Department of Film and Television

The Department of Film and Television offers Master of Science (MS) degree programs in Television and Television Management and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs in Film. A dual degree MBA/MS in Television Management is also available. The programs and areas of study in the department are both academic and professional.

Graduate students are expected to examine, probe, and study the history and literature of their chosen field: its role in the communication process, its creative and technical development, its organization, its economic impact and development, and its aesthetic, social, and cultural developments and implications.

As part of its professional emphasis, the department provides an opportunity for practical work in both the classroom and the field.

TOP OF PAGE

The Boston Area

Boston is an excellent area in which to prepare for a career in telecommunications. There are frequent opportunities for contact with professionals from the many radio and television stations, cable companies, advertising agencies, and film and video production houses in or near the city. The graduate internship program assists students in obtaining on-the-job experience with these professional organizations.

Expenses

Production equipment, library, and computer facilities are provided to students. However, students who follow creative production sequences must purchase their own film or video stock and cover processing and lab fees as well as other supplies. Similarly, those doing analytic projects are required to cover expenses of any necessary fieldwork or extra resources.

TOP OF PAGE

THE TELEVISION PROGRAM

The MS degree in television provides graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to compete successfully in the ever changing world of telecommunications. The Television Program recognizes that to enjoy productive and rewarding careers in this world, graduates must be able to meet the challenge of cultural, economic, and technological change. The curriculum is designed to empower students to seek professional careers in production, management, programming, marketing, teaching, and criticism.

Our graduates must combine professional skills with an understanding of the nature of the telecommunications industry and its complex relationship with different audiences and their cultures. On the creative side, the program stresses that it is the producer who is the intellectual driving force behind all television production, and that he or she must have a mastery of basic technical skills and a developed aesthetic sensibility. But the producer, in turn, has to adapt to structural changes in the industry. Management skills, essential in the successful completion of each production, are also essential to the economic welfare of the industry. Accordingly, graduates who are drawn to the many different careers available in the telecommunications business may choose courses that concentrate in this area.

Alumni of the Television Program are found in a wide variety of jobs at all levels in the telecommunications industry, both within the United States and increasingly in key positions in national broadcasting institutions throughout the world. Many of them are successful independent producers in documentary, educational, industrial, and other video work. Our alumni provide an invaluable network of experienced professionals who can assist new graduates with advice on career opportunities, and who in some cases may hire them for entry-level jobs.

The television faculty welcomes international students into the Television Program. Their presence enriches classes and helps all graduates become aware of the international dimension of telecommunications. Special attention is given to their needs.

Degree Requirements

To earn a master’s degree in television, students must complete 48 credit hours of study, including an internship and a thesis project. With faculty permission, an elective course may be substituted for the internship. It is also possible for an internship to be taken outside the Boston area. The form of the thesis project must be approved by the faculty. It may be a video production, script, or fully developed program concept. Alternately, it may be a written thesis, or a combination of practical and theoretical work. This course of study will normally require three full semesters of work.

Internships

One of the advantages of pursuing a degree at the College of Communication is the opportunity to intern at a telecommunication operation. As one of the top ten markets in America, Boston offers a wealth of possibilities at some of the finest television stations and production houses in the country. Students intern in Boston during the academic year, and anywhere in the world during the summer.

Facilities

The Television Program’s facilities include two newly equipped studios, each with the HD-ready three chip digital cameras, digital switchers, Chyrons, chroma keys, lighting dinner boards and editors capable of a full range of digital video effects. In addition to eight digital linear editing suites, there are sixteen non-linear suites featuring the most up-to-date versions of Avid Media Composer and Final Cut Studio software. These rooms are also equipped with all Adobe post-production applications. Four digital workstations are provided as well, each running Pro tools software and hardware. For field production, there are forty digital cameras and a full component of lighting and sound equipment. Classrooms are equipped with video projections systems.

TOP OF PAGE

The Curriculum

COM FT 701 The Telecommunication Industry
COM FT 707 Video Production I
COM FT 727 Producing I
Writing elective

COM FT 514 Advanced TV Writing or
COM FT 716 Video Production II
COM FT 525 Producing II
Television elective
Television elective

COM FT 825 Thesis Project/Creative Project
COM FT 953/954 Internship
Television elective
Television elective

COM FT 502 Sound Design for Film and Television
COM FT 504 Video Postproduction I
COM FT 505 Television Production Hothouse
COM FT 507 Television Studio Production
COM FT 510 Television Aesthetics
COM FT 514 Advanced Writing for Television
COM FT 515 International Television
COM FT 516 Television Programming
COM FT 517 Television Management
COM FT 522 Writing Situation Comedies
COM FT 523 Understanding Marketing and Sales
COM FT 525 Producing II
COM FT 526 Directing the Theatrical and Television Film
COM FT 527 Lighting
COM FT 543 Television Comedy
COM FT 545 Television and Childhood
COM FT 560 The Documentary
COM FT 561 Television Drama
COM FT 706 Acting for Directors and Writers
COM FT 712 Television Seminar
COM FT 716 Video Production II
COM JO 534 Broadcast News for Non-Majors

In addition to electives, students have some choices in the courses they are required to take during their three semesters. These choices should reflect the direction they plan to follow when they leave the College and should support their ideas for their thesis projects. All students must give thought to these choices before registering for their first semester. They are strongly advised to discuss their curriculum design with the faculty when they arrive on campus.

TOP OF PAGE

TELEVISON MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

For students who have already decided to pursue management careers in the various telecommunications industries, Boston University offers two options. The first is a dual degree program administered jointly by the College of Communication and the Graduate School of Management. The television management component of the dual degree consists of a series of required courses offered in the graduate Television Program, together with a range of electives which, in consultation with their advisors, students may take anywhere in the College of Communication. The dual degree is a five-semester, 80-credit program. The student earns both an MS degree in television management from the College of Communication and an MBA degree from the Graduate School of Management. A second option is a 3-semester, 48-credit program that earns the student an MS degree in television management from COM. It combines courses taken at the Graduate School of Management with those taken at COM.

MS Degree in Television Management (COM)/MBA Degree (GSM)

GSM AC 710 Financial Reporting and Control
GSM ES 700 Executive Presentations
GSM FE 721 Financial Management
GSM MK 723 Marketing Management
GSM OB 713 Managing Organizations and People
GSM QM 716 Data Analysis for Managerial Decision Making

GSM ES 701 Executive Written Communication
GSM FE 727 Economics and Management Decision
GSM IS 710 IT Strategies for a Networked Economy
GSM OM 725 Creating Value Through Operations & Technology
GSM SP 700 Ethics and Law
GSM SP 750 Competition, Innovation, and Strategy
GSM elective

COM FT 701 The Telecommunication Industry
COM FT 727 Producing I
GSM elective
COM elective
GSM ES 705 Professional Portfolio Seminar

COM FT 517 Television Management
COM FT 712 Television Seminar
COM/GSM elective
COM/GSM elective

COM FT 825 Thesis Project
COM FT 953/954 Internship
COM elective
COM elective

Note:  Any GSM courses to be applied to a COM MS degree must be taken as a 4‑credit course.

Application for Admission to the dual degree program must be made to both COM and GSM. The Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) is the required preexamination for applicants seeking admission to the dual degree program.

Some COM requirements may be waived for students who have completed equivalent graduate-level courses. Up to 8 graduate semester credits may be accepted from other colleges and up to 4 graduate semester credits may be allowed for certain previous professional experience or internship work done while the student was in either of the two programs.

MS Degree in Television Management

COM FT 523 Understanding Marketing and Sales
COM FT 701 The Telecommunication Industry
COM FT 727 Producing I
COM elective

COM FT 517 Television Management
COM CO 700 Financial and Strategic Management for Communications Professionals
COM or GSM elective
COM or GSM elective

COM FT 825 Thesis Project
COM FT 953/954 Internship
COM elective
COM or GSM elective

TOP OF PAGE

THE FILM PROGRAM

The graduate film program offers qualified students a choice of concentration in film production, film studies, or screenwriting. Film production students are trained by a faculty of national distinction to perform at a high level of professional competence. Film Studies majors are expected to acquire a deep grounding in cinema history, research, and criticism. Screenwriting students will not only master the art of screenwriting, but are encouraged to take an active role in both film production and film studies.

Master’s thesis films by graduates in the film production sequence have been honored by an Oscar in short documentary, three Academy Award nominations, and more than a hundred festival prizes. In recent years, films from the graduate program have been shown at the New York Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, and the major student festivals in Tel Aviv and Munich. A number of film studies candidates have published all or part of their written theses.

The orientation of the graduate film program is pluralistic. Master’s candidates are prepared for a broad range of careers in film and television. Alumni of the graduate film program have achieved a remarkable 85-percent employment rate in film-related jobs. They are working at the highest reaches of the motion picture industry, but many have also chosen to work as independent or experimental media artists. They are running their own production companies, producing prime-time television series, teaching film courses, and directing feature films.

In selecting students for the program, the faculty considers not only applicants’ academic records (GRE, GPA), but also evidence of self-motivation and creativity as demonstrated in portfolios, extracurricular activities, and employment. The program accommodates students both with and without previous production experience.

Incoming students must declare in advance whether they are applying for admission to the film production sequence, the film studies sequence, or the screenwriting sequence.

Facilities

The film program is equipped with complete production and post production facilities and equipment, including ten Arriflex 16 SR2 packages, Nagras, Sound Design Flash card recorders, Marantz mini-disc recorders, lighting and grip equipment, a sound mixing studio, a motion picture studio, and two Digital Media Labs with Avid Media Composer and Xpress Pro, Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator. The new Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg High Definition Center permits students to complete advanced projection high definition videos.

Film Production Program

The film production program trains students to become complete filmmakers. Students learn all aspects of film production, from initial scripting to directing, cinematography, sound design, and editing. The production program focuses on three critical areas: film production, film studies, and screenwriting. Students study the work of master filmmakers to learn from those who came before them. At the same time, students practice the art of storytelling through their screenwriting courses and then apply what they have learned in their production courses. This threefold approach has helped our students achieve national recognition in film festivals, screenwriting competitions, and film editing contests. The program emphasizes narrative filmmaking, offering courses in acting, directing, cinematography, lighting, sound design, and postproduction. The faculty’s goal is to enable each student to graduate with a short film capable of winning student film festivals, as well as a feature-length screenplay.

As an alternative to producing a thesis film, students may receive thesis credit in editing, cinematography, or producing.

Film Production Program Curriculum

COM FT 706 Acting for Directors and Writers
COM FT 711 Screenwriting I
COM FT 722 American Masterworks
COM FT 849 Film Production I

COM FT 526 Directing the Theatrical and Television Film
COM FT 713 Screenwriting II or elective
COM FT 850 Film Production II
COM FT 851 Thesis Prep

COM FT 552 Line Producing or
COM FT 555 Narrative Documentary Practicum

Film Production elective

Two electives At least one of these electives must be a Film Studies course.

COM FT 852 Thesis Project (4 or 8 credits)

Three electives At least one of these electives must be a Film Studies course.

TOP OF PAGE

Film Production Program Electives

COM FT 502 Sound Design for Film and Television
COM FT 525 Producing II
COM FT 526 Directing Theatrical Television and Film
COM FT 527 Lighting
COM FT 560 The Documentary
COM FT 565 Digital Editing
COM FT 593 Cinematography
COM FT 727 Producing I
Film Studies classes
Screenwriting classes

Film Studies Program

The film studies program is designed to prepare students to work as critics, historians, scholars, teachers, librarians, archivists, programmers, or exhibitors. In their final semester, students in the film studies program may choose to submit a written thesis: a fully developed monograph on some aspect of film criticism, history, or aesthetics. Film studies majors, under faculty supervision, may pursue a variety of critical approaches to film. The focus is on film as an art form and a personal expression. Hollywood film and popular culture downplayed. Students in this program also take courses in acting and video production.

Film Studies Curriculum

The film studies program requires 16 credits of coursework to be taken in each of four semesters for a total of 64 credits. The normal course load is four courses in each of the first three semesters and three courses in the final semester. Successful completion of a final thesis project is required for graduation.

The courses should be taken as follows:

COM FT 722 American Masterworks (4 cr) in the first semester
COM FT 721 International Masterworks (4 cr) as offered in one of the student’s four semesters
COM FT 723 American Independent Film (4 cr) as offered in one of the student’s four semesters
COM FT 852 Thesis Project (8 cr) in the final semester
Eight Film Studies electives (32 cr) distributed over the student’s four semesters

The following count as Film Studies electives:

COM FT 535 Film Analysis
COM FT 536 Film Theory and Criticism
COM FT 554 Special Topic (multiple offerings each semester) Students may register for the same Special Topics number more than once provided the topic is different.
COM FT 560 The Documentary
COM FT 563 French New Wave
COM FT 567 Film Styles

Three open electives (12 cr), one in each of the first three semesters in the remaining available positions.

The following courses count as open electives:

Film Studies electives
COM FT 553 Special Topics (multiple offerings each semester) Students may register for the same Special Topics number more than once provided the topic is different.
Other graduate film courses offered in the Department of Film and Television (excluding production courses requiring the use of filmmaking equipment, except with special permission)

A UNI humanities course on the subject of film offered at the graduate level (500 and above) through the University Professors Program

Any other graduate-level film course offered by another department at Boston University and approved by the student’s advisor

TOP OF PAGE

Screenwriting Program

Students in the screenwriting program have a fourfold requirement: to understand and to practice the art of screenwriting; to learn the fundamentals of dramatic production; to understand different models of filmmaking and film history; and to comprehend the role of the storyteller and that of mythology in the dramatic tradition. Students in the program are required to write a minimum of three full-length original screenplays.

Screenwriting Curriculum

COM FT 552 Special Topic: Script into Film
COM FT 706 Acting for Directors and Writers
COM FT 711 Screenwriting I
COM FT 722 American Masterworks

COM FT 526 Directing the Theatrical and Television Film
COM FT 713 Screenwriting II (8 credits)
Elective Elective—selected upon advisor’s recommendation.

COM FT 552 Special Topic: Screenwriting III (8 credits)
COM FT 730 Principles of Adaptation
Elective Elective—selected upon advisor’s recommendation.

COM FT 552 Special Topic: Screenwriting IV (8 credits)
COM FT 552 Special Topic: Script Analysis
Elective Elective—selected upon advisor’s recommendation.

Screenwriting Program Electives

COM FT 510 Television Aesthetics
COM FT 512 Writing Episodic Drama
COM FT 514 Advanced Writing for Television
COM FT 522 Writing Situation Comedies
COM FT 543 Television Comedy
COM FT 560 The Documentary
COM FT 561 Television Drama
COM FT 712 Television Seminar
Film Studies electives

Graduate Film Degree Requirements

The requirements for the MFA degree in Film are the completion of 64 credit hours (four semesters) of coursework, including completion of the thesis requirements.

TOP OF PAGE

Los Angeles Internship Program

The Los Angeles Internship Program offers a semester of study and work in the heart of the film and television industry. Courses are taught by members of the Boston University faculty and by alumni who also provide internship positions and serve as mentors in and outside of the classroom. Upon successful completion of a semester, students earn 16 Boston University credits (three 4-credit courses and a 4-credit internship), which fall within the film and television curriculum. All grading is done by Boston University faculty or the Academic Director.

Film Production students may participate in the Los Angeles program but only after having finished their thesis. In order to make this possible, students should follow this curriculum guide.

COM FT 706 Acting for Directors and Writers

COM FT 711 Screenwriting I
COM FT 722 American Masterworks
COM FT 849 Film Production I

COM FT 526 Directing the Theatrical and Television Film
COM FT 551 Designing the Short Film
COM FT 713 Screenwriting II or elective
COM FT 850 Film Production II

COM FT 851 Thesis Preparation
Film Production elective
Two Electives
(At least one of these electives must be a Film Studies course.)

Student is not required to take any courses while he or she completes his or her thesis.

Los Angeles Internship Program
COM FT 852 Thesis Project Student receives credit in fifth semester for thesis work done during the fourth semester.

Additional financial aid may be available for students who wish to participate in the Los Angeles Internship Program. Special Note: Film Studies and Screenwriting students should consult with their faculty advisor before pursuing any plans of studying in Los Angeles.

TOP OF PAGE

Published by Trustees of Boston University
One Sherborn Street
Boston, MA 02215

28 September 2007
Boston University
Questions
Credits