AA in Media Arts: Sound Design

The successful completion of this degree will give students a thorough background in the aesthetics of film and media, and experience with the use of microphones in sound production and editing and mixing in sound post-production.  Students will work on Foley/effects recording, dialogue recording, sound editing, and sound mixing intended for motion picture and episodic projects preparing students to work in sound production and post production as well as transfer to cinema production bachelor programs at the university level.

With the creation of this program coupled with the overall revisions in all LAVC Media Arts programs, students will now be empowered with more choices and flexibility.  We expect the number of completers to start at approximately 11 in its first year and climb by 20%-25% in each year for the next five years.

• To give students a thorough background in the aesthetics of film and media in order to apply them to productions.
• To give students experience with various on-set sound recording techniques and styles to effectively tell a story.
• To give students experience working with sound editing and mixing techniques to elicit emotion and assist in storytelling.
• To give students the ability to build a reel (digital resume) with their own footage in order to better position themselves for transfer and/or gainful employment in the entertianment industry.

The requirements for this program begin with what we refer to as our "core studies" in Cinema and Media Arts. Understanding the aesthetics and history of motion pictures, navigating the business, story structure/screenwriting, and beginning film production. Students then go through the basic sound courses to eventually have the opportunity to earn this degree with successful completion of our new, advanced sound course.

This new program is a part of a larger picture.  We have created "stackables" (please see attached flow chart for catalog) which start with a core of five general classes in the first tier.  Because film productions are made up of very different and specific departments we have included a second tier of courses that consist of several different options, this being one of them, that are more narrowly focused and consist of two classes for each option resulting in a specialized degree/certificate for each.  This program focusses specifically on sound production recording techniques as well as sound post production editing and mixing techniques for students who are interested in being on the set recording sound or in post production editing and mixing sound for films and/or single camera episodic productions.  Additionally, since the Cinema departments at the universities we feed into consist of several different programs within film production, this program will better prepare students to enter the specific bacherlor program they are interested in should they decide to transfer. 

After researching similar programs at other colleges in our service area we have determined that, while there are Media Arts-related programs, there is no specific Sound Design program preparing students for employment in production or post production sound for entertianment industry projects. 

20+

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