Film & Television
In Drexel’s comprehensive and rigorous Film & Television program, we want you to tell stories.
In your first week, we will give you cameras and send you out searching. You will learn to use sound to draw in viewers and the craft of editing to connect them with characters. We will explore how stories are told by analyzing their structures, the written word, and captured images through critical studies of classic cinema and television from all over the world. You will dive into the history of the cinematic art form to understand the grammar of visual storytelling, bringing those lessons into your own work. You will have the choice to begin working on upperclassmen projects as soon as you feel ready, building contacts with peers and alumni—your first network.
And that is just the first year.
In your second year, we will develop your voice. How do you experience stories differently than your peers? You will learn to direct and produce, make your first documentary and narrative films, and work in the TV studio and field. To expand your worldview and explore international cinematic traditions, you will have the opportunity to take advantage of our special study abroad programs. At the end of the year, you will present your reel to faculty and have the chance to spend the following three months working in Los Angeles through our Drexel in LA program.
Six months of your junior year will be spent on Co-op, working professionally in your chosen field. Our students have worked in LA, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Scotland, and Aruba. When back on Drexel’s campus, you will focus on large-scale productions by crewing on TV series and low-budget projects taught in our Microbudget Cinema course. You will be fully immersed in electives that teach color correction, visual effects, sound, editing, Steadicam, and our top-of-the-line ARRI Alexa, ARRI Amira, and RED Epic cameras.
Finally, in your senior year, you will combine everything you’ve learned and make your senior project. This could be a short film, a documentary, TV series pilot, music video, or commercial. If you decide you’d like to be a cinematographer, editor or producer, you can shoot, edit or produce three other senior projects instead of directing your own. You will take the Creative Careers course and cut your reel, prepare rates, explore limited liability companies (LLCs) and insurance to prepare you for success after graduation. Drexel’s data shows that over 90% of our graduates are working in the industry or are in graduate school within one year of graduation.
The film and television industries generate over 300 billion dollars in revenue annually. Our graduates enter an exciting landscape where companies like Amazon, Netflix and Apple showcase hundreds of new movies, drama and comedy series, and documentaries; YouTube, Disney and PlayStation have their own streaming networks; and independent artists can introduce content to larger audiences using new technologies and distribution outlets. The boundaries between feature films and television have blurred, and the industry needs your stories, your talent, and your voice.
Program Opportunities
- Drexel in LA: Students from Film & Television, Screenwriting & Playwriting, Digital Media and related programs can spend an entire summer term taking classes and pursuing internships at the center of the entertainment universe.
- Off Campus: Drexel's award-winning original sitcom, now in its 10th season, is written and produced by students in the Cinema & Television department. With recent airings on the CW Philly, Off Campus is the closest experience a student can find to working on an actual network sitcom set.
- Co-op: Westphal College students spend a minimum of six months (two terms) working in positions that allow them to apply classroom and studio skills to hands-on experience within their chosen professions. Film & Television students have spent their Co-op term with NFL Films, the 2018 Winter Olympics, Saturday Night Live, HBO, MTV News, CBS Television, Disney, Lionsgate Films, and more. Learn more.
- Study Abroad: Film & Television majors may take advantage of program-specific study abroad experiences, including new Intensive Courses Abroad in Cuba specializing in Film Sound or Documentary Filmmaking.
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