ENGFLM 1683/FMST 1540 Keeping it Real: Documentary Film and Nonfiction
This course explores the nature and impact of the non fiction film, its changing forms, strategies for movies, and claims to veracity and objectivity. It is concerned with identifying types of documentary, the "motives" of such films, their audience and the problems posed by "documenting reality." This is a Critical Studies course and counts for Category II towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Class Attributes: DSAS The Arts General Ed. Requirement, SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req.
Th 1-4:50 B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Neepa Majumdar
ENGFLM 1847/FMST 1847 Crew Production Practicum
In this course students will work together on a documentary that looks at Mr Rogers, education tv, and AI through the process of production and postproduction. Students will be assigned to specific on-set and off-set roles necessary to complete production to a high level of excellence, including Directors, Editors, Line Producers, and members of the visual and sound crews. This course counts as a Technical Elective and a Category III elective in the Film and Media Studies Minor or Production Track.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FMST 0800
Th 9-12:50 B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Carl Kurlander
FMST 1745 Advanced Documentary Production
This intensive workshop is designed for students with prior documentary production experience to develop, produce and direct an in-depth documentary short film over the course of the semester. Topics include determining subject matter, research, proposal writing, establishing filmmaker's POV, dramatic structure, production design, copyright and fair use, and a variety of practical, aesthetic and ethical concerns specific to documentary. Feedback and targeted exercises in class will help students hone their storytelling skills, from concept to final film. Students will leave the class with a short (6-10 min), substantial project ready to screen for others. This course is a Category III elective in the Film and Media Studies major and minor, and a Technical Elective in the Production Track.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FMST 1740 or ENGFLM 1671
W 9-12:00 B10 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Hillary Demmon
ENGFLM 1482/FMST 1420 The Star System and the Movies
This course will deal with all aspects of the phenomenon of stardom in film: the production of stars, film acting, and fandom. This is not a course on any particular star, but we will use case studies of individual stars for our weekly focus. We will draw on film examples from the old Hollywood studio system as well as from post-studio films and popular culture. A particular emphasis of the course will be gendered differences between star images. This is a Critical Studies course and counts for Category II towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: ENG 0102 or ENGCMP (0002 or 0006 or 0020 or 0200 or 0203 or 0205 or 0207 or 0208 or 0210 or 0212 or 0213 or 0214) or FP (0003 or 0006) *Applies to all WRIT Courses*
Class Attributes: Undergraduate Research, Writing Intensive Course (WRIT)
Mo 6-9:00 PM B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Mark Anderson
FMST 1866 Writing the Animation Series Pilot
This course focuses on the numerous disciplines of animation series writing. Animation series pilot writing will incorporate analysis, engineering of popular animated series, character creation, world building, and professional script production. The course will focus on Hollywood Style script writing, writing for animated series, formatting, oral pitching, casting voice talent, and hosting a table read. This course is a Category III elective in the Film and Media Studies major and minor, and a Technical Elective in the Production Track.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: ENGWRT 1132 or FMST 0800 or THEA 1365 or ENGWRT 1650 or FMST 0780 or ENGWRT 1710
Mo 6-9:00 PM 329 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Christopher Prouty
ENGFLM 1705/FMST 1417 Queer Cinemas
While sexuality in the cinema has been subjected to various ideological and regulatory constraints, the same has also been true of lived sexuality. Likewise, and despite appearances, the history of sexual representation in the media is just as dynamically diverse as the history of sexualities as lived in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This course is both a general introduction to queer theory-especially as it relates to visual culture-and an investigation into queer theory's impact on media history, media criticism, and/or film and video production. A portion of the course will be devoted to reevaluating the history of the dominant media's narrative representation and regulation of queer bodies and subjectivities. The course will also serve as a brief survey of contemporary LGBTQ media practices. Course screenings and readings are occasions for pleasure, as well as occasions to think through the implications and problems of different, queer, and deviant representational strategies.
W 1-4:50 PM B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Raed El Rafei
FMST 0835 Elements of Audio Production
This course explores sound as a fundamental element of human experience and media. Audio production techniques are the primary focus of the class. Hands-on training prepares students to record broadcast-quality audio across a range of contexts; including interviews, narration, field recordings, and live events, and to edit and mix those recordings for various media using industry standard software. Class discussions cover how various microphones work and how to use them, as well as the physics, history, and theory of sound recording. This course welcomes students looking to deepen their understanding of audio production, as well curious beginners. This course fulfills a Technical Elective requirement in the Film and Media Studies Production Track.
W 1-4:00 PM 211 Lawrence Hall
Instructor: Max Glider
FMST 1880 Digital Cinematography
This course will cover advanced video technology and professional techniques of videography. Emphasis will be placed on high image quality and meeting broadcast specifications for video and audio. Professional-quality video cameras will be covered extensively.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FMST 0800
Th 6-9:00 PM 407 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Frank Caloiero
ENGFLM 0400/FMST 0120 Introduction to Film
This is an entry-level course on the visual arts that offers the student a broad introduction to the medium of film. As part of this overview, the class will consider such issues as: the process of contemporary film production and distribution; the nature of basic film forms; selected approaches to film criticism; comparisons between film and the other media. This is a Critical Studies course and counts for Category II towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Class Attributes: DSAS The Arts General Ed. Requirement, SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req.
13 Sections
ENGFLM 0540/FMST 0170 World Film History
This course both introduces students to techniques of film analysis and acquaints them with major works and movements in international cinema. The course pays particular attention to the evolution of film narrative and visual style through landmarks in film development--European avant-garde films, British documentary, Italian neo-realism, etc. This is a Critical Studies course and is a required course for the Film and Media Studies major and minor. This course counts for the Historical Analysis or Arts gen ed.
Course and Recitation required
Tu 6-9:50 PM 232 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: Mark Best
Fridays: 4 recitations options
RUSS0871/FMST 0321 Russian Film Stalin to Putin
The course traces the history of Russo-Soviet cinema from the death of Stalin to the present. Particular attention is paid to the four major periods in Russo-Soviet history since the death of Stalin.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: ENG 0102 or ENGCMP (0002 or 0006 or 0020 or 0200 or 0203 or 0205 or 0207 or 0208 or 0210 or 0212 or 0213 or 0214) or FP (0003 or 0006) *Applies to all WRIT Courses*
Class Attributes: DSAS The Arts General Ed. Requirement, DSAS Geographic Region General Ed. Requirement, Writing Intensive Course (WRIT), SCI Polymathic Contexts: Global&Cross Cul GE. Req., SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req., Russian & East European Studies
W 6-9:25 PM G18 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: TBA
ENGWRT 0560/FMST0700 Screenwriting and Narrative
This course is designed to consider transmedia adaptations with the students creating their own adaptation over the sessions. Students will be exposed to a variety of readings including original screenplays, related prose, and texts which reinforce basic tenets of good story telling. Students will write rigorously building from idea to outline with great attention to structure and character development. Students will develop writing abilities, critical facilities in approaching work, and an understanding of principles of storytelling common in narrative forms.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: ENG 0102 or ENGCMP (0002 or 0006 or 0020 or 0200 or 0203 or 0205 or 0207 or 0208 or 0210 or 0212 or 0213 or 0214) or FP (0003 or 0006) *Applies to all WRIT Courses*
Class Attributes: Writing Intensive Course (WRIT)
Tu 6-9:50 PM 512 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Nathan Koob
ENGWRT. 0710/FMST 0780 Introduction to Audio Storytelling
*Seats available on the ENGWRT side of the course
Created for cross-listing with ENGWRT 710. Podcasts are growing as an industry and an art form. There has never been a better time to tell stories in sound. In this introductory production course, we'll explore the craft of narrative audio across genres, including live storytelling, profiles, and flash fiction. Through a series of short creative projects, you'll learn the foundations of interviewing, field recording, scripting, structure, and sound design, while gaining basic technical competency in professional audio editing software. Class sessions will include a blend of discussions, workshops, and hands-on production, preparing you for more advanced work in the medium. This is a writing- and production-intensive course. You should expect to invest significant time and energy planning, scripting, recording, and editing your projects outside of class-and significant time in class discussing your peers' work through both written and oral critiques. This course welcomes writers from all backgrounds and genres. No previous experience with audio production is expected or required.
Tu 6- 8:30PM G26 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Erin Anderson
ENGFLM 0585/FMST 0790 Technologies of the Body
This course considers how we learn new technologies by looking at the treatment of the body in cinema and television, as well as animation, sports, gaming, and VR. In addition to analyzing media examples, students will experiment with low-tech and high-tech adaptations of optical toys and smart phone cinema to explore how movement and the body have been imagined in science and entertainment. This is a Critical Studies course with Production elements and counts for Category III towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Class Attributes: DSAS Creative Work General Ed. Requirement, SCI Diversity General Ed. Requirements, SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req.
W 6-9:50 PM B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Triton Mobley
FMST 0800 Filmmaking 1: Fundamentals
Filmmaking is a creative process that combines art, science, craft, and collaboration. This course is a hands-on introduction to the process, starting with the building blocks of motion pictures: light and cameras, composition, editing, and visual storytelling. You will complete several short video projects over the course of the semester, shooting video with DSLR cameras and editing using Adobe Premiere Pro. In-class exercises will provide a deeper understanding of making moving images. No previous filmmaking experience is required. This is a required course for the Film and Media Studies Major Production Track.
Class Attributes: DSAS Creative Work General Ed. Requirement, SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req.
9 Sections
FMST 0827 Advanced Editing
"Advanced Editing" offers students engaged in film and media production the unique opportunity to focus and expand their editing skills through the process of appropriating and repurposing pre-existing audiovisual materials. Students will work with materials from a range of sources, including popular Hollywood movies, digitally archived "orphan" films, television commercials, and propaganda films. The act of transforming already existing creative works into newly created short film projects will allow three key learning objectives to be met: (i) students will further hone their awareness of the ideological and formal functions of their source media as they decontextualize and recontextualize it for alternative purposes; (ii) students will develop a better awareness of their own critical and creative orientations as they are required to position their own projects in relation to others; (iii) students will develop their competence with multiple professional NLEs like Avid Media Composer, Adobe Premiere and DaVinci Resolve. By focusing on nonfiction and experimental editing practices, where the meaning and purpose of available footage is open for interpretation, students enrolled in the course will experience the transformative power of editing to shape and understand media.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FMST 0826 or FMST 0845 or SA 1380 or FMST 1193 or FMST 1775
Th 1-4:00 PM B10 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Hillary Demmon
FMST 0845 Filmmaking 2: Sight and Sound
In this hands-on course, you will continue to acquire the skills required to design, shoot and edit video. Demonstrations and in-class exercises introduce more professional camera operation, lighting, sound, and editing workflows. You will apply this new knowledge and facility to several out-of-class assignments of increasing sophistication over the course of the semester. This is a required course for the Film and Media Studies Major Production Track.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FILMST 0001 or ENGFLM 0590 or FMST 0800 or FMST 0710
Course Attributes: DSAS Creative Work General Ed. Requirement, SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req.
3 sections:
Th 6-9 PM B10 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: John Cantine
Tu 1-4 PM B10 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: Marcelese Cooper
W 6-9 PM G26 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: Sarah Moore
ENGFLM 1390/FMST 1275 Contemporary Film
Surveys international film from 1970 to the present and the major film movements of the period. It also demonstrates the stylistic and cultural interrelationships between the international film schools. This is a Critical Studies course and counts for Category I towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: ENG 0102 or ENGCMP (0002 or 0006 or 0020 or 0200 or 0203 or 0205 or 0207 or 0208 or 0210 or 0212 or 0213 or 0214) or FP (0003 or 0006) *Applies to all WRIT Courses*
Class Attributes: DSAS The Arts General Ed. Requirement, Writing Intensive Course (WRIT), SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req. Global Studies
Th 6-9:50 PM B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Jeffrey Heinzl
GER 1548/FMST 1293 New German Cinema
Devastated after World War II, starting in the 1960s a number of German directors like Herzog, Fassbinder, Wenders, Kluge, Annders-Abrahms managed to bring international attention back to German cinema. They competed against the film industry of Hollywood under difficult conditions of production, and in many instances made the difficult transition out of the art house and into the mainstream movie theater. Yet these names only represent a small portion of those directors active in the new German cinema. This class will examine the aesthetic and technical contributions of new German cinema as well as the historical and social context of its production. The technological, financial, and intellectual destruction caused by the experience of national socialism and World War II required creative responses that have led to a solid and symbolically rich body of work. In examining the themes and experimental forms of various filmmakers, students will gain insight into the issues that occupied the German public sphere from the 1960s onward.
TuTh 9:30-10:45 AM 4625 Wesley W Posvar Hall
Instructor: Kumars Salehi
ENGFLM 1752/FMST 1508 Television Analysis
*Tuesday night has seats on the ENGFLM side
This course studies television as a visual medium, an industry, and as a cultural force by examining the forms television programming takes and the way these structures influence viewer response. We will examine specific television genres from longstanding series types (sitcoms, cop shows, serials, etc.) to the gendered forms of "quality" television. This is a Critical Studies course with Production elements and counts for Category II towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: ENG 0102 or ENGCMP (0002 or 0006 or 0020 or 0200 or 0203 or 0205 or 0207 or 0208 or 0210 or 0212 or 0213 or 0214) or FP (0003 or 0006) *Applies to all WRIT Courses*
Class Attributes: DSAS The Arts General Ed. Requirement, Writing Intensive Course (WRIT), SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req.
Tu 6-9:50 PM B08 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: Jacqueline Johnson
ENGFLM 1479/FMST 1615 Children and Media
This course examines contemporary children's media from social, cultural, and historical perspectives, with a focus on media in the United States produced by and for children ages 0-13. Video games, the internet, and emerging digital and portable technologies for communicating and consuming media are often tailored specifically to children, who, as "digital natives," are increasingly early adopters of new technologies. This course asks how children's media fits into contemporary debates about children's role in families, schooling, and the public sphere. This is a Critical Studies course and counts for Category II towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Class Attributes: DSAS The Arts General Ed. Requirement, SCI Polymathic Contexts: Humanistic GE. Req.
Tu 9-12:50 PM B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Alison Patterson
ENGFLM 1920/FMST 1699 Advanced Seminar in Film Studies
This course is designed for Film and Media Studies majors and can be taken only when all other major requirements are satisfied. It will focus on issues of film history (either as an historical survey or through an examination of particular themes and/or problems that have arisen in the critical literature). The class will be organized as a seminar, and will involve considerable writing and/or class presentation on the part of students. This Category II course is a required capstone in the Critical Studies track of the Film and Media Studies major
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: ENG 0102 or ENGCMP (0002 or 0006 or 0020 or 0200 or 0203 or 0205 or 0207 or 0208 or 0210 or 0212 or 0213 or 0214) or FP (0003 or 0006) *Applies to all WRIT Courses*
Class Attributes: Capstone Course, Writing Intensive Course (WRIT)
Class Notes:
This capstone course focuses on two critical practices that are usually perceived as entirely separate today: film theory and film criticism. Film theory is the province of academic scholars who publish their research in specialized journals and books distributed by university presses. Film criticism belongs to writers who publish in more mainstream newspapers and magazines, as well as on the Internet. While film theorists and film critics are sometimes interested in the same films, they are conventionally described as interested in very different readers: film theorists write for professionally trained students and scholars of cinema, while film critics write for everyday people seeking guidance about where to direct their passion for movies. But what happens when we study film theory and film criticism alongside each other? Are there similarities that emerge beside the differences? What can film criticism learn from film theory? And film theory from film criticism? What can we learn about the nature of cinema from the convergences and divergences between film criticism and film theory? We will survey a broad range of films, from the silent era to the present.
Tu 1-4:50 PM 407 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Adam Lowenstein
ENGFLM 1684/FMST 1715 Mockumentary: Production and Criticism
The mockumentary - a fictional film made to "look like" a documentary - became popularized as a term to describe a distinct genre in coverage of Rob Reiner's 1984 film This is Spinal Tap. Since then, the genre has evolved to treat a variety of subjects through a range of styles - including straightforward hoaxes, social parodies, and sharp criticisms of nonfictional form. In addition to readings, lectures and discussions, students in this class will produce short mockumentary projects. Previous production experience is not required. This is a Production course with Critical Studies elements and counts for Category III towards the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FMST 0800
Tu 9-12:50 PM G26 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Robert Clift
SA 1380/FMST 1775 Digital Studio: Video
This is an advanced studio designed for students to intensely experiment and explore the moving digital image in an art context. Students will explore the concepts and skills involved in working with digital video, from pre to post-production. Each student will propose and undertake a final, self-designed project during the final four weeks of the term. Major effort, time, research, imagination, productivity, and involvement are expected throughout the term.
Tu 6-9:20 PM B43 Frick Fine Arts Building
Instructor: Scott Andrew
ENGWRT 1132/FMST 1860 Elements of Screenwriting
This course will explore developing character-based stories in the screenplay form. Students will be exposed to a variety of readings, including original screenplays, related prose, and texts which reinforce basic tenets of good story telling. Students will write a completed 1st Act for a 3 to 5 part screenplay, building from idea to outline with particular attention to structure and character development.
2 Sections:
Th 1-4:00 PM 227 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: Christopher Prouty
Mo 1-4:00 PM G36 Benedum Hall, Instructor: Christopher Prouty
FMST 1883 Experimental Camera
This will be a workshop course dealing with a variety of techniques utilizing the camera as a tool for visual information outside of its normal use and function. The course will look at the history of cameras and the many image making devices that were invented to date.
Class Notes: This workshop course is an introduction to a range of experimental filmmaking techniques, with a focus on aesthetic practices that fall outside of mainstream commercial filmmaking. The course will look at the history of experimental practices, and students will gain skills utilizing various forms of video equipment and image-capturing software to create their own creative projects. Topics covered will include surveillance technology, installation practices, and experimental storytelling.
Fr 9-11:55 AM B08 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Sarah Moore
FMST 1885 Broadcasting
Broadcasting introduces students to television production through academic and hands-on experience, utilizing the University of Pittsburgh's new state-of-the-art television studios and equipment. In addition to students learning how to produce a live broadcast event for collegiate teams and a news broadcast, guest lecturers will talk about the industrial realities of the profession. Students will understand how to format and make a show rundown, apply graphics, utilize replay, work a television camera, comprehend audio application and mixing, produce and direct live events and news broadcast, as well as gain experience in front of the camera as news anchors, reporters and on-air talent for live events.
3 Sections
FMST 1886 Broadcasting 2
The unique and dynamic Broadcasting 2 course will utilize every aspect of the state-of-the-art Pitt Studios, offering students a challenging and stimulating curriculum. Students will produce a Live Event Show Open (incorporating all pre-production elements), a Newscast, and a Podcast, incorporating video and animation marketing support. Students' projects will be crewed by classmates.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FMST 1885 or FILMST 1001
Th 6-9:00 PM 227 Cathedral of Learning
Instructor: Kevin Smith
FMST 1893 Human Interest Stories for Broadcast
Human Interest Stories for Broadcast will teach students how to present and tell a compelling story about a person, place, or thing in the confines of television broadcast, streaming, or social media platform. Writing techniques for television, research techniques, interview techniques, adding graphics, mixing sound and music, video, tracking and voice-over will be required for the feature packages ranging from :45 seconds in length to 3:00 minutes in length. This is a Category III class that combines critical and production elements. This course counts for the Film and Media Studies major and minor.
Th 4-7:00 PM 211 Lawrence Hall
Instructor: Lisa Johnson
FMST 1898 Television News Practicum: Pitt to the Point
Television News Practicum: Pitt to the Point is a hands-on course practicum that produces one live hour-long, television news/magazine program per week, incorporating every facet of broadcast television. The course incorporates news writing, feature writing, research, formatting, pre-production, live production, as well as public speaking and direct interaction with broadcast industry professionals. The course covers news, sports, entertainment, and politics across the University of Pittsburgh campuses, as well as the city of Pittsburgh. This is a production course and counts for a Category III for the Film and Media Studies major and minor. It is part of the Television and Broadcast Arts Certificate and the Media and Creative Industries certificate. The course may be taken a maximum of two times, but it can only count once towards Film and Media Studies major and minor and the Television and Broadcast Arts Certificate requirements.
Enrollment Requirements: PREQ: FMST 1886 and 1893
Mo 8-8:50 AM 208 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: Kevin Smith
Fr 6:30-9:30 AM 115 Victoria Building, Instructor: Kevin Smith
FMST 1921 Film and Media Studies Production Capstone
This is a capstone course in motion picture production. Each student will have the option to create an individual project of their choice, which can be any genre of narrative, documentary, or experimental. Students who choose to work on their own personal project should be prepared to pitch the project to the class and the instructor during the first class session. Through script workshops, preproduction reviews, and critique of rough cuts, the instructor will mentor you through the filmmaking process. Depending on class size, students may have the option to instead work together on a collaborative project, with different students filling the roles of producer, writer, director, and editor, and taking on multiple roles in the production crew. This course is a requirement for Film and Media Studies students taking the Production Track.
Enrollment Requirements: (ENGFLM 1497 or SA 1380 or FMST 0845 or FMST 1193 or FMST 1775) and (ENGWRT 1132 or FMST 1860)
Th 9-12:00 PM B10 Cathedral of Learning, Instructor: Robert Clift