Courses in Producers Program

Department of Film, Television & Digital Media

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I. Area: MFA Producers Program (see sections I to V for all requirements)

II. Summary: The Producers Program has the following time-to-degree requirement: a minimum of six quarters; maximum of nine quarters. The minimum total units required to graduate is 72 units (18 courses); however, the typical Producers Program student enrolls in 100-120 units (25-30 courses) to complete all required and core courses. Only 16 units of FTVDM 596ABC may be applied towards the total course requirement and only 8 of these may be applied towards the minimum graduate course requirement. Only 4 units of 596A and 4 units of 596B may be taken prior to advancement. FTVDM 596 D though F may be taken after advancement.

III. Required Courses: A list of all required courses in sections A through D.

A. Required Producers Program Courses:

Course #	Course or Series Title	Quarter Offered
FIRST YEAR CURRICULUM
247	Creative Producing	Winter
287AB&C	Introduction to the Art & Business of Producing 1-3	Fall, Winter, Spring
288A&B	Feature Film Development 1-2	Fall, Winter
291A, B and/or C	Feature Film Production, Marketing & Distribution (at least two courses)	Fall, Winter, Spring
292ABC	Network Television & Emerging Platforms (at least two courses)	Fall, Winter, Spring
294AB	Contracts & Negotiations (at least one course)	Winter or Spring
298A	Contemporary Media Franchises	Fall
418	Creative Producing on Set	Spring
SECOND YEAR CURRICULUM
208A	Film Structure	Fall
289A or B	Current Business Practices in Film and Television: Strategy; Independent Spirit (at least one section)	Fall or Spring
290AB&C	Research & Development 1-3	Fall, Winter, Spring
294C	International Financing & Distribution	Fall
295A, B and/or C	Identifying Your Assets; Advanced Producing 1 & 2 (at least one section)	Fall, Winter, Spring
296A or B	Talent Representation (at least one section)	Fall or Spring

B. Required Cinema & Media Studies Courses:

Students have to take a minimum of TWO graduate-level Cinema & Media Studies courses.

Please see list below for approved course numbers and titles.

Please note that not all courses are offered every quarter. Students should consult the registrars schedule for available courses and class times. For courses in the 298 series, which is a temporary course number, students should consult the graduate advisor first to check whether a course fulfills the CMS requirement.

201 Media Industries and Cultures of Production

202 Media Audiences and Cultures of Consumption

203 Film and the Other Arts

204 Visual Analysis

206A European Film History

206B Selected Topics in American Film History

206C** American Film History

206D Silent Films

207 Experimental Film

208B** Classical Film Theory

208C Contemporary Film Theory

209A Documentary Film

209B Fictional Film

209D Animated Films

217A American Television History

217B Selected Topics in Television History

218 Culture, Media and Society

219 Film and Society

220 TV & Society

221 Film Authors

222 Film Genres

223 Visual Perception

224 Computer Applications for Film Study

225 Videogame Theory

246 Electronic Culture

270 Film Criticism

271 Television Culture

276 Non-Western Film

277 Narrative Studies

298AB Special Studies (select classes must see Graduate Counselor)

**These courses are sometimes taught as a core course for M.A. students and may not be available that particular quarter for MFA students.

C. MFA Course Requirement:

Students have to take a minimum of ONE graduate-level course from the Directing/Production, Animation, and/or Screenwriting area. Please see attached list for approved course numbers and titles.

Directing:

188B Introduction to the Art & Technique of Filmmaking (Fall)

188D Film Editing: Overview of History, Technique and Practice (Fall)

400 Film Image Design Lab (check registrars schedule)

403A Advanced Documentary Workshop (check registrars schedule)

Screenwriting:

130 Screenwriting Fundamentals (Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer)

431 Introduction to Screenwriting (Fall)

434 Advanced Screenwriting (Fall, Winter, Spring - requires audition)

Animation:

181A Introduction to Animation (Fall & Spring - prerequisite for other animation courses)

181B Writing for Animation (Fall only - no prerequisite required)

181C Animation Workshop (Winter & Spring)

If no MFA courses are available during the students residency in the Program, FTV 208A may be used to fulfill the above requirement.

D. Internship Requirement:

Students have to commit a minimum of THREE quarters to interning in an entertainment company and enroll in FTV 498 for those quarters during time in the Producers Program.

IV. Electives Courses:

a. Showrunner Concentration:

Students interested in the writer-producer concentration (Showrunner Concentration) must submit an audition paper and commit to complete all courses in the two-year concentration. For more information on the track please see Showrunner Concentration website/document.

b. Television Producing Courses:

Students may choose any of the electives below. No audition paper required, but limited enrollment on a first-come, first-served basis.

283A Introduction to Television Development

284A Advanced Television Development

c. Theater Department:

Theater C446A Art and Process of Entertainment Design

Some limited enrollment in certain Playwriting or Design courses may be available, depending on students prior experience in those areas. Interested students should contact those instructors directly for more information.

For undergraduate courses in Theater, please see attached list.

d. Anderson School of Business:

Students should contact Ben Harris on available courses before the beginning of each quarter.

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