Course General Description

In Drexel’s comprehensive and rigorous Film & Television program, we want you to tell stories. In your first week, we will give you cameras and send you out searching. You will learn to use sound to draw in viewers and the craft of editing to connect them with characters. We will explore how stories are told by analyzing their structures, the written word, and captured images through critical studies of classic cinema and television from all over the world. You will dive into the history of the cinematic art form to understand the grammar of visual storytelling, bringing those lessons into your own work. You will have the choice to begin working on upperclassmen projects as soon as you feel ready, building contacts with peers and alumni—your first network. And that is just the first year. In your second year, we will develop your voice. How do you experience stories differently than your peers? You will learn to direct and produce, make your first documentary and narrative films, and work in the TV studio and field. To expand your worldview and explore international cinematic traditions, you will have the opportunity to take advantage of our special study abroad programs. At the end of the year, you will present your reel to faculty and have the chance to spend the following three months working in Los Angeles through our Drexel in LA program. Six months of your junior year will be spent on Co-op, working professionally in your chosen field. Our students have worked in LA, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Scotland, and Aruba. When back on Drexel’s campus, you will focus on large-scale productions by crewing on TV series and low-budget projects taught in our Microbudget Cinema course. You will be fully immersed in electives that teach color correction, visual effects, sound, editing, Steadicam, and our top-of-the-line ARRI Alexa, ARRI Amira, and RED Epic cameras. Finally, in your senior year, you will combine everything you’ve learned and make your senior project. This could be a short film, a documentary, TV series pilot, music video, or commercial. If you decide you’d like to be a cinematographer, editor or producer, you can shoot, edit or produce three other senior projects instead of directing your own. You will take the Creative Careers course and cut your reel, prepare rates, explore limited liability companies (LLCs) and insurance to prepare you for success after graduation. Drexel’s data shows that over 90% of our graduates are working in the industry or are in graduate school within one year of graduation.

School General Description

Drexel is a comprehensive global research university with a unique model of experiential learning that combines academic rigor with one of the nation’s premier cooperative education programs. Drexel has built its global reputation on core achievements that include: Leadership in experiential learning through Drexel Co-op. A history of academic technology firsts. Recognition as a model of best practices in translational, use-inspired research. Founded in 1891 in Philadelphia, Drexel now engages with students and communities around the world via: Three Philadelphia campuses and other regional sites. The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the nation’s oldest major natural science museum and research organization. International research partnerships including China and Israel. Drexel Online, one of the oldest and most successful providers of online degree programs. Drexel is one of Philadelphia's top 10 private employers, and a major engine for economic development in the region. Drexel has committed to being the nation’s most civically engaged university, with community partnerships integrated into every aspect of service and academics. Drexel’s ongoing strategic plan, "Transforming the Modern Urban University," guides the University's 21st-century trajectory.