Film and Digital Arts

James D. Stone, Chairperson
Department of Film and Digital Arts
CERIA, Room 370
MSC04 2570
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
(505) 277-6262, FAX (505) 277-6314

Associate Professors

Susan Dever, Ph.D., Stanford University
Nina Fonoroff, M.F.A., San Francisco Art Institute
Deborah Fort, M.F.A., San Francisco Art Institute
James D. Stone, Ph.D., University of New Mexico

Assistant Professor
Maaman Rezaeetazangi, M.F.A., Temple University

Professor of Practice
Matthew McDuffie, M.A., University of New Mexico

Principal Lecturer
Bryan Konefsky, M.F.A., University of New Mexico

Lecturer III
Peter Lisignoli, M.F.A., Duke University

Professors Emeriti
Ira Jaffe, Ph.D., University of Southern California
Ernest Rose, Ph.D., Stanford University


Introduction

The Department of Film and Digital Arts is dedicated to the study and practice of film, video, animation, and gaming as art. Students gain a rigorous foundation in aesthetics and theory, along with technical and artistic expertise in the moving image arts. Faculty and students interact productively with the state film community, creating strategic partnerships that enhance student learning and career prospects.

Department faculty are screenwriters, computer graphics experts, filmmakers, photographers, cinematographers, virtual reality pioneers, cultural theorists, and film historians. Department alumni enjoy success at renowned institutions such as Lucasfilm, Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), Google, Netflix, and Warner Bros. Many are instrumental in the growth of New Mexico’s thriving film industry.

The department also offers undergraduate minors in Animation, Film History and Criticism, Film Production, and Gaming.

Bachelor of Arts in Film and Digital Arts

The Bachelor of Arts in Film and Digital Arts (B.A.) program includes concentration study as described below.

Animation
In this concentration students will bring characters and stories to life through a range of animation techniques. Working across the disciplines, students are trained in essential animation software and skills, while taking classes in drawing, screenwriting, business practices, and video production. Acquiring a wide-ranging knowledge of aesthetics, narrative, and the digital media landscape, students become the versatile and collaborative artists that animation and film companies want to hire.

Film History and Criticism
Students study the work of great filmmakers and examine the most significant moments in cinema history. Alfred Hitchcock, the French New Wave, film comedy, science fiction, the horror film, and German Expressionism are just a few of the fascinating topics students can explore. This concentration offers a broad foundation in visual art and culture, emphasizing cinema’s aesthetic achievements and cultural contexts.

Film Production
The concentration in Film Production requires the same core classes as the B.F.A., but allows students to take more courses outside the major. This concentration allows study for students with a strong interest in another artistic field such as music, acting, photography, or electronic art.

Gaming
This concentration, created in consultation with UNM alumni employed at the world’s most prestigious gaming and special effects studios, offers the broad range of skills that tech companies are looking for. Working across the disciplines, students are trained in essential software and computer programming, while taking classes in drawing, screenwriting, business practices, and video production. Acquiring a wide-ranging knowledge of aesthetics, narrative, and the digital media landscape, students become the versatile and collaborative artists that tech companies want to hire.

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Arts (B.F.A.) program provides students with a focus on moviemaking, acquiring the technical and artistic skills to succeed on the set. The program's emphasis on screenwriting, cinematography, producing, and directing prepares students to lead and influence the creative process. The B.F.A. culminates in a yearlong capstone project in which students, working in teams, take a leading role in the creation of an original movie.


Fees

Department fees support the purchase, maintenance, and replacement of cameras, filmmaking equipment, computers, software, and film rentals and purchases.


Courses

FDMA 1210. Digital Video Production I. (3)



FDMA 1520. Introduction to Digital Media [Introduction to Film and Digital Media]. (3)



FDMA 1996. Topics. (1-3, no limit Δ)



FDMA 2110. Introduction to Film Studies. (3)



FDMA 2195. Beyond Hollywood. (3)



FDMA 2280. Topics in Videomaking. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



FDMA 2286. Activating Digital Space. (3)



FDMA 2520. Introduction to Cinematography. (3)



FDMA 2525 [MA 220]. Video Production II [Intermediate Production Workshop]. (3)



FDMA 2530. Introduction to 3D Modeling. (3)



FDMA 2610. Directing I. (3)



FDMA 2714. Introduction to Animation. (3)



FDMA 2768. Introduction to Game Development. (3)



FDMA 2996. Topics. (1-6, no limit Δ)



FDMA 300. Critical Intermediations. (3)



FDMA 302. Digital Game Design. (3)



FDMA 303. Moving Image Art. (3)



FDMA 304. Experiments in Cinema. (3)



FDMA 308 / *408. Latin American Film. (3)



FDMA 310. Writing Digital Narrative. (3)



FDMA 311. Fundamentals of Music Technology. (2-3)



FDMA 313 / *413 [313]. Avant-Garde Film History. (3)



FDMA 314 / *414 [314]. History of Animation. (3)



FDMA 324. Introduction to Screenwriting. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



FDMA 326 / *426. History of Film I. (3)



FDMA 327 / *427. History of Film II. (3)



FDMA 330. Studies in Film. (3, no limit Δ)



FDMA 331 / *431. Film Theory. (3)



FDMA 332 / *432. Documentary Film History and Theory. (3)



FDMA 334 / *434. Teen Rebels. (3)



FDMA 335 / *435. International Horror Film. (3)



FDMA 336 / *436. Images of (Wo)men. (3)



FDMA 337 / *437. Alfred Hitchcock. (3)



FDMA 339. Russian Culture and History through Film. (3)



FDMA 350. Advanced Screenwriting. (3)



FDMA 375. Producing for Film and Digital Media. (3)



FDMA 390. Topics in the Elements of Filmmaking. (3, no limit Δ)



FDMA 391. 16mm Filmmaking. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



FDMA 400. Ethics, Science and Technology. (3)



FDMA *401 [401]. Digital Post Production. (3)



FDMA *402 [402]. Documentary Film Production. (3)



FDMA *403 [403]. Advanced Game Development. (3)



FDMA *404 [404]. Advanced Animation. (3)



FDMA *405 [405]. Advanced Maya Production. (3)



FDMA *406 [406]. Virtual Reality Cinema. (3)



FDMA *407 [407]. Compositing for Visual Effects. (3)



FDMA *408 / 308. Latin American Film. (3)



FDMA *409. Advanced Video Art. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



FDMA *410 [410]. The Business and Law of Film and New Media. (3)



FDMA *411 [411]. Advanced Cinematography. (3)



FDMA 412. Fundamentals of Audio Technology. (2-3)



FDMA *413 / 313. Avant-Garde Film History. (3)



FDMA *414 / 314 [314]. History of Animation. (3)



FDMA *426 / 326. History of Film I. (3)



FDMA *427 / 327. History of Film II. (3)



FDMA *429. Topics in Production. (1-3, no limit Δ)



FDMA *430. Topics in Film History. (3, no limit Δ)



FDMA *431 / 331. Film Theory. (3)



FDMA *432 / 332. Documentary Film History and Theory. (3)



FDMA *434 / 334. Teen Rebels. (3)



FDMA *435 / 335. International Horror Film. (3)



FDMA *436 / 336. Images of (Wo)men. (3)



FDMA *437 / 337. Alfred Hitchcock. (3)



FDMA 450. Capstone I: Senior Film Projects [Capstone I: Senior Projects]. (4)



FDMA 451. Capstone II: Senior Film Projects [Capstone II: Senior Projects]. (4)



FDMA 452. Capstone I: Senior Gaming Projects. (4)



FDMA 453. Capstone II: Senior Gaming Projects. (4)



FDMA 454. Capstone I: Senior Animation Projects. (4)



FDMA 455. Capstone II: Senior Animation Projects. (4)



FDMA *485. Problems in Interdisciplinary Studies. (3 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



FDMA *487. Contemporary Interdisciplinary Topics. (3, may be repeated once Δ)



FDMA *491 [491]. Topics in Film and Digital Media. (1-3, no limit Δ)



FDMA 492. Film and Digital Arts Internship. (1-12 to a maximum of 12 Δ)



FDMA 496 / 596. Undergraduate Production Project. (1-3 to a maximum of 24 Δ)



FDMA 497 / 597. Undergraduate Independent Study. (2-3 to a maximum of 24 Δ)



FDMA 499. Honors Thesis. (3-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)



FDMA 596 / 496. Graduate Production Project. (1-3 to a maximum of 24 Δ)



FDMA 597 / 497. Graduate Independent Study. (2-3 to a maximum of 24 Δ)



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Office of the Registrar

MSC11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: (505) 277-8900
Fax: (505) 277-6809