Filmmaking, Video and Photography

Study in a city that is a destination for filmmakers and features a diverse art scene

The best filmmakers combine practical knowledge, impeccable technical skills and real-world training with curious minds, rich inner lives, and original perspectives. Photography is a craft and an art form, calling for a clarity of thought and originality in perspective that emerges from a wide-ranging, horizon-broadening liberal arts education. The kind of fusion of theory and practice where Oglethorpe students excel.

You’ll learn from faculty members who are highly trained professionals in the field, drawing on decades of experience in all aspects of photography and filmmaking, including camera work, sound, editing, screenwriting, pre-production and post-production. You’ll also have access to Atlanta’s thriving and vibrant art scene, and fantastic on-campus resources like the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art,

The Oglethorpe Filmmaking, Video and Photography Track enables students to…

Think visually, considering lighting, color and composition.
Gain visual literacy and sophistication.
Investigate both digital photography and traditional darkroom methods.
Consider how audio and visuals work together to support and deepen a narrative.
Understand planning, writing, production, and post-production as aspects of a film-making project.
Master the technical skills and aesthetic considerations of still and digital photography.
Acquire hands-on expertise with relevant equipment and software for filming and production.

As a student, you’ll major in Studio Art with a concentration in filmmaking, video and photography.

Real-World Experience
Life After Oglethorpe
Degree Requirements & Courses

Can you guess the top-rated city to work and live as a filmmaker? The answer is… drumroll, please… Atlanta, Georgia! The Peach State now hosts the third largest film industry in the U.S., coming only behind California and New York. And thanks to its lovely climate, great culture and lifestyle, and low cost of living, Atlanta won the top spot for the total work-life package.

Bottom line: Atlanta, Georgia is a pretty perfect place to launch your career as a photography or filmmaker. And Oglethorpe students benefit from top-notch opportunities for internships, networking and experiential learning.

- - Oglethorpe students recently got a front-row seat to Atlanta’s film and TV industry. In December 2015, a television pilot was filmed right here on campus. The director invited students from Dr. Reshmi Hebbar’s elective course in “TV & Reading” for a behind-the-scenes tour of set and production. Oglethorpe is often selected as a set for films and TV shows.
  - Campus MovieFest is the national competition for student filmmakers, and Oglethorpe’s talented movie-makers definitely hold their own! In 2015, an Oglethorpe team was one of five chosen from nearly 500 in the southeast to advance to the final round of the Campus MovieFest Fan Choice Award and compete for the $10,000 prize.
  - Students get on-site photography experience at some of Atlanta’s most beautiful, historic and quirky locations, including Little Five Points, downtown Atlanta, Piedmont Park, the Goat Farm, Historic Oakland Cemetery and Hahn Woods. These field trips allow students to experiment with photographing the broader community, and encourage visual problem-solving with different lighting, environments and subjects.
  - Have hands-on experience operating state-of-the-art audio and video equipment. Here at Oglethorpe, students like you get to handle professional-level equipment from the very first day of class. Plus, gain even greater technical mastery by participating in seminars on advanced film production techniques, both on and off campus.
  - Oglethorpe film students have completed internships at an impressive roster of Fortune 500s and media groups, including CNN News, Georgia Public Television, the Coca-Cola Company, Black Rock Entertainment LLC, Bill Anderson Photography, Buckhead Business Radio, 79th and York Entertainment, Turner Broadcasting System (TBS), Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Jackson Spalding communications firm, and Cartoon Network.
  - Oglethorpe students exhibit their work in professional galleries, even winning awards! One talented photo student won first prize at the “Expressions of Light” exhibit at Roswell Visual Arts Center. Another student’s work was selected for FRESH, an annual exhibition by the Association for Visual Arts in Chattanooga, Tennessee that highlights the Southeast’s most promising emerging artists.

You’ll acquire technical knowledge with immediate practical value to many organizations. You’ll also develop skills in communicating a message, holding up under pressure, managing projects, meeting deadlines, and creating a polished product as a team —important skills in any career.

Film production graduates can pursue a number of roles in film and television writing, producing, filming, editing, post-production, and more; plus, look for jobs at news and culture publications, advertising and marketing agencies, and communications departments at large organizations and companies.
As a professional photographer, you can find employment in advertising, marketing and PR agencies; magazines, newspapers and digital publications; museums and event spaces; and communications departments at major nonprofit organizations and large companies. Or, consider starting your own business as a freelance photographer and take your camera wherever your clients call!
Oglethorpe graduates have found employment in broadcast production, freelance movie production, social media companies and advertising agencies. One is now an on-air news broadcasting talent in Albuquerque, NM. Another worked for STAR94 Radio before accepting a communications position at the Mercedes-Benz headquarters in Atlanta. Other alumni have gone on to graduate studies in film at Boston University and University of Washington.

See degree requirements and course descriptions in the University Bulletin.