LOWER-DIVISION COURSES

RTF 307           MEDIA & SOCIETY • ADRIEN SEBRO    
Qualifies for the Media Studies Minor and the Latino Media Arts & Studies Minor.

This course surveys the role of media in our society through understanding economic, social, political, organizational, ideological, and global contexts. We will discuss themes relevant to media representation, audience interpretation, and social consequences.

RTF 308           DEVELOPMENT OF FILM & MEDIA • RYAN BRIGGS, KRISTINA BRUENING, PETE JOHNSON    
Qualifies for the Media Studies Minor.

This course examines the historical development of media industries—film, radio, television and digital. Through lecture, section discussions, readings and screenings, we will investigate historical contexts (cultural, industrial, technological) in which media have been produced and consumed in the US and globally.

RTF 317           NARRATIVE STRATEGIES & MEDIA DESIGN • SUZANNE SCOTT 

This class focuses on the style, structure and storytelling strategies in a wide range of media forms, from narrative films and television series to documentaries and videogames.

RTF 318           INTRODUCTION TO IMAGE & SOUND • YA’KE SMITH

This course is designed to introduce fundamental production concepts and techniques through lectures, projects, and lab experiences. The acquisition of technical skills will be a priority, as this course is a prerequisite to upper-division production classes. Emphasis also will be placed on developing a storyteller's point of view and the ability to create works characterized by simple yet effective visual, aural and narrative structures. Students will be required to attend hands-on lab sections and to complete one still photography project, one sound-designed still photo project and one sync sound digital video project.

UPPER DIVISION - MEDIA STUDIES COURSES

RTF 322D        FILM HISTORY 1960 TO PRESENT– Web-Based • CHARLES RAMÍREZ BERG    
May count toward the Media Studies Minor and the Latino Media Arts & Studies Minor.

This course is a survey of international film history for undergraduate students who seek an understanding of the history and aesthetics of the motion picture.  On a weekly basis, it consists of two 75-minute lectures and a screening of a feature-length film.  All RTF majors interested in learning more about the development of the motion picture are welcome, regardless of concentration. The course will cover the history of the medium from the beginning of the New American Cinema in the 1960s (including figures like Stanley Kubrick, Mike Nichols, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese) to the present. Among the topics and filmmakers covered are the cinemas of Japan (Kurosawa and Ozu), Latin America (the New Latin American Cinema and contemporary Argentinian cinema), Europe (Bergman and Kieslowski), Iran (Kiarostami) and Bollywood cinema, as well as recent developments in US cinema such as directors like the Coen brothers, Wes Anderson, the “Mumblecore” movement, and the rise of Austin as a filmmaking hub (Rick Linklater, Robert Rodriguez, Terrence Malick, Andrew Bujalski, and others).

While the history of cinema will be looked at from various perspectives (as a technology, an industry, an entertainment medium, and a mode of personal and national expression), particular attention will be given to the evolution and development of film’s formal elements. This class follows RTF 322C-History of Film to 1960; however, that class is not a pre-requisite. Ideally, students would take both courses in their chronological order, but students are free to take only one of the courses, and they may be taken and out of order. Three short written assignments during the semester. Also one short film quiz and one brief lecture quiz are required weekly.

RTF 327C        DIGITAL REMIX CULTURES • SUZANNE SCOTT     

This course will explore digital remixing as an art form and community of practice, while interrogating formal, ideological, and legal constraints on these modes of media making. Drawing on scholarly work from Walter Benjamin, Limor Shifman, Alison Piepmeier, Eduardo Navas and others, this course will cofnsider the history and significance of remix culture through the lenses of authorship and authenticity, copyright and culture, technology and temporality, and pastiche and politics. Praxis assignments will require students to inform their creative practices with course concepts, ranging from analog experimentations with political remix (zine making, culture jamming), to more contemporary forms of digital remix (image mashups, GIFs, video essays, memes, and digital storytelling) using a range of software. Lab time will be devoted to becoming comfortable with remixing tools such as Photoshop and Premiere and working on projects that will allow students to assert their copyrights and critically reflect on the read/write culture championed by remix scholars. Because this is a media studies course with production components, emphasis will be placed on the argumentative capacity of digital remix as a media form and as a mode of public scholarship.

RTF 328C   GENDER AND MEDIA CULTURE • Jennifer McClearen    
Flag/s: Cultural Diversity in the U.S.     
May count toward the Media Studies Minor. 

This course provides an introduction to the critical and theoretical analysis of gender (femininities and masculinities) in media (film, television, new and emerging media). Students will engage dominant and oppositional practices of media production, representation, and reception to investigate the sociocultural mechanisms that shape individual and collective notions of gender in our media-saturated environment. Paying particular attention to wider questions of power, politics, and identity, students will read key texts in cultural, media, and communication studies, as well as influential theories within gender, feminist, and transgender studies. Although primarily focused on the mediated construction of gender, this course insists on an intersectional approach that examines gender in conjunction with race, class, sexuality, nation, and generation.

RTF 331P          INTERNET CULTURES • MADHAVI MALLAPRAGADA    
May count toward the Media Studies Minor and the Media & Entertainment Industries Minor.

The Internet refers to a global network of interconnected computers.  While Internet technology opened up new possibilities for communication, it was the development of the World Wide Web and the graphical browser in the nineties that made the Internet a popular and powerful tool for communication. Today, the Web is the most widely used part of the Internet and has dramatically transformed everyday life, culture, politics, business and communities. This course will critically examine the emergence and significance of Internet cultures in our world today. It will introduce you to the technological, financial, cultural and political aspects of the digital information revolution and Internet and Web-based media and communications. The course will deal with topics such as e-commerce, governance and regulation, online communities, homepages, blogs, videogame cultures, virtual realities, cyborg identities, multi-media applications, technological convergence, digital divide and transnational politics. It will interrogate the politics of race, class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, nationalism, capital, community and technology shaping the practices of contemporary Internet cultures.

RTF 331P         VIDEO GAME CULTURE & CRITICISM • MARINA FONTOLAN    
Flag/s: Writing     
May count toward the Media Studies Minor.

Games have always been an integral part of our culture, and studies of culture have long been fascinated by our propensity for play.  Beginning with a brief historical overview of the inception of the video game industry and arcade culture, this course is centrally concerned with identifying the pleasures of play and engaging with the cultural and academic discourses and debates that surround video games and game culture.  While video games have proven themselves as a dominant industrial force within over the past decade, the stigmas and social anxieties that circulate around video games persist. Consequently, one of the primary goals of this course is for students to both become conversant in these critiques and proficient in speaking back to them, acquiring the vocabulary to discuss and analyze the rules that govern our engagement with video games, and our experiences playing them.  To this end, in addition to discussing video game aesthetics and mechanics, we will have themed weeks on war and gaming, gender and gaming, and game-based learning. In addition to course assignments analyzing gameplay and considering the representation of video games in film and television, students will be required to collaboratively design and theorize a game as their final project.  No player or programming skill set is required, just a willingness to learn through (and about) video games.

RTF 331P         THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY– WEB BASED • MARINA FONTOLAN    
May count toward the Media Studies Minor and the Media & Entertainment Industries Minor.

Trade press and business experts love to hype the profitability of the global video game industry, measuring its success in units sold and revenues earned. And while it is certainly a juggernaut within the media industries, there has been much less focus on what it is like to actually work in the industry. From game designers to games journalists, QA testers to Twitch streamers, this course will explore the material realities, working conditions, and business models of the games industry and their impact on its workers: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Instead of focusing on specific games, genres, systems, or mechanics, this course will trace the impact of digitization, casualization, and globalization on the industry’s production cultures, employment models, commodity forms, profit centers, promotional logics, and more. We will explore historical and contemporary concerns shaping the industry, such as government regulations and rating systems, outsourcing and offshoring, labor casualization and unionization, precarious employment and crunch periods, loot boxes and revenue models, live streams and gambling laws, mods and skins, user-generated content and end-user license agreements, identity politics and systemic inequalities, promotional work and emotional labor, etc. In addition to a thorough consideration of what it means to work in the games industry (past, present, and future), we will also hear from guest speakers about their experiences working in a variety of games companies and positions. From crash to crunch, this course will give you a better sense of how to anticipate and navigate the changing nature of work in these increasingly digital and global media industries.

RTF 335            RACE/CLASS/GENDER IN AMERICAN TV • MARY BELTRAN    
Flag/s: Cultural Diversity in the U.S.; Writing     
May count toward the Media Studies Minor and the Latino Media Arts & Studies Minor.

Television is one of the primary forums through which American notions of race, ethnicity, and citizenship have been constructed, in intersection with class and gender; this class explores the evolution of these dynamics in U.S. televisual representation. In addition to study of how racial and ethnic diversity has been represented in entertainment television since its inception and how various racialized and ethnic groups have participated in television production and consumption, scholarship on these topics and areas of theoretical and popular contention will be surveyed. Critical and cultural studies approaches will be emphasized.

RTF 335            QUEER TELEVISION • CURRAN NAULT      
Flag/s: Cultural Diversity in the U.S.; Writing    

This course immerses students in the critical analysis of “queer” television, broadly construed. Students will read key queer/TV theory texts and explore a diversity of queer TV texts, past and present, paying close attention to their attendant practices of production and reception, as well as the contested discourses of identity, politics, activism, desire and representation that these texts elicit. Important to this project are historical shifts in the representation of LGBTQ+ individuals, including their growing visibility in commercial media culture and the “gaystream.” This course also insists on an intersectional approach to TV that actively engages questions of race, class, nation, ability, and generation—in addition to gender and sexuality.

RTF 342S         GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD • SHANTI KUMAR     
Flag/s: Global Cultures     
May count toward the Media Studies Minor, the Media & Entertainment Industries Minor, and the Latino Media Arts & Studies Minor.

In this course we will examine the emergence of “global Hollywood” as an influential concept for understanding the ongoing changes in the US film and media industries in relation to other “national” and “regional” cinemas around the world.  In the first part of the course we will examine the reasons why for most of the 20th century, Hollywood was predominantly invested in the domestic US market, and why foreign markets were  peripheral to its business practices.  We will also explore the various theoretical debates about Hollywood’s role in expanding and consolidating the power of American media corporations around the world.  In this overall context of globalization, we will explore how major studios, national and regional film industries, independent and alternative filmmakers alike are seeking new strategies for collaboration and competition.  The course will include specific case studies focusing on globalization strategies such as international co-productions, changing techniques of storytelling to accommodate more diverse representations, and the convergence of cinema with new digital and mobile technologies to target newer, younger audiences around the world.

RTF 345           HISTORY OF MEXICAN CINEMA • MIRASOL ENRIQUEZ      
Flag/s: Global Cultures        

This course serves as an introduction to Mexican cinema. Students will be watching a sample of films from the silent era through the present day. We will be covering a wide variety of topics and genres, including (but not limited to) representations of the Mexican Revolution in early Mexican cinema, melodramas from the "Golden Age," low budget horror and exploitation films, experimental and avant-garde films, and Nuevo Cine Mexicano (New Mexican Cinema). Central to our discussions will be an interrogation of the concept of Mexican cinema as a "national" cinema, consideration of the effects of globalization on the Mexican film industry and culture, and an exploration of transnational film culture and audiences.

RTF 345           MUSICALS AND "AMERICA" • MARY BELTRAN      
Flag/s: Cultural Diversity in the U.S

The American musical has long been a popular genre through which storytellers, performers and audiences reimagine who we are and how the nation defines itself with respect to norms of race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, class, and citizenship. It also has been a forum for stories about social issues of the day, with its conventions as popular entertainment allowing boundary-pushing content to be given voice. Musicals and “America” surveys the genre’s history and evolution, with an emphasis on musical and dance films and television series since the 1950s, and provides tools for critical analysis of musical narratives, performances involving song and/or dance, and the representation of identities across the decades. We’ll watch a number of important films and television series in this history (including Rent, Stormy Weather, Funny Girl, Zoot Suit, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend), and read and respond to scholarship on Hollywood, Broadway and television musicals, with a focus on the ways in which cinematic renditions of song and dance make meaning

RTF 345           WOMEN BEHIND THE CAMERA • LALITHA GOPALAN     
This course looks at a range of international women filmmakers to explore how their film-work shaped, challenged, and transformed the cinematic medium. In this regard, we will look at their role in various film movements, understand their location in relationship to national cinemas, and map the mutually reinforcing relationship between their concerns and those of film theory, particularly feminist theory.     
This course will be structured in a seminar format similar to graduate-level or honors courses. Advanced undergraduate students interested in learning more about graduate school, or graduate students seeking a more introductory approach to advanced theoretical materials are especially encouraged to enroll in the course. 

RTF 347C       INTRODUCTION TO THE MUSIC BUSINESS • SASCHA STONE GUTTFREUND    
May count toward the Media & Entertainment Industries Minor. 
For the 2022–2024 catalog, this course counts towards the 15 additional hours of radio-television-film coursework; however, it does NOT count toward the required 9 hours of media studies coursework.

How did Fyre Fest happen? What does streaming mean for record labels? Why are concert tickets so expensive? What determines the order of artist names on the festival poster? What is the difference between a manager, agent, publicist, promoter or A&R? We are in the era of the young entrepreneur. People in their 20's are able to start a business, and then sell it without acquiring a degree in business or finance. Students in this course will learn how to plan, orchestrate, and oversee their own small music business in the avenue of their choice. We will discuss artist management and representation through the development of recorded music as well as the importance of the touring business for artists today. We will also cover the business of concerts and music festivals; students will learn not only how to book and market shows but also how to produce them. Each class will address a different element of the business and will feature a guest lecturer that will share their story of success and entrepreneurship, followed by an open Q&A with the students.

RTF 347D        BUSINESS OF UNSCRIPTED TELEVISION • ALISA PERREN
May count toward the Media & Entertainment Industries Minor. 

Business of Unscripted Television will take you on a journey across all forms of unscripted (aka alternative) television, from documentaries to unscripted dramas, from shiny floor shows to competition-elimination formats. The course will explore and explain the business of developing, producing, selling, and distributing alternative television, which includes some of the longest-running – and most profitable – series in television history.  Whether it’s an idea in Holland that becomes a massive global hit or an outdoor adventure race that turns into a multi-million-dollar decades-long success, alternative television series offer the opportunity to share an extraordinary range of narratives with large and loyal audiences.  An important business to know for any aspiring storyteller, media executive, or behind-the-camera talent, join Professor Alisa Perren and longtime television and film executive (and UT alum) Brian Edwards as they survey the past, present, and future prospects of this vibrant industry sector and explore its wider cultural significance.

RTF 347F        APERTURES: FILM/ PHOTO MEX • GEORGE FLAHERTY
Flag/s: Global Cultures    

Exploration of the historical and aesthetic linkages and affinities between filmmakers and photographers working in greater Mexico, including prominent visitors and Americans of Mexican descent. Considers how Mexican culture is represented but also how borders between Mexico and the wider world--as well as among media--were blurred or brought into sharper focus by these exchanges. 

RTF 347F        INDIA CINEMA: BOLLYWOOD/BEYOND • ZELTZYN RUBI SANCHEZ LOZOYA

RTF 347F        GERMAN CINEMA 1918-45 • JETTE GINDNER

This course explores the history, theory, and aesthetics of German cinema from 1918 until 1945. The first section of the course screens classics of 1920s/early 1930s Weimar Cinema, such as Nosferatu, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, Pandora’s Box, M, and Kuhle Wampe. Accompanying texts by Balázs, Eisner, Kracauer, and contemporary film critics introduce the transition from expressionism to New Objectivity and the arrival of film sound. Topics discussed include the aftermath of World War I, the rise of industrial mass production, and the New Woman. The second section analyzes National Socialist cinema, be it nascent Nazi aesthetics (Riefenstahl’s The Blue Light with Susan Sontag’s essay, “Fascinating Fascism”), propaganda (Hitler Youth Quex and Jud Süß plus Alain Resnais’s Holocaust documentary Night and Fog), or entertainment (The Great Love starring Zarah Leander). The final section screens anti-Nazi cinema made in Hollywood— by German filmmakers in exile during the early 1940s (Lang/Brecht/Eisler, Hangmen Also Die! and Lubitsch, To Be or Not to Be) and landmarks of contemporary American cinema, such as Inglourious Basterds and American History X.  

RTF 347F        HISTORY OF VIDEO GAMES • MARINA FONTOLAN

May count toward the Media Studies Minor.

Video games and video gaming have changed through history—from the early attempts of developing games in the late 1950s to the complex game systems we have today. This course aims at exploring the histories and historiographies of games and gaming. We will start by analyzing history and its challenges as a discipline and well as discussing historiography and how to read historical documents. Then, we will explore the literature on games and gaming history, going from fan-based histories of games and gaming to current scholarly takes on the subject. We will discuss the roles of people and processes within the industry, minorities in the industry, histories of technology, and how players are integral parts of the game industry. Course assignments are based on papers, enabling the student to research histories of games, people, and technologies of video games.

RTF 359        ASIAN AMERICAN MEDIA CULTURES • MADHAVI MALLAPRAGADA      
Flag/s: Cultural Diversity in the U.S

How can we locate the present status of Asian Americans in the media within a historical and cultural context? Why is it that despite increased representation in recent years, for Asian Americans, the road to fuller and more complex participation within US media industries is fraught with complexity and ambivalence? These two questions will guide our study of Asian American media cultures.  

This course is designed to help us understand the role and significance of media such as film, television, radio, the Internet, and social media platforms as it relates to Asian Americans. We will examine a variety of media examples, from the early twentieth century to the present and focus on prevailing stereotypes as well as efforts to combat stereotypes. We will discuss representation alongside significant industry practices such as casting, writers and creative talent and explore controversies around color-blind casting. We will also consider examples of independent media production, activist media and transnational, digital media that offer alternative, local and subversive images, narratives and discourses about Asian Americans as media creators, distributors, consumer and audiences.

RTF 359           MUSIC, MEDIA, AND CULTURE • CURRAN NAULT

Music, Media and Culture critically considers the mediation of music and sound, as well as the relation between this mediation and the formation of (sub)cultural communities. From music videos, to fanzines, film/TV soundtracks, Spotify playlists, pop star biopics, Tik Tok videos, dance party projections, Instagram photos at live performances, and beyond, students will explore the myriad ways in which music and its mediations shape public and private life. Rigorous attention will be paid to music media texts, their fandoms, and their production cultures, alongside attendant issues of representation, identity, ideology, economics, pleasure and participatory practice. Students can expect to examine a wide selection of (global) music genres, from pop to punk, rap to rock, afro-beat to alternative, dance to doom soul…and to bring complex questions of taste, style and sociality to bear. This course insists on an intersectional lens that centers differences of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, class, nation, generation, and beyond.

RTF 359C        MEDIA ARCHAEOLOGY• CAROLINE FRICK     

Romantic images of the archaeologist have been a component of cinema for over a hundred years. But what if Indiana Jones needed to search for old media – magic lantern slides or nitrate celluloid – instead of golden treasure? This course will cast students as historical explorers, focusing our quest to discover and better understand media as artifacts rather than just as narratives or “texts.” How can understanding radio, television, film and online video as physical objects that decompose (and even explode) over time complicate our understanding of the past? This class will focus upon the materiality of media within specific socio-cultural, economic and technological time periods, each with their own modes of historic, and futuristic, discourse. Topics will include studio preservation policy and national cinemas, the role of the archive and museum, high profile film restorations and even Martin Scorsese.

RTF 359S        CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD STARS FAN CULTURES • KATHY FULLER -SEELEY
Flag/s: Writing

This course explores five decades of American moviegoing history of the Hollywood era. We will explore the production, reception and marketing of movies in the Classical Hollywood era 1915-1965, examining fan cultures, stars, fan magazines, genre studies and how movie industry marketing and advertising created a culture of moviegoing. Readings draw broadly from US film history, also contexts of US cultural history, gender, sexuality and race and ethnicity studies. We will examine primary sources such as film texts, and material from performers, audiences, theater managers, fan magazines, newspapers and trade journals. We will move from the rise of movie stardom and feature films in the silent era, to the spread of movie culture, across the impact of Talkies, the Depression, War and post-war eras to the decline of studio Hollywood. The course will balance lectures and discussion. There will be numerous writing assignments, creative assignments and participation in group projects.  Screenings (accessed online each week) will provide illustrations and primary research sources. Students will develop final research and/or creative projects that apply historical and theoretical ideas and information learned throughout the semester.  

RTF 370        COMEDY IN FILM AND MEDIA • KATHY FULLER-SEELEY       
Flag/s: Cultural Diversity in the U.S

This course explores theories of humor and comedy and applies them to media and performance from the early 20th century US to the present. Readings draw broadly from philosophy, cultural studies, cinema and TV studies, race, gender, sexuality, politics, psychology. We will examine producers, texts, performers and audiences across a wide variety of media -- television and film, literature, comics, radio, internet, live performance and other forms. The seminar will be focused on student group discussion and presentation of theories, texts, specific examples of applications, and findings. Students will develop research/and/or create projects

RTF 370        FILMS OF ALFRED HITCHCOCK- CAROLINE FRICK
Hitchcock: Movies, Life, and Legend

One of the most famous names in cinema history, Alfred Hitchcock’s career spanned from the silent era to the rise of the television age. This course will trace the filmmaker’s development and experience in both Europe and the United States; his controversial propaganda work during World War II; and his changing status amidst popular, critical, and scholarly communities. Notable films such as Notorious (1946) and Psycho (1960) will be compared with lesser-known titles alongside a close look at authors such as Daphne DuMaurier whose works served as inspiration for several prominent films as well. With attention to historical, cultural, and critical context, this course aspires to challenge conventional beliefs and stereotypes about a (much!) larger than life movie figure and the Hollywood mythology he represents.

RTF 377H/386 BLACK MEDIA STUDIES • ADRIEN SEBRO

In this course, we consider the African Diaspora (and those within) as a focal point for understanding the social, cultural, political, and economic paradigms of critical media studies. We will examine the media history of the U.S.-based African Diaspora as a race, culture, people, and ethnicity while making clear its intersections with gender and sexuality.

RTF 333       INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING • STUART KELBAN   
Flag/s: Writing

RTF 333 will introduce students to screenwriting for both film & television. In lecture, we will study the fundamental concepts behind all screenwriting: story, character, and structure. In section, you will apply those concepts to writing your own original scripts for both features and TV in a workshop setting. Students will follow the same development process as professional screenwriters—from initial premise, through character exploration and treatments, to writing the first draft. The goal of this course is to develop skills to tell strong, engaging stories for the screen. This emphasis on storytelling will not only make you better screenwriters, but also better directors, editors, cinematographers, set designers, i.e.,  filmmakers.

RTF 340       MULTI-CAM TELEVISION DIRECTING • DAVID SCHNEIDER   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

This course will examine the techniques of multi-camera live television directing in numerous formats. It will provide an overview of the current technology and how that technology impacts directing decisions. Students will learn how directing styles shape various genres of broadcasts and how the director contributes to a successful production. The course will focus on planning and preparation and elements of production design. The demands of a controlled studio atmosphere will be compared and contrasted with those of live remote sports and entertainment programs. Exercises will acquaint the students with camera placement, shot blocking and shot selection.

RTF 340D/388F   PRODUCTION DESIGN BASICS • ADRIANA SERRANO

Understand the role of production design and how the creation and selection of sets, locations and environments contribute to the visual language of film. Explore fundamental elements of story, production, critical analysis, and the collaborative process of film making from the design perspective.

RTF 341       AUDIO PRODUCTION INTO POST • TODD THOMPSON   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

Audio is half of your movie; arguably more than half since it exceeds the limits of the visible frame. It operates at a literal and subliminal level and gives the filmmaker access to deeper parts of the audience’s consciousness. Great audio is a combination of creativity and an understanding of both the science and the tools of the medium.  This is the first-level class for audio, a perfect starting point for people who want to know how to better use sound in their projects as well as for those who may be thinking about audio as a lifelong craft. You will learn production mixing, basic post techniques, and the ideas behind them.  This will include recording on location using both high-end and low-end recorders, especially recording dialog, set and location problems and protocol, basic sound editing, mix prep, and creating a basic mix. You will become familiar with the operation and use of the Sound Devices 633 mixer/recorder and 744T recorder, other production mixers, and microphones on location and in the studio. You will learn the science behind the tools, and cultivate an appreciation for sound as a creative element in storytelling. You will create mixes in Pro Tools for audio-only projects, as well as fully realized soundtracks synced to picture.

Prerequisites: Upper-division standing, RTF 317 and 318 with a grade of at least B- in each, and six additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in radio-television-film.

Students are encouraged to have their own headphones. Over-ear headphones are highly recommended, and an industry standard, such as the Sony MDR-7506, is preferred. (Earbuds will only do in a pinch).

RTF 341C        AUDIO PRODUCTION • KOREY PEREIRA

Capturing quality sound on location or set is fundamental to making a project successful. Throughout the semester we will learn how to approach production sound recording for various filming environments, meet with top production sound teams and work on at least two film sets. Whether you want to pursue a career in production sound or just want to learn more about it, you will leave with an understanding and appreciation for the value that well-recorded sound can bring to any project.

Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, RTF 317 and 318 with a grade of at least B- in each, and six additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in radio-television-film. (RTF 341 is NOT required as a prerequisite.)

RTF 341D/388F   PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR TV PILOT • ADRIANA SERRANO

Covering all aspects of production design for the concept of a TV pilot—from pre-production to production—we will develop the production design of an actual pilot through collaboration with the class “Producing the TV Pilot,” taught by RTF professor Ya’Ke Smith. We will delve into the various PD tasks and approaches to the work, including scouting locations, creating graphics, doing research, designing costumes, selecting props, and exploring the differences between shooting on location vs. on a soundstage. No previous experience in production design is necessary.

RTF 343       ADVANCED DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION • ILIANA SOSA   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

This course involves intensive hands-on work in all aspects of documentary video production, in addition to critical investigations of a variety of contemporary non-fiction forms. Much of the semester revolves around producing a documentary (either individually or in a small group) and completing workshop projects, thus offering experience in project development and conceptualization, camerawork, sound recording, lighting, and editing.

RTF 343       ADVANCED NARRATIVE PRODUCTION • PJ RAVAL   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

From script to sound design, students spend the semester completing an advanced video production (5–10 minutes). Emphasis is placed on storytelling, strong cinematic style, and production values. Students are not required to direct but must participate in the key crew positions on various projects for full credit.

RTF 343/388P CINEMA LABORATORY • DEBORAH EVE LEWIS

Limited to 15 participants. In the cinema laboratory, we will make ten short films – some during class and some outside of class – with the emphasis being on making, taking risks and exploring the cinematic form on an elemental level. There will be failures and triumphs—all work strengthening and stretching our ability to express ideas and feelings through picture and sound. Cinema Laboratory’s practice of consistent moviemaking aims to create a space and time where filmmaking efforts are not expensive and precious, but intuitive, brief, engaging, and challenging in a fast-paced workshop setting. Motivated, hard-working, curious and highly creative students are sought to participate.

Throughout the semester-long laboratory, we will sharpen our cinema-making skills through attention to process and experimentation in order to move to a higher level of precision in our work. We will take many exercises from the notebook of Robert Bresson, who wrote, “It is with something clean and precise that you will force the attention of inattentive eyes and ears.” Precision arises through both practice and experimentation.

“The cinema language happened by experimentation—by people not knowing what to do…. I always like to say that cinema without risk is like having no sex and expecting to have a baby… If you don’t take a risk then how are you going to make something really beautiful, that hasn’t been seen before?”—Francis Ford Coppola

Cinema Laboratory seeks self-driven RTF graduate students, upper level RTF undergraduates (especially those in their last semester at UT), Photojournalism students, and students from the School of Architecture and the Art School. There will be a Wednesday evening lab for those from non-RTF departments to learn RTF protocol and basic editing, camera and sound work.

Undergraduates registering for this class will need to acquire emailed consent of the instructor. Please contact Deb Lewis with questions regarding the Laboratory: deb.lewis@utexas.edu.   
See website for more information

RTF 343       PRODUCING THE TV PILOT • YA'KE SMITH

Television offers some of the most exciting, innovative, emotionally resonant and cutting-edge content today. But how is this content created? What are the ingredients of a great television series? Through watching television pilots and breaking them down, students will learn the theoretical components of producing and directing for television. We will then turn those theoretical skills into practical ones, as we collectively produce an original television pilot. Once enrolled in the course, students must “apply” for their respective crew positions (cinematographer, costume designer, unit production manager, assistant director, etc) and are expected to work within the confines set up by the show-runner (the professor in this case), as we work through visual approach, breaking down a script, casting and working with actors, as well as shot-listing and story boarding. If working in the exciting world of television is in your sights, this is the class for you.

RTF 343C / 388P ACTING FOR FILMMAKERS • ANDREW SHEA

This workshop explores the key elements of basic acting technique through active engagement in a variety of exercises and assignments: improvisation, monologue and scene study, observation, and emotional preparation.  The goal is to develop a deep understanding of the job of the actor: to live life truthfully under imaginary circumstances.

RTF 343D        CINEMATOGRAPHY • DEBORAH EVE LEWIS

This course explores visual storytelling and the art of cinematography through practice in a workshop environment. We will explore visual expression through a variety of cinema tools including camera and lighting as well as time, movement and color. Students are encouraged to think cinematically in both fiction and non-fiction approaches. A number of readings and exercises are assigned to also increase a student's technical knowledge and understanding of one's tools, leading to greater creative and personal visual expression.

RTF 344M        VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION • BEN BAYS

Students explore the history, mechanics, aesthetics and cultural touchstones of video games through a wide variety of creative projects.  Topics include writing story and dialogue, creating/acquiring/implementing audio and music, designing puzzles games and combat, drawing and painting, CGI asset creation and implementation, and more.  The course is auteur focused (not collaborative), software agnostic, gamified and designed for RTF students, but open to all majors.  No coding required.  No prior art skills required.

RTF 344M        VFX FOR STORYTELLING • DEEPAK CHETTY

In this hands-on course, students will be introduced to the new frontiers of VFX technology, including neural networks for VFX (deep learning), Style Transfer, Real-time rendering and mixed reality Stagecraft. These technologies, fast becoming industry standards, are not out of reach! Along with production elements, the class will have screenings and analysis of films that contain historical milestones in VFX, which have led us to the present state of VFX and the development of the industry.  Whether you are interested in VFX as an additional skill in your filmmaker's toolkit or would like to become a visual effects artist and technician, you must understand the past to contextualize the present and the future of this art form. This class explores the production of contemporary and cutting edge VFX as well as both sides of this chronology, with the ultimate goal of creating a well-rounded understanding of where VFX started, and where it is headed. 

RTF 344M/388F  POST-PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES • DAN STUYCK

This course involves intensive hands-on work in digital color grading. It is designed to familiarize students with the entire digital image-making process, whether you are a director or a cinematographer who wants to understand how picture finishing works, to more advanced students who wish to specialize in post production or color correction.

RTF 344M   VIRTUAL PRODUCTION • DEEPAK CHETTY

Virtual Production and real-time rendering are here. Learn how to plan, layout, light, animate and render your ideas, concepts and art in real-time using Unreal Engine. Physically accurate cameras will simulate their real-world counterparts and give you the ability to learn and develop your real-world skills in a virtual environment or integrate your real-world skills into the virtual production environment. Final projects, which will be fully realized short-form pieces, will display an understanding of the methodology and creative potential of this game-changing workflow.

RTF 344M    WRITING FOR INTERACTIVE GAMES & MEDIA • NATHAN CUTIETTA   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry; Writing

Interactive storytelling is a form of dramatic writing, just like theater or television. What makes the medium unique is that the author does not control the story; the audience does. Creatives have only just begun to explore the storytelling possibilities of this field. In this class, you will begin to develop the skills & knowledge necessary to write for interactive mediums such as video games, digital media, VR, and augmented reality. Your final deliverable in this course - a narrative design document - will serve as a writing sample for your portfolio. A limited number of seats are open to non-majors.

RTF 344M    COMICS AND CARTOONS • BENJAMIN BAYS

Students "trace" (har har) the history, techniques, conventions, themes and cultural spaces of comics and cartoons through hands-on skills-building projects (drawing). The artistic traditions of the middle ages gave rise to the cartoon, a form of mass media illustration and text which embraced non-realism, caricature and satire. The form has evolved across cultures, through history and alongside technological advances to its modern digital form. From panels, pages, gags, serials, covers, scripts, characters, layout, lettering, FX to much more.  Explore the legacy of comics and cartoons by creating them. 

RTF 344T    GAME DEVELOPMENT CAPSTONE: 3D GAMES • PAUL TOPRAC   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

The Capstone Game Development course brings together students from Computer Science, College of Fine Arts, and Radio-TV-Film to form small teams in which each student will contribute specialized knowledge to the group creation of 3D games for mobile, online, and social technology platforms. Students will gain a thorough understanding of the 3D game development process, through modeling of the environment and practices that are used in game studios.

*OFFERED IN SPRING SEMESTER. If interested, please read instructions to apply. Consent of instructor required.

RTF 346    INTRO TO EDITING • KAREN KOCHER, ANNE LEWIS, MATT LENNON   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

Whether you want to be an editor, director or producer, Introduction to Editing is an essential, hands-on course for any production student. By completing a series of narrative and nonfiction assignments, students will finish this course with increased confidence in, and understanding of, Avid software and editing technique and style. We will view and analyze film scenes to understand how editing contributes to meaning.

RTF 347E    ADVANCED EDITING • ANNE LEWIS   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

This course is a further elaboration of the principles and techniques of editing students will have encountered in RTF 346, building a broader technical background for professional development. We will discuss aesthetic, technical, and practical approaches to editing and consider how they might best apply to some (provided) editing challenges. In particular, we'll concentrate on the development of editing styles that are appropriate to a range of material and creative solutions to editing challenges. Taught using AVID software.

RTF 351C   ADVANCED 2D ANIMATION • LANCE MYERS   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

Students will use the basic 2D animation skills learned in the 351C Intro to 2D Animation class to focus on the production of longer animated projects. Additional techniques including some motion graphics, stop motion, and advanced 2D will also be covered in class. Watch teaser.

RTF 366K    DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION • NANCY SCHIERSARI   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

This class introduces students to single-camera field documentary video production. During this semester-long documentary workshop, we will screen a variety of documentary works, but our focus will be on making documentary films. There will be group discussions, reading assignments, lectures, hands-on lab instruction, and short documentary exercises, in addition to a culminating documentary project. Students will keep a journal of the documentaries they see and how these films influence the documentaries they make (or plan to make). The primary focus of the class will be working from pre-production to post-production by starting with an idea and finishing with a short documentary film.

RTF 366K    EAST AUSTIN STORIES • ARTURO JIMENEZ

Since 2000, as the forces of gentrification and development make profound changes in neighborhoods of East Austin, University of Texas RTF students have made short documentary films about the communities, families, individuals, institutions, and businesses east of I-35. Simply listening can be an empowering act for the filmmaker and for the documentary subject. We will practice basics of production and non-fiction story structure. 

RTF 366K    NARRATIVE PRODUCTION • NANCY SCHIESARI, DEBORAH LEWIS   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

The class explores the expressive potential of sound and image through the production of digital video exercises and short films. It is an intensive workshop in visual storytelling and non-dialogue filmmaking. It is designed to build upon the fundamental production concepts and techniques that were introduced in RTF 318 and to prepare students for advanced narrative classes.

RTF 367D DIRECTING WORKSHOP • MICAH BARBER, MIGUEL ALVAREZ   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

This workshop explores the role of the director in the process of translation from page to screen, focusing on the director/actor relationship, narrative structure and visual language. Assignments will include the casting, mounting, and realization of dramatic narrative scenes. Special emphasis will be placed on the development of the skills necessary to communicate effectively with actors to achieve authentic and vivid performances..

RTF 367K PRODUCING FILM AND TELEVISION • KELLY WILLIAMS   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry; Writing   
Open to BOTH RTF Majors & Minors. This course counts towards the Media & Entertainment Industries minor. 

RTF 367K will detail how things work in the supposedly noncreative side of the entertainment industry. The course will focus on the function and duties of a producer as he or she shepherds an idea through a project "life cycle": development, financing, pre-production, post-production, marketing and distribution. Lecture topics will mirror the project life cycle while students concurrently develop their own business plans/prospectuses for original film or television projects of their choosing. At the end of the semester, each student should have a complete and realistic business plan for a film or video project, one which is ready for presentation to entertainment industry contacts and financiers.

Prerequisites: Upper Division standing.

RTF 368D/388P    ADVANCED CINEMATOGRAPHY • PJ RAVAL

This course is designed for students to explore the art of cinematography beyond the basic principles of camera and lighting. Students will film several assignments designed to help one understand the cinematic tools used to create an overall visual approach to storytelling. A close study of film genre will also be emphasized as well as aesthetic and technical topics such as color, texture, lens continuity, and aspect ratio. We will also explore practical on set strategies and challenges. Undergraduate students are strongly encouraged to take 343 Advanced Narrative Production or equivalent as a prerequisite. Undergraduates who have not previously taken 366K Intro to Narrative Production will not be admitted.

RTF 368P/389P     PRODUCING SHORT FILMS • SARAH SEULKI OH

Short films are often seen as an excellent calling card for first time filmmakers. But it’s much more than just a way to practice your craft or make something that is shorter or cheaper than a feature film.  Though the principles and steps involved to produce a short film is no different than producing a feature film, it is also a unique discipline of its own. How do you tell an interesting and compelling story in a short film?  How do you translate a minimum budget into maximum quality on screen?

This course will examine all fundamental aspects of development, pre-production, production, and distribution of producing a short film. Students will practice the step-by-step processes of physical production such as script breakdown, scheduling, budgeting, location scouting, crew hiring, working with cast and crew, etc. Using weekly lectures, homework assignments, course readings and class workshops to reinforce each class topic, students will put together a final production binder for a short film

RTF 368S  FILM PRODUCTION THESIS • RICHARD LEWIS   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

This course is for filmmakers wishing to create a narrative or documentary film that demonstrates and showcases advanced filmmaking skills.

The class accepts DIRECTORS and PRODUCERS only (exceptions to this rule noted below), and students should apply in two-person directing/producing teams with the intent of working together to shepherd the project from beginning to end.  From pre-production to sound mix, students will complete a short film (under 12 minutes in length) with the most advanced equipment available to RTF undergraduates. Emphasis will be placed on storytelling, strong cinematic style, and production values.  Teams should plan to enter the class with considerable story work already completed.

Each two-person team must apply no later no later than 5 pm on Monday, October 30.

For more information and how to apply, see: https://rtf.utexas.edu/undergraduate/courses/thesis#Production

Learn more! Attend a virtual info session.   
Join us on Zoom on 10/10 (7pm) for Virtual Info Session   
Professor Lewis will host a virtual information session at 7 pm CT on Thursday, Oct 10. Please join if you're interested in learning more, as well as for an opportunity to meet other producers and directors!

RTF 368S SCREENWRITING THESIS • TOM WILLETT   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

The class is run like a graduate screenwriting class where advanced students will develop and write either a feature-length screenplay or an original tv pilot. Applicants must have already taken a 369 Screenwriting class and should submit a sample (a feature or pilot) and a one-page statement as to why they are interested in this class. We will also be reaching out to the applicant’s former or current instructors to find out how they performed in their workshop.

Deadline to apply: no later than 5 pm on Friday, November 3. For more information and how to apply, see: https://rtf.utexas.edu/undergraduate/courses/thesis#Screenwriting

RTF 368 DRAWING FOR DESIGNERS • JASON BUCHANAN

Improve your skills of visual expression and communication through the act of Drawing. In the course we will experiment with various drawing media, and examine the Principles and Elements of Design through conceptual and observational drawing.

RTF 369 ADVANCED SCREENWRITING: FEATURE FILM • TERESA WARNER, ANDREW LOGAN 
Flag/s: Writing

In this class, students will complete a feature-length screenplay (90-120 pages) by the end of the semester. In addition, they will read and comment on their classmates' work.

RTF 369 ADVANCED SCREENWRITING: INDIE FILMS • MAYA PEREZ   
Flag/s: Writing

This workshop class is focused on writing screenplays designed for micro-budget, independent production. As students write their own feature-length scripts (90-120 pages) throughout the semester, they will study and analyze completed micro-budget films and their production methods. In addition, they will read and comment on their classmates' work.

RTF 369 ADVANCED SCREENWRITING: SHORTS • TOM WILLETT   
Flag/s: Writing

In this class, students will focus on short films and what makes for a successful short script.  At a minimum, students should expect to write five short scripts and rewrite a minimum of two of them.  These scripts can be used in other classes or for projects produced outside UT/RTF. In addition, students will read and comment on their classmates' work.

RTF 369 ADVANCED SCREENWRITING: WRITING FOR TV • JUAN CARLOS GUTIERREZ   
Flag/s: Writing

Each student will create a brand new television show (30- or 60-minute, network or cable) from the ground up: researching the setting and historical moment, inventing the characters and relationships, and ultimately designing the conflicts necessary to propel a show through multiple seasons. Students will then distill all of this work into a single showpiece episode - a pilot - that demonstrates the artistic and commercial potential of the new show. We’ll also be looking at a range of produced pilots (both aired and unaired) and discussing what makes the best of them work.

RTF 369P SCRIPT TO SCREEN: COMMERCIALS • SCOTT RICE & LAURA BRIGHT

From SalesForce to Lincoln, Script to Screen: Commercials takes students behind the scenes of Matthew McConaughey’s latest commercial work. By studying campaign briefs, early concepts, scripts, storyboards and exclusive behind the scenes footage, students will garner insight into the making of major advertising campaigns. Script to Screen: Commercials is cross-listed with the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relations, and it offers many experiential learning opportunities. Students will explore the production of commercials as well as the development and distribution of advertising campaigns from the ad agency perspective. Script to Screen: Commercials is an essential “how-to” for students who are serious about advertising, marketing, producing or directing.

INTERNSHIPS

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MAY TERM

RTF 359    ITALIAN CINEMA: SUSTAINABLE CINEMA IN PARMA – Study Abroad in Italy • PAOLA BONIFAZIO 
Taught in English

The program provides students the opportunity to live and study in Italy for three weeks. Students will learn about environmental Italian cinema and sustainable practices in filmmaking and other cultural productions in Italy. Hands-on, experiential learning opportunities will be available to students as we collaborate with 24FPS in independent projects. Students earn three credit hours for one course (ITC 339/ RTF 359 Italian Cinema), which carries an Independent Inquiry flag. For sustainability studies majors, the course may be used to fulfill the capstone experience requirement. 
Application Deadline: Nov 1, 2023

Join Info Session In Person or on Zoom:  
Wed, 10/18, at 12 noon, HRH 2.118 Lounge/ Zoom hybrid

NON MAJOR COURSES

Note: In addition to courses listed below, which are open to non-majors, there are courses listed on this page that count toward minors in Media Studies, Media and Entertainment Industries, or Latino Media Arts & Studies.

RTF 301N       FILM MUSIC IN U.S. AND MEXICO • RODRIGO FLORES-LÓPEZ
Restricted to non-RTF majors. No prior music knowledge is required.

This course introduces students to the aesthetics of music in film. One of its primary goals is to examine examples of its evolution from silent films to the most current productions. The course aims to provide students with terminology and concepts to understand the theory, functionality, aesthetics and meaning in original film scores, from their conception to their production. By analyzing examples from the Hollywood practice, we will delve into the way film music has developed and draw parallels with Mexican examples. We will also explore the use of pre-existing music in cinema. 

The course will predominantly focus on the Hollywood musical tradition, while also featuring examples from the development of film music production in Mexican cinema. Film scoring practices in the United States have greatly impacted the way film music is approached at an international level. Although students will be presented with some examples of film scores from other countries, the main emphasis will be on how music in film has unfolded in the United States of America and Mexico.

RTF 303C        INTRO TO MEDIA/ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES – Web-Based • WENHONG CHEN  
Restricted to non-RTF majors. Fulfills a social & behavioral sciences core curriculum requirement for the 2022–2023 academic year. Qualifies for the Media Studies Minor.

Drawing on literatures from media studies, management, sociology, and communication, this course helps students to develop a social science understanding of media industries and entrepreneurship. We start with a survey of key social science theories and concepts the media landscape. We examine the social, political, and economic contexts in which media are produced, distributed, and monetized. Special attention is paid to new media and communication technologies such as Web 2.0, social media, gaming, and mobile media and the implications of these disruptive innovations for media organizations and professionals. Cases in old and new media industries from different countries will be analyzed. It is designed to help students achieve the following goals upon successful course completion:

• Understand key social science theories, concepts and methods on the complicated interaction between media and society.
• Recognize various opportunities, challenges, and responses media industries have to address due to globalization and technological advancements.
• Understand government policies and industry practices that affect the formation and function of media organizations.
• Understand the trajectory and development of various legacy and new media industry sectors.
• Evaluate entrepreneurial opportunities, challenges, and process in the media industries facilitated and constrained by institution and culture.  
   

RTF 306           INTRO TO WORLD CINEMA HISTORY - Web-Based • LALITHA GOPALAN  
Restricted to non-RTF majors. Fulfills a Visual and Performing Arts core curriculum requirement for the 2022–2023 academic year. Qualifies for the Media Studies Minor and the Latino Media Arts & Studies Minor.

Love the movies? Join us and explore how the movies developed from a circus amusement to multinational industry as well as how film can be understood as socio-cultural , technological, aesthetic and economic artifact. Global in scope, this course will sample a variety of “national cinemas” in order to compare and contrast how moviemaking developed uniquely in different parts of the world. We will also address how decades of popular and critical attention to the glamour and gossip surrounding Hollywood movies has affected our understanding of “American” cinema. The course fulfills VAPA requirements, and is designed for non-RTF majors who have not taken previous coursework in film or media studies.  
 

RTF 329C        DIGITAL MEDIA PRODUCTION - Web-Based • BEN BAYS  
Open to BOTH RTF Majors & Non-RTF Majors.

Animation, Visual Effects, Digital Painting and CGI are used to produce content for a variety of media including live-action film, classical and 3D animation and interactive formats like video games and XR.  This course will teach you the industry standard tools and practical techniques of digital media production, no experience necessary.  The course is self-paced, non-linear and offers a variety of options.  Students choose their area of interest from a large array of assignments covering topics like concept art and previsualization, color correction and post production, animation and simulation, compositing and visual effects or CGI and interactive game design (and more).  Will you become a generalist across all digital media production, will you specialize in one discipline or will you define a new role in digital media production? Choose your own path and the instructor and a team of TAs collaborate with you. No prior knowledge of digital media production required.  Mac or PC. No software purchase required. This course offers both access to instructor guidance and the ability to complete assignments at your own pace.

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SPECIALTY COURSES

STUDY ABROAD WITH MOODY

RTF 336      SPECIAL PROJECTS IN RADIO-TELEVISION-FILM   
Flag/s: Independent Inquiry

This course gives students the opportunity to do independent research or creative projects. These are developed and executed by the student under the supervision of a faculty member. (Note: Students cannot use departmental equipment to complete these projects.) May be taken twice for credit. May be counted toward the independent inquiry flag requirement. Hour(s) to be arranged. Restricted enrollment; review instructions.

Prerequisites:

• Upper-division standing
• Approval from a faculty sponsor
• Approval from the Department Chair

RTF 337     NONFICTION PODCASTING • KATEY OUTKA

A fusion of journalism and documentary production, scripted narrative podcasting has become increasingly popular over the past decade. It’s true that anyone can make a podcast — it’s easy to talk into a microphone then upload it to the internet — but producing scripted narrative show takes training, time, and dedication. In this course, students will produce a 15- to 20-minute narrative podcast episode on the topic of their choice. The semester will take them through the entire production process, from brainstorming to script writing to sound design. Students will also listen to narrative podcasts throughout the semester and analyze them to learn how to (and how not to) produce their own episodes.

RTF 368S    UNDERGRADUATE THESIS COURSES - OFFERED SPRING SEMESTERS ONLY   
https://rtf.utexas.edu/undergraduate/courses/thesis   
RTF 368S UNDERGRADUATE FILM PRODUCTION THESIS   
RTF 368S UNDERGRADUATE MEDIA STUDIES THESIS   
RTF 368S UNDERGRADUATE SCREENWRITING THESIS

UTNY

The New York City experience amplifies creative energy, professional opportunity and world-class arts and culture. Live, work, and learn as you explore and engage through UTNY’s connection to companies, people and prospects. Business, government, and technology merge with entertainment, fashion, and media in this global epicenter.

UTLA

Spend a semester in Los Angeles to jump-start your career in the entertainment industry. Open to all UT Austin students regardless of major, the UTLA program is a chance to get hands-on training at an internship, take classes taught by industry insiders, and explore new career paths to set yourself up for success after graduation. Learn about UTLA courses.