Message from Bruce Sheridan, Chairperson

It is an exciting time to study moving image arts and sciences, and there is no better way to prepare for whatever new forms, approaches, and technologies the future holds than through study in the Film & Video degree programs at Columbia College Chicago. Our students are encouraged to develop a broad understanding of screen history and theory, to explore how “cinema” has evolved over the last hundred years, and to define what it will be for the next one hundred or more.

We emphasize collaboration from the time students enter the Department, first through peer teams in the Foundations Program, then in advanced production units making professional films for exhibition and distribution around the world. Self-discovery is at the heart of learning in Film & Video. Students acquire skills through direct experience within a context of intellectual inquiry, and they are encouraged to be adventurous and to take creative risks. Along the way we provide as many opportunities as possible for students to make films.

Our coursework is rigorous yet flexible enough to support exploration and growth. Students begin in the Department with compulsory foundation courses that survey history and aesthetics and focus attention on idea origination and development. Because we believe meaningful learning is experiential, students begin producing for the screen while still within the foundation curriculum by making short but increasingly sophisticated pieces in rotating teams. As they learn more about what they enjoy, Film & Video students have the option to focus on a specific discipline such as traditional or computer animation, screenwriting, producing, directing, cinematography, audio, production design, and editing.

The department uses a full range of professional film and digital origination formats and post-production workflows and has the capacity to output student films as standard or uncompressed high definition masters ready for exhibition and broadcast. Our Film Row Cinema seats 263 and can project 35 mm and 16 mm film plus all major video formats via a high definition digital system with surround sound audio.

We are at the beginning of an age when the human imagination really can be delivered to the screen in a seamless manner. Because the Columbia Animation program is inside the Film & Video Department, we are able to introduce students to the integration of live action and computer-generated imaging (CGI) and are committed to leading education in this field.

Our faculty is drawn from across the USA and around the world and represents a true mix of professional and educational experience. Full-time and part-time instructors practice what they teach and bring their knowledge and their passion to the classroom. Students receive the personalized attention needed to hone their creative, conceptual, and technical skills in environments tailored to the requirements of each course.

The Film & Video Department serves as a hub for Chicago and Illinois screencraft and through its excellent internship program is playing a key role in the rejuvenation of the local visual media. We are extremely well connected to the full range of moving image arts in Chicago, from the vibrant experimental community to large-scale industry production. In addition, we are the only film school with a permanent teaching unit on a Los Angeles lot, now located at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. This Semester in L.A. program involves five intensive weeks during which students maintain full-time Columbia status while acquiring direct experience of what it takes to make a mark in the world’s most competitive film production environment. Our active West Coast Alumni Association helps current students to benefit from the success of Columbia graduates and works closely with the Semester in L.A. administrators to ensure students have every opportunity to test themselves in a real-world environment and make crucial connections for their future careers.

Bruce Sheridan
Chairperson, Film & Video

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