At its core, cinema arts is imagination. It is vision and creativity. It is collaboration and synergy. It is drama, suspense, beauty, and meaning. Although we surround ourselves with the tools of our trade, and while they are an integral part of what we do, digital cinema arts at Lindenwood is fundamentally about the art of storytelling.
Cinema arts is cutting-edge communication. It is technology. It is pixels, bits, CCDs, algorithms, lasers, and light-emitting diodes. But that’s just one part of the picture.
Technology is important, but in the end, it is merely a means to transmit the medium. The LEDs and software of today are no more constant than the vacuum tubes and typewriters that were part of our lives not long ago. The ability to craft a compelling story, on the other hand, is timeless, enduring, and one of the most valuable skills for any professional communicator.
There are two cinema arts degrees at Lindenwood University: The Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Fine Arts. Both degrees are designed to give students a strong base of knowledge and hands-on experience that will serve as a starting point for their lifelong learning process as filmmakers.
The cinema arts program is experiential. It is a hands-on program, in which you get to write, produce, shoot, edit, and even work for a weekly college newspaper; broadcast at a 50,000-watt FM radio station; and work at LUTV, our cable-distributed news program that airs on systems around the St. Louis metropolitan area. Part of being a communicator is knowing and understanding different communication mediums, and you have the opportunity to work with three of them.
In all of the degree programs, you can learn the principles key to everything from creating an entertaining movie to producing an effective informational video. As you progress through the program, you will forge your own career path. The opportunities that exist now might not be the opportunities that exist after you graduate. But, whatever the opportunities may be, the abilities to meet challenges, engage audiences, provoke thought, and elicit emotions will always be at the top of the list of qualifications.
Lindenwood University Cinema Arts Faculty
Each full-time faculty member in the Cinema Arts program has worked professionally in her or his field, and each has more than a decade of experience in higher education. Members of the faculty specialize in producing, directing, lighting, cinematography, editing, and screenwriting. Adjunct faculty members from the St. Louis film and television production community also bring a wide range of talent and experience to our program.
