Students in the general film and digital media (FDM) major develop an understanding of major movements in world cinema and different aesthetic approaches to the medium while studying the cultural impact of television and the rise of video and digital art in recent decades.

The integrated critical practice concentration is designed for film and digital media majors who have a special aptitude for and interest in combining work in critical studies and production. The concentration provides them with a more rigorous pathway through the major and, in their senior year, allows them to work on a senior project that integrates creative and intellectual work.

Students in all facets of the major acquire skills in media analysis while maintaining a broadly based, liberal arts perspective.

Students enrolled in film and digital media production classes have access to audio, video, and digital production and postproduction equipment. Facilities include a digital media lab; stop-motion animation lab audio recording studio; sound stage with green screen; motion capture facility; digital nonlinear editing rooms; video format conversion rooms; a computerized sound effects library; and student equipment checkout. Additionally, computer laboratories equipped for digital image manipulation, web authoring, and interactive interface design and viewing rooms are available. The critical studies facilities include classrooms equipped for high-end film, video, and data projection. The library holdings in film and video history, theory, and literature are complemented by a large collection of films, videos, laser disks, and DVDs, including a diverse range of international feature films, experimental film and video work, animation, silent films, and documentaries.

Some courses offered by the Film and Digital Media Department are restricted in enrollment; admission is based on the completion of prerequisites and other specific written application requirements.

Upper-division digital media and production studio courses require coursework to be completed on computers. Instruction in and software for production courses utilizes the macOS platform and primarily consists of Apple and Adobe video production software packages. Many University of California, Santa Cruz, students purchase laptop computers. Film and digital media students who are considering purchasing a laptop computer for production work are encouraged to consult with the department’s operations staff. A list of recommended computer configurations and information regarding education pricing on software packages is available on the Film and Digital Media website.

Mga Resulta ng Pagkatuto ng Programa

Students who earn a B.A. in the film and digital media major will gain the skills, knowledge, and understanding that will enable them to:

✔ Demonstrate their ability to employ research skills, including the use of appropriate print and technology sources in the discipline, to construct effective arguments.

✔ Demonstrate that they understand the pre-production, production, and postproduction digital media and filmmaking process.

✔ Demonstrate the relationship between different types of form and meaning through the creation of film and digital media projects or the critical analysis of them.

✔ Demonstrate their ability to work collaboratively to produce a film or digital media project.

✔ Demonstrate broad knowledge of film and media history internationally.

✔ Demonstrate scholarly writing skills appropriate to the discipline of film and digital media.

✔ Demonstrate an ability to analyze, interpret, and critique films and media from a variety of theoretical perspectives using the critical vocabulary and methodologies of the discipline.

✔ Demonstrate their ability to articulate and defend their research and practice in a critical environment.