Cinematic Arts and Film Studies

Program Director

Michael Trigilio 
Professor of Teaching, Visual Arts 

Academic Advising

UC San Diego undergraduate students: Please direct your advising questions to "Cinematic Arts and Film Studies" in the Virtual Advising Center (VAC). Use the "Meet with Advisor" page to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor. 

Lecturers

Ryan Betschart: rmbetschart@ucsd.edu 

Marty Davis: martydavis@ucsd.edu 

Jackson Kroopf: jkroopf@ucsd.edu 

Rebecca Louisell: rlouisell@ucsd.edu

Rajee Samarasinghe: rasamarasinghe@ucsd.edu

Ian Samuels: isamuels@ucsd.edu 

Affiliated Faculty

Faculty that have expressed an interest in serving as a faculty advisor for FILM 197 for the Academic Internship Program (AIP) are indicated below with "(AIP)." Please note that availability may vary, and not all faculty members will be available each quarter.

Amy Adler, Visual Arts

Patty Ahn, Communication 

Amy Alexander, Visual Arts

Mysia Anderson, Visual Arts (AIP)

Gabriel Bamgbose, Literature

Marco Barricelli, Theatre and Dance

Bernard Brown, Theatre and Dance

Julie Burelle, Theatre and Dance

Andrea Caban, Theatre and Dance

Amy Sara Carroll, Literature

Lisa Cartwright, Visual Arts

Jordan Crandall, Visual Arts

Brian Cross, Visual Arts (AIP)

Zeinabu Davis, Communication

Andrew deWaard, Communication

Ben Dollar, Literature

Shlomo Dubnov, Music

Dean Erdmann, Visual Arts

Geraldine Fiss, Literature

Malik Gaines, Visual Arts

Mariah Garnett, Visual Arts

William Given, Analytical Writing Program (AIP)

Allan Havis, Theatre and Dance

Todd A. Henry, History

Erin Hill, Communication

Jaclyn Jemc, Literature

Shawna Kidman, Communication 

Curtis Marez, Ethnic Studies

Luis Martin-Cabrera, Literature

Bobby McElver, Theatre and Dance (AIP)

Andrea Mendoza, Literature

Nicole Miller, Visual Arts

Daisuke Miyao, Literature (AIP)

Lorena Mostajo, Visual Arts (AIP)

Silpa Mukherjee, Literature (AIP)

Dana Velasco Murillo, History

Hoang Tan Nguyen, Literature

Alison O'Daniel, Visual Arts

Victoria Petrovich, Theatre and Dance

Babak Rahimi, Literature

Alexandro Segade, Visual Arts

Deborah Stein, Theatre and Dance

Michael Trigilio, Visual Arts (AIP)

Robert Twomey, Visual Arts (AIP)

Ameeth Vijay, Literature

Daniel Vitkus, Literature 

Nadia Villafuerte Vasquez, Literature

Ping Zhu, Literature

Cinematic Arts Major (Major code: CINE-BA-001)

Students who complete the Cinematic Arts major will:

• be introduced to the fundamentals of making, understanding, and analyzing film/cinema.
• gain a broad historical and critical understanding of cinema history, including trends in the US and internationally.
• learn fundamental production techniques including: cinematography, writing, editing, sound, animation, visual effects, directing, and presentation.
• cultivate a critical understanding of their own work as filmmakers and scholars, with the ability to write and speak about the themes and impact of their work.
• receive real-world experience in the form of internships, work-study, and student-led projects.
• learn about the fundamentally collaborative nature of filmmaking, allowing them to identify areas within which they feel confident to pursue a practice beyond UC San Diego.

Requirements:

• 7 lower-division core courses (28 units), distributed as follows. The FILM and VIS courses are equivalent so you may take any combination of them as long as you take a 71, 72, and 73; these courses may be taken in any order. 
  • FILM-071. Fundamentals of Cinematography or VIS-071 Introduction to Cinematography (4 units) 
  • FILM-072. Fundamentals of Directing or VIS-072. Introduction to Directing (4 units)
  • FILM-073. Fundamentals of Editing or VIS-073. Introduction to Editing (4 units)
  • VIS-084. Film History (4 units)
  • 3 electives (12 units)
• 12 upper-division courses (48 units); distributed as follows:
  • 5 Studies & History courses (20 units);
  • 4 Production courses (16 units);
    • 1 production course must be screenwriting
  • FILM-170. Cinematic Arts Practicum (4 units)
  • 1 upper-division elective from Studies & History or Production 
  • CINE-185. Senior Cinematic Arts Project (4 units) 
• Courses must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C- or better. 

• On the UC San Diego campus, courses numbered 001-099 are lower-division (LD) and 100-199 are upper-division (UD). Transfer coursework may have different numbering, and students may check the level of courses in their Academic History in the Triton Student System (TSS).

Capstone and Practicum Information:

• Capstone (CINE-185)
  • Students work with their faculty thesis advisor and are recommended to complete this requirement during their final year. There are many different options depending on a student’s individual interests, so the specific parameters will be set with the student’s faculty thesis advisor. The length of the project depends on the medium. For instance, a 4-minute animation would take longer to create than a 4-minute live-action film. Some examples include a 10-15 minute documentary, multiple shorter films, a web series, a research project (20-30 page paper), or a podcast. The goal is for students to produce something that is portfolio-ready or submittable for grant money, to graduate school, or for publication. 
• Practicum course (FILM-170)
  • This is meant to be an off-campus professional/scholarly endeavor. The practicum course is a way for students to explore their individual career interests in a class environment. Students find an opportunity before booking the class. The Practicum requirement is intended to require students to identify and participate in internships or other off-site professional environments (this could include scholarship at an archive or other types of activities that are not "production" driven in the same way as "internships). Opportunities may include a more traditional internship with a studio to working with government agencies or community and non-profit organizations to create a film project. If a student is more inclined towards research, they could be a research assistant on a film-focused scholarly project. Our program works with the Academic Internship Program (AIP), where you can find more information about the process (AIP-197 requirements are the most similar). During quarters when FILM-170 is not offered, students may petition FILM-197 to complete this requirement. The Cinematic Arts affiliated faculty, the Arts and Humanities alumni network, and the UC San Diego Career Center can offer support with finding possible opportunities, but securing an opportunity is ultimately up to the student. 

Resources:

• Cinematic Arts Major Planning Checklist
• Cinematic Arts Major Requirements with Prerequisites
• Cinematic Arts Official Course Catalog
• How to Declare a Double Major
• How to petition courses
• Communication Annual Course Offerings
• Literature Annual Course Offerings
• Sociology Annual Course Offerings
• Theatre and Dance Annual Course Offerings
• Visual Arts Annual Course Offerings

Cinematic Arts Minor (Minor code: CINE-MN-002) and Film Studies Minor

Note: The Film Studies minor was renamed the Cinematic Arts minor. The Film Studies minor was updated to include production courses; therefore, for both minors the curriculum and requirements are the same, only the name has changed. 

Cinematic Arts provides students an exciting opportunity to examine the many facets of U.S. and international cinema. Students interested in exploring cinema as a multidimensional art medium will engage in the analysis of cinematic works of various forms. Study of film genres, history, theories, directors, cultural perspectives and more, allow students to gain a broad understanding of cinema as a historical and contemporary means of expression.

The interdisciplinary nature of the minor provides investigation of cinematic art through its connection to related fields such as Communication, Literature, Sociology, and Visual Arts. 

Requirements:

Completion of seven courses (28 units), at least five (20 units) of which must be upper-division courses chosen from at least two different departments.

On the UC San Diego campus, courses numbered 001-099 are lower-division (LD) and 100-199 are upper-division (UD). Transfer coursework may have different numbering, and students may check the level of courses in their Academic History in the Triton Student System (TSS).

The minor accepts P/NP courses. Please note that if you are thinking about changing to the Cinematic Arts major or double majoring that the Cinematic Arts major requires all courses are taken for a letter grade and passed with a C- or better. 

Resources:

• Cinematic Arts Minor Checklist 
• Film Studies Minor Checklist (no longer available to declare)
• Cinematic Arts and Film Studies minor Official Course Catalog
• How Upper-Division Courses May Overlap 
• How to Declare a Minor
• How to petition courses

Refer to the official UC San Diego General Catalog for a complete list of approved courses that will count toward a major or minor in Cinematic Arts. "Major only, minor by petition" indicates whether a course applies toward Cinematic Arts major or minor degree requirements only and is not a booking restriction. Refer to the General Catalog for prerequisite information. 

Course offerings are constantly changing. Please refer to the Schedule of Classes in the Triton Student System (TSS) for the most up-to-date listing.

(*) Indicates course may be petitioned for credit. Instructions on How to Petition Courses.

Summer Session I 2026

• COMM 10. Introduction to Communication (DEI)
• COMM 140GS. Cinema in Latin America (DEI)
• COMM 142. Film Authorship
• ETHN 163FR/TDGE 131R. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema (DEI)
• HILD 14. Film and History in Latin America
• LTAF 120GS. Literature and Film of Modern Africa
• LTCS 172GS. Special Topics in Screening Race/Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality: Imagining France through TV & Film
• LTEA 120A. Chinese Films
• LTEA 138. Japanese Films: The Anime Craze
• *LTEN 189GS. Twentieth-Century Postcolonial Literatures: How to Live in a World City: Housing, Precarity, and Migration in Contemporary Film
• TDGE 10. Theatre and Film
• TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
• TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
• TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film
• TDGE 127. The Films of Spike Lee (DEI)
• TDGE 131R/ETHN 163FR. Playing Indian: Native American and First Nations Cinema (DEI)
• VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film

Summer Session II 2026

• COMM 10. Introduction to Communication (DEI)
• COMM 20. Analysis of Media Forms and Cultures
• *LTWL 116. Adolescent Literature: Sex and Adolescence in American Film
• PHIL 184. Philosophy and Film
• TDGE 10. Theatre and Film
• TDGE 11. Great Performances on Film
• TDGE 124. Cult Films: Weirdly Dramatic
• TDGE 125. Topics in Theatre and Film
• TDGE 127. The Films of Spike Lee (DEI)
• VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics

Click HERE for 2026-2027 tentative annual course offerings. 

Attention Students: If you have accrued 35 or more units or have any issues booking, use the steps below to request authorization for a First Year Seminar. All others may simply book the course.

• Use the TEA (Triton Enrollment Authorization) system to request authorization to book the course. 
• It can take several business days for the department to process your request. Please plan accordingly to make sure you are submitting your request well in advance of any specific deadlines.
• For students who are not first year students (this includes first year students with sophomore, junior, or senior standing), requests will be processed starting second pass. Due to the limited size of 20 for seminars, approval is not always guaranteed. 

Please find information about upcoming events and how to subscribe to the Institute of Arts and Humanities newsletter on the Events webpage.

The Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts also hosts relevant events which may be of interest. 

Does the Cinematic Arts program offer tours? 

The Cinematic Arts program does not offer a tour, but UC San Diego offers the Office of Admissions campus tour. You can also view photos of the Media Teaching Lab's facilities, which include 2 production studios and 10 editing suites. 

Which buildings are Cinematic Arts classes offered in? 

Classes for the Cinematic Arts and Film Studies program are scheduled across campus in the most appropriate rooms and are not limited to a single building. For instance, the lab portion of FILM 71: Fundamentals of Cinematography is in a production studio or FILM 73: Fundamentals of Editing's lab is in a computer lab equipped with editing software, but a class such as VIS 84: Film History is in a lecture hall with screening capacity. 

When do Cinematic Arts majors start taking hands-on production courses? 

Cinematic Arts majors are encouraged to book hands-on production courses starting their first quarter. In the first year of the Cinematic Arts major, students take FILM 71: Fundamentals of Cinematography, FILM 72: Fundamentals of Directing, and FILM 73: Fundamentals of Editing. Instructors lead equipment demonstrations during the lab sections of the class, and the final project for each course is a short film. 

What equipment and facilities do students have access to?

Students in production courses will have access to a wide range of high-end equipment, including prime-lenses, lights, cameras, microphones, and grip items. These materials are available to students for check-out through the Media Teaching Lab. You can also view photos of the Media Teaching Lab's facilities. View the sample equipment lists for FILM 71: Fundamentals of Cinematography, FILM 72: Fundamentals of Directing, and FILM 73: Fundamentals of Editing, which are classes for first-year students. Students in more advanced production courses in their third and fourth years have access to more advanced equipment; for example, see the FILM 182: Production Studio Technique equipment list. Note that specific equipment available to students may change depending on the quarter and the instructors' preferences. 

How collaborative are production classes?

Filmmaking is a highly collaborative discipline, and Cinematic Arts classes emphasize the collaborative nature. Many courses require students to work in small crews and rotate through key roles. For example, in FILM 71: Fundamentals of Cinematography, students typically work in groups of 5 or 6 for midterm projects and complete an individual project for the final. The major is interdisciplinary, and courses in Communication or Visual Arts may vary in their balance of group and individual work depending on the class and instructor.

What is the average class size for production courses?

Production courses in the Cinematic Arts and Film Studies program are intentionally small to support hands-on learning and collaboration. Required lower-division classes on cinematography, directing, and editing have 22 students. Students may also take production classes in the Departments of Communication and Visual Arts, where class sizes can vary depending on the course and instructor. More specialized upper-division production courses across all departments are typically 18 to 22 students.

Does the program provide individual software licenses to students?

Students may choose to apply to the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts Fellowship, which provides equipment and some funding to its Fellows. These items include RED and Canon cinema cameras, as well as professional cine-prime lenses and audio recording equipment.

Are there any film-focused student organizations on campus? 

Triton TV (TTV) is a student-run organization that has equipment, studio space, and a great network of filmmakers. Each year they stage the UC San Diego Film Festival which is all student work.

Tritons Film Society is a club for students to watch and discuss films together. 

Animation Club provides a platform for individuals who share a passion for animation to come together, learn, network and grow as artists and storytellers.

ArtSpark is a pre-professional art club on campus that is dedicated to artists of all levels. 

New student organizations are constantly being created, so please check out the current list of student organizations. 

What amount of the major is film studies versus filmmaking? 

The major is a balance of both, but students have the option to take electives in the area that most interests them. Please review the major requirements for further detail. 

What are the differences between the Cinematic Arts Major versus the Media Major in Visual Arts?

The Cinematic Arts Major places a specific emphasis on film studies, learning and understanding the various histories and approaches to filmmaking, including international, independent, and experimental films, as well as popular Hollywood cinema. The Cinematic Arts Major also has a component focusing on fundamentals of production.

The Media Major in Visual Arts is a conceptually driven major training students to use their creative voice as artists using film and video tools, as opposed to more traditional painting/sculpting/design approaches. These students are trained as artists who use filmmaking as their medium. While some students do make “films,” students are able to produce any kind of expanded artworks, including video installations, experimental Virtual Reality, performance work, and beyond.

Please see this document for a full explanation.

As a Cinematic Arts major, can I petition upper-division Studies & History classes to count for upper-division Production classes or vice versa? 

No. Both are essential components of the major and are not interchangeable. Production classes do not provide the same curriculum as the Studies & History classes and do not meet the same curricular goals as the Studies & History classes do in the Cinematic Arts major. The same is true vice versa.

Does the Cinematic Arts program require a portfolio?

No, we do not require or review portfolios for undergraduate admission. 

Can I double major in Cinematic Arts and the Media Major (or any other major)? 

Yes, there are no restrictions of which double majors Cinematic Arts majors can complete. A student with a double major must fulfill the separate requirements of each major, and the equivalent of at least 10 upper-division courses (40 units) must be unique to each major. Courses taken in fulfillment of lower-division requirements may overlap to any degree. You do not need a portfolio to apply for the Cinematic Arts major. See how to declare a double major.

How can Cinematic Arts students study abroad? 

Cinematic Arts students are encouraged to study abroad and can work with the Study Abroad office. After students transfer the courses back to UC San Diego, students must petition coursework (how to petition courses). 

For Cinematic Arts majors, careful planning is essential. Lower-division courses and upper-division production courses often serve as prerequisites for more advanced classes, so majors should select their study abroad courses with these requirements in mind. Studies and History courses typically do not have prerequisites at UC San Diego, which makes them easier to schedule while abroad.

For Cinematic Arts minors, there is greater flexibility since the minor does not require a specific set of courses, but students should pay attention to lower-division and upper-division requirements and select study abroad coursework accordingly. 

Who will own the rights to the films students make during their academic program?

Students own the rights to their own work throughout their time at UC San Diego.

What editing programs will be taught?

As this is an undergraduate major at a research-one university, it is unlikely that there will be any class devoted to a single piece of software or editing platform. That said, in the current slate of film-editing classes, a range of platforms are available and taught, including Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, Avid Pro Tools, Adobe After Effects, Maxon Cinema 4D, Maxon Z-Brush, and others.

Are there opportunities for students to integrate their scriptwriting from one class into the production process of another class? 

This is at your instructor’s discretion. If you are planning to use material that you did not create specifically for the class you would be submitting it in–whether that is a script, footage, or anything else—please discuss this with your instructor to avoid academic integrity violations. 

How many classes should I take as a student each quarter? 

Please visit https://plans.ucsd.edu/ to see specific suggestions with university and college general education requirements. For FILM 71, 72, and 73, these can all be taken together; however, we recommend that you do not take any other classes if you are taking all 3 of them at the same time.  

If you are taking upper-division production courses, we recommend that you stick to no more than 2 per quarter due to how time-intensive they are. 

What are alumni outcomes for the Cinematic Arts major? 

The Cinematic Arts major just launched in Fall 2024, so we currently do not have any alumni. However, the Department of Visual Arts has for a long time been the location where students went for art/film study. Several of those alumni are now filmmakers. 

What career services are available to me? 

Students have access to the UC San Diego Career Center which offers one-on-one appointments, drop-in advising, job fairs, and more. There are helpful tools in Handshake (log-in required), including a Resources Library. In addition, the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts events often feature industry professionals who share their career journeys. 

How can I improve my chances of admission? 

The Office of Admissions, separate from the Cinematic Arts and Film Studies program, reviews all student applications. For more information on applying to the university, please see the UC San Diego Undergraduate Admissions website.