Bachelor of Arts completion program in Communications with a concentration in Film & Entertainment
Anaheim University’s Online Bachelor of Arts in Communications Completion Program with a concentration in Film and Entertainment consists of 20 courses (9 weeks each). Each course is 3 units, for a total of 60 required units in four Areas of Competence that are designed to meet the four program objectives. The Areas of Competence are: History & Theory; Pre-Production & Development; Production A to Z; and What’s New.
Program Requirements and Satisfactory Academic Progress
The BA in Communications Completion Program with a concentration in Film and Entertainment is a 60 unit program (30 units/year over two years). Students transfer the other 60 units to earn a 120 unit BA degree. Students who are approved to transfer an additional 30 units (90 transfer units total) may earn their BA degree in less than one year. Students must maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) throughout the BA in Communications program in order to graduate from the program. Any student whose GPA falls below a 2.0 will be put on Academic Probation and given two terms to bring his/her GPA back to a 2.0 level. Students who earn a grade lower than 70% (a “D” or “F”) on any given course must repeat the course. The BA schedule is set each year and typically announced in the Fall. Failure to take an available course when one is offered may prevent a student from completing his/her program in the allotted time. The maximum time allotted for completion of the BA program is four years. Students who have not completed their program within the maximum allotted time are subject to academic dismissal. Students who need additional time must receive permission from the Program Director.
Course Descriptions
BACF 310 HISTORY & THEORY: INTRODUCTION TO FILM THEORY (3 units)
This introductory course introduces some of the major theories that have been used to understand film as a social, cultural, and artistic form. Topics considered include feminism, genre, the auteur, spectatorship, cultural studies, and transnational cinema
BACF 311 HISTORY & THEORY: STORYTELLING STRUCTURE (3 units)
This course introduces students to a story development system to provide an extremely precise map of their entire plot, enhancing and moving beyond the traditional "three-act" technique.
BACF 312 WHAT’S NEW: BETWEEN REAL AND VIRTUAL: NEW DIRECTIONS IN STORYTELLING (3 units)
This course gives the beginning filmmaker a fundamental understanding of the digital filmmaking process, starting from preproduction and going through production to post-production and delivery. Through lectures, screenings and hands-on practical learning, the students will learn the jobs and responsibilities of each member of a film crew, with proper onset procedures and protocols, and understand the fundamentals of screenwriting, casting, working with actors, camera techniques, directing and editing. Over the course of the class, each student will take a film project from inception to completion by applying the techniques learned throughout the course. This course will combine practical with theoretical learning in helping students gain a solid foundation in digital filmmaking.
BACF 320 PRE-PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT: ON-SCREEN DIVERSITY AND REPRESENTATION (3 units)
This course gives the creative artist/beginning filmmaker a fundamental understanding of the importance of diversity of representation in film and other media. Through readings and screenings, students explore ways in which on-screen images may dialogue with larger issues of social equity and justice, including representations of gender, ability/ableism, class, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity. Students will develop a broad historical understanding of representations of identity and will be invited to think about ways in which onscreen representation may dialogue with real-life equity.
BACF 330 HISTORY & THEORY: HISTORY OF FILM AND TELEVISION (3 units)
Students in this course will study the history of film and television as a cultural phenomenon from a decades approach, exploring the cultural, social, and aesthetic evolution of both film and television over time. Students will look at national versus international trends, as well as the influence of politics and network structures. This course will also ask students to consider the role of audiences, trends, and preferences in the development of these platforms, as well as examining questions of on-screen representation, race and gender in dialog with emerging norms and values.
BACF 331 PRODUCTION A TO Z: INTRODUCTION TO ANIMATION (3 units)
All animators must know “Disney’s 12-Basic Principles of Animation” in order to create successful animated sequences. Good 3D animation looks terrific, but is very complicated, very time consuming, and needs very expensive software to produce. So, this class is designed as a simple 2D class, where you use paper/pencil to quickly create the drawings needed to get a firm hold on 12-Basic Animation Principles before you tackle the world of 3D or stop motion animation. Understanding the fundamentals of animation in 2D is so important that all major studios demand that 2D animation appear on Demo Reels... some even say up to 50% should be 2D (the rest of the reel demonstrates the knowledge of CG animation). The emphasis in the course is on performance character animation (acting). You will be given a simple character to use for the various assigned scenes. Through a combination of lecture and lab, students will create several 2D projects taken from the 12-Principles list. Topics covered include: Key Pose Animation; Squash and Stretch; Anticipation; Staging; Arcs; Lines-of-Action, etc. (NOTE: Knowing that many students do not consider themselves to be artists who want to become 3D Animators, please understand that for this class, it is not necessary to produce fantastic art... the projects just need to demonstrate the principle(s) that are being discussed.)
BACF 332 PRODUCTION A TO Z: INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL FILMMAKING (3 units)
This course gives the beginning filmmaker a fundamental understanding of the digital filmmaking process, starting from preproduction and going through production to post-production and delivery. Through lectures, screenings and hands-on practical learning, the students will learn the fundamentals of film production, including screenwriting, casting, working with actors, camera techniques, directing, editing and post-production finishing. Over the course of the class, each student will take a film project from inception to completion by applying the techniques learned throughout the course. This course will combine practical with theoretical learning in helping students gain a solid foundation in digital filmmaking.
BACF 340 WHAT’S NEW: INTRODUCTION TO TRANSNATIONAL CINEMA AND CULTURE (3 units)
In an increasingly interconnected global marketplace, understanding the transnational nature of the construction and reception of film and media is essential. Through surveying a selection of transnational media, this introductory course provides frameworks for thinking about the transnational nature of film, media and culture.
BACF 341 HISTORY & THEORY: FILM GENRE (3 units)
This course provides students with a deepened understanding of genre in the following ways: 1) its industrial function as a category used for marketing purposes; 2) as a system of narrative and audio visual codes; and 3) as an implied contract of expectation between filmmakers and audience to deliver a certain emotional experience.
BACF 342 PRE-PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT: SCREENWRITING - WRITING A SHORT FILM (3 units)
In this project-based introductory course, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the effective screenwriting process, including outlining, writing a first draft, and the process of effective revision.
BACF 410 WHAT’S NEW: ENTERTAINMENT - LEARNING FROM THE PRACTITIONERS (3 units)
Entertainment is big business and multifaceted. From film production to the variety of television programming—series, reality, game shows—to videogames, web design, music producing, franchising and packaging, each segment of the industry requires both a general understanding of “entertainment” and specific dimensions of what various aspects entail. This course will provide a macro and micro view of the industry, from the global to the local, to enable students to understand the interconnectedness and possibilities of the field.
BACF 411 PRE-PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT: STORYBOARDING FOR ANIMATION AND FILM (3 units)
Storyboards are not comic books. They are “visual Scripts,” usually based on a written script, to help visualize scenes, flag potential production problems, estimate the production costs for a film project, and—especially for live-action— save time in shooting. Because animation is a complicated medium to produce, creating storyboards is a must! Using instructor-supplied scripts, audio tracks, character model sheets, and storyboard templates, the students will receive a basic understanding of camera storytelling, including how to break down a script; scrubbing an audio track; camera shot selection; staging; and types of opening and closing shots. Through a combination of lecture and lab, students will create several types of Storyboards: Thumbnail, Rough, and full-color Presentations. Each finished Storyboard will be combined with a soundtrack to produce a PowerPoint-like movie, called an Animatic. An Animatic movie is a low-cost tool used in the industry to show how a story will come together.
BACF 412 PRODUCTION A TO Z: EDITING (3 units)
This course introduces the basic concepts of video editing. Students will learn how to get the right kind of footage on set, how to organize their footage, how to communicate with the director or editor, how to create rough cuts, and how to make final editing decisions based on the goals for the film. The basics of sound editing are also discussed. In addition to shooting their own footage, students will edit other students’ footage and complete editing exercises.
BACF 421 PRODUCTION A TO Z: DIRECTING FOR THE SCREEN (3 units)
This course gives the beginning filmmaker an intensive, foundational overview of the process of directing a film or media project from its initial concept to the expression of a unified, compelling vision. Through lectures, screenings, and practical exercises, students will develop an understanding of the key responsibilities of the director, with an emphasis on strategies for working with actors, effective script analysis, and visual design. In the process, students will develop an original or adapted scene to deepen their knowledge of the craft of directing and their own directorial skills.
BACF 430 WHAT’S NEW: DIGITAL MARKETING COMMUNICATION (3 units)
This introductory course surveys new directions and emerging trends in digital marketing, with a focus on entertainment and storytelling and its impact on the entertainment business. Digital technology is profoundly changing the way businesses and not-for-profits operate. This course will provide key skills for learners looking to better understand the field of digital marketing, develop meaningful content, conduct analytics to evaluate campaigns, and learn how to make the most of organic and paid tactics to best reach their target audience.
BACF 431 PRODUCTION A TO Z: ADVANCED DIGITAL FILMMAKING - CINEMATOGRAPHY AND LIGHTING (3 units)
This course gives the beginning filmmaker a more in-depth and intensive overview of advanced filmmaking, with a focus on understanding the principles and techniques of digital cinematography. Through screenings, readings, and practical exercises, students will develop an understanding of the key responsibilities of the cinematographer, with an emphasis on understanding cinematic lighting, composition, camera and lens functions, and movement. In the process of the course, students will apply the skills and learnings to properly light and compose an original scene.
BACF 432 PRODUCTION A TO Z: DOCUMENTARY FILM PRODUCTION (3 units)
Through lectures, screenings, readings, discussions and hands-on practical learning, the students will learn the fundamentals of documentary production and then apply these techniques to their own short documentaries. The students will be required to research, develop, produce, shoot, edit and deliver a short documentary project by the end of the class.
BACF 440 PRE-PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION - EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATING CREATIVE IDEAS (3 units)
In this project-based introductory course, students begin to think about and practice effective communication of their creative ideas. Topics covered include the ‘art of pitching’ and the design of an effective creative project business plan. Coursework is supplemented by expert industry professionals.
BACF 441 PRODUCTION A TO Z: SOUND PRODUCTION (3 units)
This course provides the creative artist/beginning filmmaker with a foundational understanding of how music can be used to tell stories and impact emotions. Through lectures, examples drawn from a range of creative work, and “hands-on” applied activities, students will learn the structures of creating and using musical accompaniment in film and other creative works.
BACF 442 WHAT’S NEW: PRODUCING FOR THE WEB (3 units)
This course gives students a comprehensive understanding on how to properly use and navigate the developments in web technology to create videos for online distribution. Through lectures, screenings, assigned readings and practical work, students will learn web video production techniques, creating proper aesthetics, editing for the web, compression and technical considerations for uploading, and social media and online marketing. Students will take the concepts discussed in class and apply them to create their online video projects.