Film Production, Bachelor of Fine Arts (530P, 530)
Program Coordinator
Gordon D. McKerral, mac.mckerral@wku.edu, (270) 745-4144
The BFA in Film Production is a pre-professional major providing an immersive, conservatory-style educational experience for students pursuing a career in the film industry. Hands-on instruction in pre-production (writing, producing), production (directing, cinematography, production design), and post-production (editing, sound, visual effects) provides students foundational concepts and practical skills which are reinforced through their work on short films. Film studies courses emphasize critical and analytical thinking through the study of global film culture, history, and aesthetics.
BFA in Film Production students will rotate through “below the line” (technical) and “above the line” (creative) roles on two short film production cycles, leading to a final thesis film cycle where seniors choose an area of emphasis (directing, cinematography, producing, production design, editing, sound). By the time of their graduation, every BFA in Film Production student will be ready to enter the workplace with nearly 30 student film credits for their resumé.
Program Requirements (78 hours)
A baccalaureate degree requires a minimum of 120 unduplicated semester hours. More information can be found at www.wku.edu/registrar/degree_certification.php.
Students who began WKU in the Fall 2014 and thereafter should review the Colonnade requirements located at: https://www.wku.edu/colonnade/colonnaderequirements.php.
Students applying for the BFA in Film Production must take 30 hours of Film core curriculum their first two years (FILM 100, 201, 202, 250, 256, 282, 355, 356, 369, 382) and submit to a portfolio review during their fourth semester seeking admission. Up to twenty-four students per academic year will be selected for admission into the program based on the quality of their creative portfolio, their professionalism in class and on set, and their scholastic work. After admission, students must follow a prescribed class schedule to ensure completion of the program in four years (including the first year of core courses).
The BFA in Film Production requires 78 semester hours. No course with a grade of “D” or below may be counted toward this major or fulfill prerequisite requirements for any major in the School of Media & Communication. The BFA in Film Production does not allow for a minor or second major within the traditional four-year plan. Students seeking a minor or second major will need to enroll in additional semesters beyond the eight accounted for in the four-year plan.
In addition to a portfolio review, students applying for the BFA in Film Production must meet the following academic requirements:
1. Completion of a minimum of 60 hours of coursework applicable to a baccalaureate degree;
2. A minimum overall grade point average of 3.0;
3. Completion of ENG 100 with a grade of ‘C’ or better and 15 additional hours in the Colonnade Program;
4. Completion of the following courses with a grade of ‘C’ or better: FILM 100, FILM 201, FILM 202, FILM 250, FILM 256, FILM 282, FILM 355, FILM 356, FILM 369, FILM 382.
Students who are not selected for the BFA in Film Production or opt-out of the portfolio review process will have the option of pursuing the BA in Film if they meet the BA in Film’s admission requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Program Core Courses | ||
| FILM 100 | Film Industry and Aesthetics | 3 |
| FILM 155 | Film Attendance | 0 |
| FILM 201 | Introduction to the Cinema | 3 |
| FILM 202 | Basic Film Production | 3 |
| FILM 250 | Screenwriting I | 3 |
| FILM 256 | Film Editing I | 3 |
| FILM 282 | Film Production Workshop I | 3 |
| FILM 350 | Screenwriting II | 3 |
| FILM 351 | Film Directing II | 3 |
| FILM 353 | Cinematography II | 3 |
| FILM 354 | Production Design II | 3 |
| FILM 355 | Film Sound | 3 |
| FILM 356 | Film Editing II | 3 |
| FILM 367 | Introduction to Film Genres | 3 |
| FILM 369 | Introduction to World Cinema | 3 |
| FILM 382 | Film Production Workshop II | 3 |
| FILM 390 | Practicum: Pre-Production II | 3 |
| FILM 391 | Practicum: Below-the-Line II | 3 |
| FILM 392 | Practicum: Above-the-Line II | 3 |
| FILM 393 | Practicum: Post-Production I | 3 |
| FILM 444 | Film Industry Launch | 1 |
| FILM 466 | Film Theory | 3 |
| FILM 486 | Film Capstone | 3 |
| FILM 489 | Thesis Development | 3 |
| FILM 490 | Practicum: Pre-Production III | 3 |
| FILM 491 | Practicum: Below-the-Line III | 3 |
| FILM 492 | Practicum: Above-the-Line III | 3 |
| FILM 493 | Practicum: Post-Production II | 2 |
| Total Hours | 78 | |
Finish in Four Plan
Major
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| FILM 100 | 3 | FILM 155 | 0 |
| FILM 155 | 0 | FILM 250 | 3 |
| FILM 201 | 3 | FILM 256 | 3 |
| ENG 100 | 3 | COMM 145 | 3 |
| Colonnade: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | Colonnade: Literary Studies | 3 |
| Colonnade: Social & Behavioral Science | 3 | Colonnade: Natural & Physical Science w/ lab | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| FILM 202 | 3 | FILM 355 | 3 |
| FILM 282 | 3 | FILM 356 | 3 |
| FILM 369 | 3 | FILM 382 | 3 |
| HIST 101 or HIST 102 | 3 | ENG 300 | 3 |
| Colonnade: Arts & Humanities | 3 | Colonnade: Connections (Social & Cultural) | 3 |
| Colonnade: Natural & Physical Sciences | 3 | ||
| 18 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| FILM 350 | 3 | FILM 367 | 3 |
| FILM 351 | 3 | FILM 390 | 3 |
| FILM 353 | 3 | FILM 392 | 3 |
| FILM 354 | 3 | FILM 393 | 3 |
| FILM 391 | 3 | FILM 491 | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| FILM 486 | 3 | FILM 466 | 3 |
| FILM 489 | 3 | FILM 493 | 2 |
| FILM 490 | 3 | FILM 444 | 1 |
| FILM 492 | 3 | FILM 450 or GENERAL ELECTIVE | 3 |
| Colonnade: Connections (Local to Global) | 3 | ||
| Colonnade: Connections (Systems) | 3 | ||
| 12 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours 120 | |||