Course List & Descriptions

A survey of the historical, technical, economic, regulatory, and social aspects of electronic media from traditional broadcast radio and television to cable and online delivery systems. The convergence of mass media technologies and content is given particular consideration. The course also introduces students to media programming, advertising, audience measurement, the film industry and the future of immersive media. 3 c.h., 3 s.h. Available to CTM Majors and Minors only.

An introduction to the sound medium and its applications for CTM majors. The fundamental properties of sound are introduced and related to modern audio production techniques. Students conduct lab exercises in digital recording, editing and multi-track mixing. 3 s.h. 6 c.h.

Prerequisite: This course is only available to CTM majors and minors.

An introduction to the complete process of video production for professional use. Students learn how video works, how to plan a video production, how to operate various production equipment, how to produce a program, how to evaluate the quality of finished video productions, and how to determine the appropriate type of production for a given circumstance.  6 c.h., 3 s.h.

An introduction to the craft of writing for film, television, and emerging technologies. Students learn the process and appropriate formats needed for writing commercials, PSAs, documentary outlines and proposals, and fictional narratives. Students learn to write for the screen by focusing on visual language, dialogue and performance, shot composition, camera movement, and diegetic and non-diegetic sound. 3 s.h. 3 c.h.

Prerequisite: This course is only available to CTM majors and minors or permission of instructor.

Beginning with a treatment of the process of human communication, this course introduces students to various theories of how media content reaches and affects audience members. The course follows the traditional approach to aesthetics as an understanding and perception of "beauty." It seeks to apply that approach to media production by exploring fundamental aesthetic considerations for producing effective media content. Specific treatment is given to such topics as narrative structure, visual and sound cues, image framing, lighting, and shot sequencing. (Fulfills CT and VL competencies)

This course introduces students to the artistic, theoretical and practical elements of cinematography. Students explore the technical and expressive capacities of lighting, composition, and visual-storytelling techniques. Image control exercises include manual camera operation and analysis of lenses, f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO. Students learn the techniques of location lighting with both natural and artificial light while studying historical and current stylistic trends. 3 s.h. 6 c.h., Available to CTM Majors and Minors only.

This course focuses on post-production equipment and techniques. Students produce programs using advanced post-production techniques. 3 c.h., 3 s.h.

Prerequisite:  CTME 205

This course teaches the theoretical and practical foundations of single-camera narrative video production. Through lectures, scene analysis, and workshop exercises, students learn pre-production, production, and post-production storytelling strategies.  Students utilize tools like directing and blocking actors as well as technical tools like camera lenses, lighting, shot composition, and sound design to tell compelling stories. Students write and direct several narrative productions and rotate crew positions to learn the requirements of each crew position in each department. Students study the current landscape to learn how short productions and their aesthetics are shaping and contributing to the media industry. 3 s.h. 6 c.h.  

Prerequisites: CTME 50 and CTME 55 and CTME 70 and CTME 160

This course analyzes the films, directors, and movements that shaped the art of cinema from its birth to the present day. Students learn the production models, technological developments, and aesthetic techniques that define cinematic masterworks. This course also introduces students to popular film criticism and its contribution to the discussion of the cinematic “masterpiece.”  3 s.h. 3 c.h.

Prerequisite: This course is only available to CTM majors and minors or permission of instructor.

This course analyzes the history, aesthetics, business, and production techniques of post-9/11 American cinema. Students will examine how filmmakers continue to consider the power of popular film to function as a potent cultural artifact. Students will be able to reflect on defining fears and anxieties of this tumultuous era. Students will learn business models and technological advancements for production, distribution and exhibition. The course examines the evolution and shift towards realist aesthetics in film, and how the choice of a particular realism has an ideological significance; and the growth of global nature of 9/11 with reference to how Hollywood deals with American catastrophe in a global context.

This course offers practical experience in various television studio production crew positions and in all the elements required to produce a studio production. The student serves as a camera operator, floor manager, audio technician, assistant director, producer, and in other crew positions. Students are also responsible for writing scripts, gathering B-roll, creating various production elements such as graphics, credits, show open and promotional spots and producing and editing short features appropriate to the content of the show. The course includes production pre-production and post production meetings and collaborative critiques. Lighting techniques and set design are also included. 3 c.h., 6 s.h.

Prerequisite:  CTME 255

This course introduces students to state, federal and case laws as well as Constitutional issues pertaining to the field of media. It traces their historical development and will explore their pertinence to today’s technology and society. The course allows students to develop an understanding of legal rights and responsibilities and an understanding of the legal system. The course covers material such as freedom of the press, copyright, contracts, defamation, privacy issues, access to information, free press and fair trials. 3c.h., 3 s.h.

Prerequisite:  30 credits completed or permission of the instructor

The Evolution of Sports and the Media will engage students in exploring the origins of media involvement in the sports industry, the history of media coverage of professional sports, the effects of media in sports and techniques used for producing sporting events. This course does not have a production component. 3 s.h. 3 c.h.

Prerequisite: This course is only available to CTM majors and minors or permission of instructor.

This course presents advanced techniques, equipment and applications of lighting for video production. Topics introduced in the basic production course are expanded upon, and new concepts will be introduced. Students conduct lab exercises in camera sensitivity, color balancing, image control, bounce light, lighting interiors, exteriors, single subject interviews, 2-person interviews, master shots and close-ups.

Students learn basic video troubleshooting, basic technical terminology and concepts, operation of broadcast test equipment, and alignment and adjustment of video production equipment

This course introduces the student to basic single-camera field production. Students learn planning and production strategies for single-camera field productions. Emphasis is placed on shooting to edit. Students are introduced to fundamentals of nonlinear editing. Lighting and audio techniques for field production are treated in depth. 6 c.h., 3 s.h..

Prerequisite: CTME 055

This course analyzes the history, aesthetics, business, and production techniques of American independent cinema. Students will examine how independent filmmakers worked in opposition to the Hollywood studio system and how those mavericks generated a new cinema and culture inside and outside the studio system. Students will learn how financial and technological limitations spawned personal artistic voices and unconventional filmmaking techniques. The course examines the latest trends in technology, financing and distribution and how independent filmmakers find an audience. 3 c.h. 3 s.h.

Prerequisite: This course is only available to CTM majors and minors or permission of instructor.

Cult cinema can be defined as weird, edgy or even nostalgic. A viewer of cult content can be labeled a tourist, one who travels in or out of this ambiguous world of pleasure, seeking connection with others who share a similar devotion. This course will examine the historical, contextual and cultural impact of cult films in Western and global cinema, focusing on four major elements: Anatomy, Consumption, Political Economy, and Cultural Status. Also, we will take a look at “camp,” new media theory and recent adaptation theory as lenses of appreciation for each production. We’ll discuss the evolution of cult cinema, the relationship to mainstream cinema concerns and how this genre challenges the conventional narrative. We’ll view a set of outlandish, remarkable, and even funny films. Most importantly, how they work, how they affect us, and how
they connect to an eclectic (small and large), rabid audience.

The influence of cult cinema is visible in current mainstream Hollywood movies, television, and streaming media. Students will learn to connect the production techniques and methods of past and current filmmakers and producers. Understanding how successful low-budget films are produced, photographed, and distributed will inform the production of future projects.

An advanced course in scriptwriting and directing for cinema, television, and emerging technologies. Students will build their scriptwriting skills and further develop their craft for visual storytelling. Students will write a 25-page script and film an excerpt from that script to study the interconnection between their writing and the production process. Students will explore different techniques for directing actors while exploring the technical requirements of their scripts. Scriptwriting workshops and production exercises will help students better understand how producers, directors, and directors of photography budget and translate scripts to screen. 3 s.h. 3 c.h.

Prerequisites: CTME 70, CTME 55 or permission of instructor.

This is a foundation course that teachers the creation of graphic assets used in cinema, television and media production. Emphasis will be placed on gaining the ability to effectively utilize the principals and elements of motion graphics in media production environments. The students will have the opportunity to build their portfolio by designing professional, finished static and motion graphics. The course examines principles, tools, and techniques utilized in the design of still and motion graphics. Discussions focus on creating animated shapes, imagery, video, and text. Emphasis is also placed on creating dynamic and visually interesting moving pieces, including logo animations, kinetic typography and title sequences, through the use of current software such as Adobe After Effects, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

An introduction to writing and producing comedy content for television and digital media outlets with a heavy emphasis on sitcoms. Students will explore comedy structure and format, joke writing, script critique, and humorous story development for the screen. Basic production techniques of sitcoms and comedic screen media will also be discussed, allowing students to see their jokes translate to the screen. Students will use this knowledge to pitch and create a full-length sitcom script by the end of the semester. 3 c.h., 3 s.h.

Prerequisite: CTME 070

This course analyzes comedic media productions in classic cinema and the Golden Age of Television, leading to current day online video content. Students will explore the conventions and techniques used in comedy throughout its history. Theories of humor will also be discussed.

This course examines the evolution and diversity of form of the documentary film with emphasis on rhetorical position, subject, ideological representation, technology, and documentary ethics. Students learn the skills to translate theory into practice and produce several short documentaries. Students learn how to research, film, and edit short documentaries for television and film exhibition. 3 c.h., 3 s.h.

Prerequisites: CTME 50 and CTME 55 and CTME 70 and CTME 160

This course analyzes the history, aesthetics, and production of the music video from early music videos through the inception of Friday Night Videos and MTV, to modern music visualizers. Students will learn the methods and technology video artists employed to combine music with visual imagery to create a unique art form which includes includes narrative, experimental, documentary and animation filmmaking techniques and language. Students will produce their own music videos and learn the craft of visualizing, filming, and editing a music video. Students learn to write for the screen by focusing on visual language, dialogue and performance, shot composition, camera movement, and diegetic and non-diegetic sound.

This course progresses students through artistic, theoretical and professional elements of cinematography at the advanced level. Students explore visual-storytelling techniques that will transition them to a professional working environment. Students learn moving camera operation, DIT, contemporary camera resolutions, codecs, light meters and false color techniques, and the ethical and professional responsibilities of working on a professional production. Additionally, students will build upon skills acquired in CTM 160 along with exploration into new production modalities and post-production techniques.

This course progresses students through artistic, theoretical and professional elements of post-production sound design, sound editing, and sound mixing for film and television. Students explore the technical and expressive capacities of creating sound for the image with particular focus on audio-visual storytelling. Students will build upon skills acquired in CTM 50 and develop advanced skills for audio post-production which specific emphasis on ADR, foley, sound FX and atmosphere, and final audio mix and delivery.

This course progresses students through advanced artistic, theoretical and professional elements of video post-production equipment and techniques. Students explore and develop editing skills and professional workflows that prepare them for a career in post-production. Students learn the fusion of workflows between all phases of media production. Students will gain a greater understanding of video distribution, portfolio creation and professional opportunities. Students produce programs using advanced post-production techniques. Additionally, students will build upon skills acquired in CTM 180 along with exploration into new production modalities and post-production techniques.

This course offers students practical experience in all aspects of single camera video field production. Students working as part of a team will be provided opportunities producing, shooting, setting up field lighting and audio as well as editing footage into feature packages and full-length programs for air. 3 c.h., 3 s.h.

Prerequisite: CTME 365 or permission of the instructor

An advanced course in scriptwriting and directing for cinema, television, and emerging technologies. Students will build their scriptwriting skills and further develop their craft for visual storytelling. Students will write a 25-page script and film an excerpt from that script to study the interconnection between their writing and the production process. Students will explore different techniques for directing actors while exploring the technical requirements of their scripts. Scriptwriting workshops and production exercises will help students better understand how producers, directors, and directors of photography budget and translate scripts to screen.

Prerequisites: CTME 55 and CTME 70

This course integrates studio and field production techniques, and emphasizes producing and directing for single and multi-camera productions in the styles of “live television."  It builds upon skills introduced in earlier video, audio, lighting, and editing courses. Those skills are applied to the operation of the KUTV production trailer. All aspects of the production process are further expanded on and explored for studio and field production situations. Students are introduced to multi-camera field production by conducting site surveys and planning and producing several remotes. Students also plan and create production schedules and create all production assets including B-roll, produced roll-ins and graphic elements. 3 c.h., 6 s.h.

This course is to be taken as a coreq. with CTME 380. Enrollment limited to CTM majors.

The student pursues an area of interest under the direction of a faculty member. An appropriate creative product such as a research paper, case study, or video production is developed.

Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing and permission of faculty. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 semester hours.

This course serves both as a practical survey of the current state of the electronic media industry and as a vehicle for immediate preparation for professional experience. A fundamental purpose of the course is to guide students in searching for and securing a full-time internship for a subsequent semester. The course also covers best practices for seeking and applying for positions in the electronic media industry, including the importance of developing professional connections. Specific attention is given to the freelance aspect of the business. 3 c.h, 3 s.h.

Prerequisites: Limited to CTM majors who have completed 90 or more credits

The Senior Internship in Cinema, Television and Media Production is a program that is designed to give the student a full-time, full semester, supervised practical experience in an electronic media-related facility, or an appropriate corporate, medical, or educational site. 12 s.h.

Prerequisites:  Senior status, completion of all required CTM courses, a minimum of 2.00 Q.P.A. overall and in CTM courses, and departmental approval