Classes in Film, Video, Sound, Installation, Animation, and Studies.
Binghamton University’s Cinema Department develops artists and creative thinkers in film, video and theory. A strong history of underground and independent production and criticism has made our trailblazing department an antidote to the Hollywood industry model. Whether you want to direct, edit or write about movies, our cinema program offers the flexibility for you to create a course of study based on your interest. Students do amazing work at both the BA and MFA degree levels.
Explore Ideas, Processes, and Equipment
above: video and sound installation from 2023
Where to begin with production?
Cine 252: Film and Video. An introduction to shooting and editing silent Super-8 film and digital video. Investigating possibilities of discovery and expression in the basic processes of cinema. This class is required for both the Major and Minor in Cinema
Students work on a collaborative film in Personal Cinema, Spring 2024
An animated collaborative wall mural in Experimental Animation Projects. Spring 2024
Our faculty are a notable group of filmmakers and scholars with diverse backgrounds in; experimental and avant garde cinema, film noir, documentaries, digital video and multi-media, history and theory of film, related arts such as painting, sculpture and photography. Their awards include Independent Film Channel’s Independent Spirit Award and the New York Film Expo’s Gold Award for best experimental film, as well as prizes from festivals such as the San Francisco International Film Festival, the London International Film Festival and the Black Maria Festival, to name a few.
Our Facilities & Equipment
The Sound Studio where students take classes like Cine 253: Creative Sound Processess:
This introductory course will emphasize the creative possibilities of working with
sound as a cinematic form. Students will learn how to construct concrete sound compositions
through the use of samples, looping, and field recordings. Knowledge of the essentials
of recording process such as a signal routing, levels, dynamics, layering, and equalization
will be part of the creative projects assigned. We will look at how to manipulate
the color of sound using vintage and new recording technologies and how to create
unique acoustic spaces through the use of heights, width, and depth. Class assignments
will push critical thinking about the relationships of sound to image.
Our cinema facilities feature ample spaces and computer programs for students to create or edit their media projects, as well as up-to-the minute equipment cinema majors can borrow. These include; studio and performance spaces, audio and video editing labs, a digital still-photo lab, animation and a sound studio.
Explore Facilities & Equipment
Our Courses
Students learn how to shoot with 16mm Bolex camera in Cine 351: Filmmaking II:
Introduction to shooting and editing 16mm, emphasis on learning to use the skills
and theory behind production processes for mindful and provocative expression, on
learning to reach meanings in cinematic terms with a critical and creative eye.
Courses in our program range from a focus on the technical aspects of filmmaking, such as Video and Filmmaking or live Performative Processes, to the study of film as art with classes including From Bombay to Bollywood, Contemporary Chinese Theater and Facets of the Documentary.
Degree RequirementsNew classes in flm studies:
still from Dislocation Blues by Sky Hopinka (2017) CINE 380U: Media and the Environment:
This course explores the critical intersections of media, environment, and society. Heavily influenced by recent debates around the Anthropocene and climate change, the course introduces students to shifting constructions of nature in the realms of cinema, television, photography, and moving-image art. Each week features media artifacts framed around a case study or environmental concern, including nuclear disaster, toxic exposure, environmental racism, interspecies relationships, trash cultures, and much more. Throughout the term, students will develop appreciation and awareness of environmental issues and movements, and gain valuable experience in critical studies and critical making.
Schedule Of ClassesAdvanced Production Classes in Cinema
