Film/Video Production, page 2
School of Cinema-Television

Master of Arts

The Master of Arts degree with a track in Film/Video Production is granted by the Graduate School in conjunction with the School of Cinema-Television. A minimum of 34 units in cinema-television at the 400 or 500 level is required. In addition to the 30 units of course work, students must register for a minimum of two semesters of thesis units (CNTV 594a and b).

Graduate Preparation Production Courses

In addition to the 34 units, students are required to take 12 units of prerequisite courses (CNTV 507x Production I and CNTV 508x Production II) in their first year. These courses provide intensive preparation considered necessary for graduate studies in production.

CNTV 507x Production I is designed to introduce the fundamental principles of motion picture production. The course involves instruction, projects and readings in directing, cinematography, editing, sound design and production management. Each student makes five Super 8mm non-dialogue films using his or her own equipment. Students must provide their own Super 8 camera, tripod, projector, viewer and splicer and approximately $500 for film and processing. A tape recorder is highly recommended. CNTV 507x is taken concurrently with 501 and 528 in the first semester.

In CNTV 508x Production II, students working in crews of two produce two non-dialogue 16mm film projects whose primary goal is to communicate through sound/image relationships. Each student directs and prepares the soundtrack for the project he or she has written and is cinematographer and editor for his or her partner's project. It is mandatory for students to form their own partnerships. Most equipment and materials are provided by the school, but there are other expenses associated with the projects produced in CNTV 508x. Approximately $1,000 should be budgeted by the student for the purchase of personal equipment, supplies, transportation, props, and so on. CNTV 508x is taken concurrently with CNTV 502 and CNTV 529 in the second semester.

Students must earn a minimum grade of C (2.0) in CNTV 507x and 508x to continue in the Master of Arts program. Students who earn lower than C (2.0) in any required CNTV course may retake the course once with the approval of the departmental committee. CNTV 507x and 508x are preparatory courses and will not count toward the total 34 units required for the degree.

Students who do not satisfy the degree requirements after repeating a CNTV course will be disqualified from the program.

Three-Year Requirements for the M.A. in Production

Year One, First SemesterUnits
CNTV 501History of the International Cinema: Silent Film2
CNTV 507xProduction I6
CNTV 528Screenwriting Fundamentals2

Second SemesterUnits
CNTV 502History of the International Cinema: Sound Film2
CNTV 508xProduction II6
CNTV 529Intermediate Screenwriting2

Year Two, First and Second SemestersUnits
CNTV 506Visual Expression2
CNTV 546LProduction III (non-directing capacity)6

Six units from the following:
CNTV 484Advanced Multi-Camera Television Workshop2 or 4
CNTV 531Planning the Produc-tion (prerequisite to develop a CNTV 546L project)2
CNTV 532Intermediate Directing (prerequisite to qualify to direct a CNTV 546L project)2
CNTV 533abWriting the Feature Script (students planning a script thesis should take CNTV 533a and 533b in their second year)4-2
CNTV 534Intermediate Production Design2
CNTV 535Intermediate Editing 2
CNTV 537Intermediate Cinematography2
CNTV 538Intermediate Producing 2
CNTV 539Intermediate Graphics 2
CNTV 540Intermediate Sound 2
CNTV 542Intermediate Electronic Imaging2
CNTV 543Intermediate Computer Animation2
CNTV 551Planning the Advanced Production (prerequisite for 586L and 581)2
CNTV 552Advanced Directing2
CNTV 553Advanced Screenwriting4
CNTV 554Advanced Sound2
CNTV 555Advanced Production Design2
CNTV 556Advanced Editing2
CNTV 557Advanced Cinematography2
CNTV 558Advanced Producing2
CNTV 559Advanced Graphics2
CNTV 563Advanced Computer Animation2
CNTV 568Advanced Electronic Imaging2
CNTV 572Practicum in Directing Actors for Film2-4
CNTV 574Advanced Seminar in Directing Actors for Film2

Four units must be taken from the following critical studies courses:
CNTV 464Film Genres4
CNTV 469Film Style Analysis4
CNTV 510Case Studies in National Media4
CNTV 511Seminar: Non-Fiction Film/Video4
CNTV 518Seminar: Avant-garde Film/Video4
CNTV 564Seminar in Film Genres4
CNTV 567Seminar in Film and a Related Art4
CNTV 569Seminar in Film Style Analysis4

CNTV electives

A minimum of four units of CNTV electives at the 400 and 500 level is required.

Year Three, First and Second Semesters

The third year is spent working on the M.A. thesis. Students enroll in CNTV 594abz (two units each semester) until the thesis has been accepted by their thesis committee.

Thesis

A minimum of two semesters of thesis (CNTV 594a and b) is required.

A thesis must be submitted in one of the following forms:

(1) A feature-length screenplay (students must complete CNTV 533ab Writing the Feature Script prior to beginning a film script thesis).

(2) A thesis film or video (CNTV 531 and 546L are prerequisites for a film or video proposal); thesis films or videos are intended for projects that are commercially and independently funded outside of the university. As such, these projects do not qualify for USC resources, facilities or equipment.

(3) A written thesis which usually entails research in the area of film or television production.

All thesis proposals (script, film, video or written research thesis) must be approved by the Cinema-Television Graduate Committee. Guidelines for script and film/video production theses are established by the Cinema-Television faculty and are published annually. Each thesis project must be supervised by a guidance committee consisting of three of the full-time production faculty.

Students planning to choose a written or screenplay thesis should also consult the Format for Theses and Dissertations section of the most current USC Catalogue.

Grade Point Average Requirement

A minimum grade point average of at least 3.0 (A = 4.0) must be maintained in all USC course work toward the master's degree (not including CNTV 507x and CNTV 508x) and to qualify for registration in 594ab Thesis. Courses in which a grade of C- (1.7) or lower is earned will not apply toward a graduate degree.

Time Limit

Students must maintain satisfactory progress toward their master's degree at all times. The time limit for completing all requirements (including thesis) is five years from the first course at USC applied toward the Master of Arts degree. Course work more than seven years old is invalidated and will not be applied toward the degree.

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