Certificate in Film Production

The Certificate in Film Production is designed to help students develop expertise in all areas of film, including screenwriting, acting, directing, and producing as well as the technical aspects of film and digital video production.

Students participate fully in the production structure of film-making in a variety of positions, such as camera operator, cinematographer, director, and screenwriter, in addition to gaining hands-on experience in the post-production process of picture and sound editing.

The program also covers basic film studies, including the history of film, because students making films learn from watching other films and analyzing how they work.

The broad range of the program not only prepares students for a variety of positions but also helps them in making informed choices in pursuing opportunities or specialized training.

The Certificate in Film Production can be taken as a stand-alone certificate program or in conjunction with a degree program, with the approval of the appropriate Faculty. Students interested in majoring in Film Production should consider instead the Film Production option in the Media Arts & Cultures program.

Candidates for admission to the Certificate Program must meet the university's requirements for admission to the Bachelor of Arts or for admission as a mature student. Enrolment in the Certificate in Film Production is limited. The stand-alone certificate is a part-time program. Students with limited or no university background who are enrolled in the stand-alone certificate should bear in mind that some upper level courses have prerequisites that must be met, and, where appropriate, should consider taking advantage of the university’s writing and skills development programs.

Some courses for the Certificate in Film Production may be scheduled in late afternoon or evening time slots.

Program Structure

The Certificate in Film Production program consists of 30 credit hours. Of these, 24 credit hours are from required courses; the remainder is from electives. Normally, a grade of C or better is required for each course in the program.

Required Courses (24 credit hours)
FILM 2022 / MAAC 2022 The Art of Film (3 ch)
FILM 2909 / ENGL 2909 International Film History (3 ch)
FILM 2998 / MAAC 2998 Digital Film Production I (3 ch)
FILM 2999 / MAAC 2999 Digital Film Production II (3 ch)
FILM 3903 / ENGL 3903 Film Theory (3 ch)
FILM 4000 / MAAC 4000 Digital Film Production III (6 ch)
At least one of FILM 3183/ ENGL 3183: Creative Writing: Screenwriting for Short Formats (3 ch) and FILM 3186/ENGL 3186 Creative Writing: Feature Screenplay (3 ch). The other may be taken as one of the two electives.

Electives (6 credit hours must be selected) 
ENGL 2263 Shakespeare and Film (3 ch)
FILM 3066 / CCS 3066 / MAAC 3066 Trauma and Seduction: Early German Cinema (3 ch)
FILM 3072 / CCS 3072 / MAAC 3072 Contemporary German Cinema and Media (3 ch)
FILM 3075 / MAAC 3075 Framing Reality: Theory and Practice of Documentary Media (3 ch)
FILM 3082 / MAAC 3082 / CCS 3082 History of Canadian Cinema (3 ch)
FILM 3907 / ENGL 3907 Film Genre (3 ch)
FILM 3908 / ENGL 3908 Zombies in Film (3 ch)
FILM 3916 / ENGL 3916 Canadian Film since 1967 (3 ch)
FILM 3917 / ENGL 3917 National Cinemas (3 ch)
FILM 3918 / ENGL 3918 The French New Wave (3 ch)
FILM 3999 / MAAC 3999 Editing and Post-Production (3 ch)
HIST 1315 Canadian History on Film (3 ch)
HIST 3415 America at the Movies (3 ch)
HIST 3803 War through Film (3 ch)
MAAC 3212 Lens Media I (3 ch)
MAAC 3362 Sound Design (3 ch)
CCS 3455 Latin American Cinema (3 ch)
CCS 3456 / SPAN 3456 The Cinema of Spain (3 ch)

Other film-related university courses may be approved as electives by the Film Production Certificate Advisor.