Writing, Film & Media Arts

In this class, students develop a foundational understanding of using cameras as creative storytelling tools. Through hands-on filming exercises and in-class experiments, they explore how camera settings, lenses, shot scales, and movement shape visual meaning. This course emphasizes creative problem- solving with camera placement and technique, challenging students to think critically about their artistic choices while mastering essential technical skills.

In this hands-on course, students delve into the world of film editing and learn how to craft compelling narratives through the power of editing. Each class introduces a key editing concept, such as continuity editing, L-cuts, J-cuts, montage, match cuts, and more. Students apply these techniques in practical film exercises and projects, enhancing their understanding of how each edit shapes the story’s flow and emotional impact.

This class focuses on the history of film editing aesthetics and technologies. Students will discover how editing techniques have shifted as technological advancements, political environments, cultural influences, world wars and more have shaped the film world. This class will work to teach students the technical skills for editing films, while exposing them to the importance of past films and how those past films influence future productions.

In this class, students create and film stories for their college portfolios. They will research college portfolio requirements and generate stories that use those requirements to their advantage. Students will workshop their stories with their peers and receive structure and feedback throughout the semester. This is a product-centered class and students will be challenged to be thoughtful and intentional with their artistic choices.

Script to Screen is a department-wide collaborative project in which WFMA students work in small teams to write, shoot, and edit original films, all within a three-week period. These films are screened at an all-school event. The project is guided by the school’s motto, Non Nobis Solum, and the school’s Core Values: Creativity, Growth, Community, Respect & Excellence.

This class pinpoints “the public,” “the personal,” and “the private '' worlds of each character. In their screenplays, students will learn to build well-rounded characters that establish deeper relationships with the audience. The class will screen Live Action Shorts, including both documentaries and animated shorts. Students will mark out the three-act structure in each piece, noting the development of character while comparing visual storytelling with dialogue-driven narrative momentum.

This class explores a variety of genres in the Live Action Short. Students will pinpoint the value change in particular scenes and note the delineation of character. Students will watch the Oscar winning screenplay, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, while reading the working script to evaluate scene tension and forward motion. The students will work on log lines, outlines and script mechanics as the semester unfolds.

In this class, students will study how a writer can push the basic forward motion of "what's going to happen next" through a narrative scene. Students will read a variety of contemporary plays and students can expect to act in their peer's work and to improvise set-ups that will improve their understanding of the performance aspects of writing for the stage. The students will complete a working draft of scenes from a play by the end of the semester.

In this class, students will pinpoint the arc of conversation in individual scenes, explore the use of language and discuss the elements used to develop fully rounded characters. During the semester students will work on exercises to improve our understanding of writing for the stage.

In this class, students will measure the characters' relationships and dynamics and how they contribute to moving the action through the script. Students will pinpoint the 3 elements in every play: What does the character wants? What is stopping the character from getting it? And why now? Students will then explore these questions in their own work and learn how to utilize and thread all these elements to sustain the narrative tension.

This class will reignite students’ passion in their past scripts as they develop them further. Students may begin a new script, outline, pitch or idea in both playwriting or screenwriting as they progress, but the class will concentrate on developing past scripts. This is a student-centric workshop class that depends on the students’ commitment to redrafting their work. It is a requirement that students bring at least two previous scripts in development to the first class.

How many words does it take to write a story? What needs to be there to communicate “a world?” In this class students will learn how to say more by writing less and how to include details of a story without writing about them at all. Students will study models and create their own work, focusing specifically on crafting stories that are 100 words or less. The class will also explore how narratives in miniature can be used to build longer pieces.

The Prose Seminar is an advanced reading and writing class. Students will collectively read long and short format fiction and nonfiction. They will work to identify aspects of these texts to emulate in their own writing. The class requires a daily writing habit where students generate short entries of at least 100 words with an eye towards craft and editing. Every three weeks, students will prepare an excerpt of their writing for workshop and individual feedback.

This class focuses on the craft of writing about personal experiences, real or imagined, in artful ways. Modes include confessional, post-confessional, creative nonfiction, and persona. Assignments are not restricted to a particular genre. Students can respond with poems, fiction, monologues, short scripts, etc. They will approach subjects thematically, examining subjectivity and the self through voice, point of view, and psychic or narrative distance.

As poets develop their voice, they also develop their relationship to language, syntax, and the line. In this class, students will explore word order and line construction, recognizing these powerful tools as expressions of artistic choice. By experimenting with long lines, short lines, end-stopped and enjambed lines, and regular, inverted, metric, truncated syntax, they’ll discover how line construction deeply affects the way a poem is read, heard, and understood.

Can a 14-line poem ever not be a sonnet? Some theorize sonnets are inescapable, that within 14 lines there always remains the phantom form. This class is an exploration of that theory. Students will write traditional and nontraditional sonnets, and also spend time working with 14 lines trying not to write them. Students will delve into the psychology of the sonnet, experiment with rebel sonnets, and eventually attempt to break free from the form altogether.

Can a machine write a poem, and can you build that machine? This class will explore poetry that utilizes found, automatic, chance, Surrealist, Oulipo, digital, and other generative techniques. Students will create generative prompts of their own design and consider whether these processes of invention help or hinder a poem’s voice, lyricism, and meaning.

This class will explore song lyric writing with a focus on song form and structure. Along the way, students will study, analyze, and listen to a variety of songs. Students will also discuss why songs take on different forms and how the building blocks of songs - the verse, the chorus, the bridge - have changed over the years. A set of lyrics will be due each week. If time allows, students will end the quarter setting lyrics to music.

This class will explore the craft of song lyric writing within particular genres. It will also delve into the relationship and distinctions between songwriting and poetry. Students will study a range of genres and use them as models to create lyrics. Genres will likely include Blues; Folk/Ballad; Jazz Standard; Funk & Soul; Pop; and Indie Rock. A song or poem will be due each week. A final project will involve setting song lyrics to music and/or collaborating with a composer.

In this class, students learn the basics of analog photography: camera and lens functions, film processing, and darkroom printing. They have the opportunity to use 35mm cameras while learning techniques that are involved with black & white prints. The course is hands-on, with weekly image making and darkroom time.

This class takes a deeper look into the possibilities of using black and white photography as an expressive, artistic medium. Students will experiment with new methods of film exposure, development, and printing, and will use small, medium, and large camera formats. This is a hands-on, wet-lab class, where students will actively create photographs.

In this class, students in their Junior year return to analog photography and the darkroom with a focus on visual storytelling. They use 35mm and medium format cameras while expanding their printing skills in parallel with reflection based writing. Students look at the work of master and contemporary photographers, as well as their own written projects, while creating a conceptual body of work.

This class takes a deeper look into the possibilities of using lens based practices as an expressive, artistic medium. Students experiment with new methods of image exposure, development, and printing, and use large format and pinhole cameras. This is a hands-on, wet-lab class, where students actively experiment in their photographic printmaking.

This class introduces the fundamentals of digital photography, with an emphasis on image quality, creative use of color, and inkjet printing. Students use digital SLR cameras and Adobe Photoshop to create thematically based projects. While learning the components of color correction, students focus on the use of equipment to support their creative vision.

This class develops a foundational understanding of interactive storytelling using text-based media and explores how user interaction, choice, and game mechanics shape narrative meaning. Working with an HTML-based tool that creates interactivity through hypertext links, students engage in creative problem-solving to design immersive, participatory experiences. This course emphasizes both technical and creative skills, challenging students to think critically about coding, narrative design, and user engagement.

This is an interactive and hands-on course for students interested in physical game design. Students engage in the prototyping of games, focusing on experimenting with and understanding various game mechanics. The course develops students’ technical skills in game design and emphasizes the process of creation and learning through experimentation and play.

This class focuses on how to use audio and sound design to tell a story. It explores techniques of recording, mixing, sampling, and editing of digital and live audio. Students build tension, create drama and suspense to bring a story to life in the listener’s mind. While projects focus on audio without visuals, the techniques students encounter in this class will strengthen their knowledge of sound design for video, film, and installation art.

This class explores the podcasting environment and walks students through the steps for creating a podcast. Elements covered include genre, format, target audience, and pacing. They also learn the technical aspects of sound recording and how to record and edit clean audio. As a final project, students will generate multi-episode podcasts.

In this class, students learn to design natural environments while building a strong foundation in the Unreal Game Engine. Through hands-on projects, they explore techniques like set blocking, lighting, and set dressings to create immersive landscapes that convey mood and story. Emphasis is placed on digital 3D environments as a storytelling tool, encouraging students to balance technical and artistic considerations. While Unreal Engine is widely used in gaming, this course highlights its versatility across industries, including film, virtual production, architecture visualization, and fashion.

This class introduces students to the world of virtual filmmaking. They learn to navigate the software, build digital environments, and operate virtual cameras. The course covers key techniques such as pre-visualization, dynamic lighting, animation, and green screen compositing. Students gain hands- on experience with Unreal Engine’s core functionality with an emphasis on artistic vision, storytelling, and experimentation, providing them with creative possibilities for standalone projects and real-world filmmaking.

This class will explore the process of transforming, translating, mutating work from one genre or form into another. How does a poem become a photograph, a photograph become a short story, and a short story become a film? Students will begin by interpreting notable artists' work, then move on to their own work, and eventually exchange work with peers. This is a multi-disciplinary class that will focus on a variety of forms and genres.

ColLaboratory is a project-based class that focuses on skills and strategies that support students becoming stronger collaborators. Areas of growth include communication, organization, empathy, and reflection. Some projects will result in collaborative outcomes, some will involve a collaborative process that results in individual outcomes. This class often includes excursions off campus and collaborations with guest artists and institutions.

This class is designed as a hands-on laboratory that explores the intersection of close seasonal observation, creative writing, and book arts. Projects begin with the binding of a simple book to use for prompts, sketches, and prototypes. Skills developed in this class include patience with process, willingness to take technical and conceptual risks without knowing the final outcome, and the ability to balance abstract thought with concrete technique.

Portfolio Practicum is designed to propel student professionalism which advances students in their college and career paths. Students learn to curate and showcase their work for an external audience. Different approaches to documenting their work sets students up for success when submitting to calls for work, awards, colleges, and other opportunities. They will develop a clear understanding of their artistic identity in this class.

Senior Studio fosters an environment of collaborative and supportive work for mature artists. Seniors propose semester or year-long projects and work with faculty to design and shape projects that are both challenging and realizable. Students are asked to be flexible and open to adjustments to their proposals. As a group, students participate in exercises and discussions about their process.

In Open Studio, WFMA students work on departmental projects and assignments, independently or in a group, and seek out support from faculty. This is also designated time for them to receive guidance and feedback on pieces they are preparing to present or submit beyond the department. This class reinforces habits of organization, time management, and the ability to synthesize and incorporate feedback.