Students learn to apply their knowledge of critical thinking, creative expression, ethical behavior, and clear communication through their study of film. 

Filmmaking, like many disciplines, requires one to be well-educated in many different subjects.  The process draws on areas as diverse as math, writing, visual arts, physics, and psychology.  To train successful and well-rounded graduates, Digital Cinema Arts degrees at Lindenwood strive to achieve the following student learning outcomes:

• Construct and engaging film narrative.

The most important part of filmmaking is telling a good story.  The ability to engage an audience emotionally and intellectually is always in high demand in the marketplace and, even outside of filmmaking, it has countless applications in communication, business, and day-to-day life.

• Produce work that effectively employs aural and visual aesthetic principles.

The basis of cinema is the synchronization of images and sound.  Filmmakers need to understand the variables under their control and make choices to transform those images and sounds into expressions of beauty and meaning.

• Assess creative work in the context of common cinematic standards.

In order to be an original creator of meaningful film art, one must be an educated and cultured consumer of film.  Whether we like it or not, everything we produce is informed and affected by what has come before us and by the work that exists alongside our own.

• Manage the collaborative creative process.

In a collaborative medium, a filmmaker must also be a leader.  Successful producers or directors must not only manage organization and logistics, but in order to be successful, they need to motivate their team and incorporate diverse opinions and talents into the creative process.

• Select the tools and technology most appropriate for any given project.

We are fortunate to be able to stay at the leading edge of technology in our field, however, we also recognize that technology changes so rapidly that graduates may need to adapt to new equipment, standards, and methods within a few short years of leaving our program.  We expect our students to understand not just the tools themselves but also to know how to learn and integrate new tools into their work.