Curriculum
June 6, 2023 2026-09-21 4:47Curriculum
MFA in Digital Filmmaking Curriculum
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Digital Filmmaking through Anaheim University’s Akira Kurosawa School of Film is comprised of 14 courses — nine core courses, three electives, and a two-term thesis project — for a total of 56 units. Each course carries four units and runs for nine weeks, with a new course beginning every ten weeks.
The program can be completed in approximately three years. Alongside the online coursework, students attend one seven-day in-person Residential session in Hollywood or Tokyo for hands-on experience with professional equipment, and complete an original thesis film or project that may be submitted to festivals.
Each course is nine weeks long and carries four units, and a new course begins every ten weeks. The 56 units above are the nine core courses (including the two-term thesis project), two Group A electives and one Group B elective. Attendance at a one-week in-person Residential session in Hollywood or Tokyo is required for graduation; its tuition is included, but students pay their own travel, room and board. The maximum time allotted to complete the program is four years.
Coursework and Thesis
Nine core courses ending with a two-term thesis, two electives from Group A, and one from Group B. Open any course to read its full description.
Core Courses
The nine core courses taken by every MFA student, from Kurosawa and film aesthetics through digital filmmaking, screenwriting, world cinema, theory and post-production. The thesis project is taken separately, after all coursework is complete.
An examination of selected films of Akira Kurosawa from the point of view of their origins in global culture and their impact on international film culture. The course focuses on films that clearly interact with world cultures and that have been overtly remade, concentrating on transnational culture, intertextuality and reception, with film viewing, critical and source readings, and research papers.
An in-depth analysis of the particular aesthetic features of film, with some consideration given to television and video. Aspects such as mise-en-scene (lighting, camera position and movement, sets, props, costumes), editing, sound, and narrative structure are considered.
A fundamental understanding of the digital filmmaking process from pre-production through production to post-production and delivery. Through lectures, screenings and hands-on learning, students learn the jobs of each crew member and the fundamentals of screenwriting, casting, working with actors, camera techniques, directing and editing, taking a film project from inception to completion.
Building on Intro to Digital Filmmaking, this course gives a more advanced understanding of the digital filmmaking process across development, pre-production, production and post-production. Students plan, develop, shoot and edit a final narrative project. (Requires MFA 520.)
An introduction to the principles of screenwriting, with special attention to traditional cinematic narrative, dramatic plot and structure, scene design and character development. Combining lectures and intensive workshops, students analyze short films and peers’ drafts, complete screenwriting exercises, and write a short screenplay.
An introduction to the history of world cinema from the invention of the medium to the present, focusing largely on films made outside the Hollywood system and how international cinema has interacted with the American industry, and examining the impact of industrial, economic, technological and social change on cinematic storytelling.
A survey of critical methods used to study cinematic texts, engaging the major issues and debates surrounding varied methodologies including genre theory, authorship, psychoanalysis, semiotics, feminism, Marxism, Cultural Studies, reception studies, and post-colonialism.
Given the intertwined nature of filmmaking and media companies and the variety of business models possible, this course gives film and video makers a sense of how the business side of the equation operates.
Once production ends, the art and craft of finishing a film begins. This course examines both theoretical and practical approaches to post-production, with emphasis on sound and editing.
Thesis Project
The two-term thesis project, begun after all other coursework is complete. Students produce an original film or project that may be submitted to a film festival, in consultation with a thesis advisor.
This capstone project demonstrates a command of the learning outcomes of the writing and production courses and provides an opportunity to work on a project that may be submitted to a film festival. Length, genre and other aspects are determined by the student in consultation with the thesis advisor, over approximately two terms. Thesis students complete the CITI Social-Behavioral-Educational (SBE) Foundations certificate.
Group A Electives
Students select two Group A electives. Students may take either MFA 590 or MFA 591, but not both.
An intensive focus on the debates around and concepts of documentary/non-fiction cinema, tracing the history of documentary production and the critical and theoretical writing it has produced, and examining major filmmakers and movements in the non-fiction canon. Students examine one documentary in depth.
Students learn the fundamentals of documentary production — mode, style, technical and practical logistics, and aesthetic choices — then research, develop, produce, shoot, edit and deliver a short documentary project by the end of the class.
An examination of concepts, characters, and storyboards for basic animation production, with emphasis on creating movement and expression using traditional or electronically generated image movement.
A comprehensive understanding of how to use developments in web technology to create videos for online distribution — the history of streaming video, web video production techniques, aesthetics, editing for the web, compression and technical considerations, and social media and online marketing — applied to multiple online video projects.
A practical foundation in game design focused on concept development, design decomposition and prototyping. Using game design theory, analysis, physical prototyping, playtesting and iteration, students learn to translate game ideas and themes into gameplay, game pitches and design documents.
An advanced course building on introductory screenwriting skills, in which students develop original narrative screenplays for film, television and/or digital programming, focusing on structural elements from the hook and first act through the mid-point, climax and resolution, and adhering to industry standards.
Group B Electives
Students select one Group B elective.
An introduction to the latest theoretical models of genre theory, transnationalism and cultural flows, demonstrated by an in-depth analysis of a single global genre — possible topics include melodrama, horror, neo-noir, action, youth and the road movie.
A study of authorship — the demonstrable qualities of an individual filmmaker’s preferred style, approach to narrative, use of actors, and recurring characters, motifs and themes across a career — focusing on one or two globally important directors.
Program Requirements
Key requirements students complete as they progress through the degree and to graduation.
Attendance at one seven-day in-person Residential session at a facility in Hollywood, California or Tokyo, Japan is a requirement for graduation. Students gain hands-on experience with professional-grade motion picture and HD video equipment and learn from industry professionals. Tuition for the Residential is included in the program price, but students pay for their own travel, room and board.
All required courses must be completed before beginning the thesis. The thesis project (MFA 600) runs approximately two terms and results in an original film or project that may be submitted to a film festival. Thesis students complete the CITI Social-Behavioral-Educational (SBE) Foundations certificate.
Students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) throughout the MFA in order to graduate. Any student whose GPA falls below 3.0 is placed on Academic Probation and given two terms to bring it back to a 3.0 level. A grade lower than 80% on any course means the course must be repeated.
The maximum time allotted for completion of the MFA program is four years from the date of matriculation. Extensions require written approval from the Program Director, the Office of the Registrar, and the Office of Financial Affairs.
