Theoretical and practical investigations into processes, methods, frameworks, and considerations involved with both creating and distributing emerging cinematic media. These courses examine developing concepts, methods, and works that engage with the wide-ranging creative possibilities of emerging cinematic media practices. Topics courses may be repeated with a different topic for credit.
Cinematic Worldbuilding
This course explores worldbuilding as a practice combining systems design, art direction, research, and storytelling to imagine plausible futures. Using methods from future studies and media arts—digital collage, generative AI, and video production—students will create speculative worlds and narratives. Projects will experiment with visual storytelling, interactivity, and transmedia, guided by the principle that reality and fiction shape each other. Readings and screenings provide context for creating worlds that invite critical conversation about the futures we want to build or prevent.
Virtual Production
This course explores virtual production through critical, historical, and speculative lenses. Students will design virtual sets and real-time environments in game engines, and experiment with different methods for integrating live-action and photographic capture with CG. Through hands-on projects and critical readings, students will examine cultural and technical questions raised by virtual production practices. Techniques range from introductory to intermediate. No prior experience required.
Extended Realities
This course explores creating XR (virtual, augmented, and mixed reality) experiences using critical, historical, and speculative lenses. Students will conceptualize, design, and prototype projects using game engines and XR tools, layering digital content onto physical space through spatial computing, photogrammetry, and interactivity. Through readings and hands-on work, students will engage with questions of embodiment, presence, and spatial storytelling. Techniques range from introductory to intermediate. No prior experience required.
Immersive Media Production
This course focuses on creating cinematic experiences for immersive environments including Virtual Reality, projection mapping, and real-time 3D. Students will learn production workflows for spatial storytelling using game engines, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and generative AI tools. Through hands-on projects, students will develop skills in art direction, asset creation, animation, and interactive design for immersive platforms. Coursework emphasizes translating traditional cinematic techniques into spatial experiences, collaborative production workflows, and technical problem-solving. Techniques range from introductory to intermediate. No prior experience required.
AI & Creativity
This course explores AI as a tool for creative practice and critical inquiry in cinematic arts. Students will create still and moving images using AI tools while examining questions of power, access, and authorship. Through critical making that integrates theory and practice, students will analyze contemporary digital artworks and situate AI creativity within broader histories of cinema. Coursework includes hands-on experimentation, critical discussion, and developing both a creative portfolio and critical framework for understanding their work within current social and political contexts.