Courses

This course explores the concepts and foundations of video game theory. Students study and discuss examples of video games that successfully captivate a player through story, engage the user through intuitive controls and interface direction, as well as showcase an integration of art and style to accomplish a satisfying polished user-experience. Students develop knowledge through reading, viewing, and studying the principles of game design such as intuitive direction, narrative-based progression, objective-based reward systems, etc.

An introduction to digital film making tools, techniques and basic housekeeping skills needed for animators to work in a digital environment. This is a hands-on course designed to give students immediate access to basic film editing, as well as project and media management techniques that they will be using over the next four years in DMA.
Prerequisite: Declared major in animation or computer science - digital media track

This course is a hands-on survey class focusing on the fundamental tools and underlying principles used in the production of frame-by-frame animation. Students will be exposed to using flipbooks, clay, cameras and a variety of traditional and organic animation media. This course serves as an introduction to the art of making animation, the 12 established principles of animation and the inherent challenges of combining traditional media with digital technology.
Prerequisite: Declared major in animation

This course is a media literacy course rooted in the past century of live-action filmmaking, visual storytelling and frame-by-frame animation. Students will explore the works of twentieth-century authors, playwrights, poets and mythologists. Students will also examine the evolution of technology, content, style and establish viewpoints from the early part of the twentieth century through the current offerings posted daily on the internet. The goal of this class is to equip students with an understanding of the history and methods of visual language that will enable them to integrate their faith and values as they engage in the heavily saturated culture of media and to appreciate the potentially powerful impact of positive media.

To educate both the general public and students on the current and future use of unmanned aerial vehicles (commonly known as drones) through proper flight technique and federal protocol.

This class introduces students to creative exploration using 2D digital drawing, painting and illustration applications, tools and techniques for animation students.
Prerequisites: Declared major in animation; or AR 111, 241I, 241ID, and 241P

An introduction to digital filmmaking tools and production techniques. Students shoot moving images, record sound, manipulate images with industry standard software tools and practice non-linear editing techniques to tell stories. Students conceive and structure projects, organize source materials and export digital film elements in preparation for more complex projects in later courses. Students will earn credit working on upper level films and other multi-media projects.

Proper voice recording, sound effects, microphone and Foley pit techniques along with field and studio lighting are addressed. This course further refines audio and digital media techniques both in the field and studio environment. Students will earn credit working on upper division films and other assigned multi-media projects.
Prerequisite: DM 155

Students are exposed to a variety of concepts needed for basic motion design and compositing. Hands-on assignments will cover a broad spectrum of topics, including motion design basics, typography, green screen removal, color correction and special effects.
Prerequisites: DM 105; or AR 241I, 241ID and 241P

An introduction to the 3D graphic production environment. This course provides students with the basic tools they can use to explore 3D animation software interface and give them opportunity to practice the techniques of modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging and animating to execute a range of simple to moderately complex 3D scenes.
Prerequisites: DM 105; or AR 241I, 241ID and 241P

This foundational class explores the user interface (UI) experience within a video game. Students gain an introduction to the world of beginner coding and functions within the game engine software as well as using Microsoft Visual Studio to create cause and effect function scripting. Students learn how to initiate actions such as menus, player health bar, high score counters, progress and experience bars, magic gauges, etc. Students focus primarily on the programmable aspects of game engine integration through the lens of the UI elements.
Prerequisites: CS 111 and DM 102

This course is designed to acquaint students with the field of communication - both the mass media of radio, television, films and cable, and new interactive digital media and information services. Focus will be divided between radio broadcasting and television productions, as students will compose audio productions and perform live on either the school's radio station or internet station twice during the first semester and compose video productions throughout the second semester. Students will be introduced to media as increasingly integrated and converging elements of a global information society.
This is a concurrent course offered at local area high schools. May be counted as an elective in the television production major.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the field of communication - both the mass media of radio, television, films and cable, and new interactive digital media and information services. Focus will be divided between radio broadcasting and television productions, as students will compose audio productions and perform live on either the school's radio station or internet station twice during the first semester, and compose video productions throughout the second semester. Students will be introduced to media as increasingly integrated and converging elements of a global information society.
This is a concurrent course offered at local area high schools. May be counted as an elective in the television production major.

This course is designed to acquaint students with the field of communication - both the mass media of radio, television, films and cable, and new interactive digital media and information services. Focus will be divided between radio broadcasting and television productions, as students will compose audio productions and perform live on either the school's radio station or internet station twice during the first semester, and compose video productions throughout the second semester. Students will be introduced to media as increasingly integrated and converging elements of a global information society.
This is a concurrent course offered at local area high schools. May be counted as an elective in the television production major.

Students gain practical experience in broadcast media by participating in the operation of a student radio station and creating radio programming.
This is a concurrent course offered at local area high schools. May be counted as an elective in the television production major.

Students gain practical experience in broadcast media by participating in the operation of a student radio station and creating radio programming.
This is a concurrent course offered at local area high schools. May be counted as an elective in the television production major.

Students gain practical experience in broadcast media by participating in the operation of a student television station and creating television programming.
This is a concurrent course offered at local area high schools. May be counted as an elective in the television production major.

Students gain practical experience in broadcast media by participating in the operation of a student television station and creating television programming.
This is a concurrent course offered at local area high schools. May be counted as an elective in the television production major.

Storyboard and Concept Design are central to the art form and industry of animation. Many of these processes cross over into comics, graphic novels, game design and even live-action filmmaking. In this class, we will explore the principles of designing strong characters and telling rich stories through the lens of an animation camera. By the end of the semester, each student will have a sketchbook full of story ideas and at least one fully developed concept that could serve as the basis for a short animated film.
Prerequisite: DM 150

The art of assembling images and sound to tell compelling stories for film and television will be explored in this course. Students further develop skills and vocabulary in editing with the latest industry software. Basic 2D motion graphics for video editors is introduced as students create titles, credits, compositing, animation of still images and graphic elements and basic colorization.
Prerequisite: DM 155

This course is an immersion into the 2D digital studio using one of the industry's most powerful production tools. By combining the principles of traditionally drawn animation with the tools of digital technology, this course hopes to broaden students' understanding of 2D animation while systematically exploring the different aspects of the 2D animation production pipeline and its practiced workflows. Although the focus is not purely on technology and software, a solid understanding of the digital tools will be required to meet the creative challenges of the course.
Prerequisite: DM 110

This course explores the fundamentals and processes of sprite design and motion. Students choose to complete assignments by using premade sprite sheet asses or by creating their own. Students learn the processes of texture packing, animation theory, setup, preparation, and implementation as they gain experience connecting a series of actions into programmable character sprites that control speed, collisions, gravity, jump force, etc.
Prerequisite: DM 180

This course provides an introduction to the principles of radio broadcasting and commercial voiceover, with emphasis given to technique and style for broadcast radio. Students will practice creative and technical skills in digital multi-track audio production by producing audio voiceover projects, including programming for WQHU-LP 105.5 FM.

This course provides a historical overview of the development of cinema.
Prerequisites: DM 115 and declared major in Digital Media Arts

This course is the intersection of craft and story where the professional emphasis on production design is front and center using the fundamentals of sight, sound, and motion. Theoretical "real world" experiences are explored through a production process. The class moves from basics to fundamentals in significant ways with an in-depth investigation into the visual components of space, line and shape, color, tone, movement, and rhythm.
Prerequisite: DM 205

This course provides an overview of sports storytelling and production. Emphases are placed on preproduction/production for multi-camera live sports broadcasts, announcing, and aesthetics for field production. Students will gain professional experience streaming Huntington University home athletic events.
Prerequisite: DM 155

Students develop storytelling skills through the planning and acquisition of visual and auditory elements of cinematic images and sound design. Students will earn credit working on upper level films and other assigned multi-media projects.
Prerequisite: DM 250

Students will learn basic principles of on-camera presentation and creating an authentic character/personality. Emphasis is on commercial/industrial work, news presentation, and self-taping.
Identical with TH 271.

This class focuses on advanced 3D design and modeling and techniques as well as mid-level animation and rigging techniques. By studying good character design, students will design and model their own characters. Students will also spend some time with animation assignments geared toward gaining a deeper understanding of the animation workflow in Maya. This class will give students the skill set to begin developing portfolio projects as well as the skills needed for the more advance 3D classes.
Prerequisite: DM 178

This introduction to television studio production includes camera, control room, stage lighting, and crew positions for television broadcasting, production, and off-line editing. Students direct, write, and produce short interview and variety show programming.
Prerequisite: DM 155

Practicum in some aspect of digital media arts designed to give student practical, directed experience.
Prerequisite: Consent

This course is designed to expose students to stop motion animation in a variety of forms. Students will participate in weekly assignments to develop an advanced sense of timing and character. Students will also be exposed to the craft of stop motion animation by learning basic camera, lighting and rigging techniques. Students will also design and fabricate a mid-level fully articulate stop motion puppet.
Prerequisite: DM 210

A class devoted to the initial concept process, exposure to industry professionals, as well as an instruction in developing individual aesthetics, styles and artistic voices, all within the context of digital media arts. Students will learn to develop the look of a production through research, planning, design, experimentation and refinement. Students also have the opportunity to interact with guest speakers and ask them questions about their work and professional experience.
Prerequisites: DM 150 and 178

This course builds on the concepts from the previous semester. Students learn how to integrate assets into the game engine software and properly connect them to the environment. Item interaction is the focal point with design and implementation of how a user interacts with programmed events, material gathering, and item collecting within the world.
Prerequisite: DM 225

This course is designed to help students discover and develop their storytelling gifts and an authentic voice. Students learn techniques specific to writing and conceptualizing original material for the screen. Writing skills, specific storytelling forms and industry norms in professional concept development and screenwriting are developed.
Prerequisite: DM 155

This course serves as an in-depth continuation exploring character animation methods as briefly introduced in DM 110. Student will develop an advanced understanding of the 12 principles of animation with an emphasis placed on arcs, staging, timing, easing in and out, as well as secondary action and overlapping. Students will choose to study these concepts in character animation depending on their interests and skill level as it relates to the production workflow.
Prerequisites: DM 178 and 210

Understanding Cinema provides students with a solid foundation for reading film as a powerful narrative storytelling medium through the lens of film history. This course focuses on film analysis and provides students with the tools and understanding they need to become perceptive viewers and consumers of narrative cinema by studying the evolution of film form. In addition, students will learn the language and conceptual framework of film, including space, time, cinematography, sound, lighting, editing, mise-en-scene, acting, form and narrative constructs. The weekly filmic texts offer examples from both the Hollywood motion picture industry and diverse independent and foreign cinemas from the last 120 years of filmmaking.
Prerequisite: DM 115

This course gives close attention to the principles and skills needed for the scripting of commercial copy, public service announcements, Internet and press releases; and television footage to promote ideas and institutions effectively in a multifaceted media campaign.
Prerequisite: CO 241

Students in this course study writing for serial or episodic storytelling using industry standard screenwriting software. Attention is given to both broadcast and online story structures. Students will read and critique a variety of scripts and write their own screenplays.
Prerequisite: DM 330

The dynamics of television news are covered, including news gathering, writing for television news, editing, on-camera delivery, producing, multi-camera broadcasting, and online distribution. This course will be run like a local television newsroom in which students will work as a team to pitch and produce local stories that are compiled into multi-camera newscasts suitable for broadcasting on television.
Prerequisite: DM 155

This course covers the vocabulary, methods and principles of film theory and the artistic elements in digital film production. Theoretical paradigms that may be covered include realism, formalism, neoformalism, auteur theory, structuralism, semiotics and Marxian film theory. Articles pertaining to Christian faith and film will also be explored. Film theory will serve as a foundation for the final project in the course. Students will produce a digital film production to be showcased at the end of the semester.
Prerequisite: DM 238

This course is designed to bring together both design and production skills that students have learned in previous courses. Students will work in a collaborative studio-like environment participating in small-groups focused on a variety of extremely short productions. Students will be exposed to design practices, production methods and workflow. Students will use the artist/client relationship to design, implement and deliver projects on time on a limited budget.
Prerequisites: One course from DM 278, 312, or 334

This course focuses on scaling up a project to create a group-oriented demonstration level from the student teams? genre of choice. Students choose from a variety of video game genres to create an interactive world that intuitively engages a user. Students pursuing the animation track focus on creating and designing custom assets as well as providing animation aid. Students pursuing the computer science track focus more on programming, coding functions, interface, and coordination.
Prerequisite: DM 325

Students will learn and apply character and text analysis skills to create in-depth characters and perform them in narrative scenes. Special emphasis is given to multi-person and multi-camera scene work.
Identical with TH 373.

Working in production teams, this class creates a studio environment for students to work towards the completion of the short film/PSA. Students will draw from the skills and production techniques learned in their previous courses to produce a work of animated art that others can view and appreciate and will ultimately be showcased in their portfolios.
This course serves as a prelude to DM 445 Senior Project.
Prerequisite: DM 370

This course is designed to utilize a community building experience in which the junior-level student participates in at least one key role of the production process by producing a festival-ready short film greenlit by executive producing faculty.
Prerequisites: DM 255 and junior standing

This class focuses on color theory, lighting theory, 3D lighting techniques, developing individual 3D rendering styles, 3D space composition and aesthetics. This includes working on 3D environments, advanced lighting techniques and non-photo-realistic rendering. Over the course of the semester, students will work on designing their own 3D environments, as well as work on creating an individual visual voice within the 3D computer graphics medium. The concepts covered in this class apply to all mediums, not just 3D CG. Techniques developed in this class will be applied to the Junior Studio and Senior Project coursework.
Prerequisite: DM 278

Students choose to continue their project from DM 371 or form new teams/groups to create another demo level from a genre of their choosing. Building on the infrastructure and design of their project, students turn their focus on gameplay and polish. Students pursuing the animation track continue to help build custom assets, textures, and animations, while students pursuing the computer science track continue the coding and functionality with interface integration and design.
Prerequisite: DM 371

This course builds on the students' experience in DM203 Storyboard and Concept and DM150 Digital Drawing and Painting. Students put into practice many of the basic design techniques they have learned in previous classes through the development of focused projects. Projects will concentrate on personal illustration style, as well as conforming to a predetermined style in the context of a hypothetical studio environment. The projects developed in this course will serve as both portfolio pieces and possible properties for the Advanced Production class.
Prerequisite: DM 203

This course will focus on advanced sound design, as well as mixing and editing techniques.
Prerequisite: DM 405

This course is an advanced study of the building blocks of visual storytelling: film lighting and camera technique.
Prerequisite: DM 405

This course will dive deep into the responsibilities and creative direction of film and television directors. The course will focus on interrelationships between the director and all other department heads on the capstone project. Much attention will be given to the director/producer relationship and shared responsibilities.
Prerequisite: DM 405

Great scenes in film and television are the result of creative design. This course provides an advanced look at the role of the production designer on feature films and/or television productions. Through hands-on training, the fundamental skills and concepts required to really sell a scene's visual potential on screen will be explored.
Prerequisite: DM 405

This course will focus on the art of editing along with color grading, compositing, and visual effects for professional film and television projects.
Prerequisite: DM 405

This course will dive deep into the legal responsibilities and creative opportunities of professional film and television producers. The course will focus on interrelationships between the producer and other department heads on the capstone project in post-production. Much attention will be given to the producer/director relationship and shared responsibilities.
Prerequisite: DM 405

Students in this course study writing for feature film storytelling using industry standard screenwriting software. Attention is given to a variety of feature story structures. Students will read and critique a variety of scripts and write their own screenplays.
Prerequisite: DM 330

The class as a whole will contribute to an ongoing film production, implementing standards, practices and workflow all used in the animation industry. This course builds on the students' previous experience in the animation program, utilizing their personal strengths and accomplished skill sets. While the media will rotate depending on available content, student skill sets and instructor availability, all students will be placed into roles that best reflect their accomplishments in the program thus far.
This course serves as a prelude to DM 445 Senior Project. This course is repeatable.
Prerequisite: DM 370

The Advanced Digital Studio offers advanced exploration in 3D graphics, stop motion, drawn animation and motion graphics. This course is designed for advanced students who have chosen to pursue a particular aspect of digital media beyond the limitations of the established course offerings with further guidance and instruction from faculty. For students to enroll in this class, they must first propose a particular line of pursuit and a strategy to accomplish it.
This course is repeatable.
Prerequisite: One course from DM 278, 312, 334, or 432

This course is designed to utilize experiential, service-learning through a media campaign in which a junior-level student participates in a key role. Students will pitch, create, and distribute a contest-worthy project engineered for community impact. The project will be vetted, critiqued, and approved by executive producing faculty and fulfill the mission to "tangibly love and serve the campus and community through our words and actions."
Prerequisites: DM 155, 160, 251, and 281

Practicum in some aspect of digital media arts designed to give student practical, directed experience.
Prerequisite: Consent

Film students participate in a variety of film productions and viewings through the practicum in film.
On-campus practica are one credit but may be repeated to the limits prescribed for each major.
Prerequisite: DM 115

Students may gain practical on-campus experience in broadcasting by running the daily operation of the campus television news program, FDN News.
On-campus practica are one credit but may be repeated to the limits prescribed for each major.
Prerequisites: DM 155 and 361

Students may gain practical on-campus experience in broadcasting by running the daily operation of the campus radio station, WQHC 105.5 FM.
On-campus practica are one credit but may be repeated to the limits prescribed for each major.
Prerequisite: DM 155

This practicum brings together students from a variety of disciplines to work together to create and curate resources (e.g., film review, podcasts, study guides, artist biographies and retrospectives, video essays, etc.) for the Huntington University community and beyond that engage cultural artifacts, such as film, television and music, academically and through faith integration.

Documentary films tell factual stories using narrative storytelling techniques. In this course, students view and study effective documentary films while applying the basic techniques of filmmaking and journalistic reporting to a series of short documentary projects. Attention is given to representational and aesthetic strategies. Students will earn credit working on upper level films and other assigned multi-media projects.
Prerequisite: DM 250

This course is designed to challenge the student to ways of thinking critically and theologically about film, including messages about religion and values that films convey.
Prerequisite: DM 115

Students will learn advanced tools, concepts, and workflow related to visual effects and compositing. Topics include green screen, rotoscoping, 3D integration, motion tracking, set extension, post effects, and color correction.
Prerequisite: DM 170 or DM 205

An advanced voiceover course providing students with theory and production practice. Special emphasis is given to voiceover for animation, video games, audiobooks, and video narration.
Prerequisite: DM 231

This course is the first of a two-part capstone experience in which animation students are required to complete a comprehensive project designed to showcase the artistic development and production abilities they have acquired in the Animation program. In the first semester, students will focus on concept development and preproduction. In the second semester, they complete the project, which will be publicly showcased at the end of the school year. Projects may include short films, interactive story/games, graphic novellas, etc. Each project is to be explored during the prior summer months, pitched at the beginning of the fall semester and chosen to proceed through an evaluation process based on quality and do-ability. All projects should include a central animated component.
Prerequisite: DM 375

This course gives students the opportunity to produce and direct a senior-level capstone film, documentary, or television studio production greenlit by executive producing faculty.
Prerequisites: DM 376 and senior standing

Game Development students work in groups to pitch a senior thesis project for development over their senior year. Students choose a 2D or 3D video game genre of their choice. Project selection needs to receive faculty approval.
Prerequisite: DM 381

This course is the second of a two-part capstone experience in which animation students are required to complete a comprehensive project designed to showcase the artistic development and production abilities they have acquired in the Animation program. In this second semester, animation students will focus exclusively on the completion of a project for which the groundwork was laid in the previous fall semester. This project will be the centerpiece of their graduating exhibition. Guided by instructors, the work accomplished in these two semesters is designed to best represent the students' accomplishments in the media arts and their potential to succeed in their field.
Prerequisite: DM 445AN

Students continue to work on their senior thesis project from DM 445GD. The course consists of continued gameplay testing, development, polishing, as well as final animation/design elements. The result is a finished project that showcases a demonstration-level, finished intro area, or level one of a video game.
Prerequisite: DM 445GD

This is an advanced course in the methods and techniques of corporate and non-for-profit media. Emphasis will be placed upon workplace practices and freelancing. Students build an online personal portfolio presence. Professional comportment and interaction are demonstrated through client interaction and production.
Prerequisites: DM 250 or 281 and senior standing

A digital portfolio is the most important venue for a digital media artist's work to be seen and his or her vision to be experienced. It is also an employer's primary tool for assessing the skills and talents of prospective employees. In this class, attention is given to creating a well-designed digital media portfolio and a professional website. The class will also cover insights into job searching, professional survival skills and connecting with the digital media arts community.
Prerequisite: DM 370

This class will focus on advanced character performance techniques. Students will choose from one of three animated media (3D character, stop motion puppet or 2D drawn animation) to apply concepts learned in class to create short believable character sketches. In addition, classical theater acting principles will be analyzed and implemented to enhance animated performances.
Prerequisite: One course from DM 278, 312, or 334

An individualized study of a problem, a research paper or a project related to the digital media arts field.
Prerequisite: Consent

This course is designed to utilize experiential, service-learning through a media campaign in which a senior-level student participates in a key role. Students will pitch, create, and distribute a contest-worthy project engineered for community impact. The project will be vetted, critiqued, and approved by executive producing faculty. Students will also dialogue about what it means to be a Christian in the media industry and create a final creative vision concerning who they are as a storyteller.
Prerequisites: DM 155, 160, 251, and 281

A capstone opportunity for advanced real-world work off campus in digital media arts. The digital media arts internship is a supervised field study with outside businesses or organizations with departments in animation or live-action. Students will complete projects for the organizations and fulfill reflection paper or portfolio requirements as assigned by the DMA faculty.
Prerequisites: Junior or senior standing and consent

This internship is an integrative experience, which immerses students in an area of concentrated interest, as related to the field of television and film. Students will demonstrate the capacity to synthesize and apply knowledge while collaborating with professionals and participating in tangible work experiences. Students must apply for the experience and be approved by their faculty advisor.
Prerequisites: Senior standing and completion of all courses required in the television production and film production majors with a minimum grade of C-