CINE 320: Beginning Screenwriting (4 credits)
Monday/Wednesday 12:00-1:50 p.m. / Masami Kawai

This course examines screenwriting for short films. In order to learn the craft of writing for film, we will explore visual storytelling, structure, characterization, dramatization, dialogue, and screenplay formatting. The class will combine analytical and practical approaches. Through the analysis of internationally acclaimed short films and published screenplays, we will identify the elements that make a successful script. Building upon these insights, students will develop their own screenplays through writing exercises and the process of generating multiple revisions that will be critiqued by peers. By the end of the course, students will complete a polished script for a short film, develop the skills to give and receive productive feedback, and acquire an understanding of the scriptwriting process.

CINE 399: Cinema Careers (4 credits) (course number may change)
Tuesday/Thursday 12:00-1:50 p.m. / Shauna Riedel-Bash

This course bridges the gap between education and employment; by learning the details of cinema industry jobs students will make informed career decisions, practice communication techniques with informational interviews, implement persuasive writing techniques to communicate their knowledge and skills in resume and cover letter formats, and perfect their best writing and creative pieces and produce a portfolio of their work.

CINE 399: The Daily Show (4 credits)
Tuesday/Thursday 10:00-11:50 a.m. / Caroline Claiborn

This class examines the recent development of cable news comedy programming as it relates to the history, industry, and criticism of television in the United States. Focusing on the cable program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the course uses readings and screenings to address a range of topics, such as: television aesthetics and comedy, comedic writing and rhetoric, current events and cable news, the development of cable and new media programming, and more.

CINE 399: Music Television (4 credits)
Monday/Wednesday 4:00-5:50 p.m. / Andre Sirois

Music video has changed how we make and consume moving images, as well as frame how we see the world through them. In this class we will look at the history of music video, from the Beatles’ promotional films to MTV’s heyday in the 1980s to the current era of democratized production/distribution. In that review we will explore conventions of genres, the work of auteur directors, and influential music videos that helped shaped popular culture and cinema (as well as looking at how they were made and received). We will deconstruct music videos to reveal the meanings and consequences of stories told in 3-5 minutes and ask: what do these videos say about race, about gender, about sexuality, about class, about our identities and ourselves? Students will not only gain a deep understanding and appreciation of the genre, but also further build their skills in applying theory to moving images.

CINE 399: Production Studies (4 credits)
Tuesday/Thursday 2:00-3:50 p.m. / Daniel Steinhart

This course examines the lived realities of film and television production workers. Our particular focus is not on the production of culture but rather on the culture of production and the ways that production work itself is a meaningful cultural practice. Special emphasis will be placed on analyzing the imagery and rhetoric of production found in making- of documentaries and trade stories. Using various case studies, students will consider not only “above-the-line” personnel, namely film directors and TV showrunners, but also “below-the-line” workers, such as casting agents, camera crews, and interns. Throughout, we will take up a range of issues that impact production work, including labor, gender, and technological change.