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PART ONE: SENIOR PROJECT CURRICULUM
PART ONE, SECTION 1. OVERVIEW OF SENIOR PROJECT

a. Senior Project Concentration

Film and Television Senior Project is a three quarter commitment designed to give each student the time and resources necessary to build an impressive body of work—a festival-ready film, a professional reel, or a writer’s portfolio, that will gain them entry into the professional arena. Each of the three quarters focuses on a specific stage of production to ensure the quality of the work. Students may choose between areas of concentration: narrative producer/writer/director, non-narrative producer/writer/director, producer only, cinematographer, editor, and feature screenwriter.

b. Overview of Senior Project I, II and III

For the producer and producer/writer/director, Senior Project I is devoted to screenwriting and preproduction. Senior Project II is devoted to shooting and the early stages of postproduction. And Senior Project III is devoted to postproduction of the film and participation in the quarterly Film and Television Showcase. Students producing non-narrative films accelerate the pre-production phase to begin shooting in Senior Project I and complete a rough cut in Senior Project II. In addition, all students in Senior Project III develop a career strategy and career materials including a resume and electronic press kit.

For the cinematographer and the editor, the student’s goal is to build a professional quality reel with a diverse slate of films. The student selects a film that is his or her primary project and works on it through preproduction, production and postproduction. While working on the primary project, the student shoots or edits up to five additional films—roughly two per quarter, depending on the scope of the primary project. In Senior Project III the cinematographer and editor compile their projects into a professional reel, develop a career strategy and produce career materials including a resume and electronic press kit.

The feature screenwriter takes three quarters to write a quality, feature length screenplay and to develop a professional pitch. Senior Project I is devoted to development, research, and writing exercises. Senior Project II is devoted to writing the first draft of the screenplay and work-shopping the script in an actors’ table reading. In Senior Project III the screenplay is analyzed, the second draft is written, a pitch is developed and a scene from the script is produced. The produced scene has high production value and is used as part of the writer’s portfolio. In addition to writing a screenplay and producing a scene from their own work, screenwriters hold key crew positions on other students’ films to ensure a solid foundation in the visual and technical components of filmmaking. In Senior Project III writers develop a career strategy and career materials including a resume and electronic press kit.

In addition to working on their own films all senior project students are required to work in key crew positions on a designated number of films per quarter. This is to ensure that every student has the minimum crew necessary to successfully complete his or her film.