Students are provided with both film and digital equipment for hands-on learning about cinematic production techniques.

The Cinema Major and Minor

To graduate with a B.A. in Cinema, a student must earn 36 credits by completing the following courses:

• Film Aesthetics
• Elementary Cinema Production
• Intermediate Cinema Production
• History of Cinema
• Advanced Cinema Production
• Theory of Cinema
• World Cinema
• Two elective courses from the following:
  • Development of Dramatic Art
  • Photography I Foundation
  • Radio and Television in America
  • Audio Recording and Sound Editing
  • Philosophy of the Arts

To graduate with a minor in Cinema, a student must complete 20 credits in the following courses:

• Film Aesthetics
• Elementary Cinema Production
• Intermediate Cinema Production
• History of Cinema
• Advanced Cinema Production

Coursework and independent projects allow Cinema students to actively participate in the creative aspects of filmmaking.

What do cinema majors do after Denison?

Many career opportunities exist for our majors in

• film and video production
• directing, design, and production management
• marketing, journalism, multimedia, and business

Some of our majors choose to continue their education in top graduate schools.

Who are our professors?

Associate Professor David Bussan joined the faculty at Denison in 1987. He earned a B.A. at Denison University and an M.F.A. at the California Institute of the Arts. Bussan has received many awards for his 16mm films at several film festivals.

Department Chair and Associate Professor Marc Wiskemann joined the faculty at Denison in 2003. He earned a B.A. and a B.S. at the University of Texas and an M.F.A. at Florida State University. He teaches courses in elementary and advanced cinema production, video theory and production, and seminar courses  in cinematography and advanced production techniques. He has worked professionally in film production since 1991 on nine feature films and more than 40 shorts, commercials and music videos.

Associate Professor Jonathan Walley joined the faculty at Denison in 2005. He earned a B.A. at Bard College, and a M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He teaches courses in film studies, elementary cinema production and screenwriting. His primary research interest is avant-garde and experimental cinema. He is currently writing a book on "paracinema," works that do not use the film medium but are nonetheless identified as film by their makers.

Assistant Professor Jesse Schlotterbeck joined the faculty at Denison in 2011. He earned a B.A. at Oberlin College, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Film Studies from the University of Iowa. His research and teaching interests include American sound cinema and film genre, in addition to documentary studies and the relationship between film and television.