FALL/SPRING: Your required 12-credit Los Angeles academic experience is built around registering for an 18-to-30-hour entertainment industry practicum (1-3 credits); a vast array of LA-based course offerings (3 credits each); five-week master seminars (1 credit each); and online Arts and Sciences classes.
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- Student Internship Practical Experience
- Classroom meetings throughout the semester
- One to One meetings with the program director / assistant director during the semester
This course will serve as a complement to the student’s hands on experience in the professional workplace. In class, we will offer a forum to discuss any challenges, concerns and questions that may arise regarding student’s internships. We will expose students to entertainment industry decision makers and influencers, thus giving students a chance to interact with working professionals in a more intimate setting. Students are expected to research the background of any guest speakers so as to thoroughly engage in the in-class conversation. Through this and an exploration of current news gathered from the industry trade papers (Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, Deadline, etc.) , students will sharpen their critical perspective of the business part of show business.
BAN 454: Music Business, Technology & Emerging Opportunities (3 cr.)
The class explores how technology has had an impact on the music industry and how the current tech space changes the music industry almost daily. The class explores the opportunity that this creates for entrepreneurial and forward-thinking students in the music and creative spaces.
COM 350: Topics in media, diversity, and inclusion (3 cr.)
This course is an introduction to fundamental issues related to diversity and inclusion in the media industries as approached through the lens of topics, industries, and/or media products.
COM 506: Communications Law for Television, Radio, Film (3 cr.)
This course is intended to prepare students for a number of specific legal problems they are likely to encounter in their jobs in the broadcasting and film industries, including those that will emerge as technology and business organizations change.
COM 509: Communications Law for Communicators (3 cr.)
This course is an integrated communications law course that covers a broad range of legal issues and is available to most majors.
ENG 464: Classical Hollywood Cinema & the Studio System (3 cr.)
This course will study the aesthetics, historical context, economics, censorship, technological developments of Hollywood studio filmmaking. Students will leave the course with an understanding of the history of studio era Hollywood against the wider backdrop of the cultural history of Los Angeles and the United States. This course will examine Hollywood narrative cinema from the beginning of the sound era in the late 1920s to the demise of the studio system in the late 1950s. Topics will include the emergence of genres, the star system, changing audiences, the innovations of sound and television, and controversies over film content. Students will also acquire some advanced skills for film history research using local archives in the Los Angeles area.
PHI 293: Ethics & Media Professionals (online) (3 cr.)
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TRF 400: The Art of Producing (2 cr.)
Many students express their desire to become producers. But who is the producer and what do they do exactly? How do you become a producer? This course will provide answers to these questions as it explores the many different facets of the producer’s art. Offered in the summer only.
TRF 415: Acting for Writers, Producers, and Directors (3 cr.)
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TRF 430: Topics in Entertainment Business: Marketing for Film and Television (3 cr.)
Given the rise of streaming (both related and unrelated to the pandemic) another variable has demanded more attention from marketers – theatricality. It’s always been part of the marketing equation but rather than simply solving how we as marketers amplify this variable, we are now faced with the question of whether a movie is considered theater-worthy at all. Ultimately the goal remains – make audiences choose your movie over something else; convince them that the movie is worth the effort or the money to see it wherever it is being made available.
TRF 443: Business of Development, Production, & Post Production (3 cr.)
This class will thoroughly explore the process by which films and television programs evolve…from inception of ideas through the development, production and post–production process. Students will discover how the business environment of the entertainment industry shapes the creative process and they will see what challenges must be met in order to bring about the best art and the most successful bottom line. They will understand how their ability to navigate this landscape will impact their success in the industry. Instructor and Professional guest speakers will provide real world perspectives.
TRF 465: CAPSTONE - Hollywood: Game Changers (3 cr.)
The Television/Radio/Film Capstone course in Los Angeles will take students on an up-close immersive journey through the ever-changing ecosystem of the Los Angeles media industry, including traditional TV, feature films, cable TV, the syndication business, social media and the new digital guys on the block.
TRF 471: TV Nation (3 cr.)
We are truly a nation of TV watchers, whether by way of traditional networks or streaming (OTT) services. TV NATION explores the business and creative process that leads to and includes the pitch for new television shows. It will explain and demystify how programs are created, developed, and sold, as well as the jobs that are responsible for all of these functions.
TRF 510: Artist Representation & The Creative Process (1 cr.)
This course will explore the significant role agents and managers play in the television, film & digital media creative process. Agents and managers who represent talent like actors, writers, directors, producers, musicians, etc. can have a profound impact on the careers of their clients. They can be involved in the projects their clients choose and the development, packaging and financing of those projects. Managers can also be producers and are frequently involved in the actual production of their client’s films and television shows. This class will help you discover the pivotal contribution agents and managers make to the Hollywood media creative ecosystem.
TRF 510: Screenwriting: Breaking the Story (1 cr.)
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Learn the secrets to navigating the “new media” ecosystem and how to face real world challenges with creative, insightful and analytical solutions from leading industry producers, creative executives and talent agents.
This course will expose students to the ever changing landscape of the Los Angeles media industry, including traditional television and movies, cable TV, the syndication business, social media, the digital space and more. Students will gain insights into how these different platforms are now thoroughly interconnected and how they impact each other. Students will study the history of how the media business worked, how business models are being turned on their heads on an almost daily basis, and how the student’s career goals and aspirations might fit in to how the business will evolve in the future.
TRF 510: Line Producing (1 cr.)
This class will be a Case Study of a produced film taught by the Producer of that film. Emphasis will be on the practical aspects of the Line Producer’s job and how the Line Producer interfaces with all the other departments throughout the production. The Case Study will spotlight staffing, setting and meeting timelines, production calendars, scheduling, how to evaluate weather conditions, union contracts and production incentives, what happens on a daily basis on the set and how to supervise the various departments during shooting. The curriculum will include a mock location scout.
TRF 510: Music Supervision for Media (1 cr.)
TBA
TRF 510: Riding the Digital Wave (1 cr.)
Riding the Digital Wave explores our vibrant digital media scene. Students will be introduced to a variety of companies as well as learn about technologies and innovations that are growing here. They will also be introduced to digital media corporate initiatives at established LA-based media companies. The course will include lectures from and field trips to movers-and-shakers, founders and creators in this highly creative and fast-moving space. Offered in the summer only.
SMC 422: Sports Production (3 cr.)
TBA
International students: Non-immigrant visa regulations require that F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors be registered as full-time students in the fall and spring semesters. Students are limited to one online class if they are registered for a total of 12 credits or two online classes if they register for a total of 15 or more credits.
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