Undergraduate Certificate in Filmmaking and Digital Media

FLM 101 Cinematography - 3 credits

What makes the cinematography of the great filmmakers so compelling? In this course, you will develop an understanding of foundational cinematic principles, including shot types, composition, and lighting, and explore how to apply them in a series of creative projects. The course culminates in a final project demonstrating your ability to plan and execute a visually compelling scene in which actions speak louder than words.

FLM 102 Editing - 3 credits

As a film or video editor you are a storyteller with the power to affect your viewer in ways you may not even imagine. In this course, you'll study the tools and techniques used by professional editors, learning the basics of how to manage projects in Premiere as you explore how editing affects the pacing and mood of a scene. Lectures on montage, coverage, and B-roll explore how creative editors make the connections between each shot that pull a scene together. In final project, students demonstrate the ability to edit a set of footage in two distinct moods.

FLM 103 Screenwriting I - 3 credits

Do you have what it takes to write for the screen? In this class, you will analyze and write screenplays, developing your ability to work with dialogue, character development, and plot structure. During the class you will learn how to interpret and correctly format a script. By the end of the class, you will have created a compelling short dialogue scene between two or more characters.

FLM 104 Directing - 3 credits

What does it mean to direct a movie? Directing has been compared to many things, ranging from leading an army into battle to managing a corporation. In this course, you'll gain hands-on experience of many aspects of directing including interpreting a script, using camera movement, sound design, and working with actors. Throughout the course, there is a focus on what makes a director's work distinctive, and how do you begin to develop those qualities in your work? In the final project, you will test your ability to creatively interpret a script for the screen in your own unique style.

FLM 201 Filmmaking Concepts for Digital Media - 3 credits

This multi-faceted course will enhance your filmmaking and digital media skills with an emphasis on planning, producing, and distributing creative work through web-based applications and venues such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitch (livestreaming). You will research, conceive, plan (using storyboards and other planning aids), and produce a variety of creative pieces by applying filmmaking principles such as storytelling, cinematography, directing, and editing to short-form digital media projects to distribute and stream through multiple web-based venues and channels.

FLM 202 Screenwriting II - 3 credits

Utilizing a collaborative workshop strategy you will develop a concept for a 3-act narrative short script. You will write a concept and an outline, then transform it scene by scene into a script. As a screenwriter, you will workshop ideas at multiple stages in the creative process, and gaining critical feedback to improve your script from the instructor and your peers. Throughout the course, you will gain inspiration from the exploration and analysis of outstanding examples of professional screenwriting.

FLM 203 Film Criticism - 3 credits

To make great films, you need to understand what makes them tick—how they are put together. And the best, most transformational way to do that is to closely study some of the greatest movies ever made. In this class, you will learn and apply concepts and principles for the critical analysis of films. You will explore six classic and contemporary films in great depth, engaging in focused discussions of specific scenes, and writing critical analyses that demonstrate your understanding and appreciation of the elements of filmmaking. Through critical analysis you will learn how to look and write about films, gaining insights that will enrich your future filmmaking.

FLM 204 - Final Project

Produce a complete short narrative or documentary film from concept to screening. Guided by your instructor, students will script, shoot, and edit a short narrative or documentary film. In the first half of the course, students will complete all aspects of pre-production: scripting, planning, recruiting, and more. In the second half, students will shoot and edit their film, refining their project into a polished production. having gained insights from multiples rounds of feedback, informed by course content, inspiration and your lived experience.

Open Admissions.

Students entering the Undergraduate Certificate program are expected to have earned a high school diploma, GED, or state-approved home school equivalent. Any students under 18 years of age will need to provide the signed permission of a parent or guardian.

Classes start in January, April, and August, with early start options in February, June, and October. Our online application is simple and convenient, and there is no application fee.

Two Semester Program.

The Undergraduate Certificate program is a 2-semester, 24 credit program. Students can graduate in under eight months and part-time schedules are available.

Weekly deadlines help you stay on track. And with no set login times, you can build your studies around your schedule, wherever you are located. Many of our students complete their programs while working part-time or full-time.

To take this program, you'll need:

• A computer with Internet connection (56 Kbps modem or faster).
• Non-linear video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid, Final Cut Pro, or iMovie.
• Projects in this class can be completed using your mobile device, a point-and-shoot, or a consumer-level DSLR. If you have access to a professional camera, that’s great but not required.
• Ability to connect your video device, (as described above) to a computer to capture footage.
• Professional lights are not required for this course. Household, repurposed items, and natural light can be used to complete course assignments.

Truly Affordable Tuition. Since our founding in 1997, we have been committed to making the highest-quality design and digital media education available at the lowest cost.

Our truly affordable Fall 2024 tuition is:

Per-credit tuition is the same full-time and part-time students. Federal financial aid available for eligible students.

A $200 registration fee is required to process your enrollment in the program. Registration fees are nonrefundable after 5 days from the scheduled beginning of program orientation. See Undergraduate Certificate Admissions.

This recently released program is not currently eligible for Federal Student Aid or military servicemember / veteran education benefits.