CINEMA DIRECTING

The Cinema Directing certificate of achievement trains students in the craft of directing primarily for single-camera film production. Students learn a broad array of directorial skills with emphasis on the role of the director as storyteller, visualization of the script, and rehearsing and directing scenes with actors. Directing skills also prepare individuals for careers as producers, especially in episodic television productions.

• The student will produce and direct a scene to be critiqued and evaluated in class.
  
• Formulate story ideas and develop treatments and screenplay drafts.
  
• Demonstrate proper use of stage direction while focusing on audience reaction and the actors’ emotional connection to the scene.
  
• Prepare a production package including script notes, scene goals, character analysis, storyboard, and shot list.
  

(A) Enrollment Data

Course	2018-2019 Total Sections	2018-2019 Total Enrollments	2019-2020 Total Sections	2019-2020 Total Enrollments
CINEMA 001	9	353	8	327
CINEMA 002	8	245	8	206
CINEMA 003	18	752	17	797
CINEMA 004	9	327	9	385
CINEMA 005	4	99	4	83
CINEMA 010	2	61	2	39
CINEMA 018	3	63	3	89
THEATER 100	5	165	9	348
THEATER 200	8	205	9	165
THEATER 225	1	19	1	20

We anticipate 12-15 projected students or “annual completers” each year (based on enrollment data).

The Cinema Directing certificate of achievement trains students in the craft of directing primarily for single camera film production. Students will learn a broad array of directorial skills with emphasis on the role of the director as storyteller, visualization of the script, directing and rehearsing scenes with actors. Directing skills also prepare individuals for careers as producers, especially in episodic productions. Students also learn the various steps and components of directing – choosing a script, casting, presenting a scene, as well as packaging their product, developing script notes, scene goals, character analysis, storyboarding and creating a shot list. The series of courses of this certificate also include the how-tos and practice working with both above and below the line personnel. Directorial students will become well versed in all phases of production. 

The Cinema Directing certificate of achievement trains students in the craft of directing primarily for single-camera film production. Students will learn a broad array of directorial skills with emphasis on the role of the director as storyteller, visualization of the script, and rehearsing and directing scenes with actors. Careers can include Director, Assistant Director, Production Assistants and Producers Unit.

Los Angeles City College is the premiere film and TV community college that is located in North Central Los Angeles, closely adjacent to the Hollywood Studios. We have a unique opportunity and obligation to provide a comprehensive series of courses to prepare students for the many entertainment industry employment. Directing is among the top fields that comprise the core film, television and emerging new media industry careers. Currently we offer a Skills Certificate in Directing. However, to address the increasing need for enhanced enrollment offerings, as well as to maintain a competitive edge in this climate of industry production, it is vital to continually maintain high standards in best preparing students for their future work in the entertainment industry. LACC has the unique standing as the most diverse among the LACCD campuses. Our student demographics include: older students, returning students, and students looking for Career technical education, a Certificate of Achievement in Directing makes sense: This allows students to complete a higher level of credentialing in order to enter the highly competitive job market in Los Angeles, center of the Entertainment Industry. We attract creative students, and students who work or want to work in the creative industries. This certificate of achievement could be applied towards an AA degree, if students fulfill general education requirements. This is important for our students, since many have jobs and families, and may have to ease their way into a degree. At Los Angeles City College departments are increasingly encouraged to develop Certificates of Achievement, primarily in CTE and career technical fields. Besides preparing people for the job market efficiently, it helps structure, align and speed up the time spent in school. 

The LACC Cinema/TV Department was awarded an unprecedented $2 million donation from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The support of the HFPA continues with annual LACC student-awarded fellowships, Golden Globe™ internships, and other interactions special events. (https://www.goldenglobes.com/articles/hfpa-gives-endowment-los-angeles-city-college).

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
CINEMA 001	INTRODUCTION TO MOTION PICTURE PRODUCTION	3	S1
CINEMA 002	BEGINNING MOTION PICTURE WORKSHOP	3	S1
CINEMA 003	HISTORY OF MOTION PICTURES	3	S1
CINEMA 004, OR CINEMA 018	HISTORY OF THE DOCUMENTARY FILM INTRODUCTION TO FILM GENRES	3	S1
CINEMA 005	INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING	3	S2
THEATER 200	INTRODUCTION TO ACTING	3	S2
CINEMA 010	INTRODUCTION TO FILM DIRECTING	3	S3
THEATER 100, OR THEATER 225	INTRODUCTION TO THE THEATER BEGINNING DIRECTION	3	S3

The program will require the existing local Directing skills certificate to be archived, as this new state-approved certificate will replace it.

A directing certificate of achievement is offered at LA Valley College. This is the only other two-year school in the LA/OC area that offers a specific certificate of achievement in directing for Cinema. LAVC offers a 24-unit certificate of achievement in Media Arts Directing as well as a 60 unit AA degree in Directing. Many other schools in the LA/OC offer directing as part of a more generalized certificate in Film/Video Production or in purely dramatic directing for the theatre. Outside of LACCD we see only generalized cinema production certificates, but none in directing. Our campus location, directly under the Hollywood sign, and our students would greatly benefit from this specialized certificate.

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