Los Angeles Film Studies Center (LAFSC) Courses*
Because VUSC is a participant in LAFSC, students attending VUSC can take the following courses during a semester-in-residence in Burbank, CA.
Core Courses:
LA 325: Internship: Inside Hollywood (6 units)
Students participate in an internship experience in some aspect of the Hollywood entertainment industry. These are nonpaying positions primarily in an office setting such as development companies, agencies, management companies, post-production facilities, etc. Students work 20 to 24 hours a week, spread over a three day schedule and accumulate 200-250 hours for the semester. Orientation to the internship includes an overview of the creative and operational aspects of the Hollywood entertainment business, including the Christian’s role working therein. The internships do not include positions on actual filmmaking locations. Instead, students work in offices as support personnel to producers, writers, directors, agents, post-production personnel, and others involved in the total process of producing and distributing a major motion picture. The LAFSC provides interns to many of the major companies within Hollywood.
LA 342: Motion Picture Production (3 units)
This is an intense, hands-on course in short film production. Students individually write, shoot, direct, and edit their own projects. Visual storytelling is achieved through developing skills in directing, cinematography, and editing. This course is designed to enable both novice and advanced students to develop their integration of story with technical skill. This course is taught by professional, experienced Christian filmmakers with credits in the Hollywood industry.
LA 350: Hollywood Production Workshop (3 units)
Students work collaboratively in groups to create a festival-ready piece, including all the legal documentation and rights to enable the finished production to qualify for festival submission. The course offers students the opportunity to make a motion picture production using Hollywood locations, resources, and protocol. Students participate in a competitive vetting process of scripts, pitches, and meetings much like the process of the professional industry. For example, those who want to direct submit reels for a review by a selection panel. This course operates as a community building experience in which all students participate in at least one key role in the production process. The course also offers small group tutorials for each student’s production position. The workshop environment is specifically designed to meet the needs of both novice and experienced students. The major emphases of the course are the importance of each contribution to a production, the process of production, and effective production management. This course compliments the more specialized, skill-focused, elective courses and is taught by professional, experienced Christian filmmakers with credits in the Hollywood industry.
LA 364: Theology in Hollywood (4 units)
This course encourages the development of the necessary skills for analysis of the culture of Hollywood, its role in popular culture and the theological intersections therein. The course seeks theological engagement with the culture of Hollywood and cinema by investigating some of the social, ethical, and psychological implications of film upon theology. The course is presented in four modules, each building on a content of the previous module: 1) an analysis of the culture of Hollywood; 2) a study of theology/Bible and engagement with Hollywood and cinema; 3) Christian ethics and the culture of Hollywood; and 4) a capstone examination of Christian vocation in Hollywood. All students participate in a team-taught lecture seminar led by a professor of theology. Students also participate in small group tutorials, service learning, and discussions.
LA 374: Professional Screenwriting (3 units)
This is a course in contemporary screenwriting, including an understanding of dramatic structure, character and dialogue development, and the writing process. Students complete a full-length screenplay for a feature film or “movie-of-the-week.” Whether novice or advanced, students are expected to develop and improve their skills. Emphasis is given to the role of the Christian faith and values as they relate to script content. The course is taught by a working, credited Christian screenwriter.
LA 388: Independent Study (3 units)
This course may be set up by special request and arrangement. In order to be considered students may submit a portfolio and a project proposal. Students with approved projects will be appointed a mentor who is a professional in the Hollywood industry to supervise the project. Projects could include further development of a portfolio or reel, critical research, or a senior thesis project.
For more information about LAFSC, click here to go to their website: http://lafsc.bestsemester.com