Since the inception of the Massachusetts Film Tax Credit Law in 2006, a valuable tax incentive for the film industry, there has been a boom of Hollywood production companies shooting major feature films in Boston. Six big-budget movies brought to Boston A-list celebrities such as Steve Martin, Morgan Freeman, Cameron Diaz, Brad Pitt, and Sean Williams. One film recently shot in Boston, The Departed, won an Academy Award for Best Picture. But this incentive is not just for big Hollywood moguls. With the spending threshold lowered and with digital media projects now eligible, Massachusetts has extended the benefits of the film tax credit to thousands of small, locally based independent production companies and documentary filmmakers, recognizing their role as key elements of our creative economy.
Placement opportunities for students in Film and Media Studies are available in a wide range of areas. Internship placements may include documentary research, multimedia content development, writing or editing, advertising, public relations, arts management, tourism, film preservation or production, casting agencies, and film commissions or bureaus.
Fun Facts:
- Uma Thurman, daughter of Robert Thurman and Nena Thurman, was born in Boston. Uma's father was the first American to be ordained a Tibetan Buddhist monk; her mother is a Swedish psychotherapist and former Vogue model.
- Love Story, a famous romantic drama from 1970, has Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal as students in love at Harvard University.
- The Spencer for Hire series was written by BU alumnus Robert B. Parker (GRS '59, '71), and is about a private detective who has an office in Boston and does most of his sleuthing in the Boston area. It was later made into a TV show and a few made-for-TV movies.
Summer 1: Courses (May 18-June 26, 2009)
You'll spend your first six weeks of the Summer Study Internship Program taking two courses chosen from select offerings in film and media.
Summer 2: Internship (July 6-August 14, 2009)
For the second six weeks of the program, you'll be placed as an intern in a Boston area organization or business that matches your interests and experience. You should expect to work a minimum of 35 hours a week, for five days a week.
Summer Study Internship Course (May 22-August 11, 2009)
The Summer Study Internship Course begins in Summer 1 and continues into August. 2 cr.
The courses below were available in Summer 2008. Check back on December 15 for an updated list of classes for Summer 2009.
Film and Media Studies Summer 1 Courses (pick two):
CAS HI 380 American Popular Culture: Film and Humor
An exploration of the connection between social change and the comic in American culture in the twentieth century. Literary, oral, and filmic materials provide the basis for analysis and discussion. 4 cr.
CAS SO 345 Film and Society
Prereq: An introductory sociology course or consent of instructor. Several film styles (ethnographic, documentary, social commentary, and narrative) are examined using sociological perspectives drawing from social phenomenology, social construction, ethnomethodology, and semiotics. Students undertake critical commentary and analysis of selected films. 4 cr.
CAS WS 114 Women, Society, and Culture: Humanities
Voices and visions of women writers and filmmakers. Considers
how women's artistic productions contribute to understanding the
social, cultural, and political history of women. 4 cr.
CFA FA 501 Art Criticism: From the Old Medial to the New (online course)
Since the late eighteenth century, criticism of the arts has been featured in general circulation newspapers and magazines. Today, cultural and economic forces are endangering that tradition of public cultural discussion. Increasingly, the mainstream media is curtailing the column inches it reserves for serious reviews of the fine arts. This class is dedicated to keeping critical thinking about the arts alive today. Students will explore the history of journalistic reviewing while also learning the craft. By bringing critical skills into the realm of blogs, websites, and podcasting, the class will be on the cutting edge of new journalism, exploring the direction public dialogue about the arts will take in the future.
COM CM 301 Principles and Practices of Public Relations
Introduction to origins, scope, and principles of professional
practice. Covers the theories, strategies, and tactics used in
public relations programs for corporate, governmental, and nonprofit
institutions. Focuses on ethical decision making in researching
problems, setting objectives, identifying audiences, designing
messages, choosing communication channels, and evaluating results.
Examines opportunities and requirements for work in the field.
4 cr.
COM CM 331 Writing for Mass Communication
Explores writing style and formats, including readability, clarity, crispness, color, and flow, for news releases, editorials, speeches, features, profiles, and scripts. Lead writing, editing, and interviewing also covered. Weekly writing assignments and rewriting. Develops ability to write publishable copy for varied audiences using basic formats. 4 cr.
COM CM 441 Media Relations
Prereq: COM CM 301 and CM 331. Students study a variety of publicity tactics (news conferences, feature placements, special events, and media tours) which they combine into publicity campaign plans. The class involves lectures, in-class discussion, video cases, and individual take-home cases. Students are encouraged to plan most campaigns in their area of interest (e.g., business, arts, sports, and politics). Meets with COM CM 742. 4 cr.
COM FT 543 TV Comedy
The American television situation comedy has been an enormously popular and powerful art form. This course is an historical analysis of the medium, tracing the growth and changes from the beginnings in the late 1940s up to the present times. We study the genre to see how it both influenced American life and was influenced by it. 4 cr.
COM FT 553 Special Topic: Hollywood Genre
What does it mean for a film to belong to a genre? This course will examine the concept of genre as it moves from production to distribution to reception. We will examine genres such as: the western, the slapstick comedy, the screwball comedy, the dark comedy, the gangster film, the musical, and the war film. 4 cr.
COM FT 553 Special Topic: Hong Kong Cinema
A study of the Hong Kong film industry after World War II, including discussions of major genres and trends, and how they reflected the political climate prior to and after the shift from British to Chinese rule in 1997. Students will examine the influential work of filmmakers such as the Shaw Brothers, King Hu, Raymond Chow, Tsui Hark, Ann Hui, Stanley Kwan, John Woo, and Wong- Kar Wai. 4 cr.
COM JO 514 Sports Journalism
A specialized writing course for students interested in a career in sports journalism. Covers game stories, features, columns, and profiles, as well as examining sport as a commercial enterprise. 4 cr.
MET HI 395 Film and History
Examines the ways that historians work in varied media: books, essays, feature films, and documentary films. Pursues the varied histories of past events and eras in American history, analyzing how writers and film-makers develop a narrative approach to events, time periods, or individuals' lives. Also looks not only at history in film but also at the history of film and its development as an artistic and cultural expression during the twentieth century. Considers the ways that films are themselves cultural artifacts of the time in which they were produced: what movies tell us about American values, myths, and character at a particular point in time and how the requirements of a particular film genre affect the cultural information it presents. 4 cr.
MET PS 295 Psychology of Film: Images of Madness
Classic feature films (1920s to the present) portraying mental illness are considered from both cinematic and psychosocial perspectives. The public image of madness on the big screen is related to clinical concepts and practices current during the period of the film. 4 cr.
