Art has a profound effect on our quality of life. What is considered art? Can everything that evokes an “ooh” or “ah” response from us be considered art? While examining various art forms such as music, fashion, theatre, dance, architecture, handwriting, sculpture, photography, painting, and interior design, students will be introduced to a broad spectrum of thought and competing perspectives on beauty and artistic expression. You may not consider it art, but it can still evoke feelings of astonishment and admiration. Assignments are interdisciplinary and interactive allowing students to use various skills to present their ideas.

This course introduces the principles of sound and sound recording, including basic audio physics, aesthetics of sound, and digital audio theory through a series of projects that focus primarily on the analysis of film and television soundtracks. Students will use various microphones such as boom mics, lavaliere mics and wireless mic systems to learn techniques used for dialogue, sound effects, and music in audio storytelling for radio, televisions, film and the internet. This is a hands-on course with students actively recording and editing for use in their own projects. 

This course will introduce the nature of light and how to use it in the creation of an image.  Natural and artificial lighting will be explored through portraiture, landscape, architectural and product photography.  Students will study the work of professional artists and develop fluency with all types of light and learn studio terminology as they study the behaviour of light and explore lighting ratios; lighting for form, texture, separation; and are trained in the safe use of studio lighting equipment. Students will also be introduced to basic lighting techniques for single camera shooting conditions.

Students will develop the critical and technical skills required to effectively manipulate images as they learn efficient workflow for processing and printing. Emphasis is placed on the application of technical skills to practical photographic problem solving. Topics in this course include colour quality control from capture to output including the theory and practice of colour management; device calibration and profiling; diverse colour workflows, tone and colour correction and methods of image optimization for RGB and CMYK output. They will also learn the theory and practice of digital asset management.

Students are introduced to the fundamentals of capturing visual images with a camera.  The course is designed to provide a balance between strong technical skills and artistic vision. Topics include light, colour, optics and image storage, with an emphasis on effective composition and meaningful content. Students will study relevant historical and contemporary photographs. This course emphasizes critical thinking by requiring the student to examine past solutions; learn how to use technology safely; explore new and more efficient techniques and become critically active in evaluating both personal work and work by others.

This course provides students with essential communication skills. This course emphasizes skills needed to meet performance levels demanded by assignments in other core subjects and eventual career employment.

This course emphasizes concepts of critical thinking and problem-solving skills. As a result, students will develop flexibility in adapting messages which achieve appropriate results.

This is a mandatory drawing course to introduce the visualization of ideas. It nurtures the skill required to help one person explain what they imagine to another person. The syllabus will introduce drawing for ideas, or ideation; drawing to challenge and compare ideas, or propositional drawings; and presentation drawings, which give the audience a sophisticated understanding of what the artist has in mind, whether that is an object or an action. This course offers a sequence of accumulated ideas and skills culminating in a finished video narrative.

In a few short years, social media has profoundly changed the global communication landscape. With the advent of social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube, WordPress, and Twitter, more and more people are connecting and collaborating online, and creating and distributing content in ways we have never seen before. This course will provide a summary of the major developments in social media and will examine how social media can be used not only to stay current about art trends and news, but also to self-promote and conduct business online. Students will be introduced to a variety of social media environments and will gain hands-on experience with many of the leading social media applications. This course requires active participation of students and a willingness to immerse in social media practices.

This course offers an in-depth development of both the technical and aesthetic principles of video production. Principles of camera operation, composition, lighting, sound design, studio production, and video editing are explored through a series of individual and group projects. Students will learn the fundamental principles of image creation, composition, and framing using single camera techniques. They will also learn the basic principles of EFP (Electronic Field Production, also known as Field Capture) and ENG (Electronic News Gathering) production and the different requirements for each situation. Classes incorporate lectures, demonstrations, screenings, and exercises. Emphasis is on exploring the potential of video for documentary and narrative projects as well as community action.

This course will introduce the principles of editing single camera projects. Students will be introduced to Apple's Final Cut Pro for fundamental editing techniques including the basics of masking and compositing. Students will learn fundamental concepts in critical, aesthetic, and historical aspects of editing. They will also learn theoretical and technical terminology associated with editing and post-production, and core practices and techniques used in digital non-linear editing from first assembly, through rough cut, to fine cut. Students will work on individual projects to develop an editing practice that is both technically proficient and critically informed. They will be required to edit video material they have produced in the Capture and Lighting courses.

This course continues to build upon skills acquired in the lighting fundamentals course. Advance lighting techniques, emphasizing the use of strobe lighting will be explored through portrait, product and location photography. Through an in-depth study of the properties of light and the exploration of various lighting situations, the students will gain the ability to appropriately and creatively use light. Production work will focus on the importance of controlling and modifying light as well as safe studio practices. Students will work with strobe and multiple light set-ups to acquire a full range of skills and trouble-shooting abilities that will prepare them for industry work.

Through lectures, workshops and presentations by professional photographers, filmmakers and videographers and practical assignments, students will learn the basics of entrepreneurship. The objective of the course is to provide students with a concrete plan for creating a job for themselves and covers relevant topics such as business financing, risk & return in the creative industry, international opportunities, and professional ethics. Students will also learn how to design a portfolio for various markets.

Through lectures, workshops and presentations by professional photographers, filmmakers and videographers and practical assignments, students will learn the basics of entrepreneurship. They will be mentored in the creation of a personal entrepreneurial plan for a realistic business venture. The objective of the course is to provide students with a concrete plan for creating a job for themselves and covers relevant topics such as business financing, risk & return in the creative industry, international opportunities, and professional ethics. Students will learn how to register and operate a small image production business including bookkeeping, business protocols; the pricing, estimating and invoicing of assignments; and how to protect their copyright. Students will also learn how to design a portfolio for various markets.

Elective general education courses appear in your program of study as GNED 0000. This is called a “placeholder.” This placeholder is replaced by an actual course that you will select from a list of available "elective" general education courses when you register in the relevant semester.

Please note that the type and number of elective courses available will vary from semester to semester and from year to year.

Please visit the General Education website for more information.

The History of Animated film is the study of the art form from its earliest primitive candlelight projections to current technically sophisticated theatrical releases. It can be said that film as we know it now got its beginnings not by using live performers, but by attempts to replicate performance with the use of drawings. In fact, some of the earliest recorded sequential images of movement can be traced back to Paleolithic cave walls! To study the history of animation is to study the history of all filmmaking. The animation studio has long be the home of innovative approaches that have lead the way to advances in visualization that can be reflected in theatre, literature, music, education, industry and mass communication in general. Each class will focus on a particular decade in the chronology of development; a continuation of the decade-by-decade journey of animation cinema, technique, and content. Careful attention will be given to the pioneers and significant practitioners who have been pivotal in the development and growth of animation. Examples from countries across the world will be screened, discussed, compared and analyzed. Above all, the course will be a celebration of the marvel of the animated film, an art form that has changed so much, yet relies on the same principles that were applied before recorded time.

Students will have the opportunity to create a project from blank page to completed short film in one semester. The various shooting ratios and frame rates will be discussed and demonstrated in class and then put into practice in five-minute single camera group projects produced by the students. This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles and formats required for scriptwriting and audio and visual elements in mind. Script blocking, pre-production planning and hands-on production of a magazine-style show that incorporates ENG (Electronic News Gathering) inserts will also be covered in this course. Students will have the opportunity to produce their own film, and work in a crew position for other students.

This course emphasizes sound design and production for the moving image. The course explores theory and advanced studio techniques in film sound design, foley, editing, multi-track recording, working with a composer, music copyright and clearances through in-class lectures, demonstrations and workshops.

This course explores the current trends and issues in the imaging industry from technical, creative, and business points-of-view. Students are introduced to existing and emerging opportunities through guest lecturers, field trips, and independent research. Students will learn how to discuss and write about images and artists from a variety of critical perspectives. Students use their knowledge of visual communications, elements of composition and design, and lighting and exposure techniques to critique images in verbal and written format.

This course will provide critical direction as students refine their artistic voice, determine an area of technical focus and bring their work to a professional level, providing students mentorship with their projects on an individual basis. Students will also work on the refinement of their portfolios and reels.

This course will build on skills, theories and techniques learned in Video Editing I to deepen and extend their knowledge of the technical, aesthetic and workflow processes of video post. Students will create more complex feature pieces using footage produced in Video Capture II and Advanced Lighting while exploring different approaches and considerations to image cutting through student collaborations, workshops, presentations and critiques. The course will also introduce the evolution of a film (sound and image) from rushes to fine cut stage. Students will also explore digital cinema post flow, managing post, review of stages of post-production for documentary and drama, editing for pickups and re-shoots.

This course introduces the basics of web page creation, user-centered design principles, web authoring and editing, and design techniques for interactivity. Students gain an understanding of terminology, develop competencies in web software and apply principles of design, colour and composition. Students examine the organization and architecture of web sites to enhance user navigation. Through lectures, demonstrations, in-class assignments and individual projects, students will become proficient with web-based software. Students will plan, design and develop their own Web site.