Film Studies

Prospective Students

Overview

“When I was graduating from high school in 1976, I didn’t know the first thing about college except that I wanted to study film and maybe be a writer. My guidance counselor looked up Wesleyan in the ‘book,’ and said, ‘Wow, a really high percentage of Wesleyan film majors go on to actually work in the business.’ We compared it to other schools and Wesleyan ranked near the top. When I got to Wesleyan, I understood why: Jeanine Basinger and Richard Slotkin and the other film professors gently but firmly turned every one of my preconceptions about film upside down. They showed me film after film and forced me to think about them critically. Surrounded by interesting and intelligent students, challenged and encouraged by my teachers, exposed to exciting new ideas and to vital works of cinematic art . . . I blossomed. Now that I am working as a writer and director in Los Angeles, I tell people that I went to Wesleyan. They inevitably ask, ‘Wait a minute. Didn’t so and so go there? And so and so? Why did so many people in the film business go to Wesleyan?’ . . . So I tell them.”
—Rocky Collins, writer and director of fiction and documentary films

The Wesleyan University Film Studies Department welcomes students who are interested in studying the moving image within the context of the University’s liberal arts tradition. All prospective students should familiarize themselves with the information and application materials available from the Admission Office; you may also want to visit the campus to get a fuller sense of what the University has to offer. All admission decisions are made solely by the Admission Office, and admission to Wesleyan does not guarantee acceptance into the Film Studies major.

The Film Studies major is firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition of combining history and theory with hands-on practice in the medium. Students’ primary areas of study include film history, aesthetics, theory, genre, authorship, and the film industry. Although Film Studies requires that every major take a basic filmmaking course, and some seniors make a 16mm film, digital video, or virtual project as an Honors thesis, this is not a film production major. In fact, in-class production opportunities are limited—many majors graduate having only completed the single required production course.

The emphasis in Wesleyan’s Film Studies major is not on doing but on thinking—it is through the study of film history and the practice of analysis that students truly begin to grasp the complexities and possibilities of the film medium. Film Studies is a demanding major, but the hard work, critical thinking, and collaborative effort that it entails fuels our students’ passion for film and prepares them well for careers in all aspects of the film industry, academia, and elsewhere. Film Studies students leave Wesleyan with a wealth of knowledge and rich relationships that they continue to draw on throughout their lives.

 

 

Visiting Wesleyan

Prospective students who are organizing a visit to Wesleyan and are interested in sitting in on a Film Studies class should ideally plan to be on campus between Monday and Thursday, as these are the days during which most Film Studies classes are held. We encourage prospective students to visit the introductory or intermediate level Film Studies classes, which best provide an overview of the subject and illustrate the approach of the department. (Enrollment is much larger in these classes than in upper-level seminars, however.)

If you plan on visiting a class with the Film Studies Department, please call the Film Studies Administrative Assistant, Joyce Heidorn, at (860)685-2220 to clear your visit with the professors. If cleared, please arrive before the class begins and introduce yourself to the instructor. Film Studies classes can be quite long, as they typically include both a film screening and a lecture or discussion; if you can not stay for the entire class, please try to arrive at the beginning of class so as not to interrupt proceedings halfway through.

The best classes to visit for Spring 2010 are:

Film 310: Introduction to Film Analysis
M 1:10-4:30 in the Center for Film Studies Screening Room 100 (lecture)
W 12:10-5:00 in the Center for Film Studies Room 124 (discussion sections)

Film 320: The New German Cinema
T/Th 1:10-4:00 in the Center for Film Studies Screening Room 190

Film 160: Past on Film
T 1:10-4:30 in the Center for Film Studies Screening Room 100

Please consult this web site, or contact the Film Studies administrative assistant, Joyce Heidorn, if you have further questions about the department or the major (e-mail: jheidorn@wesleyan.edu, phone: 860-685-2220).

 

Applying to Wesleyan

Prospective students should submit all application materials required by the Admission Office according to the information indicated on the application. The Admission Office is solely responsible for all decisions regarding admission to Wesleyan.

No additional materials are required for students applying to Wesleyan who are interested in pursuing Film Studies. If you choose to supplement your application with examples of your work in film, video, or animation, please adhere to the following guidelines:

  • You may submit no more than ten minutes of footage on DVDs only.
  • Do not submit anything you wish returned.
  • Label the tape with your name, the name of the project, date of completion, shooting format (16mm, digital video, etc.), and the role(s) you played in the production (director, editor, etc.).
  • Submit only original creative work that you completed as part of a film class or on your own outside of class. Please do not send acting tapes or video assignments you completed for a non-film class in lieu of writing a paper; these tapes will not be reviewed.

Please consider your decision to submit supplemental material carefully. Failure to submit a tape of your work will not harm your chances of admission to Wesleyan; submitting rushed or poor quality work will do you little good. Remember, while your application materials affect your chances of being accepted to Wesleyan, they have no effect on your eventual acceptance into the Film Studies major. Only submit supplemental film or video material if you believe it represents a special accomplishment and demonstrates your unique ability to contribute to the Wesleyan community.

 

 

Getting into the Film Major

Film Studies is a much sought-after major, and our limited resources require us to place restrictions on admission. On average, Film Studies admits approximately 32 sophomores into the major each year, out of more than 70 who express interest and 45 who actually apply. Students who are considering a Film Studies major should consult with the department chair as soon as possible in order to receive advising regarding the major.

To be accepted into the Film Studies major, students are required to have completed two prerequisites, Film 304: History of World Cinema to the 1960s, and Film 310: Introduction to Film Analysis, with a grade of B+ or better in both. These courses introduce students to the film history canon and provide them with a foundation in narrative and stylistic analysis. In addition, students applying for the major must have an overall grade average of B (85.0) or better at Wesleyan, and must complete a written application at the end of January their sophomore year.

Students applying for the major who have met these requirements are automatically accepted into the major. Students applying for the major who have not received a B+ or better in either Film 304 or Film 310 are eligible to have their admission cases arbitrated. If they are still interested in the major, they can submit materials for review and discussion by the Film Studies faculty, who may grant admission to the major if space is available. In general, less than 30 percent of arbitration cases are admitted to the major.

Because of the prerequisites and major requirements, students transferring to Wesleyan beginning their junior year are not able to declare the Film Studies major.

 

 

 

What to Expect in the Film Major

“I simply do not believe there’s a better Film Studies program in the world. The in-depth analysis of filmmaking and genre is presented with brilliance and clarity by professors who know so much they just might have to be killed. The major gave me an understanding of the art, the necessary requirement for any kind of creator. The alumni community has an uncommon cohesion; people united not just by an alma mater, but by the elevating experience of having studied with true visionaries, fed off a shared creative energy, and watched some really weird flicks.”
—Joss Whedon, creator, producer, and director of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly

Once accepted into the Film Studies major, students can expect time-intensive courses and lots of hard work, but great camaraderie and close interaction with faculty. Upper-level seminars are small classes that are designed to encourage in-depth analysis of films organized according to genre, author, or national cinema. Classes typically include lectures, discussions, and two to seven film screenings a week, as well as analytical and/or research papers, and group presentations.

To fulfill the major, students must complete satisfactorily ten Film Studies courses, including:

  • Film 304: History or World Cinema to the Second World War and Film 310: History of World Cinema, W.W. II to the Present
  • One basic production course (Film 440: Virtual Filmmaking or Film 450: Sight and Sound)
  • Film 414: Senior Seminar
  • A minimum of six electives

Film Studies majors are not required to complete honors projects to fulfill their major program of study. All majors are instead required to take a senior seminar on an advanced topic of study. However, large percentages of majors do opt for a senior honors thesis, which can take the form of a written history thesis, a screenplay, a 16mm film, a digital video, or a virtual filmmaking project. Senior Honors theses provide majors with the opportunity to advance what they have learned in their previous coursework through an extended individual project. Film Studies maintains a rigorous approach to evaluating Honors theses, but also provides close, one-on-one advising. Prizes exist for all forms of senior honors work.

Besides course work, students have many other opportunities to get involved in Wesleyan’s film community. Many students work for the Wesleyan Film Series, which screens more than 110 new and classic American and foreign films in the fall and spring semesters. The Film Series is programmed by the student and faculty Film Board, and hires projectionists, house managers, and cashiers to staff the events. Other students volunteer to crew for seniors who are making 16mm films or digital videos for their Honors theses, thereby gaining valuable production experience and learning from their peers. The Film Series and crew opportunities enable students to develop programming, managerial, and technical skills while working on collaborative projects much like those they will encounter after graduation.

For more information about the Film Studies major, go the Major Program page.

 

 

 

After Wesleyan

“The Film Studies Program at Wesleyan made such an enormous impact on my future career in film. Courses on the history of the western, comedy, and auteur directors taught me to look at film on many different levels—as historian and critic, as audience member and lover of the movies. Studying and appreciating the history of film rather than only learning the technical art is what makes the program at Wesleyan particularly strong. Understanding character, story, lighting, editing, camera work, music, acting—essentially understanding the spirit and collaboration behind making a great movie—is what makes good future writers, directors, producers, actors, editors, and even film executives.”
—Trea Hoving, acquisitions executive at Miramax from 1989–1997

“When I encounter a fellow Wesleyan grad, it doesn’t tell me they’re talented or they’re artistic; it tells me they know how to think. I know that a Wesleyan alum is going to be open-minded, passionate, and articulate. Additionally, the Wesleyan people I’ve worked with as writers, agents, or producers have all been far more concerned with the creative product than the financial product...a rare commodity in Hollywood.”
—Jon Turteltaub, director of Cool Runnings, Phenomenon, While You Were Sleeping, and National Treasure

The success of Wesleyan’s Film Studies Department is evidenced by the way it inspires its students to incorporate what they learned as undergraduates into the rest of their lives. More than 400 Wesleyan graduates have careers in the film industry. Many others continued their study of film on the graduate level and now teach Film Studies themselves. Others are archivists, journalists, or entrepreneurs. All carry with them the critical skills and love of cinema they developed at Wesleyan.

The Wesleyan alumni network is exceptionally strong within the film industry. Alumni continue to work together long after they have left Wesleyan, offer internships and entry-level positions to recent graduates, return to campus to speak with students and show their work, and tirelessly support the Film Studies Department in myriad ways. It is through the generosity of the alumni and their families that Phase I of the new Center for Film Studies opened its doors in June 2004, and Phase II began construction in the fall of 2006.