Course Descriptions

This course introduces students to the role and responsibilities of the director and the director's team. Context and examples are supported through short films and an introduction to cinematic language. Guest speakers and mandatory workshops, in addition to weekly classes, support classroom work.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the operational theory and practical application of the basic camera, lighting, and grip procedures of film and video production.

This course is designed to familiarize the students with the processes involved in the design, planning, and construction of dramatic motion picture sets.

This course introduces students to the business practices, economic realities, and decision-making processes employed in the motion picture industry.

This course presents the fundamentals of the three-act story structure and the screenplay, including the development process from concept to completion, the internal and external structure, and the concepts of story and character arc. Analysis of scripts and short films develops students' skills to recognize the mechanics of story as they apply to narrative conventions. Short scripts developed in this course will be produced in the fall and spring projects.

This course is designed to introduce students to current digital video and film post-production processes and techniques. It features an analysis of each phase of creative post-production to enhance the students' understanding of post-production work flow.

The first major supervised project includes development, pre-production, production, and post-production. Mentorship and supervision focus on professionalism and technical competency.

This course is designed to introduce students to communication, protocol, and entry-level job skills to begin a career in the motion picture industry. Through weekly guest lectures and classes, students are introduced to film industry professionals working in a variety of film crafts. Practical assignments are practical opportunities for students to develop networking skills in the film community for the purposes of employment. Through an applied focus, this course provides students with an understanding of the set etiquette, crew protocol, problem solving, and communication techniques required in the film and television industry.

This course builds upon and reinforces the knowledge and skills acquired in Technical Directing, Cinematography Foundation and Post-Production in the first semester. The classroom becomes a production office, set, and post-production house, so that students can apply industry standard procedures and protocols for running a successful production from the distribution of a script through delivery. Students collaborate in groups under the direct supervision of instructors to make a two-minute film that follows professional standards and practices; instruction will emphasize the following: scheduling, location scouting, technical surveys, production meetings, blocking, lighting, rehearsing, shooting, post-production workflow, post-production supervision, and production management.

The second major supervised project includes development, prep, production, and post-production. Students shoot off campus for the first time. Mentorship and supervision focus on professionalism and technical competency.

This course is designed to explore the director's role in the professional world of film and television production. Special emphasis is placed on technical direction as well as the working relationship with actors, cinematographers, and production designers.

This course is designed to explore the historical significance of the American and Canadian cinema's creative and technical processes, including the historical precedents that contributed to the evolutionary process of film production from the silent era to the present day. This includes spotlighting a variety of distinctive filmmakers and their individual production methodologies and how their contributions reflect the historical, social, and political contexts that came to define the cinematic culture.

In this course, students explore the development of narrative ideas, the practical and creative aspects of writing the screenplay, the ability to give and receive criticism, and the ability to articulate an individual artistic identity.

This mentored interdisciplinary course allows students to practice the application of key technical and creative crafts. Mentored workshops allow students to integrate and apply technical skills into workflow. Prep, production and post-production are determined by students but are closely supervised by faculty. Students are evaluated on individual professionalism, technical competency, and control over aesthetics and content.

This course builds upon and reinforces the foundation of editing skills and knowledge acquired in the first year of the Bachelor of Motion Picture Arts program.

The emphasis on the projects in second year reflects industry standards, in terms of protocol and workflow during pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution. Students are expected to apply industry protocol fluently in the following disciplines: writing, directing, producing, production management, location management, editing, cinematography, sound mixing, publicity, and sound design. Several student narrative and documentary projects will be selected by a faculty panel to be produced and delivered by students. Adherence to story structure and comprehensible visual narrative conventions are expected. Students are expected to work collaboratively, effectively, and to a disciplined deadline. Students will be evaluated on individual professionalism, technical competency, and control over aesthetics and content.

This course is designed to familiarize the students with the historical significance of the cinema's creative and technical processes and their relevance to contemporary film production. The emphasis will be placed on the Hollywood cinema and its filmmakers' contributions to narrative cinema.

This course explores the implementation of visual design and production design on film/tv projects. A project entailing application of production design to year 2 student film projects is required.

This course is designed to build upon the foundation of sound editing and sound recording knowledge acquired in the first year and first semester of the second year of the program. The purpose of this course is to teach the foundation of the principles of sound aesthetics, creating sound, and applying them to the sound edit of a film or video.

This course teaches the functions and practices of line producers and production managers in the motion picture industry. It develops the processes involved in budgeting, scheduling, and contracts, as well as introduces the appropriate industry software.

Students explore world film culture through a broad spectrum of countries and regions, reflecting on their unique contributions to the world's film culture. This includes a focus on distinctive artists within the international film community and an exploration of the context in which various historical, political, religious, philosophical, and cultural forces shaped their distinctive contributions to their own film culture, as well as their subsequent influence on Western film culture, which in turn allows an understanding and perspective of global film culture.

In this course, students advance their application of narrative idea and skill, the practical and creative aspects of writing the screenplay, the ability to give and receive criticism, and the ability to research and articulate their ideas and to express such with individual artistic identity.

This course provides practical opportunities for students to explore and develop fluency, aesthetic judgment and cinematic voice. Students are expected to integrate content with visual language in order to acquire a range of cinematic technical skills and applications to realize a story visually.

Students will be provided with practical opportunities to explore and develop techniques of visual storytelling, narrative interpretation, and personal voice. This will include the application of techniques of working with actors to direct and realize an effective screen performance.

Students are creatively involved in a minimum of three short projects. Students are required to take on two key creative leadership roles related to their concentration: one of producer, writer or director, and one of either cinematographer or editor. Students are evaluated individually on their professionalism, technical competency, aesthetics and content.

This course is designed to explore the historical significance of the Canadian film industry and its relevance to contemporary film production and the global film community.

This course explores the expansive possibilities of employing production design to shape a film/tv viewer experience, including the production design ingredients of a coherent ‘World Building’ effort, as well as the implementation of effective production design in student filmmaking projects.

Students will assess and apply advanced techniques of market analysis, distribution and entrepreneurship to a variety of filmed entertainment, including the components necessary to the development of student film projects.

This course will teach advanced editing work flows in conjunction with Sound Design, Colour Correction and Visual Effects. Students will learn to use advanced industry-standard software for Editing, Sound Design, Colour Correction and Motion Graphics. Classroom lectures and discussion will encourage analysis of more complex Post Production Work flows and how they incorporate other Departments, including application to student spring projects.

Through case studies, readings, field research and leading experts, students will examine and formulate best practices for ethical producing in an ever-changing and increasingly complex media landscape.

Media producers must be innovative in their approach to the marketing, promotion and distribution of their projects in today's multiplatform universe. Through case studies and market trend analysis, students will learn to critically evaluate and assess current and emerging distribution pathways for maximum sales and social impact.

Business Affairs for media is a critical administrative role that supports the media content producer. Students will examine and apply the various rules and regulations that inform this unique business environment in order to formulate a comprehensive and practical overview of entertainment business affairs practices in Canada.

This course provides a culminating academic and intellectual experience that incorporates aesthetics, critical theory, film theory and media language. Each week is comprised of a lecture, which focuses on the academic aspects of visual theory, particularly film theory, and a seminar, which involves the practical demonstration, discussion and oral presentation of themes and concepts. There are weekly reading and writing assignments, as well as a weekly filmed exercise where student teams demonstrate their accumulated technical skills to explore their understanding of visual theory. Students will also be assigned two research projects which will connect theory, practice and media literacy to community and global issues and problems.

This course explores the art and practice of filmed dramatic entertainment. It is designed to provide mentored hands-on experience in the artistic disciplines as well as the industrial practices of film and video production. Each student produces a short, episode, proof of concept, teaser, script, business plan or further written and/or visual materials in support of their Development Project. Although there is faculty supervision on all four-hundred level projects, students are expected to develop and produce work independently. Depending on the nature of the project, students may work alone or in creative teams.

This course provides context and guidance for students in terms of their professional development, including their placement in MOPA 430 Practicum and their contribution to the MOPA 410 Project #5, by mastering and applying their personal and professional skills to develop a critical path into industry.

This course focuses on the preparation and development of the spring semester project (MOPA 410 Project #5) in relation to ‘Concept, Communication, Creativity and Context’. Students will prepare the creative elements of a script development submission package for the spring project, which will include a consideration of their project in the context of social responsibility, community awareness, and audience impact.

Students will have the opportunity to expand and explore their filmmaking skills in an interdisciplinary environment through intensive, practical experience. Students will choose from three options: 1) Technical project or 2) Performance project or 3) Creative project. All three options extend the development of specific filmmaking skills as defined by but not limited to the primary disciplines of Directing, Screenwriting, Producing, Editing and Cinematography, as well as interdisciplinary skills as found in Costuming, VFX, 2D and 3D Animation, and Acting. The projects offered in any given semester will be based on student demand.

This course is for the emerging career producer. The student will combine several skill sets that will enable them to analyze and apply producing knowledge in an industry setting. With a meaningful employment strategy in place, the student will complete a research project to accelerate their professional development in the media industry.

All students are required to do a practicum in their fourth year. Practicum students are required to meet with a faculty supervisor for consultation. The consultation is intended to determine an appropriate placement, the terms of placement, and to establish the evaluation criteria. Students are required to write a detailed summary of their practicum and will receive written evaluation from their practicum host and faculty supervisor at the end of the practicum.