Course Descriptions - Theater, Film, and Television

The North Star Film Project (TFT 1110) is a student activity class in which students will meet at least one hour per week in a laboratory format to produce short films from scripts written in the NHCC Introduction to Screenwriting each spring. Participating students learn about planning, rewriting, shooting, editing, and mixing a film into a finished product, ready for viewing. Students in this class may repeat it for credit, and may also participate in the Capstone version of the class for 3 credits once they have completed the prerequisites for that version of the class (TFT 2110).

Students attend performances of plays in order to understand the elements of theatrical and dramatic production. Students develop criteria for the evaluation of productions as they explore the complexities of theatre and its reflection of society. They also examine their own biases and value systems and how they affect their evaluation processes regarding artistic, societal, and personal points of view.

This introductory-level course explores forms and modes of theater in order to examine theaters import as a live, performing art of human expression. Analysis will consider both written dramatic literature (plays as texts) and performances of fully staged theater productions (recorded and live). Investigations will explore the ways in which societies shape theater and, in turn, how theater has shaped societies. Examinations will consider a spectrum of theater genres and historical eras from ancient Greek theater to Shakespeare to modern musicals to leading works of the 21st century by women and BIPOC creatives. Participants will develop methods of critical analysis to consider and interpret central elements of staged performance, including: the techniques and technologies of theatrical storytelling, the work of visual representation for performance, modes of acting and physical movement, and representations of race and gender in theater. Explorations will also delineate the specialized crafts of theater artists (i.e., playwrights, actors, designers, and directors). Participants will come to understand the ways in which theater and its multifaceted strategies of representation and creativity for performance are an integral and defining feature of human experience and expression.

This course is an introduction to the history and techniques of entertaining and communicating ideas through motion pictures. The course consists of viewing, analyzing, discussing and writing about films as a means of understanding visual communication and developing greater visual literacy.

This course is an introduction to television's history, development, emerging technologies, influence, and future. It explores digital convergence as well as programming, distribution, regulation, and audience, constantly emphasizing the effect of money on this pervasive medium. Both television shows and movies about television will help illuminate the course content.

This course introduces basic video production concepts and techniques with an emphasis on using the elements of motion and sound as creative artistic tools. Students will critically analyze video in terms of genre, context, meaning, visual language and form and then produce and edit their own short projects that explore creative and experimental applications of the medium rather than the traditional mass communication form. Students are encouraged to use their own computer for editing if possible. Basic knowledge of the computer is helpful.

This course is an introduction to screenwriting, dealing with the basics of drama, story, character, structure, dialogue, and meaning. It explores these elements with writing exercises that develop skills in plotting, exposition, suspense, and action. It focuses on visual storytelling, helping students to discover observable actions and images that can convey ideas effectively, while constantly emphasizing how well-developed characters' needs and wants drive the structure and conflict of an engaging story. It is intended to acquaint students with the craft of screenwriting; to be a beginning course in the field that will help prepare students for further work.

This course is an examination of how theatre design (set, costume, properties, and lighting) are used to support the production of a play. The elements of design- line, texture, color, and form- are explored as they have been and are currently used by designers and directors for theatrical productions. Students analyze dramatic literature and create design projects.

American Cinema is a class in which students look at American films that have played a role in American film history from its beginnings to the present. They explore America's filmmaking history and its contributions to American culture, specifically considering the many diverse communities portrayed in these films as well as filmmakers from these often minority communities. These selections include films by or about African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino Americans, Native Americans, GLBT Americans, and the contributions of American Women throughout film history. The course consists of viewing, analyzing, discussing and writing about American films as a means of understanding the impact of these works on our diverse American culture.

World Cinema is a class in which students look at films from around the world. They explore various non-English-speaking countries' contributions to filmmaking and world culture that have been made by these countries' films. They look at two films from each country studied: one that exemplifies the historical/cultural concept that is associated with that country's films and one contemporary film from that country. The course consists of viewing, analyzing, discussing and writing about films from other cultures films as a means of understanding the impact of these works on our own as well as other cultures.

American Musical Theatre is designed to enlighten the learner about the basics of musical theatre production and its genesis as a uniquely American art form. Also, the course will take a close look at the context in which these musicals were created and how they challenged society at that time. In addition, the course will examine the writing of the book, lyrics and music of many shows in an attempt to better analyze and evaluate the content.

This introductory-level course in theater production provides hands-on, experiential learning for the study of production technologies and methodologies utilized in the creative work of theater stagecraft. Examinations will explore foundational knowledge areas of theater production, including: materials and building techniques common to the construction of scenery and properties, installation of scenic elements, scenic painting, theatrical lighting technology (i.e., lighting control consoles, lighting instruments and accessories, electrical rigging), and theatrical sound technology (i.e., digital sound mixer, microphones, speakers, electrical wiring). Additional topic areas include instruction, knowledge, and exploration of: hand tools, power tools, specialized theater equipment, safety protocols of the theatrical scene shop and theatrical stage, stage rigging, and stage management. In-class learning will be reinforced through students hands-on participation in the construction

This introductory-level course explores foundational forms and principles of improvisation and acting techniques. Through a continuum of hands-on, creative exercises that introduce and explore theatrical games, improvisation, monologues, scene work, and devising activities, students will develop their skills as performing artists as well as their abilities in theatrical play and imagination, more broadly. Individual and group activities will introduce and investigate physicality and vocality for performance and abilities of focus, observation, and presence as well as progress participants ability to take creative risks. Explorations will also introduce the fundamental principles of acting techniques developed by (but not limited to) one or more of the following acting schools: Stanislavski, Meisner, Spolin, Strasberg, Chekhov, and Balk. Creative exercises will also introduce acting methodologies of physical theater practices.

This course explores forms and modes of stage movement and vocal technique as they pertain to theatre performance and the art of human expression. Investigations will explore theatrical movement techniques that may include, but are not limited to,the works of Moishe Feldenkrais, Frederick Alexander, Rudolf Laban, Wesley Balk, Ann Bogart, Frantic Asembly, and Tectonic Theater Companies. Vocal techniques will also be explored through a series of exercises which may include, but are not limited to, the works of Kristin Linklater and Edith Skinner. Participants will develop methods of critical analysis to interpret vocal and kinesthetic choices in performances of fully staged theater productions (recorded and live) as well as in class presentation of exercises throughout the semester. Participants will develop methods of critical analysis to interpret central elements of staged performance, specifically modes of acting and physical movement and vocal variation and expression. Participants will come to understand the ways in which building responsiveness and flexibility by freeing the body and voice of the limitations of habitual patterns. Critical assessment is placed on the utilization of learned techniques to create character, heighten response to others, and to enhance stage presence.

Students select plays and their characters to research, analyze, evaluate, write about, and present or demonstrate character analysis, posture, movement, non-verbal communication, vocal variety, projection, and personal experience and awareness. Students are encouraged to take TFT 1500 (Acting 1: Improvisations and Foundations) before taking this class.

Stage Combat I is an introductory course in the Stage Combat Program, and will focus on unarmed (hand to hand fighting) and armed (found objects, knives, etc.) stage combat. The program conforms to the guidelines put forth by the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD). Telling a story effectively through the use of disciplined and safe stage combat will be stressed, as well as instruction in the history, type and use of various weapons. Students in the performing arts will gain self-confidence in their ability to fulfill the needs of any script calling for stage or screen violence. Students not in the performing arts will gain a firsthand appreciation of the skills necessary to make stage and screen violence look real.

Stage Combat II is the follow-up course to Stage Combat I in the Stage Combat Program. The primary focus of this course will be on performance. The skills learned in Stage Combat I will be reviewed and refined, then applied to the performance of choreographed staged fights within the context of a scene. Students will assign emotional value to the physical circumstances of the scene and act out the intentions of the character. This program conforms to the guidelines put forth by the Society of American Fight Directors (SAFD), which contains 90 hours of required instruction. Students in the performing arts will gain self-confidence in their ability to fulfill the needs of any script calling for stage or screen violence. Students not in the performing arts will gain a firsthand appreciation of the skills necessary to make stage and screen violence look real.

Students will have the opportunity to perform in front of the camera and see themselves as the camera records them, revealing their strengths and challenges. Acting techniques specific to working in film and television will be covered along with methods for auditioning, script analysis, character development, communication and style. How to handle camera and editing equipment is also included.

This course offers students the opportunity to focus directly on the development and application of performance skills in acting through a hands-on, experiential learning, practicum setting. To enroll, students must audition for and earn a role in an NHCC Department of Theater play production. When a role in a Department of Theater play production is earned, students undertake a creative journey in which they develop their acting through their role for the play production in a structured rehearsal process under the direction and instruction of the course instructor. Emulating professional actors rehearsal processes, this concentrated creative journey in acting enables students to develop a character/role forward from page to stage through completion of the following activities: (1) conducting research that informs participants understanding about their role/character and also the plays socio-historical context, (2) play analysis activities that inform participants understanding about the plays themes, form, and content, (3) formal rehearsals and other creative activities that develop participants individual acting techniques and abilities, (4) formal rehearsals and other creative activities that develop participants collaboration with the productions director, other actors of the play, and the production team, (5) execution of their role and the play in total for performances before a live audience. This courses meeting times are linked directly to the rehearsal meeting times of a play production and vary from week to week. The consent of the course instructor is required for participation in this course. This course may be repeated for credit.

This course offers students the opportunity to focus directly on the development and application of technical skills in theater production through a hands-on, experiential learning, practicum setting. Students will select one area of technical theater production for concentrated study. Technical theater areas of study could include (but are not limited to) the following specializations: scenic construction, properties construction, scenic painting, theatrical lighting technology (to include lighting control console set-up/operation for performances), theatrical sound technology (to include digital sound mixer set-up/operation for performances), costume technology, backstage run crew, and stage management. To develop a selected area of technical theater production, under the direction and instruction of the course instructor, students will complete projects that support the creative activity of an NHCC Department of Theater play production.This courses meeting times are linked directly to the Department of Theaters scenic shops established build schedule and open shop hours (as determined by the Technical Director) as well as to the rehearsal meeting times of a play production (as determined by the productions director). Meeting times for this course will vary from week to week. The consent of the course instructor is required for participation in this course. This course may be repeated for credit.

This course will provide flexibility in offering an in-depth review of topics of immediate importance and topical interest. These topics will go beyond the introductory courses in examining specific aspects of the subject matter.

Fundamentals of Directing is open to any student who is interested in learning the basic skills necessary to become adept at directing. The student will learn about the wide variety of responsibilities a director assumes, as well as the range of knowledge every director needs to possess in order to communicate a story effectively on stage or screen. The course will cover the function of the director, script analysis, groundplan and blocking, working with the actor, creating a unified whole, and working collaboratively with a production team. In addition, the course will cover some of the similarities and differences between directing for the stage, film, and television. For students in careers outside the performing arts, this course offers opportunities to gain a deeper appreciation of the process of directing, increase personal self-confidence, and improve communication skills in a team setting. Pre-requisites: TFT 1500 or TFT 1540 or TFT 1210 or TFT 1250 or instructor permission.

The North Star Film Project: Capstone Class (TFT 2110) is an academic class in which film degree candidates shoot the short films they wrote in the Introduction to Screenwriting class. Students meet at least one hour per week in a laboratory format and produce their short films, learning to plan, rewrite, cast, shoot, edit, and mix their films into finished products, ready for viewing. Students in this class may have already participated in the North Star Film Project: Student Activity Class (TFT 1110). Students in the Student Activity Class (TFT 1110) function as actors and crew for those in the Capstone Class. Students in the AA Film Emphasis degree program should have done the following before taking this class:- a completed short film script from the Introduction to Screenwriting class (TFT 1280); - completed the Digital Video class (TFT1270); and. - completed the Fundamentals of Directing class, (TFT 2010).

TFT2150: Play Analysis will introduce participants to a spectrum of methodologies, tools, and approaches for the formal analysis of theatrical plays. Analysis will approach plays scripts as blueprints for theatrical production: script analysis comprises a vital activity of play production that shapes active, critically informed practitioners. Texts studied will represent and include a spectrum of theatrical styles, genres (i.e., tragedy, comedy, epic theater, musicals), works by diverse racial/ethnic and gender identities, and works that exemplify leading historical eras of theater making. Participants will also engage secondary readings that locate plays within historical and contemporary discourses. Participants will come to understand numerous systematic methodologies for critically examining plays, the relationship between form and content in drama, the strategies, structures, and tropes of theatrical storytelling, and the aesthetic as well as socio-cultural work of theatrical representation.

Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of writing theatrical plays. They will be expected to work on several creative projects throughout the semester and to participate in workshops in which they will discuss and critique one another's work. Students may also be asked to complete other writing exercises and to analyze a selection of plays to gain a better understanding of the art of play wrighting. Prerequisites: Engl 1900

This course continues to explore forms and modes of acting and script analysis as they pertain to the art of human expression and theatre performance introduced in TFT 1500: Acting I. Investigations will explore acting techniques that may include, but are not limited to, the works of Constantin Stanislavski, Sanford Meisner, Viola Spolin, Lee Strasberg, Michael Chekhov and Wesley Balk. In addition, focus on scene work from playwrights will be explored, rehearsed, and performed. Participants will develop methods of critical analysis to consider and interpret acting choices in performances of fully staged theater productions (recorded and live) as well as through presentation of exercises throughout the semester.

This class gives students an opportunity to attend theatre productions and explore back-stage theatre operations. Students will learn the components of dramatic production and establish a basis for evaluation of a production. May be repeated for credit.