Media Strategy

The Storytelling in the Entertainment and Media Industries course examines the various industries that utilize visual storytelling, including film, digital cinematography, creative writing, and media communications. The course familiarizes students with the different types of visual art forms, genres, scripting styles, and organizational structures that each discipline utilizes, as well as how formatting of visual art might be redesigned for transmedia impact. Students will also build a firm understanding of the various skill sets common in the visual arts industries in order to develop the skills most sought after in their prospective careers.

The Introduction to Media Communications and Technologies course provides students with a brief history and an overview of contemporary forms of media communication. Students will examine a variety of analytical and strategic perspectives while being introduced to industry-production tools and techniques. Areas of study highlight the many roles of media professionals, the media-campaign creation process, and the impact of new-media technologies. Students will learn how to make sense of the dynamic field of media communications through a critical analysis of real-world media campaigns, which will serve as a foundation to build their own media strategies.

In the Aesthetics and Theory of Communications course, students will consider the important role aesthetics plays in engaging and appealing to an audience. The course examines the theories of sight, sound, and motion as applied to the design of communication products for different media formats. Students will learn strategies for creative composition and will consider the psychological and physiological implications of images. The course also examines the differences in aesthetics across cultures and how these differences impact professional media projects.

In the New Media Tools course, students will evaluate new-media tools along with past methods and media outlets. Students will examine these communication avenues and their effectiveness. Students will explore a variety of media used in digital and online environments to accomplish course projects and further their understanding of new-media tools, including images, text, and streaming video and audio. Students will gain an understanding of the unique possibilities and challenges of new media by learning the technology, techniques, and methods of storytelling on multimedia platforms. By studying examples of existing interactive programs, students will develop strategies to solve real-world problems, which will assist them in their future media careers.

The Digital Video and Audio Production course covers the fundamental techniques and concepts of the preproduction and production processes. Students will explore the aesthetics of bringing video and audio together to create a dynamic presentation for a variety of media communications applications. The course examines scripting, treatments, visual and audio storytelling, storyboarding, editing, sound, media management, narration and industry terminology, and application.

In Project I: Media Strategy, students will apply their knowledge of current media trends and strategies to design and develop a personal brand identity. They will create a personal branding package for professional representation. Additionally, students will use storytelling techniques such as color, imagery, and visual hierarchy to deliver a story that guides a viewer’s experience.

In Portfolio I: Media Strategy, students will apply their storytelling skills to elicit an intended mood or emotional impression from their audience. Students will develop and define their professional goals and positioning in the media communications industry through their personal branding package.