Cinema Arts (BA, BFA)
Lindenwood University
Key Information
Campus location
Saint Charles, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 9,550 / per semester *
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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* block rate for traditional, full-time tuition
Scholarships
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Introduction
At its core, cinema arts is imagination. It is vision and creativity. It is collaboration and synergy. It is drama, suspense, beauty, and meaning. Although we surround ourselves with the tools of our trade, and while they are an integral part of what we do, digital cinema arts at Lindenwood is fundamentally about the art of storytelling.
Cinema arts is cutting-edge communication. It is technology. It is pixels, bits, CCDs, algorithms, lasers, and light-emitting diodes. But that’s just one part of the picture.
Technology is important, but in the end, it is merely a means to transmit the medium. The LEDs and software of today are no more constant than the vacuum tubes and typewriters that were part of our lives not long ago. The ability to craft a compelling story, on the other hand, is timeless, enduring, and one of the most valuable skills for any professional communicator.
There are two cinema arts degrees at Lindenwood University: The Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Fine Arts. Both degrees are designed to give students a strong base of knowledge and hands-on experience that will serve as a starting point for their lifelong learning process as filmmakers.
The cinema arts program is experiential. It is a hands-on program, in which you get to write, produce, shoot, edit, and even work for a weekly college newspaper; broadcast at a 50,000-watt FM radio station; and work at LUTV, our cable-distributed news program that airs on systems around the St. Louis metropolitan area. Part of being a communicator is knowing and understanding different communication mediums, and you have the opportunity to work with three of them.
In all of the degree programs, you can learn the principles key to everything from creating an entertaining movie to producing an effective informational video. As you progress through the program, you will forge your own career path. The opportunities that exist now might not be the opportunities that exist after you graduate. But, whatever the opportunities may be, the abilities to meet challenges, engage audiences, provoke thought, and elicit emotions will always be at the top of the list of qualifications.
Lindenwood University Cinema Arts Faculty
Each full-time faculty member in the Cinema Arts program has worked professionally in her or his field, and each has more than a decade of experience in higher education. Members of the faculty specialize in producing, directing, lighting, cinematography, editing, and screenwriting. Adjunct faculty members from the St. Louis film and television production community also bring a wide range of talent and experience to our program.
Program Outcome
The Bachelor of Arts in Cinema Arts instructs students in strategies, styles, and hands-on techniques for filmmaking. The degree connects students’ studies of the liberal arts with the process of telling stories with moving pictures.
The Bachelor of Fine Arts in cinema arts offers a rigorous focus on professional-style filmmaking. Students explore strategies, styles, and hands-on techniques for creating works of cinematic art.
Students in the Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Fine Arts in Cinema Arts program will:
- Create films that are engaging works of cinematic storytelling.
- Be able to understand the style and technique of filmmaking.
- Be versatile media producers, able to apply a wide variety of tools and technology to the art of cinematic storytelling.
- Build and draw on a broad knowledge of the liberal arts in managing the collaborative creative process.
Career Opportunities
27% Higher Income | 93% Success Rate |
Our graduates have a 27% higher income than the national median 10 years after enrolling. Source: US Department of Education's College Scorecard/ Department of Treasury 2018. | Investing in a Lindenwood education sets you up for success. 93% of Lindenwood graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate programs within 6 months of graduation. |
Gallery
Curriculum
The cinema arts BA degree requires 51 credit hours in a variety of filmmaking subjects. The core cinema curriculum includes location video production, studio television production, editing, screenwriting, producing, film history, and more. In addition to the core, students also can select courses in different subject areas, including cinematography, sound design, directing, screenwriting, editing, motion graphics, documentary, and visual effects. Students also produce one capstone film – a special culminating work showcasing the student’s filmmaking skill and talent.
The cinema arts BFA requires 63 credit hours, including the core courses plus a total of six focused cinema electives in the areas listed above. Students earning the BFA enroll in two semesters of the capstone course, allowing them to explore multiple types of work or produce a more intensive final project. Past capstone films have won awards at local and national festivals and have been honored with national Student Emmy Awards and Student Academy Awards.
Cinema Arts, BA
Major Coursework
33 credit hours of coursework from the following options:
- CINE 10000 Cinema Seminar
- CINE 11000 Video Production
- CINE 13000 Introduction to Cinema Arts
- CINE 32000 Short Film Production
- CINE 32500 Documentary Production
- CINE 32600 Cinematography
- CINE 34000 History of World Cinema
- CINE 35000 Screenwriting
- CINE 36000 Producing for Film and Video
- CINE 37000 Sound for Film and Video
- CINE 38000 Editing for Film and Video
- CINE 41000 Cinema Capstone I
Elective Coursework
9 credit hours of coursework from the following options:
- AAD 32200 Motion Graphics
- AAD 33600 3D Graphics
- CAH 43000 Arts Entrepreneurship
- CAH 44444 Internship
- CINE 31500 MicroCinema
- CINE 32700 Advanced Cinematography
- CINE 32800 Directing for Film & Television
- CINE 33500History of World Animation
- CINE 33700 Cinema and Gender
- CINE 34200 The Films of the Coen Brothers
- CINE 34300 The Films of Alfred Hitchcock
- CINE 34400 Horror Cinema
- CINE 34700 Cult Cinema
- CINE 35200 Advanced Screenwriting
- CINE 35500 Feature Film Screenwriting
- CINE 36300 Production Management
- CINE 38500 Advanced Post Production
- CINE 38700 Visual Effects
- COM 25600 Television Production
- TA 10100 Acting I
Seminar Coursework
Zero credit hour course in which students are required to enroll every fall and spring semester from matriculation to degree conferral.
- CINE 10000 Cinema Seminar
No duplication of coursework is permitted within the program.
Cinema Arts, BFA
Major Coursework
36 credit hours of coursework from the following options:
- CINE 11000 Video Production
- CINE 13000 Introduction to Cinema Arts
- CINE 32000 Short Film Production
- CINE 32500 Documentary Production
- CINE 32600 Cinematography
- CINE 34000 History of World Cinema
- CINE 35000 Screenwriting
- CINE 36000 Producing for Film and Video
- CINE 37000 Sound for Film and Video
- CINE 38000 Editing for Film and Video
- CINE 41000 Cinema Capstone I
- CINE 42000 Cinema Capstone II
Elective Coursework
18 credit hours of coursework from the following options:
- AAD 32200 Motion Graphics
- AAD 33600 3D Graphics
- CAH 43000 Arts Entrepreneurship
- CINE 31500 MicroCinema
- CINE 32700 Advanced Cinematography
- CINE 32800 Directing for Film & Television
- CINE 33500 History of World Animation
- CINE 33700Cinema and Gender
- CINE 34200 The Films of the Coen Brothers
- CINE 34300 The Films of Alfred Hitchcock
- CINE 34400 Horror Cinema
- CINE 34700 Cult Cinema
- CINE 35200 Advanced Screenwriting
- CINE 35500 Feature Film Screenwriting
- CINE 36300 Production Management
- CINE 38500 Advanced Post Production
- CINE 38700 Visual Effects
- COM 25600 Television Production
- TA 10100 Acting I
Practical Information Coursework
3 credit hours of coursework from the following option:
- CAH 44444 Internship
Seminar Coursework
Zero credit hour course in which students are required to enroll every fall and spring semester from matriculation to degree conferral.
- CINE 10000 Cinema Seminar