Communication and Cinema

Professor Slade, Associate Professors Brett (Department Chair), Lemieux, and Trader; Assistant Professor Watley.

Areas of particular teaching interest: Professor Brett: scriptwriting, production, film theory and history; Professor Lemieux: interpersonal communication, relational communication, health communication, organizational culture, and quantitative research; Professor Slade: media literacy, production, American independent cinema; Professor Trader: interactive media, message design, instructional communication; Professor Watley: intercultural communication and dialogue, race, gender, media literacy, pop culture, critical media analysis, and qualitative research.

Communication Major:

Whether face-to-face or mediated, communication is the nexus of human behavior. At the center of Communication research is the message, and understanding the intricacies and power of message design, message delivery, message interpretation, and message impact is central to our approach. The pursuit of this understanding focuses on developing and enhancing your verbal, visual, and textual skills. Using the social scientific method, you will apply your message building skills across a multitude of contexts and situations, such as health communication, interactive media, gender in communication, organizational communication, visual communication, intercultural communication, media criticism, relational communication, and critical theories & popular culture, to name a few.

The Communication major is a flexible degree that promises wide applications, as students develop strong interpersonal and presentation skills, writing and media skills, and research and analysis skills. Communication majors pursue careers in media (publishing, television, radio, internet sites, the film industry, advertising, public relations, crisis communication, and event planning), business (sales, customer service, human resources, marketing, lobbying, and public relations), law (mediation), government (public information, conflict negotiation, and campaigning), and education (recruitment, alumni affairs, student advising, and teaching).

Other Educational Options in Communication: Please see the dual majors option in Art .

Please see the Education section under Curriculum in this catalog for teacher certification requirements in Communication.

Cinema Major:

In the field of Cinema, technology is transitory. Every year brings new high-tech systems and software, new video formats and distribution platforms. The only cinematic tools that don’t become obsolete: The human brain and the human heart.

Audiences are inundated by Hollywood films with awesome stunts and visual effects, great costumes, and mega-star talent, all wrapped around weak, forgettable stories and characters devoid of passion, ingenuity, and humanity.

Our goal at McDaniel Cinema: Solid stories, smartly told.

We don’t embrace the typical button-pushing, widget-obsessed method to producing media. Instead, we take a holistic approach that emphasizes mastery of three key liberal arts-based areas that have always lain at the core of great cinema:

Writing: A mastery of the process and formatting of strong cinematic stories.

Critical Analysis: Understanding the broader context of cinema in terms of history and theory by studying iconic filmmakers, key thinkers, genres, and movements.

Production: The ability to complete a cinematic project – regardless of medium or venue – from casting through effective and dramatic shooting and editing.

All supplemented by values at the core of the liberal arts: teamwork, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.

At McDaniel Cinema, we want to prepare the next wave of creative thinkers and storytellers, people who communicate powerful ideas using images and sound – graduating talented and well-rounded citizens of the world who have something exciting and meaningful to say, and who can use their mastery of cinematic storytelling to work in all facets of the media industry.

Other Educational Options in Cinema: Please see the dual majors option in Theatre.

Programs

Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate Minor

Communication and Cinema

Programs

Courses