UNIVERSITY CATALOG: 2024-2025

Program: Cinema and Television Arts, B.A.

Television Production Option

Program Description

The Television Production option includes the development, preproduction, production and postproduction techniques for narrative or documentary television formats—encompassing producing, directing and all other creative aspects of studio and field production.

Program Requirements

All lower and upper division courses taken toward completion of the CTVA major must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. In addition, students intending to continue in the TV Production Scripted Narrative Pathway must successfully complete CTVA 240.

Note: CTVA/TV Production majors who want to enter the upper division Television Production Scripted Narrative Pathway must successfully complete all lower division requirements and submit a TV Production Portfolio for review. Upon the approval of a portfolio by the CTVA faculty and the successful completion of the lower division requirements, a student may continue with upper division TV Production Narrative courses. Scripted Narrative Pathway majors must also successfully complete upper division course CTVA 305. Documentary Pathway students may continue with upper division TV Production Documentary courses upon successful completion of all lower division requirements.

1. Lower Division Common Core (12 units)

CTVA 100 Introduction to Mass Communication Arts (3)
CTVA 210 Television-Film Aesthetics (3)
CTVA 220 Foundations of Media Writing (3)

Select one of the following production courses (3 units):

CTVA 240 Fundamentals of Video Production (3)*
CTVA 250 Fundamentals of Film Production (3)
CTVA 260 Introduction to Digital Filmmaking (3)

*Required for Scripted Narrative Pathway.

2. Upper Division Common Core (12 units)

History

Select one of the following courses (3 units):

CTVA 305 History of Television (3)*
CTVA 310 History of American Cinema (3)

*Required for Scripted Narrative Pathway.

Criticism

Students must take the following course (3 units):

CTVA 319 Criticism in Cinema and Television Arts (3)

Entertainment Management

Select one of the following courses (3 units):

CTVA 351 Anatomy of Film Producing (3)
CTVA 480 Electronic Media Management (3)
CTVA 482 Network Program Development (3)
CTVA 487 Social Controls and Regulation of Electronic Media (3)

Professional Preparation

Select one of the following courses (3 units):

CTVA 329A/B or CTVA 329C Program Production (3)
CTVA 494A/B Internship (1/2)

3. Scripted Narrative Pathway (21 units)

A. Scripted Narrative Core Requirements (12 units):

CTVA 340 Advanced Video Production and Editing (3)
CTVA 341 Single Camera Television Production (3)
CTVA 346 Episodic Television Production (3)
CTVA 442 Television Thesis Production (3)

B. Take one of the following courses according to skill emphasis (3 units):

Cinematography (3 units)

CTVA 342 Digital Cinematography (3)

Sound (3 units)

CTVA 343 Television Production Sound (3)

Editing (3 units)

CTVA 352 Nonlinear Digital Editing (3)

Producing (3 units)

CTVA 455 Principles of Production Management (3)

C. Take two of the following courses (6 units):

CTVA 359 Postproduction Sound Design for Film and Electronic Media (3)
CTVA 422 Writing the Episodic Series (3)
CTVA 440 Theory and Techniques of TV Directing (3)
CTVA 475 Audience Analysis
CTVA 480 Electronic Media Management (3)
CTVA 481 Network Practices (3)
CTVA 482 Network Program Development (3)
CTVA 487 Social Controls and Regulation of Electronic Media (3)

4. Documentary Pathway (21 units)

A. Documentary Core Requirements (15 units):

CTVA 301 Media Research Methods (3)
CTVA 331 Producing the Documentary (3)
CTVA 341 Single Camera Television Production (3)
CTVA 416 The Documentary Tradition in Film and Video (3)
CTVA 441 Directing the TV Documentary (3)

B. Take one of the following courses according to skill emphasis (3 units):

Cinematography

CTVA 342 Digital Cinematography (3)

Sound

CTVA 343 Television Production Sound (3)

Editing

CTVA 352 Nonlinear Digital Editing (3)

Producing

CTVA 455 Principles of Production Management (3)

C. Additional Elective Units (3 units):

Select 3 additional units in CTVA or an allied field, with the approval of an advisor, as prescribed in the official departmental advisement form for Documentary Pathway.

5. General Education (48 units)

Undergraduate students must complete 48 units of General Education as described in this Catalog, including 3 units of coursework meeting the Ethnic Studies (ES) graduation requirement.

6 units are satisfied by the following courses in the major: CTVA 210 satisfies C1 Arts; and CTVA 100 satisfies E Lifelong Learning and fulfills the Information Competence requirement.

Total Units in the Major/Option: 45

General Education Units: 42

Additional Units: 33

Total Units Required for the B.A. Degree: 120

Contact

Department of Cinema and Television Arts
Chair: Jared Rappaport
Manzanita Hall (MZ) 195
(818) 677-3192
CTVADept@csun.edu

Program Learning Outcomes

Students receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Television Arts will be able to:

  1. Identify and critically analyze the fundamental components and aesthetics of audiovisual storytelling.
  2. Develop and write scripts for fiction and nonfiction audiovisual productions.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of historical, cultural, critical, theoretical and emergent aspects of media arts.
  4. Demonstrate the skills necessary to manage entertainment business structures and to produce, research and/or present an entertainment industry or other media project.
  5. Demonstrate the skills, knowledge and problem-solving abilities that are pertinent in a professional setting.