The Bachelor of Fine Arts is a competitive degree program requiring an application and selection procedure. All students begin their Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts track declaring the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Cinema Studies as their major. Students wishing to declare a BFA in Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts as their major must first satisfy specific prerequisites. The mission of the BFA is to prepare artists who will be competitive and original as independent filmmakers, who may aspire to advanced graduate degrees beyond the BFA, or who are considering an artistic approach to their filmmaking portfolio.
In addition to acquiring the skills to make creative films and video works, students completing the BFA will also advance their ability to analyze and interpret films critically, and to communicate and express themselves about film competently in written form.
Requirements
Admission Requirements
The Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts educates students in the history and development of film as an art form and contemporary medium. The curriculum instills an informed analytic awareness of the ways in which film has evolved artistically and stylistically, and provides the resources for significant creative exploration of the medium.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is competitive. In order to graduate with a BFA degree, students must first satisfy a number of prerequisites and then submit a formal application to the BFA program at the prescribed time (deadline will be posted each semester on the cinema studies website). Students are encouraged to apply to the BFA program at the end of their sophomore year.
Applicants must have a cumulative GPA at CU Boulder of 2.3 or higher, and a CINE GPA of 3.3 or higher. Applicants must submit a written application, a writing sample and a sample film. Applicants may also submit one additional "best" example of creative work (see specific admission guidelines for details). Admission into the BFA program is contingent upon approval of the application materials by the BFA committee. Students are required to attend a BFA orientation meeting prior to submitting their application. The program recommends that BFA students purchase film and sound media-capable Apple computing systems.
For more information, visit the department website. Students are encouraged to consult with the Cinema Studies advisor in order to obtain advice and current information.
Program Requirements
No more than 6 credit hours of independent study may be credited toward the major. Students must complete the required cinema courses with a grade of C or better.
Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences as well as the required courses listed below. The Department of Cinema Studies & Moving Image Arts requires a minimum of 62 credit hours in support of the BFA degree requirements.
Required Courses and Credits
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Critical Studies Courses | 17 | |
| Introduction to Cinema Studies 1 | ||
| Film History 1 and Film History 2 2 | ||
| Form, Structure, and Narrative Analysis | ||
or CINE 2105 | Introduction to the Screenplay | |
| Colloquium in Film Aesthetics | ||
| Required Production Courses | 21 | |
| Moving Image Foundations I 3 | ||
| Moving Image Foundations II 3 | ||
| Cinema Production I | ||
| Lights, Camera, Action | ||
| Post Production Lecture | ||
| Cinema Production 2 (Part I) | ||
| Cinema Production 2 (Part II) | ||
| Production Course Electives | 15 | |
| Select 15 credit hours of any combination of the following courses—see degree audit for specifics | ||
| Moving Image Computer Foundations | ||
| Beginning/Intermediate Filmmaking | ||
| Animation Production | ||
| Lighting | ||
| Film Production Topics 4 | ||
| Analog Alternatives | ||
| Producing the Independent Film 5 | ||
| Experimental Digital Animation | ||
| Cinema Audio Design | ||
| Independent Study (Production) 6 | ||
| Professional Seminar | ||
| Cinema Studies Internship | ||
| Film Practicum 7 | ||
| Advanced Digital Postproduction | ||
| Screenwriting Workshop: Short Form | ||
| Topics in Film Production 7 | ||
| Directing/Acting for the Camera | ||
| Advanced Analog Alchemy | ||
| Advanced Screenwriting | ||
| Digital Post-Production | ||
| Screenwriting Workshop: Long Form | ||
| Critical Studies Elective Requirements | 9 | |
| Select 9 credit hours (6 credit hours must be upper-division) from the following: | ||
| Space Odysseys: Astrophys/Astronomy via Cinema/Arts | ||
| Recent International Cinema | ||
| Film Topics 4 | ||
| CU Cinema Studies Seminar: The Telluride Film Festival | ||
| Form, Structure, and Narrative Analysis | ||
| Film Trilogies | ||
| Major Asian Filmmakers | ||
| Classics of the Foreign Cinema: 1960s to Present | ||
| Major Film Movements 4 | ||
| Major Film Directors 4 | ||
| Alfred Hitchcock: The American Films | ||
| Documentary Film | ||
| Women and Film | ||
| Color and Cinema | ||
| Horror Film: History, Contexts, Aesthetics | ||
| Topics in Critical Film Studies 4 | ||
| Contemporary American Cinema: 1980 to Present | ||
| Film Criticism and Theory | ||
| History of Russian Cinema | ||
| The Hollywood Musical | ||
| German Film Through World War II | ||
| German Film and Society 1945-1989 | ||
| Sound and Vision | ||
| Independent Study (Critical Study) 8 | ||
| Cinema Studies Internship | ||
| Screening Race, Class & Gender in the U.S. and the Global Borderland | ||
| Film and Literature | ||
| Topics in Film Theory 4 | ||
| Topics in International Cinema 4 | ||
| Advanced Research Seminar 4 | ||
| Topics in Cinema Critical Studies | ||
| Advanced Screenwriting | ||
| History of Avant-Garde Film | ||
| Colloquium in Film Aesthetics | ||
Any CINE class crosslisted with another department (i.e., foreign language) that has been approved by the cinema studies chair | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 62 | |
| 1 | |
| 2 | It is recommended that these courses be taken in chronological order. |
| 3 | Must receive a B- or higher to continue to the next required production course. |
| 4 | Course may be taken for credit more than once, provided the topics vary. |
| 5 | Both are usually offered through Continuing Education; only one may count toward the cinema studies degree. |
| 6 | Total number of independent study credit hours cannot exceed 6, and they cannot be used to duplicate regular course offerings. |
| 7 | Course may be taken for credit more than once. |
| 8 | Total number of independent study credit hours cannot exceed 6. |
Graduating in Four Years with a BFA
Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of "adequate progress" as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress toward a BFA in cinema studies & moving image arts, students should meet the following requirements:
- Declare and start the cinema studies major the first semester freshman year.
- Complete CINE 1502, CINE 2000, CINE 2005 or CINE 2105 and one lower- or upper-division critical studies course for 3 credit hours by the end of the third semester.
- Complete 3 credit hours upper-division Critical Studies Elective, CINE Foundation Elective (3 credit hours) and CINE 2500 by the end of the fourth semester.
- Note: In order to graduate in four years, a student must apply and be accepted into the BFA program at the end of the fourth semester. See the admission requirements section above for details of the application process.
- Complete CINE 3051, CINE 3400, CINE 3515 and CINE 3525 by the end of the fifth semester.
- Complete CINE 3061, digital elective (3 credit hours), production elective (3 credit hours) and CINE 3990 by the end of the sixth semester.
- Complete CINE 4500, 3 credit hours upper-division critical studies elective, CINE 3990 by the end of the seventh semester.
- Complete 3 additional credit hours of CINE 4500, CINE 4604, an additional 1 credit hour of CINE 3990 and 3 more credit hours of production electives by the end of the eighth semester.
Recommended Four-Year Plan of Study
Through the required coursework for the major, students will complete all 12 credits of the the Arts & Humanities area of the Gen Ed Distribution Requirement.
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CINE 1502 | Introduction to Cinema Studies | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: QRMS) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Lower-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CINE 2005 or CINE 2105 |
Form, Structure, and Narrative Analysis or Introduction to the Screenplay |
3 |
| CINE 2000 | Moving Image Foundations I | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Social Sciences/US Perspective) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CINE 2500 | Moving Image Foundations II | 3 |
| CINE Critical Studies Elective (Lower or Upper-division) | 3 | |
| CINE 3990 | Film Practicum | 1 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course (example: Social Sciences/Global Perspective) | 3 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences with Lab) | 4 | |
| Elective/MAPS | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CINE Critical Studies Elective (Upper-division) | 3 | |
| CINE 2010 |
Moving Image Computer Foundations or Beginning/Intermediate Filmmaking or Animation Production or Lighting or Analog Alternatives |
3 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 4 | |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CINE 3051 | Film History 1 | 4 |
| CINE 3400 | Cinema Production I | 3 |
| CINE 3515 | Lights, Camera, Action | 3 |
| CINE 3525 | Post Production Lecture | 3 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Natural Sciences) | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CINE 3061 | Film History 2 | 4 |
| CINE 3620 |
Experimental Digital Animation or Cinema Audio Design or Digital Post-Production |
3 |
| CINE 3010 |
Film Production Topics or Cinema Studies Internship or Screenwriting Workshop: Short Form or Topics in Film Production or Directing/Acting for the Camera |
1-3 |
| Gen. Ed. Skills course (example: Upper-division Written Communication) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14-16 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CINE 4500 | Cinema Production 2 | 3 |
| CINE 4604 | Colloquium in Film Aesthetics | 3 |
| CINE 4000 | Advanced Digital Postproduction | 3 |
| CINE 3990 | Film Practicum | 1 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CINE 4500 | Cinema Production 2 | 3 |
| CINE Critical Studies Elective (Upper-division) | 3 | |
| CINE 3990 | Film Practicum | 1 |
| Gen. Ed. Distribution course (example: Social Sciences) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 122-124 | |