Majoring in film at LIU Post will help you prepare for a career in directing, cinematography, editing, lighting, producing, screenwriting or film criticism. LIU Post is one of only a handful of colleges and universities to instruct students in the use of 16mm film, and where students starting making films in their first semester. This 120-credit program also includes a strong film history component as well as courses in animation and special effects.
Our faculty are all working professionals in diverse areas of the field, including writers, directors, cinematographers’ documentarians and critics – award-winning professionals with top-level experience and credentials. As a student, you will have the chance to master the new media technologies, and develop your production design skills in our studio. You will get the valuable learning-by-doing experience that you need to succeed.
In addition to a comprehensive, widely respected education in film, you will study a well-rounded liberal arts-based core curriculum with lifelong personal and professional value. You will be a member of a diverse, vibrant learning community in one of the region’s most inspiring academic settings.
Please visit for an in-depth look at the film program at LIU Post.
Applicants are to be notified of departmental admissions decisions in the early spring. Mid-year transfer students will be contacted individually.
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
It is possible to apply for additional monies outside what the University has already granted you. Please email the Director of Film, Susan.Zeig@liu.edu to find out more about this.
Course # | Course Name | Credits |
Required Film Courses (54 credits) | ||
CIN 1 | The Art of the Film/1900-1930 | 3 |
CIN 2 | The Art of the Film/1931 to Present | 3 |
CIN 5 | The Art of the Documentary Film | 3 |
CIN 6 | Basic Motion Picture Production | 3 |
CIN 7 | Intermediate Motion Picture Production | 3 |
CIN 8 | Advanced Motion Picture Production | 3 |
CIN 9 | Screenwriting | 3 |
CIN 10 | Screenwriting | 3 |
CIN 12 | Intro to Editing and Sound | 3 |
CIN 13 | Intermediate Editing & Sound | 3 |
CIN 15 | Cinematography | 3 |
CIN 28 | Film Theory | 3 |
CIN 24 | Video Documentary Workshop | 3 |
CIN 35 | Production Laboratory | 3 |
CIN 36 | Production Laboratory | 3 |
CIN 37 | Film Production Lab - Practicum | 3 |
CIN 38 | Film Production Lab - Practicum | 3 |
CIN 44 | Interdisciplinary Concepts - Directing | 3 |
Three courses from the following (9 credits) | ||
CIN 3 | Major Forces in the Cinema | 3 |
CIN 4 | Major Figures in the Cinema | 3 |
CIN 303 | Film & Society | 3 |
CIN 304 | Film & Society | 3 |
CIN 88 must be taken twice (8 credits) | ||
CIN 88 | Film Thesis | 4 |
Choose three courses from the following (9 credits) | ||
CIN 14 | Cinema and the Arts | 3 |
BDST 4 | Intermediate Sound Projects | 3 |
JOU 52 | Interviewing Skills for Media | 3 |
CIN 44 | Interdisciplinary Concepts | 3 |
CIN 89 | Advanced Individual Study in Cinema | 3 |
CIN 99 | Film Internship | 3 |
CIN 359 | Honors Advanced Elective | 3 |
CIN 360 | Honors Advanced Elective | 3 |
Institutional Learning Outcome (ILO) |
Courses |
ILO 1: Creative and Reflective Capacities (3 credits) Openness to new ideas, integrative and reflective thinking, investigation, and synthesis of existing knowledge as a way of creating, appreciating, and reflecting on original, innovative work grounded in scientific, humanistic, historical, and/or aesthetic disciplinary knowledge. |
ART 101: Introduction to Art ART 105: Introduction to Beginning Drawing ART 106: 3D Visualization and Production ART 131: Pottery and Ceramic Sculpture I CIN/FIL 109: Screenwriting II CIN 111: History of World Cinema CMA 109: Media Arts and Technology DNC 108: History of Dance ENG 167: Creativity and Nature ENG 182: Introduction to Creative Writing ENG 183: Creative Non-Fiction JOU 110: Journalism, Media and You MA 109: Media Arts and Technology MUS 101: Introduction to Musical Concepts MUS 102: Music Fundamentals MUS 110: Introduction to World Music PHI 172: Philosophy and the Mind SPE/ORC 105: Public Speaking THE 100: Introduction to Drama THE 111: The Art of Theatre THE 143: Shakespeare in Performance THE 193: Theatre Research/Performance |
ILO 2: Historical and Intercultural Awareness (6 credits) Recognition of oneself as a member of a global community consisting of diverse cultures with unique histories and geographies. |
History HIS 100: American Civilization to 1877 HIS 101: Perspectives on Premodern World History HIS 102: Perspectives on Modern World History HIS 108: American Civilization since 1877 Intercultural Awareness ANT #: Any Anthropology Course ART 104: Introduction to Visual Arts CIN 105: The Art of Documentary ENG 115: Global Literatures ENG 132: Shakespeare ENG 158: American Literature FRE 111: Introduction to French I FRE 112: Introduction to French II GGR 102: Geography and the Global Citizen HIS 144: Topics in Asian History HIS 157: Topics in Latin American History ITL 111: Introduction to Italian I ITL 112: Introduction to Italian II MUS 103: Music in Western Civilization MUS 146: History of Hip Hop MUS 147: History of Rock Music MUS 159: History of Country Music PHI 170: Philosophies of Love and Sex POL 150: International Relations POL 161: Introduction to Comparative Politics SPA 111: Introduction to Spanish I SPA 112: Introduction to Spanish II SOC 103: Gender and Sexual Diversity SOC 135: Global Cultures SOC 165: Culture and Society SOC 103: Gender and Sexual Diversity SOC 165: Culture and Society SPE 100: Oral Communication THE 142: Modern Theatre History |
ILO 3: Quantitative and Scientific Reasoning (7-8 credits) Competence in interpreting numerical and scientific data in order to draw conclusions, construct meaningful arguments, solve problems, and gain a better understanding of complex issues within a discipline or in everyday contexts. |
Scientific Reasoning AST 109/109A: Introductory Astronomy I AST 110/110A: Introductory Astronomy II BIO 120/120L: General Biology I BIO 124/124L: Foundations of Biology I BIO 125/125L: The Science of Sustainability BIO 126/126L: DNA and Human Life BIO 137/137L: Human Anatomy and Physiology I CHM 101/101L: Chemistry for Health Science I CHM 103/103L: Principles of Chemistry I ERS 101/101L: Weather and Climate ERS 102/102L: Planet Earth ERS 103/103L: Oceanography ERS 125/125L: Environmental Sustainability Science FSC 100/100L: Introduction to Forensic Chemistry PHY 103: University Physics I PHY 104: University Physics II PHY 120/120L: The Physical Universe PHY 127/127L: Physics for Pharmacy PHY 131/131L: General Physics I PHY 131/131L: College Physics I PHY 132/132L: General Physic II PHY 132/132L: College Physics II Quantitative Reasoning MTH #: Any Mathematics Course |
ILO 4: Oral and Written Communication (6 credits) Knowledge and skill in exchanging informed and well-reasoned ideas in effective and meaningful ways through a range of media to promote full understanding for various purposes, among different audiences and in a variety of contexts and disciplines. |
Written Communication ENG 110: Writing I – Composition and Analysis ENG 111: Writing II – Research and Argumentation |
ILO 5: Information and Technological Literacies (3 credits) Ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and effectively and responsibly use and share that information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills. |
CGPH 126: Web Design for Everyone EDI 100: Contemporary Issues in Education ENG 148: Ideas and Themes n Literature ENG 173: Writing in the Community ENG 175: Writing in the Professions ENG 178: Writing in the Sciences HIS 107: Engaging the Past HIS 190: Research Problems in History POL 100: Research Problems in Political Science SOC 102: Social Problems SOC 148: Medical Sociology SOC 148: Sociology of Health and Illness |
ILO 6: Critical Inquiry and Analysis (3 credits) Reflective assessment and critique of evidence, applying theory, and practicing discernment in the analysis of existing ideas and in the production of new knowledge across a broad array of fields or disciplines. |
ENG 103: Grammar and the Structure of English ENG 112: World Literatures I ENG 113: World Literatures II ENG 140: Introduction to Literature ENG 180: Literary Genres FRE 100: French Cinema GGR 101: The Geography of Sustainable Development HIS 104: Topics in American History HIS 120: Topics in Medieval History HIS 164: History of Gender and Sexuality HIS 167: History of Science and Technology PHI 100: Beginning Philosophy PHI 163: Philosophy of Art PHI 179: Social and Political Philosophy POL 147: Political Psychology POL 156: Diplomacy and Negotiation PSY 103: General Psychology PSY 111: Psychological Perspectives on Teaching and Learning SOC 100: Introduction to Sociology SOC 112: Gender, Race and Ethnicity SOC 126: Sociology of Gender SOC 161: Sociology of Sport |
ILO 7: Ethical Reasoning and Civic Engagement (3 credits) Evaluation of ethical issues in conduct and thinking, development of ethical self-awareness, consideration of various perspectives, and responsible and humane engagement in local and global communities. |
ART 177: High Impact Art CIN/FIL 103: Major Forces in the Cinema ECO 101: Microeconomics ECO 102: Macroeconomics ENG 150: Empathy and Literature HIS 116: History of Race and Society HIS 158: History of Politics and Power PHI 105: Bioethics PHI 113: Philosophy and Film PHY 178: Ethics and Society POL 101: Introduction to Political Science POL 102: Introduction to American Politics POL 123: Political Parties and Public Opinion SOC 108: Sociology of Youth SOC 109: Social Movements and Change SOC 110: Human Rights and Social Justice SOC 119: Sociology of the Family SOC 122: American Social Problems/Global Context SPA 105: The Hispanic World |
CIN 1 The Art of the Film: 1900 - 1930
This course studies the silent film and the birth and development of film as an art form in the United States, Germany, Russia, and France.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 2 The Art of the Film: 1931 to Present
In this course students study the sound film: the international development of creative motion pictures from the advent of sound through Neorealism, the New Wave, and the work of major new directors.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 3 Major Forces in the Cinema
The influence of major movements in the cinema is examined in this course. Subject changes each semester. May be taken for a maximum of three semesters. This course fulfills the Ethics, Self, and Society thematic cluster requirement in the core curriculum.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 4 Major Figures in the Cinema
The personal styles and influences of major directors are covered in this course. Subject changes each semester. May be taken for a maximum of three semesters.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 5 The Art of the Documentary Film
This course is an analysis of the major contributors to the film documentary from the Lumière and Edison one-shot films through the contemporary documentary. This course fulfills the Perspectives on World Cultures thematic cluster requirement in the core curriculum.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 6 Basic Motion Picture Production
The introductory concepts of visual storytelling are taught with HD production techniques.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 7 Intermediate Motion Picture Production
Introduction to working in small crews; development of storytelling skills.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 8 Advanced Motion Picture Production
This course develops further exploration into the techniques of filmmaking and application of professional practice.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 9 Screenwriting I
This course includes an intensive program of screenwriting techniques, focusing on writing a short form screenplay.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 10 Screenwriting II
This course includes an intensive program of screenwriting techniques, focusing on writing a short form screenplay.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 12 Basic Editing and Sound
This course is designed to give students basic skills in digital picture and sound editing, sound recording, and sound mixing.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 13 Intermediate Editing & Sound
This course is designed to give students intermediate skills in digital picture and sound editing, sound recording, and sound mixing.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 14 Cinema and the Arts
This course is a series of films, discussions and forums presented by film professionals working in the contemporary scene.
May be repeated for a maximum of three semesters.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 15 Cinematography
This course is an intensive study of the motion picture camera and lighting technology.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 24 Video Documentary Workshop II
Students learn the basics of producing a short documentary film, including research, interviewing, budgeting, shooting styles and organizing footage for editing.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 28 Film Theory
This course is an analysis of theories related to realism, montage, narrative and non-narrative films. Writings by Eisenstein, Vertov, Bazin and others are examined and films are viewed and discussed.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 35 Production Laboratory
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 36 Production Laboratory
This course is an intensive practicum in motion picture production that covers advanced cinematography, advanced sound, research, budgeting, production and postproduction practices.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 37 Film Production Lab-Practicum
This course is an intensive production experience that culminates in a group-made professional film, including basic distribution planning, and possible film festival screenings.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 38 Film Production Lab-Practicum
This course is an intensive production experience that culminates in a group-made professional film, including basic distribution planning, and possible film festival screenings.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 44 Film Concepts: Directing
This course will allow the student director to experience the craft of acting first-hand and also begin to develop methodologies for an approach to directing actors for the screen through an understanding of the actor's "tools" and actor vocabulary. Performance exercises, script analysis, and the concept of "organic blocking" will be explored through practical activities, screenings, readings, and discussions. Frequently team-taught. Course may be repeated for credit with permission of the department.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 88 FIlm Thesis
Students work with a professor to create an original work that showcases his or her main areas of interest in film. Students must register for two consecutive semesters.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 89 Advanced Individual Study in Cinema
Individual faculty-guided projects in cinema are appropriate when existing courses in the student's area of interest have been completed. Film majors may repeat for a maximum of four semesters. Students may register for more than one section during a given semester as long as the number of units for each section differs.
Credits: 4.00
CIN 99 FIlm Internship
This is an opportunity for the student to work in a professional venue and to be directly and meaningfully in day-to-day operations with an emphasis in an area of special interest.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 303 Film and Society
This course examines a selected topic (varying from year to year) in the relationship between sociopolitical issues and film as an art form, an entertainment medium, and an index of cultural and historical values. Emphasis is placed on relating movies to the times and places in which they were produced, and on interdisciplinary interpretations of cinematic texts. Screening of selected films are coordinated with lectures, readings on cinema and other subjects, and discussions of relevant ideas. Students are expected to do substantial reading, viewing, and researching on their own to enhance class discussions and to prepare for writing a term paper. Oral reports and in-class presentations may also be required. Students may take CIN 303 or 304 but may not take both.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 304 Film and Society
This course examines a selected topic (varying from year to year) in the relationship between sociopolitical issues and film as an art form, an entertainment medium, and an index of cultural and historical values. Emphasis is placed on relating movies to the times and places in which they were produced, and on interdisciplinary interpretations of cinematic texts. Screening of selected films are coordinated with lectures, readings on cinema and other subjects, and discussions of relevant ideas. Students are expected to do substantial reading, viewing, and researching on their own to enhance class discussions and to prepare for writing a term paper. Oral reports and in-class presentations may also be required. Students may take CIN 303 or 304 but may not take both.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 359 Honors Advanced Elective
Honors Advanced Elective - Please consult the Honors website for complete description.
Credits: 3.00
CIN 360 Honors Advanced Elective
Honors Advanced Elective - Please consult the Honors website for complete description.
Credits: 3.00
BDST 4 Digital Audio Production
This course is designed to familiarize the student with intermediate-level theory and practice of digital audio production. Continues instruction in the various techniques for capturing and engineering sound. it offers training in the tools and techniques of producing audio and provides the foundation for sound production/reproduction essential to dealing with audio in environments such as radio, television, film ,multimedia, broadcast journalism and web production.Prepares the student for advanced work in audio production.
Credits: 3.00
JOU 52 Interviewing Skills for Media
This course teaches communications skills essential for any media career. Students receive practical training in interview techniques, including the one-on-one interview, the news interview, panels, and oral history interviews. Students record video or audio of interviews to assess their performance, and gain instructor feedback and peer critiques. Cross-listed as BDST 52.
Credits: 3.00
Adjunct Professor
Screenwriting, Film Theory, Criticism
Mike Atkinson is the author of six books, including one volume of poetry and an upcoming novel from St. Martin's Press. He has written about film for The Guardian, SPiN, Film Comment, Sight & Sound, The Village Voice, Chicago Reader, Details, IFC.com, and many others. His TV pilot BABYLON FIELDS was produced by CBS TV and his pilot “All Things Awakened” is currently in production. His books include: “Blue Velvet” (British Film Institute), “Ghosts in the Machine: Speculating on the Dark Heart of Pop Cinema,” (Limelight Eds.), and “Exile Cinema: Filmmakers at Work Beyond Hollywood” (SUNY Press). Professor Atkinson has been teaching at C.W. Post for more than 11 years.
John Koshel
Film Professor
M.F.A., New York University
john.koshel@liu.edu
Writing, Directing, Film Theory
John Koshel’s professional work spans digital, film and video media and includes network television and feature films. His background includes digital-asset and archives management, and historical media research for NBC-Universal, in addition to several producing and directing credits, editing experience, and contract negotiations with corporations and entertainment labor unions. Professor Koshel’s interests include motion picture history and production, preservation and restoration. Academic credits include the M.F.A. from the NYU Graduate Institute of Film and Television, concentration in writing and directing, and a Senior Fellowship in screenwriting from Hamilton, College, Clinton, N.Y.
John Mainente
Adjunct Professor and Technical Director
B.F.A., C.W. Post of 91ÅÝܽ
M.F.A., Columbia University
john.mainente@liu.edu
Cinematography, Directing, Film Production
John Mainente directed an independent feature film titled “Bright Ideas.” The Long Island Voice lauded it as one of 1998’s “Best of the Year” and Newsday’s John Anderson applauded it, calling it a “Laurel and Hardy film for the ‘90’s.” Professor Mainente has also directed two nationally shown television commercials, eight short subject films, was the chief editor on a computer graphic anti-drug PSA music video, was the supervising editor to a Silver Anvil nominated video for Creamer Dickson Basford and has written five feature length scripts. John earned his B.F.A. from the C.W. Post Campus of 91ÅÝܽ and an M.F.A. in Film from Columbia University, where he studied with academy award winner Milos Forman.
Gia McKenna
Assistant Technical Director, Advisor
Gia McKenna graduated from LIU Post with a BFA in Film Production in 2010 and was awarded the Martha Holmes Award for Excellence in Film. Fresh out of college, she started her very own boutique video production company, 1909 Productions LLC. She works part-time at LIU Post as the Assistant Technical Director of the film program as well as an advisor to the film students. As ATD, she manages and maintains the equipment room, editing suites and film studios. As an advisor, Gia encourages students to be on her film sets outside of school so that they can have hands-on experience and will be better suited for a professional film setting. She also advises students on their own personal projects, films and theses.
In 2013, Gia produced an independent short, The Necklace (Dir. Joan Stein-Schimke). In September of the same year, her thesis film Poker Face (2010) made its small screen debut on Long Island Screening Room (WLIW21, New York Public Media). Currently, Gia has served as Associate Producer on her first indie feature A Pebble of Love (Dir. Hossein Keshavarz). She has also released a new web series An Actor Unprepared, which she both directed and produced.
Lisa Robinson
Professor of Film
B.A., University of California, Berkeley
M.F.A., New York University
lisa.robinson@liu.edu
Film Production, Screenwriting, Directing
Lisa Robinson works as a screenwriter and director. She co-wrote and co-directed (with Annie Howell) the feature film SMALL, BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS which premiered at SXSW in 2011, screened at over 20 festivals and won the Sloan Feature Film Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival. It has played theatrically in more than 15 cities, was a Time Out and New York Magazine Critics Pick and Roger Ebert praised it as “effortlessly engaging”. Robinson also recently wrote and directed HOLLOW, a short film funded by ITVS (a division of PBS) Futurestates series that premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and is currently streaming at PBS.org. Robinson also co-created SPARKS, a web series about humans and technology, that was syndicated by the Sundance Channel. She has written and directed short films that have screened at film festivals around the world including Cannes-Directors Fortnight, Telluride, Edinburgh, and Clermont-Ferrand. She is the recipient of the Martin E. Segal Prize, the Mitsubishi Digital Media Lab Award for Excellence, and a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. Robinson received her MFA from New York University’s Graduate Film Directing Program.
Soopum Sohn
Professor of Film
B.F.A., Chung Ang University; Art Center College of Design
M.F.A., American Film Institute; New York University
soopum.sohn@liu.edu
Film Screenwriting, Directing, Cinematography, Editing
As director/writer, Soopum’s short films include “Island to Island,” winner of a 2002 Student Academy Award, and “Fish in the Sea Is Not Thirsty,” an official selection of the 2002 Cannes Film Festival (Quinzaine). “Make Yourself at Home,” Soopum’s first feature film as a director/writer, was invited to the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival, Gala Presentation; Oldenburg Film Festival; San Diego Asian Film Festival; and Athens Film Festival.
As cinematographer, Soopum’s films include “Michellville” (dir: John Harkrider), which screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival (American Spectrum), and “SA-KWA” (dir: Yi-Kwan Kang), winner of the International Critics Award at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival.
Soopum holds M.F.A. degrees from American Film Institute (cinematography) and New York University (film directing).
Susan Zeig
Program Director, Professor of Film
B.S., Empire State College, SUNY
susan.zeig@liu.edu
Documentaries, Independent Films, Latin American Films
Professor Susan Zeig is a documentary filmmaker focusing on issues of social concern. Her current work leads from the decades of dismal graduation rates in many urban neighborhoods, and how communities are successfully working to turn this around. She has received grants for these projects from the C.S. Mott Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, the Barr Foundation, the Irvine Foundation, the Walter and Elise Hass Fund, the Rockefeller Foundation, National Latino Communications Center, Independent Television Service (I.T.V.S.) New York Foundation on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Humanities, New York State Council for the Arts, the Film Fund, and the Research Committee of 91ÅÝܽ. Her films are in national distribution in educational, community and labor union circuits as well as being broadcast over PBS, transmitted on cable and the Internet. She also created a University Satellite Network with a 20 -university link-up, serving as Co-Project Director.
from on .
*San Francisco Film Society, Harvard School of Education, Rutgers University, California State University, Brooklyn College School of Education, Communities for Public Education Reform Convening, Temple University, Project, Wellesley College, CUNY Graduate School of Education, Grantmakers for Education Conference, 2010 Give Kids Good Schools Week, LaGuardia Community College and New York University*
from on .
from on .
from on .
Join the LIU Community!
We can't wait to welcome you to Shark Nation.
The application process is quick and easy, but if you have
any questions, our admissions counselors are here to help.
© 91ÅÝܽ
720 Northern Boulevard, Brookville, New York 11548-1327
CONTACT