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Film and Electronic Arts OverviewCritical thinking and creative work go hand in hand in the Film and Electronic Arts Program, which integrates various creative practices with the study of theory and criticism. For example, all filmmaking majors take courses in film history and video production, and a student writing a Senior Project in the history of film and electronic arts will have taken some kind of creative production workshop.Areas of StudyThe program encourages interest in a wide range of expressive modes in film, video, and the expanding field of computer-based art. These include screenwriting, animation, narrative and nonnarrative filmmaking, documentary, and interactive video. Regardless of a student’s choice of specialization, the program’s emphasis leans toward neither fixed professional formulas nor mere technical expertise, but toward imaginative engagement and the cultivation of an individual artistic voice that has command over the entire creative process. For example, a student interested in narrative filmmaking would be expected to write an original script, shoot it, and then edit the film into its final form. Students are also expected to take advantage of Bard’s liberal arts curriculum by studying subjects that relate to their specialties. A documentarian might take courses in anthropology, an animator in painting, a screenwriter in literature, and a film critic in art history.RequirementsA student’s first year is devoted primarily to acquiring a historical and critical background. The focus in the sophomore year is on learning the fundamentals of production and working toward Moderation. Before Moderation each prospective major presents to the review board a completed 16mm film and videotape, a full-length script, or a 10-page historical/critical essay. The junior year is devoted mainly to deepening and broadening the student’s creative and critical awareness, and the senior year to a yearlong Senior Project, which can take the form of a creative work in film or video, a full-length screenplay, or an extended, in-depth historical or critical essay. Recent Senior Projects in Film
FacilitiesThe newly renovated Jim Ottaway Jr. Film Center houses a 110-seat theater equipped with state-of-the-art 16mm and 35mm film projection, as well as the latest in digital video projection and Dolby digital surround sound. The facility also boasts multimedia and performance space, two screening/seminar rooms, a video installation gallery, a shooting studio with a control room, and an animation studio. Additionally, the students have at their disposal a media lab containing 15 up-to-date Macintosh stations and a sound room capable of editing Dolby 5.1 soundtracks. Upper College majors have access to smaller editing suites with high- quality video and audio monitoring capabilities. The program also has a video study collection, consisting of thousands of titles, including features, documentaries, experimental and avant-garde films, and student films.CoursesIn addition to regularly scheduled academic and production courses, the program offers advanced study on a one-to-one basis with a professor. Recent tutorials include Film Sound; Buñuel, Almodóvar, and the Catholic Church; The Archive and Its (Dis)contents; and Film Scoring.
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