GCU Digital Film Department
Do you enjoy the art of storytelling? The GCU Digital Film Department in the College of Arts and Media provides a unique track into the world of visual and technical storytelling. Under the guidance of film industry professionals, the GCU Digital Film program is focused on narrative storytelling and instilling strong technical skills in both production and screenwriting. Students gain hands-on experience in the first semester of their freshman year. By graduation, students will have received multiple years of learning and training in a variety of skillsets that are applicable to a wide range of industries.
Whether you have a passion for production or writing, GCU Digital Film degrees ensure you receive an all-round technical and writing skillset. Students may take a digital film degree with an emphasis on production to learn about filmmaking from behind the camera, or an emphasis on screenwriting to learn how to construct the next great character and story.
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The faculty for GCU Digital Film is made up of award-winning industry professionals who hold years of experience in a variety of areas in digital film. In conjunction with our Faculty Advisory Board, Digital Film faculty members ensure that each Digital Film class contains assignments that teach employable skills for the current film and television industry.
Academic Relationships
The GCU Digital Film Department is proud to have an academic relationship with Blackmagic Design, a world leader in cinema and broadcasting equipment and software (including DaVinci Resolve). GCU is the only Blackmagic Academic Training Partner in Arizona, meaning that we alone are able to certify individuals in DaVinci Resolve nonlinear editing software and Fusion Effects visual effects software.
- Phoenix Film Festival
- NXNW Student Film Festival
- Canon
- RED Cameras
- Adobe
- Unreal Engines
- Milwaukee Brewers (Phoenix, AZ operations)
- Matthew Earl Jones – Director of AZ Film and Digital Media
- Phil Bradstock – Phoenix Film Commissioner
- Susan Slonaker – Screenwriter
- Marty Tanisaki, MBA – Senior Analyst, Theatrical Distribution, Walt Disney Company
- Justin Sklar – Animator, Disney Animation Studios
- Clark Spencer – Producer, Pixar
- Adrian Molina – Director, Disney Animation Studios
- Rob Thompson – Animator, Pixar
- Chris Tinard – Filmmaker/Producer, HireStory and Director of AZ Drone Festival
- Thomas Brodek – Producer, Production Manager
- Daniel Cunningham – Producer, Busted Buggy Entertainment
- Emily Best – CEO, Seed & Spark
- Mike MacLean – Screenwriter
- Chris Riley – Film Director and CEO, Metashift Gaming (GCU Alumni)
- Laura Donohue – Producer (GCU Alumni)
Digital Film Editing Lab
GCU’s film editing lab consists of multiple iMac computer stations which all run Adobe and DaVinci software. DFP-225: Nonlinear Editing; DFP-455: Advanced Post-Production; and DFP-351: Audio Production for Film and Television are all held within the editing lab to ensure that students learn on the software required by the film industry.
WhisperRoom Audio Booth
Students have access to an audio recording suite that includes a WhisperRoom audio booth and an iMac Pro that runs the Adobe Audition software. In this suite, students have the opportunity to host professional voiceover and ADR sessions.
Digital Film Equipment Rental Cage
Equipment includes Canon C-100 and C-300 cameras, RED Epic, Scarlet and Gemini cameras, Zoom H4N Pro audio recorders, Sennheiser microphones, a variety of lights (HMI, tungsten, LED), a professional pocket jib, a doorway dolly (with tracks) and many other items. Production courses involve and rely on hands-on instruction to ensure that students are comfortable with the tools available to them.
Request more information today to see how you can be a part of GCU Digital Film.
By using the state-of-the-art equipment and facilities available, GCU Digital Film students are able to bring their visions to life via short and long-form scripts and films. Students are encouraged to participate in as many film festivals and showcases as possible, including those hosted by GCU. At these events, students can meet and network with industry professionals and have their work judged and critiqued, taking away valuable knowledge so that they can go on to create the so that they can go on to create the next cult classic, indie hit or summer blockbuster.
Every fall, GCU hosts an intercollegiate 48-Hour Film Festival. Students have 48 hours in which to conceive a film (after being provided genre, line of dialogue and prop), film it, edit it and then screen it to a panel of judges. Trophies are awarded to students for Best Film, Best Story, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Audio and Best Actor, with the Persistence of Vision traveling trophy being awarded to the school with the most wins.
Held every spring, the GCU Film Festival allows students to showcase their work to a larger audience and gain recognition. A prestigious awards ceremony on campus goes as follows: winners, judged by industry professionals, are selected from the Animation, Comedy, Drama, Documentary, Faith, Music Video, Thriller and Alumni categories. Additionally, a Best of Festival award is given to the film which the judges felt exceeded all competitors.
Pitches are a mainstay in the film industry and it is critical for students to master the skill of pitching. At GCU’s PitchFest, students have 90 seconds to pitch their film and television ideas to industry professionals for feedback and guidance on next steps. This opportunity allows them to hone their skills and make invaluable industry connections.
Held prior to the PitchFest and the GCU Film Festival awards ceremony and alongside our partners in Career Services, these mixers allow industry professionals to meet students and learn more about the Digital Film program. These events have resulted in internships and job opportunities for those who have attended.