Summer Courses

Every student will conceive, produce, direct and edit five short projects (3 silent and 2 with sound) using digital filmmaking technology. Working in crews of four, students will produce a variety of specific assignments in visual storytelling that feature a broad spectrum of technical, aesthetic, craft and logistical problems to be solved. Collaborating with other students through rotating crew positions will be a central focus of all production work. Lectures, labs, critiques, technical seminars, screenings and written production books will be an important component of this class. All student work is screened and discussed in class.

The course provides an in-depth exploration of the creative capabilities (technical, logistical, aesthetic) of producing narrative-based studio production work in a multiple camera television studio environment. Students will be trained in working with actors and learning how to connect script and performance to the production of three short studio based projects (each of increasing complexity). Students will have the opportunity to develop a single idea into a full-scale production that will be produced “live” in the studio at the end of the semester.  Some post-production is possible for the final project. Supplementing Sight & Sound: Studio will be the internal companion component, Rehearsal Techniques, where students will learn the theory and practice of directing actors for the screen.  In addition, a series of in-depth lectures, demonstrations and studio exercises will further expose students to the ideas, principles and practices of producing compelling studio-based production work. The fundamental skills learned in this class (script, performance, lighting, camera, art direction, coverage) will serve as a foundation for all narrative, experimental, and documentary-based production work and will be applicable in all intermediate and advanced-level production classes. Note: some casting and rehearsals will need to be undertaken outside of class.

This course will serve as one of the prerequisites for an intermediate or advanced level documentary production course. NOTE: Students should not schedule any other course on the same days as Sight and Sound. Course is NOT repeatable for credit. The course teaches students to look at their world and to develop the ability to create compelling and dramatic stories in which real people are the characters and real life is the plot. Through close study and analysis of feature length and short documentaries, as well as hands on directing, shooting filming, sound-recording and editing, students rigorously explore the possibilities and the power of non-fiction storytelling. for video. Special emphasis is put on the way editing shapes a story. The course is a dynamic combination of individual and group production work in which each student will be expected to complete up to four projects.

Prerequisite: Sophomore status. 

A production course in which students experiment with non-narrative approaches to content, structure, technique, and style. Themes and orientations include many possibilities, such as music, choreography, visual or audio art, investigations of rhythm, color, shape, and line; poetry, fragmentation and collage, abstraction, performance; and subversion of linear narrative and documentary conventions. (Prospective students who wish to direct films are encouraged to obtain a list of proposal guidelines for each section from the professor before the semester begins.) Note: Films produced for Intermediate Experimental Workshop will not be eligible for awards in the First Run Film Festival if they are longer than 15 minutes, including titles. All films produced in Intermediate Experimental Workshop will be screened if entered in the First Run Festival, but those longer than 15 minutes will not be judged.

Prerequisites for Film Students: Any 2 Sight & Sound classes and Production Safety (FMTV-UT 101).

A beginning production course in which students learn the basic principles of animation, develop visual language, storytelling, observation, and communication skills. A freshman core production selection, but open to students at all levels.  It is the prerequisite for several of the other animation and visual effects courses.   Prior drawing experience is not necessary. The first half of the semester consists of weekly exercises in which students explore various styles and methods of animation including optical toys, stop motion, traditional drawn, and 2D digital animation.  Students will be introduced to programs including Dragon Stop Motion, After Effects, Avid, Flash, and Photoshop.  Various technical topics covered include aspect ratio, frame rates, storyboarding, editing animatics, scanning, working with image sequences, alpha channels, vector vs. raster art, compositing, rendering, using a Cintiq, and shooting stills with DSLR camera.  During the second half of the semester students will complete a 15-30 second animated film with sound.

Alchemy, Words and the Architecture of Dreams. This experimental writing course will challenge the writer to find their own original voice and learn to express it in the most non-formulaic, non-narrative way. The writing assignments will include daily entrees into a director’s journal; stream of consciousness writing, and additional exercises to learn to explore fantasies, dreams and symbols to express their ideas. Class also includes daily writers’ workshops. Students will be expected to deliver a first and final draft of a 15 page short script by the end of the three week session. Some readings assignments will include Ingmar Bergman’s screenplays Persona and Shame, and The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler.

Prerequisite for Film Students: Storytelling Strategies (FMTV-UT 20). 

This course, aimed at second semester sophomores, is the launch pad of Television Writing in the department. Before taking any other TV writing courses, students must take Introduction To Television Writing. The course will introduce sophomores interested in TV writing to all aspects of what goes into the creation of a script for a TV program. It is also recommended for non-writers who wish to learn the fundamentals of TV writing as preparation for creating shows and working with writers. The course will also prepare students for other TV-writing courses in the departmental Television Progression.  The course is also open to seniors with an interest in television writing who haven’t taken other TV writing courses.

Prerequisite for Film Students: Storytelling Strategies (FMTV-UT 20). 

A one-semester screenwriting class in which students will have the opportunity to do the necessary preparatory work before writing a feature length screenplay. The structure of the class will mirror the real world experience of working writers. Students will be asked to come up with an idea for their script, pitch the story, do any needed research, and then proceed to a detailed step-outline. It is required that this class be taken before taking Developing The Screenplay and/or Adaptation: a Screenwriting Workshop, or Advanced Feature Writing I. Script Analysis is also recommended for students who want to take these courses. This course allocates as Scriptwriting for Film & TV majors.

Prerequisite for Film Students: Storytelling Strategies (FMTV-UT 20). 

This workshop is devoted solely to screenplays from 10-20 minutes in length that can be directed in Intermediate or Advanced Production classes. Students are assisted in exploring, developing, and writing appropriate material, from idea to finished script.

Prerequisite for Film & TV majors: Storytelling Strategies (FMTV-UT 20)

This intensive workshop takes the student from premise to plot to structure of a feature-length screenplay. How to deploy the main character is a critical element of this course. Students must complete at least a treatment of the full script together with thirty pages of script in order to get credit for this course. 

Prerequisite for Film Students: Storytelling Strategies (FMTV-UT 20)

This class is designed to help the students analyze a film script through both viewing and reading of a script. Plot and character development, character dialogue, foreground, background, and story will all be examined. Using feature films, we will highlight these script elements rather than the integrated experience of the script, performance, directing, and editing elements of the film. Assignments include writing coverage. This course allocates as Scriptwriting for Film & TV majors.

Prerequisite: Storytelling Strategies (FMTV-UT.20) is required for UGFTV majors. It is waived for non-majors who would like to take this class in the summer. 

The ability to understand "what makes a good story well told" is a skill that is crucial to your growth as a filmmaker whether you become a writer, director, producer, actor, editor, cinematographer, etc. Storytelling Strategies looks at how narrative stories work through an examination of the structural and mythic elements first established by the ancient Greek playwrights and recognized by Aristotle in his "Poetics" thousands of years ago. The course continues this examination up to and including such contemporary story models as Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" as well as the current Hollywood paradigm, "the three-act structure." We will seek to find those principles that form the backbone of successful narrative screenplays and contribute to a film's ability to resonate with an audience. The lecture is for analysis. The recitations are for applying what you have learned, through writing exercises and a completed short screenplay. This course allocates as Scriptwriting for Film & TV majors. Course may not be repeated.

Feminist Filmmakers examines gender constructs in narrative film and episodic work. We will explore how gender constructs in film and television influence societal views of gender roles, as well as contextualize gender in the era and cultures specific films were made. The vehicle through which this course will examine gender will be the history and work of female directors around the world. Screenings, critical reading in film and gender studies, articles and interviews on current debates regarding gender and diversity inclusion in the film industry, make this class valuable for everyone.

Language of Film is an introduction to the craft, history and theory of filmmaking and film-watching.  The main challenge facing all filmmakers is to show the story: in other words, to visualize the drama.  Over the past century, narrative, experimental and documentary filmmakers have developed a variety of creative strategies and techniques designed to give their audiences compelling, multi-sensorial experiences.  The goal of this class is to explore how filmmakers in different historical and cultural settings have contributed to the evolution of film as a powerful, complex and captivating art form.

Representation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters in American film is largely seen as a recent phenomenon. Nevertheless, decades of industrial studies, scholarly readings, and general queer viewership have uncovered a parallel historical trajectory, in which queer characters, themes, and narratives have been part of our national cinema for nearly the entirety of its existence, if often surreptitiously. This survey course looks at the past century of American movies for signs of queer life, from the silent screen to Golden Age Hollywood to the New Queer Cinema of the indie film boom to contemporary representations. This course will also include discussions about the function of gay critics, writers, and directors and their influence of effect on the aesthetic and industrial realities of queer cinema; and comparative studies of global modern queer cinemas.

The history of comedy in 20th century America is the history of America itself. Comedians from all walks of life have provided a funhouse mirror as well as a perceptive lens for American society and culture. This course will examine significant periods and players of the 20th century comedic genre and analyze them against their historic context and legacy. Humor will be used as a platform to discuss how comedy was governed by and ultimately responded to the influence of American society. This course will observe how comedians in turn shaped American life, running the gamut from silent movies to Vaudeville; screwball comedies of the 1930s and ‘40s to the Golden Age of Television; from the sitcom to the political comedies of present day. Equally important, this course will analyze the genesis and evolution of the comedic persona in performance: what worked, what did not work, and why. Comprehensive analysis of performances will help this course determine how performers did what they did and why they made the choices they made. This course will assess how the work of the comedian has evolved and grown over the course of a career, what methods have withstood the test of time, and why.

This course examines the evolution of the many program types found on broadcast and cable television and defines the criteria for evaluating idea, story, structure, format and types, performance, and production values. From the study the student proceeds to the creation of program ideas and the development of treatments and presentations.

This is an introductory course to the fundamentals of 3D computer animation. Through in-depth discussions and hands-on assignments, students will gain a thorough beginner's understanding of the 3D production process.  Using industry-leading Autodesk Maya running on high-end Mac Pro workstations, students will learn the basics of modeling and proceed through UV layout, texturing, rigging, animation, lighting and final render.  At the end of the class students will have completed a series of exercises that will culminate in a show reel that highlights all they learned.

This course will explore how communication between actor and director allows for the alignment of a mutually expansive and creative process. Through the use of script analysis, improvisation exercises, cold reads, rehearsals, and group discussion, the students will learn to communicate clearly with actors by developing a shared language, as well as empathy for the actor's process. By the end of the semester, students will have had hands-on experience working both as actors and directors. Students will learn how to break down a script though the use of the five acting questions and offer effective feedback and provide "adjustments" to performance. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors.

This course assumes the successful completion of Fundamentals of Sight & Sound Filmmaking. Camera One is an introductory course that explores the basic technical knowledge and skill sets involved with the craft of cinematography. The goal is to acquire basic technical skills in digital and photochemical color theory, electricity, lighting design, exposure, coverage and cinematography science. Students will collectively shoot class exercises rather than work individually as a Director of Photography.  This class is a combination of theory/science and shooting exercises throughout the semester which are interspersed.

Prerequisite: Kanbar Film & Television majors must have taken Sight & Sound: Filmmaking. Non-majors must have taken an introductory level production course in film prior to enrolling.

Designed for the advanced cinematography student. This is a practical application course where students who excel in cinematography have the opportunity to take their theoretical knowledge and apply it to interior lighting and shot design. All students are expected to formulate their own exercises for their shoot day, culminating in a presentation to the class. This class shoots in 35mm motion picture color negative film and the Sony PMW=F5 for 8 weeks. Crew participation and professional attitude are essential to the success of this course. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors. 

Prerequisite: Kanbar Film & Television majors must have taken Camera I. Non-majors must have taken Camera I, or a fundamental camera/cinematography course prior to enrolling.

This is a specialized course in film marketing and distribution. Students will study two models: studio distribution and independent film distribution. Major studio distribution topics will include devising a release plan and strategy, analyzing grosses and financial elements and creating a advertising and marketing campaign. The independent film portion of the course will cover film festivals, acquisitions, how to create press materials for indie films, understanding distribution deals, shorts and documentaries, and how to work with agents, publicists, attorneys and producer’s reps.

This course provides an intensive workshop setting where students produce soundtracks for their films by composing music or working closely with composers while learning how to use professional music production tools like Reason and Logic Pro. Note: Knowledge of reading and writing music is not required. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors.

An intensive production course for students interested in exploring the creative and commercial aspects of producing & directing TV commercials, music videos and branded entertainment. As screen sizes decrease, opportunities have increased for emerging technologies to facilitate the production and distribution of both long and short form film, video and animation based projects. Students produce work that results in a series of final projects to live on a class Vimeo page, and will serve as the basis of their own demo reel. Each student conceives, pitches and directs 3 main short form projects, varying in length from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Industry guest speakers visit the class and field trips are taken to NY production facilities.This class allocates as Core Production for Film & TV students.

Prerequisite for Film Students: Any 2 Sight & Sound classes and Production Saftey (FMTV-UT 101). 

This course introduces the essentials of web design and production, emphasizing the integration of AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance learning and creativity. Students will build a solid foundation in HTML and CSS, learn to optimize graphics, design layouts, and develop the technical skills needed to launch their own websites. The class explores using social media platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Instagram as promotional tools while incorporating AI to brainstorm design concepts, troubleshoot code, and refine messaging. We focus on the Internet as a promotion and distribution medium for the independent artist and filmmaker. A consistent and integrated communication strategy across digital channels is emphasized to prepare students for the demands of modern media. To deepen their learning experience, students will actively use ChatGPT to support various aspects of the curriculum. This includes generating creative ideas, drafting content, and exploring coding solutions. AI will also assist in tasks like creating compelling website copy, optimizing branding strategies, and scripting social media posts. By weaving AI into their workflow, students not only master essential web design skills but also gain hands-on experience with tools shaping the future of digital media.

This is a hands-on course designed to introduce the student to narrative and documentary editing techniques, and to the role of the editor in shaping the final form of film and video productions. Good editing is crucial to the success of every film and video. This class is recommended to students pursuing directing or producing who want a better understanding of how the post-production workflow functions, as well as to any student, from sophomore to senior, who would like to gain a clearer understanding of the role of the editor as an artist, a technician and a collaborator. To achieve this, the class will delve into the methods, objectives, and technical aspects of post-production. It will thoroughly explore two major editing programs (Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro) used in today's professional post-production environment, and acquaint the student with every stage of the editing workflow from capture to final output. Students will learn to approach these and other non-linear programs as variations on common themes rather than as completely new and foreign tools. In addition, the class will present examples of edited sequences from both narrative and documentary films for discussion, and have invited guests who will share their experiences in bringing films to completion.  There will also be a course pack of assigned readings. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors.

This course provides an intensive one-semester introduction to sound for Film and Video.   The students will have a hands-on opportunity to work on the audio side of the filmmaking process and experience the effect a good sound design can make on the overall quality of the audience experience.  There will be lectures and exercises starting with the most basic elements of recording location dialogue and ambience as well as an introduction to the operation of both the ADR and Foley studios.  Most of the exercises will directly contribute to the completion of a final project that will encompass practical use of all the basic elements of sound design. This class is meant to provide a basic foundation for the student’s future work in the department, both for those who plan to go more deeply into sound with advanced classes here as well as for students wanting to better understand the value of this medium to film and television.

Reccomended for students studying both animation and live action. This course is designed to train animation students to think visually, and to strengthen their overall drafting and design skills. The focus of the course is drawing humans and animals from live subjects, thereby learning to translate the three-dimensional world into two-dimensional terms. Drafting skills are important to all animators, regardless of their chosen media or focus. In particular, strong drafting skills are essential for character animators. 

Non-Film & TV majors, visiting students, or students enrolled in the Producing Minor should ues this course number. Please direct questions about the Media Internship to ugftv.internships@nyu.edu 

Internships in the entertainment industry are eligible to earn academic credit for those interested. Film & TV majors must have completed both Sight & Sound requirements and be in good academic standing to earn academic credit. In these professional internships, the student's employer or supervisor evaluates the work of the student. These evaluations are submitted to the faculty supervisor. Internships may be taken for 1-6 points per semester. No more than 24 points of internship credit may be taken toward the completion of degree requirements. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors. For more information on doing an internship for credit and what it means, please visit our internship FAQ page. Please direct questions to ugftv.internships@nyu.edu

Use this course number, along with FMTV-UT 1037, if you are taking two internships in the same semester. Internships in the entertainment industry are eligible to earn academic credit for those interested. Film & TV majors must have completed both Sight & Sound requirements and be in good academic standing to earn academic credit. In these professional internships, the student's employer or supervisor evaluates the work of the student. These evaluations are submitted to the faculty supervisor. Internships may be taken for 1-6 points per semester. No more than 24 points of internship credit may be taken toward the completion of degree requirements. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors. For more information on doing an internship for credit and what it means, please visit our internship FAQ page. Please direct questions to ugftv.internships@nyu.edu

This class assumes that the student has an understanding of animation and a pre-existing knowledge of Photoshop.  Students will learn the art of titling and compositing using Adobe After Effects software in conjunction with other digital tools. The class will explore the possibilities of utilizing the computer to create compelling motion graphics and compositions. Assignments can include titling or special effects for an existing project or students can create a new project using digital images created in class.

Prerequisite for Film Students: Intro to Animation Techniques (FMTV-UT 41) or permission of the instructor.

This course allows the student editor to first address and solve any problems with the image that could not be adequately resolved in the offline cut, and then to color-correct the locked picture and “layback” the final mix. The skills learned in this class will enable students to use advanced visual effects editing and compositing, along with color correction, to create a final finished media project.

Prerequisite for Film Students: Camera I (FMTV-UT 1065)

An examination of the creative, organizational, and managerial roles of the producer in narrative motion pictures. Topics include how a production company is formed, creating and obtaining properties, financing, budgeting, cost control, distribution. The course gives specific attention to the problems in these areas that will be faced by students as future professional directors, production managers, or writers. 

This course provides fundamental and practical instruction in the step-by-step realization of a television program. While productions will not be implemented through the class, students will individually serve as executive producers on projects of their own choosing, based on assignments by the instructor (based on student submissions which include news and cultural documentaries, performance and variety shows, and dramatic works). Student producers will engage in a detailed pre-production phase, which covers research, concept, format development, securing of rights and permissions, pitching to networks and studios, contracts and agreements, formation of the production plan, budget development, assembling staff and crew, identifying on-air talent, determining locations, photo and film archive research, refining the shooting schedule and budget plan. Analysis of why some projects succeed and others fail, an overview.

Producing the Short Screenplay introduces students to a broad range of concepts in short film producing, through an in-depth analysis of the five phases of production: Development, Preproduction, Production, Post Production, and Distribution. In this course, you will learn how to apply the basic skill set of a producer to a screenplay, simulating the methods employed by producers on a short film. Through this process, you will gain a critical understanding of the many tools and techniques of the trade, including: scheduling, budgeting, proposal writing, and strategies for fundraising, festival distribution, and more. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors.

Art Direction is one of the more complicated aspects of film and television making. If the director is responsible for the actors, the cinematographer the camera and light, then the art director is responsible for everything else in the frame. The art director is the person ultimately responsible for the overall "look" of the picture. He or she must be able to work in tandem with the director, the director of photography, and the budget. The art director strives to fulfill the director's vision of the piece, but must do so economically. The art director scrutinizes the script carefully and, in conjunction with the director, arrives at a visual plan for the picture. A comprehensive class in the process involved in art direction, students will also produce designs through exercises. This course allocates as a Craft for Film & TV majors.

An introductory course to Professional Production Management that provides the student with the information and practice of managing the making of a feature film or long form television show. Film and television production has many more requirements than simply securing a camera, stock Print_Area actors, and the course will explore those management elements that a filmmaker needs to fulfill in order to shoot and complete. We will examine the structure of the crew and the collaborative responsibilities of crew members, the legal issues of permits, insurance, rights, clearances and permissions; Screen Actors Guild requirements, the management of the production including scheduling, budgeting, transportation, and the production’s responsibilities to cast and crew. We will pay particular attention to professional practice concerning the structure of the workday hours and turn around time and safety issues that are the responsibility of the producer, director, DP and shop steward. The course will explore techniques for on-set casting, location scouting, tech scouts, and read-thrus. Each student will be required to prepare a production book for his or her shoot by the end of class that will include a final marked script, script breakdown pages, shooting schedule, budget, cast, crew and location lists.  The script to work from will be provided by the instructor.

The purpose of this class is to enhance the artistic, collaborative experience of filmmaking by exposing students to the various skill sets and techniques used in film and television productions, and to familiarize them with the industry's standard of best practices. Learning these basic "nuts and bolts" not only enhances safety and productivity, it enhances our artistic purpose. It gives the Director the time he/she needs to get that extra take, or the additional coverage the editor needs to convey the Director's creative vision. Through a series of lectures, assignments, demonstrations, and hands-on exercises, students will become familiar with the many tools used in physical production, with the goal of fostering their creative vision in a safe and healthful workplace that is both professional and productive.

TV Nation: Inside and Out of the Box gives students the opportunity to experience, first hand, how the world of network television works from two points of view: business and creative. Students will gain an understanding of the business aspect through the vantage point of the network executives and programmers. They will also learn the creative process from development to pitching, from the vantage point of writers and producers in the industry. In TV Nation, students will role play the entire process as the key players who put together a season for broadcast and cable networks.

A lecture and workshop course exploring the applications and practical creation of 2-D (green screen, color correction, morphing, etc.) and 3-D (CGI, animation, virtual sets, etc.) visual effects. Students will learn the art and technique of illusion, how to manipulate images and elements combining them seamlessly and photo-realistically, and how to use these techniques in their films.

Prerequisite for Film Students: Intro to Animation Techniques (FMTV-UT 41)