Course Description

CTV 7010 Film Production I (3 units)

This course is designed to immerse students in all aspects of digital filmmaking. Students will come up with ideas and develop them into shooting scripts. They will then learn to do pre-production work and execute the production using digital audio-visual medium as a form of expression. During production, students will learn the basics of directing, acting, cinematography and lighting, audio recording, art direction and simple post-production techniques, etc. However, emphasis of this introductory course will be placed in visual story telling (i.e. non-verbal). By the end of the semester, students should be able to do cinematic story telling using film language adopted by classical cinema.

CTV 7020 Television Studio Production (3 units)

To enhance students’ critical responsibilities as required for the complex task of TV directing. This studio workshop provides students with intensive hands-on experience in the advanced techniques of multi-camera television production, including the equipment involved, the personnel and their functions, and decision-making procedures that constitute the producing and directing a variety of multi-camera TV programmes. The course aims to develop students’ ability to carry out the various phases in the production of a television package at an advanced level. Students gain extensive operation experience in a television studio environment with evaluations of their work by the instructors.

*Revised course description effective from 2024-25 intake will be updated in due course*

CTV 7040 Film Production II (3 units)

This course is a continuation of CTV7010 and focuses on advancing students’ ability to produce films in both technical and creative aspects. Students will develop new ideas for a shooting script and execute the production using various forms of expression. While narrative film and classical cinema are the dominant force, students are also encouraged to explore and experiment other forms of filmmaking in this course. However, along production, students will be exposed to the fundamentals of cinema studies so that an MFA student will also possess basic understanding of film literacy, especially in its Form and Style. Equipped with both technical and aesthetic knowledge, students will be able to differentiate themselves from a mere industry practitioner. This training will eventually help them towards becoming an artist or auteur.

CTV 7050 Advanced Television Studio Production (3 units)

This advanced studio workshop provides the background knowledge, theory, and instruction of practical skills that are required for producing television programs of professional standard. The course aims to help students explore useful information about the technical, logistical, and aesthetic aspects of television production. It will enable each student to understand that any thorough preparation is necessary for an effective production. In due course, the students will gradually benefit from a heightened sense of awareness of pursuing harmonious collaboration within the television production team. Emphasis is placed on production of formatted television programmes of particular popular genres. The students will be trained in the areas of pre-production, planning, organization and execution of a multi-camera program under time-constrained studio conditions.

CTV 7070 Media Management (3 units)

This seminar aims to establish a firm foundation of business and management skills for specialized career training in the media industry. The roles and skills of a media producer are examined, and the proper procedures for production management from project initiation to completion are analyzed in detail.

CTV 7081 MFA Thesis Project I (3 units)

CTV 7082 MFA Thesis Project II (6 units)

Prerequisite: Year 3 standing and completion of the followings:

a) Thesis delivered as a film production:
        CTV 7150 Dramatic Film/TV Production   (3 units); and
        CTV 7170      Advanced Dramatic Film/TV Production (3 units); and
        Either one of the following courses:
        CTV 7140 Seminar on Documentary Films   (3 units)
        CTV 7160      Documentary Film Production   (3 units)

b) Thesis delivered as a work of scriptwriting:
      CTV 7110 Advanced Script Writing (3 units); and
        CTV 7130 Comedy: Theory and Practice   (3 units); and
        CTV 7440 Television Drama Writing   (3 units)

c) Thesis delivered as a work of digital media:
      CTV 7430 Visual Effects   (3 units); and
      Any two prerequisite courses in the list; and
        Intensive Digital Media Workshop(s) (non-credit bearing) with satisfactory grade

This year-long course engages the student in supervised independent production or creative work. On the first Monday of May and December each year, the student writes and submits a proposal to the Programme Management Committee. A chief adviser is assigned to the student upon approval of the proposal. For detail requirement please refer to the MFA Programme Document.

CTV 7100 Script Writing (3 units)

This is an intensive writing class. Through different writing assignments, basic narrative elements of story, plot, character, action, continuity, rhythm, ellipses and dialogue will be thoroughly reviewed. The students will be encouraged to develop advanced writing techniques for writing different kinds of script in different contexts or environments.

CTV 7110 Advanced Script Writing (3 units)

The student will undergo the creative process of a full script and share with fellow scriptwriters all the fear and joy of creation. The teacher will be more a facilitator than an instructor. At the end of the course, each student will finish a half hour script that is ready for production.

CTV 7120 Creativity Workshop (3 units)

Creativity is a habit, a choice. The class is a balance between survey of creativity and the practices of the enhancement of creativity. The first part is a seminar of several contemporary texts on creativity. The students conduct the discussions themselves. The second part is creative activity. Through a series of exercises, this workshop enable the participants to get out of their routines, in their creative process, in their approach to course matter, in their way of seeing, as well as in their attitude towards life. This workshop stresses spontaneity, improvisation, participation, and most important of all, open-mindedness. There are valuable tools for expanding the students’ creativity, solving problems, finding and eliminating creative blocks, and focusing on essential elements of any project. The in-class activities include creative problem solving, brainstorming, mind-mapping, drawing from the right side of the brain, free-writing, role-play, etc.

CTV 7130 Comedy: Theory and Practice (3 units)

This course introduces students to essential theories of comedy, and applies them to discuss a variety of genre, plays, films, jokes, comics, etc. The students will select several cases to conduct in-depth studies. The creation and writing of comedy will be the major activity of the second half of the class.

CTV 7140 Seminar on Documentary Films (3 units)

This seminar series explores the development of all forms of documentary, and contemporary issues and problems surrounding the form, which are placed within the context of different genres, modes of production, and the work of particular directors and producers. The course also seeks to encourage a flexible, alert and adventurous approach to documentary across a range of genres, and to consider the philosophical and practical issues which inform historical and current practice.

CTV 7150 Dramatic Film / Television Production (3 units)

The class examines the director’s responsibilities in preparing pre-shooting script breakdowns and working on the set. Students gain hands-on experience in advanced production techniques, with the emphasis on pre-production planning, scripting, camera operations, lighting, audio, and post-production. Students develop and produce original short-course film/TV that applies the principles learned through lectures, film screenings and from guest speakers.

CTV 7160 Documentary Film Production (3 units)

Defining the central role of the director in the realization of a documentary, this course seeks to give students a firm theoretical grasp of the principles and practices of shooting and editing film/video documentaries. Students conceptualize, research, write, shoot, and edit their own productions. A series of lectures and discussions explore various visual elements of documentary. Analytical sessions exploring documentary films are combined with workshops for the presentation and discussion of student work in progress at specific stages.

CTV 7170 Advanced Dramatic Film / Television Production (3 units)

An advanced workshop giving special attention to directing. This workshop provides guidance and study through all the steps a director follows. Students will utilize skills and concepts developed in CTV 4150 Postgraduate Dramatic Film/TV Production. Coursework is designed to provide students with a workshop opportunity to refine their skills through the production of a series of individual/group narrative film projects, in which each student has an opportunity to direct, shoot, record, and edit. Advanced aesthetic principles of editing are examined through all forms of classic and current film and TV media. Lectures are supplemented by film screenings and stimulated shooting situations.

CTV 7220 World Cinema: History and Aesthetics (3 units)

This course is designed to serve as an advanced introduction to the discipline of film studies. Emphasis will be placed on learning rudiments of film art, form, style and history. Highlights include basic film elements, early and modern art cinema, classical Hollywood cinema, national cinemas, counter cinema, non-Western cinema such as Third World filmmaking and non-fiction film practices such as avant-garde and documentary film. By the end of the programme, the student is expected to understand the history of cinema as a formal, artistic, industrial, cultural and political entity.

CTV 7230 Seminar on Chinese Cinemas (3 units)

This seminar looks at the textual and institutional features of Chinese cinemas, including those from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. Close studies of their conventions and innovative developments will be emphasized. With regard to some trend-setting movements and films, students will be prompted to investigate, discuss and analyze a wide range of issues. Class discussion will revolve around the differences and similarities of the industries, audiences, auteurist styles and cultural politics. Some essential topics on the New Wave movements of Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China will be given special attention.

CTV 7240 Film Theory and Criticism (3 units)

This course is designed to acquaint students with contemporary film theory and criticism. It has two focuses. The first is to survey film theory and criticism chronologically, from the post-war period to the full-fledged development of film studies in the late 1970s. The second focus is to guide students through the application of key theories and critical tools in film studies. Various methods of film analysis and criticism will be discussed in detail, including realism, auteur criticism, ideology, cine-modernism, Third World cinema and third cinema, psychoanalysis, feminist film criticism, postmodernism and Orientalism. At the end of the programme, students are expected to be familiar with the disciplinary protocols of film studies and capable of analysing a film critically, understand it as a formal construct, and place it within a broader theoretical, generic, political, gendered, national and cross-cultural context.

CTV 7540 Seminar on Television and New Media (3 units)

This seminar series explores the expertise and professionalism of the Television and New Media industry in the Chinese speaking regions. It is designed to allow the students to share their opinions, experiences, and reflections on television and new platforms, with the major professionals in the industry invited. Controversial issues of media culture, programming battle, market competition; audience reception, new technology, and transnational-co-production are discussed.

CTV 7260 Hong Kong Media and Globalization (3 units)

The course explores the Hong Kong media, with an emphasis on cinema and television, in its social-historical context from 30s to the present. Its impact on both Asian and global media and community will be thoroughly examined. Attention will be paid to the processes and patterns of change of Hong Kong media industries as a major shaping force of globalization.

CTV 7270 Current Issues of Asian Media (3 units)

Guests from the Asian media industry will be invited to share their work and experiences with advanced students, which will be followed by relevant discussions on major issues of Asian media. The relationship between politics, aesthetics, technology, and media market will be investigated through various current cases.

CTV 7290 Critique of Contemporary Arts (3 units)

This team-taught course will introduce students the critical issues and works of contemporary art and their impact on Western and world culture. Students will be required to analyze works produced during the recent movements of futurism, constructivism, modernism, and postmodernism and explore the relationships among form, process, perception and intention through the artists’ works. Students will make two oral reports on pre-assigned topics and submit a term paper in relation to the art movement they study.

CTV 7300 Seminar on Great Works and Human Condition (3 units)

This seminar is designed so that the student artists share their reading, watching, listening experiences of and reflections on selected great works of humanity. The first few weeks are for lectures. The nature of great works and their insights on the human condition will be discussed. The remaining weeks are presentations conducted by the students themselves. Epics, dramas, novels, poetry, non-fictions, paintings, calligraphies, music, architectures, gardens, cites, cultural artifacts, and other significant human creations may all be included. Issues of life’s mystery, its origin, meaning, and finality as well as cruelty of the plain fact of humanity and reality will be discussed.

CTV 7310 Independent Study (3 units)

Self-motivated students may enroll in this course with a plan of independent project for the benefit of their professional development. Each student may explore any issue in the form of theoretical inquiry or creative production in any area of film and digital media studies. Under the supervision of a faculty member, the student will be required to develop and materialize the plan of study. As soon as each project commences, the student will need to clarify the project aims and objectives, schedule, and the number of contact hours with the faculty (at least one meeting every two weeks is required). This course may be available once every semester.

CTV 7330 Internship (3 units)

The internship is normally of at least two months’ full-time employment, and students are required to conform to all reasonable requirements of their internship employer. Both the employer and the student file reports with the Academy of Film after the internship. Based on the reports, the student’s journal and an oral presentation, the internship is assessed.

CTV 7360 Idea, Story, Script (3 units)

The course juxtaposes the creative process of script writing with the discussions of the film texts of significant films from various genres and cultures. The creative process from idea generation to script writing will be introduced. The students will discuss how the film expresses issues concerning humanity with its story, plot, characters, and audio-visual elements. The fundamentals of filmic narrative and elements of drama will be thoroughly reviewed.

CTV 7370 Cinematography for Directors (3 units)

This course aims at providing the knowledge needed for both technical and non-technical oriented students to express themselves as directors or screen writers in visual terms. Students will learn to appreciate the art and the practical use of cinematography in filmmaking. Students of director and screen writer will be trained to incorporate cinematic apparatus in their creative works to different extends according to their technical orientation. For non-technical oriented student, more emphasis will be placed on the analytical appreciation and application of the art and craft.

CTV 7380 Dramaturgy and Directing (3 units)

This course aims at providing structured training in writing and directing for contemporary motion picture formats, namely feature films, TV dramas, “webisodes” and “micro movies”, etc. Through lectures and hands-on exercises, students will be able to identify the needed ingredients of a popular (commercially successful) narrative work. They will be able to apply that knowledge in their personal creative work. Students will learn to analyze a screenplay; break down the action beats; and treat the material with cinematic pacing in mind. Students will be more familiar with the production protocols and the film industry in general. Through in-class practices they will be able to handle professional actors and pull out better performance from nonprofessional talent as well through audition and rehearsal. As the camera and imaging is the essential of motion pictures, use of camera and visual elements in general will be addressed throughout the course. Writing students will benefit from this course’s analysis of “great” scripts and directing approaches.

CTV 7400 Explorations in Digital Media (3 units)

This course aims to broaden the students’ scope of digital media in the areas of cinematic applications, art and design and equip them with proper knowledge. It will also help the students find out more of their creative potentials when they are encouraged, guided and inspired to make use of the digital media. While familiarizing with the media as expressive and narrative tools, the students will also get used to the latest models of software and understand the emerging trends in relation to the most influential global advancement of digital technology.

CTV 7410 Digital Media Production (3 units)

This production course revolves around the innovative uses of graphics and sound in create ventures for time-based multimedia output. It engages students in creative multimedia productions with authoring digital applications of industry standard. Imagery processing tools and basic animation techniques will be taught. Students will be guided to focus on project designs in the areas of motion graphics and animation to meet the needs of the fast changing industry of the digital age. Students will also be required to put learning into practice by applying their production management know-how in their course works.

CTV 7420 Basic Acting Techniques (3 units)

This is an introductory course on acting techniques. Training in acting begins with basic techniques such as imitation, imagination, and observation. The second part of the course will focus on the Stanislavski system, and the psychological approach in acting will be introduced. Students will be engaged in role-playing in various scenes, and will be able to communicate with each other in the creative process of acting and role development.

CTV 7430 Visual Effects (3 units)

This course aims to examine the art and techniques of creating visual effects for broadcast, webcast and filmmaking. It covers a wide range of topics including the visual-effects workflow, digital technology, image processing, creating mattes, motion tracking, realistic compositing, and motion graphics. It also aims to groom the students as professionals to meet the industrial standards. Therefore, the students are required to observe the commercial and business procedures while planning and creating the special effects. Masterpieces and inspirational state-of-art works will be presented and discussed.

CTV 7440 Television Drama Writing (3 units)

This is an intensive writing workshop. After the introductory lectures, all students will be divided into groups. Each group will work together as a team, and subsequently comes up with a TV drama proposal to be presented in class. Fundamental issues of TV drama writing will be taught in class while the students will reflect, discuss and share on their creative projects as well. Each student will participate as a team member and contribute a part of the write-up for the group project. A final project will be assessed both individually and as a term-end production.

CTV 7450 Alternative Cinema (3 units)

This course will examine an array of alternative films and new art forms evolved from or related to a cinema. It aims to boost up the students’ creative and critical faculties through screening and studying inspiring and/or outraging films they rarely have a chance to see. Through systematic reviews of three major types of alternative cinema (experimental, cult, and exploitation films), this course questions traditional aesthetics and mores. It will also explore how film morphs and functions in video art, new media and the Internet. The students will be required to watch a lot of films and some related masterpieces of media arts, and they will also be engaged in critical inquiry of these creative works after completing some reading assignments. It will broaden the students’ vista and enable them to talk about influential works of film and media art in a more open and critical way.

CTV 7460 Film and Other Arts (3 units)

The course aims to enlighten the students in the area of film aesthetics with contemporary insights, traditional values, and interdisciplinary cultural perspectives. It looks at the screen relationship between film and other art forms such as architecture, multi-media installation, costume design, theatrical performance, painting, sculpture, photography, music, etc.. It posits film as a relatively younger art form that used to pose a challenge to the other arts. Nowadays, film remains as a vibrant medium which continues to raise anew socio-cultural issues. Each student will be guided to understand film art in the context of changes through history and contemporary challenges for a new way to reread film culture. During this course, students will be invited to consider questions of aesthetics, form, style, time and narrative, screen space and spectacle, representation, the relationship between art and reality, etc. Through lectures, case studies, experiential learning activities and interactive surveys, each student will be prompted to investigate, discuss and share their theoretical propositions as well as personal creative portfolios.

CTV 7470 Special Topics - Professional Development I (3 units)

This course will be offered flexibly to enhance student learning in film, television and digital media studies so as to meet timely needs of the students. Bringing in industry professionals and experts locally, nationally or internationally, it aims to inspire the students and train them a wide range of crafts for career preparation and creative work finishing. Students can enroll in this course multiple times under different subtitles.

CTV 7480 Special Topics - Aesthetics and Appreciation I (3 units)

CTV 7490 Sound Design for Media (3 units)

This course aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the creative potential of sound in media. Based on practical exercises, the course offers a structured practical introduction to the skills and disciplines of film sound recording, post-production, and in-depth familiarization with the recording and editing of digital audio. Students will master the skills of recording, editing and mixing for film, television and internet by working on assigned projects, combining all ADR, Foley, Dialog, and Effects elements in the composite soundtrack.

CTV 7500 Film and Literature (3 units)

Film and literature are two vastly different forms of media and artistic creations. Yet, they often intertwine, influence and nourish one another. This course sets its foundation on theories in humanities and the dual perspectives of sensibility and rational analysis, in order to reflect on both film and literature. This course explores the close relationship of film and literature through appreciating and critiquing their various representations and impacts. By studying Asian and international films and literary works, students will understand the nature of films and literature, as well as the diverse forms of creations from different regions and of different creative media. The goal of this course is to enhance students' appreciation and interpretation of the aesthetics and art, enrich their creative thinking and vision.

CTV 7510 Advertising Fundamentals and Promotional Film Production (3 units)

The course will help students understand the basic principles and theories of advertising, the scope and limits of persuasive communication, the basic technical knowhow of promotional film production. Students will learn about the theories and components in the process of persuasive communication, the differences between various types of promotional films, creativity versus effectiveness, and specific techniques in commercial production. At the end of this course, students should be able to create a promotional film from concept to final product.

CTV 7520 Special Topics – Aesthetics and Appreciation II (3 units)

This course will be offered flexibly to enhance student learning in film, television, and digital media studies so as to meet timely needs of the students. Bringing in scholars and experts locally, nationally or internationally, it aims to inspire the students with a wide range of topics. Students can enroll in this course multiple times under different subtitles.

CTV 7530 Special Topics – Professional Development II (3 units)

This course will be offered flexibly to enhance student learning in film, television and digital media studies so as to meet timely needs of the students. Bringing in industry professionals and experts locally, nationally or internationally, it aims to inspire the students and train them in a wide range of crafts for career preparation and creative work finishing. Students can enroll in this course multiple times under different subtitles.

Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media