Foundations of Film and Digital Production

This unit introduces the historical, technical, and creative foundations of filmmaking and digital media production, surveying film formats, digitization, pre-production, camera and lighting principles, narrative structure, crew roles, and sound workflows. It consolidates introductory concepts and prepares students to apply production planning and technical skills in deeper, project-based work in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the historical evolution and technical differences between 16mm/35mm film and digital capture, including implications for resolution, frame rate, color reproduction, and production workflow.
• Apply pre-production processes to develop a concept treatment, three-act outline, script breakdown, preliminary shooting schedule, and line-item budget for a short narrative project.
• Demonstrate technical decision-making by selecting appropriate resolution, frame rate, focal length, aperture, depth of field, and three-point lighting/color temperature settings for specified shot types to achieve intended storytelling goals.
• Evaluate post-production stages and sound workflows by designing a post schedule that incorporates offline/online editing, color grading, sound design, and double-system sound synchronization, and by articulating director, cinematographer, and crew responsibilities within that workflow.