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Film and Media Studies

Overview Degrees/Certificates Courses Faculty

Associate Degree

A.A. in Film and Media Studies

Film and Media Studies is designed to develop critical thinking and screenwriting skills while fostering a humanistic and social scientific understanding of the media. Students combine hands-on courses in scriptwriting, with critical studies of the visual media as an art form and social force. This major is particularly encouraged for students who intend to transfer to university film and media programs or pursue careers that demand a high level of visual literacy, analytic and writing skills. The production of digital film and broadcast television are taught through the Radio, Television and Film production program.

Highlights include:
* State-of-the-art 32-station computer lab for graphics and non-linear editing including Apple's Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects.
* Hand-on courses in film and video production and editing
* Screening room with rear screen projector and advanced sound system

Note to Transfer Students:
If you are interested in transferring to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree in this major, it is critical that you meet with a CRC counselor to select and plan the courses for your major. Schools vary widely in terms of the required preparation. The courses that CRC requires for an Associate’s degree in this major may be different from the requirements needed for the Bachelor’s degree.

Catalog Date: January 1, 2025

Degree Requirements

Course Code Course Title Units
FMS 300 Introduction to Film Studies 3
FMS 305 Film History I (1895-1949) 3
FMS 320 Film Genre 3
JOUR 310 Mass Media and Society (3) 3
   or RTVF 300 Mass Media and Society (3)
RTVF 330 Beginning Single Camera Production 3
A minimum of 3 units from the following: 3
FMS 310 Introduction to Screenwriting (3)
RTVF 362 Digital Non-Linear Video Editing (3)
Total Units: 18

The Film and Media Studies Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree may be obtained by completion of the required program, plus the local CRC General Education Requirement, plus sufficient electives to meet a 60-unit total. See CRC graduation requirements.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the student will be able to:

  • Analyze, interpret, and exercise critical judgment in the evaluation of film and media forms and cultures. (SLO-1)
  • Recognize, articulate, and judge the visual, verbal, and audio conventions through which images, words, and sounds make meaning in film and media texts. (SLO-2)
  • Write clear, concise, and well-developed analyses of film and media texts. (SLO-3)
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the professional, technical, and formal choices that realize, develop, or challenge existing practices and traditions in film. (SLO-4)
  • Determine what type of information is needed for a research question, problem, or issue and identify, evaluate and effectively apply this information in scholarly or visual projects. (SLO-5)
  • Articulate the history, development, genre, and movements of the film medium and recognize the contributions of national, minority, diasporic, and subaltern filmmakers. (SLO-6)
  • Explain the processes, current structure, and ethical norms of American media. (SLO-7)
  • Evaluate research on and popular claims of the media's social, political, and individual effects. (SLO-8)
  • Produce videos that demonstrate an understanding of camera coverage, frame composition and mise-en-scene, camera perspective and blocking, editorial rhythm, pace, structure and style. (SLO-9)

Career Information

Career Options Director, Entertainment Writer or Editor, Producer, Screenwriter, Script Supervisor, Story Editor Some career options may require more than two years of college study. Classes beyond the associate degree may be required to fulfill some career options or for preparation for transfer to a university program.