVP 4000, acceptance of the student's petition to proceed to Senior Overview, and permission of the instructor.

FTVP 4950 Graduate Independent Study (1-3)

This course exists so that currently enrolled graduate students can take existing FTVP courses below the 4000-level, but do work at the graduate level. Course selections must be approved by the Chair of the department and Graduate Program Director. The independent study would require the production of work at an advanced level.