<p>Hi all. I am almost certain I want to apply early decision to H&SS (I have spent over a year considering this). I go to an arts high school where I am a communications major and take classes in creative writing and film in addition to my academics, but I want to concentrate more on writing than on film. Still, I have enough interest in film to minor in it and was wondering if the film studies minor at CMU is something worth pursuing. Are there a lot of opportunities to participate in film production with Pittsburgh Filmmakers, or is it literally just film studies
(e.g. analysis of films and filmmaking techniques)? Do the students going for the minor take it seriously, or is it just a couple of people doing it for fun? I don't mean to sound pretentious; I would just really like to keep some semblance of film in my studies while still exploring other fields at CMU. Somebody please straighten out all these questions for me. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hi there,</p>
<p>The minor is pretty serious - many students who pursue the minor are also in CMU’s film club, which hosts a couple of indie film competitions/festivals each year and has a lot of very active members. There has been good partnership between them and the creative writing department before, too - last year they were asking for submitted writing pieces and poems, and film club members then chose a piece and made a short film based off the piece they chose. The results were pretty cool.</p>
<p>As far as I know, you can actually take a Pittsburgh Filmmakers course/work with them and use it as substitute credit in the minor. I know that many students in the minor are also members of that group.</p>
<p>Lastly - there are actually 2-3 great courses in film that aren’t on the minor list at all but which are available at CMU through the Entertainment Technology Center. One such course is Visual Story (a semester-long short film course) and another, which I am currently taking, is called Storytelling in Entertainment Technology. We are assigned scripts for popular shows (I am currently doing Mad Men) and then learn the techniques of TV writing and of film screenwriting. At the end of the class, you have a full, polished spec script for use in breaking into Hollywood work, if that’s what you want. It’s useful stuff. :)</p>
<p>Thank you Kate! Helpful as always.</p>
<p>The program sounds great. I hope I get into CMU! :)</p>