A program of the Department of Theatre and Motion Picture Arts at Thorneloe University, the priority of the Motion Picture Arts program is to prepare students for traditional careers in the production of theatrical features, TV programs, and in advertising. Until recently, the platforms for this traditional media were once limited to movie theatres, broadcast TV, and home-video. With the introduction of the communications revolution brought about by the internet, new platforms are continually emerging and evolving, such as smartphones, tablet computers, etc. Each of these platforms then generates demand for supplementary content, thus generating more opportunity for employment for motion picture artists. Furthermore, an education in motion picture arts production prepares students for careers in the production of video games, webisodes, and all other media implementing motion pictures.
The constant expansion of 21st century digital media gives graduates more points of entry into the motion picture arts industry, such as social-media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, etc. Essentially, students of the motion picture arts option are prepared for careers as 21st century motion picture artists: creatively independent writer-director-producers who are equally comfortable analyzing the aesthetics, and application, of production design, cinematography, picture editing, and sound design.
Based on Grade 12 4U/M courses:
For more information, contact MPArts@thorneloe.ca
Regarding the Specialization in Motion Picture Arts, students must obtain 120 credits in the following credit structure to obtain the BFA degree:
Students must follow the pre-September 2017 BA regulations in order to meet graduation requirements for the BFA.
3 credits from Motion Picture Arts Composition Theory:
6 credits from Motion Picture Arts Composition Practice
9 credits from Motion Picture Arts Interdisciplinary Studies:
Notes:
*Should a student take more that 3 credits of “Composition Theory,” these extra credits will be counted as part of the Motion Picture Arts “Interdisciplinary Studies” requirement.
**Should a student take more than 6 credits of “Composition Practice,” these extra credits will be counted as part of the Motion Picture Arts “Interdisciplinary Studies” requirement.
* in subjects other than Theatre (THEA), Music (MUSC), or Motion Picture Arts (CINE)
#Students must include at least 6 credits in the Social Sciences and 6 credits in the Sciences from among their elective credits.
Note: Students may not exceed 48 credits at the 1000 level or 9100 level in their degree program.
24 credits
This course provides an understanding of form (i.e., the shot, montage and sound), and the subsequent formal conventions, of the motion picture arts. Prominence is given to the fundamental elements that comprise form in the motion picture arts, and how they may function both individually, and as a unit(s) of communication.
PREREQ: none
(lec 2/sem 1) 6 credits
This course introduces the basic principles of photography: focal length, aperture, shutter speed, pixel formation, file format, etc. Advanced theories of composition and the art of photography will also be discussed in depth. The major assignment is a slide exhibition.
PREREQ: none
(lec 3) 3 credits
Through a series of independent practical exercises regarding form in the motion picture arts (i.e., the shot, montage, and/or sound), class discussions, readings, screenings, workshops, lab work, and lectures, this course facilitates the opportunity for students to develop a personal sensibility as creators of motion pictures, and will lead to the enrichment of a distinct creative voice in the motion picture arts. This is the first of three consecutive production courses in the Motion Picture Arts curriculum.
PREREQ: CINE 1206 (Photography), and CINE 1005 (Motion Picture Arts: Form), or ENGL/FILM 2805 (Film Foundations).
(sem 3) 6 credits
This course provides a general analysis of the theory and practice of the motion picture arts. Writings by theoreticians such as Arnheim, Bazin, Kracauer, Metz, and Bordwell are examined as well as writings by practitioners such as Eisenstein, Hitchcock, Welles, Godard, Antonioni, and Bresson. Clips from various films are shown.
PREREQ: none
(lec 2, sem 1) 3 credits
This course provides a comprehensive and chronological survey of the motion picture arts from its inception in the 1800s to the present. The evolution of the motion picture arts is analyzed with emphasis placed on biography, industry/economy, technology/aesthetics, and society/culture/politics. Clips from various films are shown.
PREREQ: none
(lec 2, sem 1) 3 credits
This course applies the theory and practice of photography to the operation of digital video camera and film aesthetics. Basic principles of film editing and sound recording are also studied, envisioning that a cinematographer must fully understand the total film form in order to become an effective director of photography. The major assignment is a group film project.
PREREQ: CINE 1206 or CINE 2206 or consent of instructor
(exp 3) 3 credits
This course is an introduction to German cinematographic culture. The course examines the relationship between culture and cinematic representation through the analysis of a variety of German films. Directors studied may include Lang, Herzog, Fassbinder, von Trotta, and Wenders.
PREREQ: none
(lec 3) 3 credits
Crosslisted with DEUT 2216. Students may not retain credit for both CINE 2216 and DEUT 2216.
The objective of this course is to further the practice-based study of form in the motion picture arts. Specifically, it is concerned with various interpretations and adaptations of narrative texts. In the process, each student will create a number of short motion pictures.
PREREQ: CINE 2005 (Motion Picture Arts: Production I) and CINE 3205 (Screenwriting), or permission of the instructor.
(sem 3) 6 credits
After an introduction to selected intellectual understandings and poetic principles of creative expression, this course studies the theories and practices of script writing. It is divided into four sections: (1) Creativity and Artistic Expression; (2) Cultural Context and Writing; (3) The Filmmaking Process; and (4) Story-making.
PREREQ: none
(lec 3) 6 credits
This course will undertake a critical study of the silent film from its beginnings in 1895 through the struggle to retain the form after the advent of the sound film in 1927. The genre will be examined both as a unique art form and as an evolutionary medium which contributed to the development of cinema.
PREREQ: none
(lec 3) 3 credits
The objective of this course is the comprehensive practice-based study of form in the motion picture arts from project development through to exhibition. In the process, each student will create a number of short motion pictures.
PREREQ: CINE 3005
(sem 3) 6 credits