Directing
The Directing Concentration
The Directing Concentration, with classes in the Directing Center at 1415 South Wabash Avenue, trains undergraduate and graduate students in all aspects of fictional directing. Our faculty represents a wide variety of directorial approaches, drawn from their professional experiences in both film and theater. The goals of our program are to teach the various craft skills which professional directors must know, and to assist students in developing their own voices and unique directorial styles. A solid grounding in technique, a responsive inner life, and an acute awareness of the world around us are all critical components of a professional director's work.
In Directing I, students concentrate on text analysis, the preparation of a director's breakdown, casting, rehearsal procedures, and the expression of personal meaning from dramatic material. All of these skills are taught hands-on, through work on short scenes. Directing II teaches the application of the camera to dramatic material, while reinforcing what was learned in the previous course. In Directing III, students practice the relationships between the Director and the Cinematographer and Editor, by completing a short, fictional film in collaboration with advanced students from those other crafts. The paperwork which directors use to communicate with their crews -- including storyboards, groundplans, brackets, and shooting scripts -- are emphasized throughout. We believe that collaboration is the key to good filmmaking.
In order to enter Directing I, a student must first complete the Department of Film and Video's core courses with a grade of C or better in every course. He or she must also complete Acting Techniques for Filmmakers, a course that familiarizes film students with the techniques that actors use in approaching their work. Directing students are also encouraged to take film studies courses, particularly those which stress the work of specific directors.
In order to complete a Concentration in Directing, students must complete 36 to 38 hours in prescribed directing courses and electives, which include a basic familiarity with other cinematic skills.
The Directing Concentration, with classes in the Directing Center at 1415 South Wabash Avenue, trains undergraduate and graduate students in all aspects of fictional directing. Our faculty represents a wide variety of directorial approaches, drawn from their professional experiences in both film and theater. The goals of our program are to teach the various craft skills which professional directors must know, and to assist students in developing their own voices and unique directorial styles. A solid grounding in technique, a responsive inner life, and an acute awareness of the world around us are all critical components of a professional director's work.
In Directing I, students concentrate on text analysis, the preparation of a director's breakdown, casting, rehearsal procedures, and the expression of personal meaning from dramatic material. All of these skills are taught hands-on, through work on short scenes. Directing II teaches the application of the camera to dramatic material, while reinforcing what was learned in the previous course. In Directing III, students practice the relationships between the Director and the Cinematographer and Editor, by completing a short, fictional film in collaboration with advanced students from those other crafts. The paperwork which directors use to communicate with their crews -- including storyboards, groundplans, brackets, and shooting scripts -- are emphasized throughout. We believe that collaboration is the key to good filmmaking.
In order to enter Directing I, a student must first complete the Department of Film and Video's core courses with a grade of C or better in every course. He or she must also complete Acting Techniques for Filmmakers, a course that familiarizes film students with the techniques that actors use in approaching their work. Directing students are also encouraged to take film studies courses, particularly those which stress the work of specific directors.
In order to complete a Concentration in Directing, students must complete 36 to 38 hours in prescribed directing courses and electives, which include a basic familiarity with other cinematic skills.