The film studies major involves understanding and analyzing film theory, spanning from the earliest films ever made to the movies we see in theaters today. As a freshman and sophomore film studies student you will take classes like Intro to Film and Intro to Film & Digital Media, which help provide a framework for understanding and applying analytical concepts and film theory techniques to various films, and applying that knowledge to critical essays and projects.
I was interested in the film studies major because I’ve always had a passion for writing and watching movies, and I want to pursue comedy writing and film production after graduation. I wanted to better understand the techniques that filmmakers use to tell memorable stories. I thought that a major that focuses on film theory and understanding a diverse catalogue of film concepts would help me better understand things like story structure, camera angles, directing techniques and more.
One of my favorite film classes was my intro to screenwriting class, which I took my freshman year. In this class we broke down famous films into different acts, analyzing how the act structure works or doesn’t work in relation to the story. We learned how to write in three act structure ourselves, and shared our own scripts with the class. This made me a better writer because it gave me the opportunity to collaborate with my peers and get feedback from them and my professors. It also helped me with my own personal writing projects and I found myself going back to previous work and making it better because of the writing techniques I learned in class.
The film studies major is great because it exposes you to all kinds of different movies, and makes you appreciate genres you might not have been interested in before. There are a lot of opportunities for further education outside of class, as well. There are public screenings shown in Wells Hall every Thursdays, and the East Lansing Film Festival gives students the chance to showcase their work. MSU Telecasters attracts a lot of film majors and helps people develop reels, which they can then show to potential employers after graduation. This major really helps prepare you for entering the entertainment industry after graduation, and provides an avenue for many different career paths. I’d definitely recommend this major to anyone interested in film or storytelling. The classes you’ll take and the films you’ll see will broaden your perspective on film and the genres of storytelling.