University degrees: Postgraduate
Course length: 2 years full-time
Course city: Los Angeles
Production with an emphasis in Cinematography, established in 1997, is a four-year Film and Television MFA program that trains students in the aesthetic, technical and organizational aspects of cinematography making them the most versatile and innovative young cinematographers working today.
In the first year of admissions to the program, nearly 100 candidates applied for the two positions. The number of applications and admits has increased as the reputation of the program grows.
I. MFA: Film and Television, Area: Cinematography (See sections I to V for all requirements)II. Summary:
The Cinematography Program has a 12-quarter time-to-degree requirement. The minimum total units required to graduate is 72 units (18 courses). Only 16 units of FTVDM 596ABC may be applied towards the total course requirement and only eight of these may be applied towards the minimum graduate course requirement. Only four units of 596A and four units of 596B may be taken prior to advancement. FTVDM 596 D though F may be taken after advancement.
III. Courses:
A. Required Courses:
To pursue the Cinematography specialization, students are required to:
B. Required Cinematography Courses
C. Required Cinema and Media Studies Courses
Seminar courses that are approved to fulfill the Cinema and Media Studies requirement are (Two of these courses are required):
IV. Course Requirements by Year:
A. First Year Course Requirements
Fall Quarter
Winter Quarter
Spring Quarter
B. Years 2 and 3
Cinematography students take required classes in intermediate cinematography, lighting for film and television, cinematography and directing, advanced cinematography, digital cinematography, among other courses. Students also take diverse electives such as film and television critical and historical studies, screenwriting, directing actors, makeup fundamentals, production design, etc. Directed Individual Research Projects are required. These courses afford the student an opportunity to work one-on-one with individual faculty members, allowing the student to pursue targeted interests in aesthetic or technical subjects.
Cinematography students also serve as the director of photography on the advanced projects written and directed by Directing students.
C. Years 3 and 4
Each Cinematography student is required to photograph three thesis films written and directed by Directing students.
D. Year 4
Completion of the thesis research project. Students focus their academic research on an aspect of cinematography of interest to them. Combining a written document with original photography, each student creates a research project that contributes to the greater knowledge of the field. Currently, students are authoring their research projects on interactive DVDs, allowing for greater correlation of the research to the images created in support of that research. Recent examples: The Narrative Impact of Hand-Held Camera Work, Color Theory and Cinematography, and Cinematography in a Multi-Monitor Environment.
